Introduction to School-wide Positive Behaviour Support

https://player.vimeo.com/video/854261947

[Start screen displays Victoria State Government – Department of Education logo.]

Title: School-wide Positive Behaviour Support: Improving behavioural outcomes for Victorian students

[Narrator] School-wide Positive Behaviour Support, or SWPBS, is a framework that helps schools to improve behavioural, emotional, and academic outcomes for students. It focuses on building positive, safe, and supportive learning cultures that maximise success and engagement for all students, regardless of need.

The SWPBS framework helps schools select and implement tiers of instruction and intervention.

Schools begin by organising their effort to invest in efficient, prevention-focused activities. Then, when they’re ready, they build on this foundation to intensify supports for the students who need it most.

At Tier One, schools establish school-wide instructional practices, known as universal supports. These evidence-based features help improve student behaviour by creating a positive environment, strong relationships, and effective teacher practice. A strong Tier One foundation should meet the needs of around 80% of students.

At Tier Two, schools intensify support for students requiring more targeted assistance. They do this by developing systems, communications, and data-based decision processes to identify at-risk students, and match them to appropriate interventions.

At Tier Three, schools intensify support further with individualised interventions for students with more complex behavioural needs. Schools use a problem-solving approach. First, they identify what success looks like. Then, they use data to identify the gap, implement practices to close the gap, and systems to support staff. Each element works together to promote positive behaviour, improve social competence, and academic achievement.

SWPBS has been extensively evaluated and researched, including through more than a dozen randomised controlled trials. This research has found that SWPBS can help to decrease the number of low-level disruptive and disengaged student behaviour that teachers frequently report, significantly decrease the number of behaviour referrals to school leadership, reduce bullying, help students make academic gains, improve school climate, and improve teachers’ perception of their own efficacy.

Let’s take a look at what an SWPBS implementation might look like at a Victorian secondary school.

First, school leaders, like Sophie and Rav, identify their desired improvement needs, and decide how they will make room to implement SWPBS. An SWPBS team is formed from a cross-section of the school, including a team leader or internal coach, parent representatives, and a student representative if at secondary level. Schools that join the initiative have access to a coach for an agreed period of time.

During this time, the coach provides intensive coaching and technical assistance to the team leader or internal coach. The team complete their initial training in the Tier One universal supports, and develop an action plan to install the essential