Supporting Teachers with Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Training

Managing students’ behavior is one of the biggest challenges teachers face in the classroom. Kids’ brains are still developing and they may struggle with classroom expectations and as a result, their behavior can be disruptive at times.

One of the best ways to encourage appropriate behavior is with the use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS falls under the umbrella of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). At Alludo, we host PBIS training to support school districts who use PBIS to manage student behavior.

What are the key elements of PBIS and how does it support teachers? Here’s what you need to know.

Table of Contents

1. What is PBIS and Why Is It Important?
2. What Are the Key Elements of Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports?
   1. A PBIS Team to Oversee the Training
   2. Teacher Buy-In
   3. Clearly-Defined School-Wide Expectations
   4. Staff Training
   5. Consistent Implementation
   6. Teacher Professional Development to Ensure Compliance and Implementation
   7. Consistent Classroom Systems and Routines
   8. Data Collection
   9. Evaluation & Reporting
3. Why Are Positive Behavioral Supports Important?
   1. It Improves School Culture
   2. It Builds Students’ Social Skills
   3. It Increases Student Engagement
   4. It Increases Instruction Time
   5. It Improves Student Outcomes
   6. It Improves Classroom Management
   7. It Increases Faculty Retention
   8. It Increases Family Involvement
4. Alludo's Take

What is PBIS and Why Is It Important?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a system that falls under the umbrella of MTSS. Simply stated, it’s a tiered system of support that is evidence-based and designed to improve students' social, emotional, and mental health.

Used appropriately and consistently, PBIS can help to create a positive learning environment for students, reduce teacher stress and turnover, and bring teachers, parents, and administrators together for the benefit of students. We’ll talk later about the benefits of PBIS and how it can help teachers feel supported.

What Are the Key Elements of Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports?

Any district that wants to incorporate positive behavioral supports for the classroom should know the key elements of PBIS. Here are nine that we believe are crucial.

#1: A PBIS Team to Oversee the Training

For PBIS to be successful, school personnel – including administrators and classroom staff – must be involved in creating the system. Having a dedicated PBIS team will ensure that all involved groups have input.

The PBIS team should also be responsible for meeting after implementation to gather feedback and data.

#2: Teacher Buy-In

School-wide PBIS only works when teachers buy into it and understand how it can help them. Because some teachers may be resistant at first, it’s important to emphasize the positive impact PBIS can have on student behavior and academic achievement.

One way to facilitate teacher buy-in is by including teachers on your PBIS team. Other teachers may find it easier to buy into the idea of PBIS if it comes from a peer.

#3: Clearly-Defined School-Wide Expectations

PBIS only works if a system is put in place where the expectations about student behavior are clearly-defined and practiced consistently. Inconsistency will undermine any positive impact that PBIS can have and increase the likelihood that students will not meet your expectations.

Every student must understand what you consider to be appropriate behavior and what the consequences will be if they fall short of expectations. Likewise, teachers must all be clear on what to do when a student requires an intervention.

#4: Staff Training

Professional learning is a key component of PBIS because without staff training, teachers may not adhere consistently to the PBIS framework you have created. The result may be more student behavioral problems as kids realize that the rules aren’t being appropriately applied.

At Alludo, we offer a wide array of PBIS modules in our online learning catalog. School districts can choose which modules to require while also giving teachers a choice about what to learn.

#5: Consistent Implementation

With PBIS, consistent implementation is a cornerstone of positive student outcomes. Students must be aware of the consequences if they fail to meet behavioral expectations. Any lack of consistency will undermine the authority of teachers and administrators.

It’s for this reason that your PBIS must be carefully planned and thoroughly documented, with all teachers and administrators trained in how to correct students with positive behavioral supports.

#6: Teacher Professional Development to Ensure Compliance and Implementation

Professional development around PBIS must be both robust and ongoing. Teachers need to understand PBIS fully and be comfortable with the idea of implementing it as needed if it is to have a positive impact on student behavior and learning.

Your PD system must require teachers to learn about PBIS and encourage them to comply with the system you create and implement it consistently.

#7: Consistent Classroom Systems and Routines

Establishing consistent classroom systems and routines that are related to your PBIS initiative is one of the best ways to get everybody involved to comply with the system. Every teacher should know what to do in a situation where intervention is required, whether it involves a student being disruptive in class or bullying prevention.

Students will know what to expect and that makes it easier for teachers to implement PBIS procedures whenever it’s necessary to do so.

#8: Data Collection

Even a carefully thought out PBIS initiative can fall short once it is implemented. It’s for this reason that it’s essential to collect data about PBIS.

The data you collect should relate to every aspect of PBIS, including teacher buy-in and compliance, student acceptance, and behavioral outcomes.

#9: Evaluation & Reporting

Once you have PBIS data, the next step is to evaluate the data and report it, so that decisions can be made about altering PBIS as needed.

For example, you may become aware that PBIS has decreased disciplinary referrals or you might be able to identify inconsistencies in the implementation of PBIS that mean you need additional professional development.

Why Are Positive Behavioral Supports Important?

Now that you understand what PBIS is, including its essential components, let’s review the many ways in which PBIS is important and can benefit students and teachers from elementary school to high school, including how it can make teachers feel supported.

It Improves School Culture

When student behavior is not properly managed and there are no consistent consequences for behavior that negatively impacts the school, it can create a disruptive and harmful culture. By contrast, consistently-implemented PBIS can and does improve school culture.

It Builds Students’ Social Skills

Students of all ages are still developing social skills and may sometimes fail to understand the impact their behavior has on others. PBIS, by creating consistent standards and expectations, helps students learn and engage in appropriate behavior and socialization.

It Increases Student Engagement

Disruptive behavior can impact everyone, so implementing a PBIS initiative in any school district can help to minimize disruptions and increase student engagement.

It Increases Instruction Time

Without PBIS, teachers may spend a significant portion of their time in the classroom addressing problem behaviors and disciplining students. With PBIS and its clear expectations, teachers will have more time to teach students because they’ll be able to devote less energy to correcting behavior.

It Improves Student Outcomes

Considering that PBIS can increase both student engagement and instruction time, it’s no surprise that it can also lead to better student outcomes. 

It Improves Classroom Management

Classroom management is much easier for teachers when they have a clearly-defined framework to address student behavior, both on a core level and one-on-one for students who struggle with behavior and may need personal help.

It Increases Faculty Retention

Teachers are far more likely to experience burnout and leave their jobs if they don’t feel supported, particularly with behavioral interventions. PBIS supports teachers by giving them a clear framework to correct behavior with the knowledge that they’re backed by school staff, administrators, and parents.

It Increases Family Involvement

Families are more likely to be involved and aware of what’s happening with their children’s education when they are brought into the loop with PBIS, which incorporates parents’ feedback and brings them in when a student requires more personalized correction.

Alludo’s Take

At Alludo, we have curated a wide selection of courses for teacher professional development, including many courses and microlearning activities related to PBIS. Here are three key ways that partnering with Alludo can help with your PBIS implementation:

1. PD can be used to ensure teacher buy-in. Teachers can sometimes be resistant to change – like all of us – but PBIS works only if everyone in the system embraces it. PD can be used to educate teachers about PBIS and its benefits, giving you a greater chance that teachers will embrace the idea.
2. Online learning allows for easy data collection and analysis. Data collection is a key element of PBIS. Since teacher engagement and buy-in is so essential, we have made it easy to collect data on teacher participation and completion of required courses.
3. Teachers can take what they learn online and implement it in the classroom. Teachers are most likely to embrace PBIS when they have learned it in an engaging manner that makes the classroom benefits apparent to them. We find that teachers who learn about PBIS with Alludo are highly engaged and happy to implement what they have learned.

By partnering with Alludo, you can design and implement a PBIS framework that will be effective in your district as a whole.

Is Your School District Supporting Teachers with Behavioral Interventions and Support Training?

Teachers who feel supported are likely to be engaged and enthusiastic about their work, and that makes them less likely to experience burnout that might drive them to another profession. Implementing PBIS in your district is an effective way to support teachers by giving them the tools they need to correct student behavior in a positive way.

Experience personalized learning for all levels of educators with a free trial of Alludo’s professional development platform. You’ll enjoy:

• Hundreds of core topics
• Asynchronous microlearning activities
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• Analytics that show learning impact
• Access anytime, anywhere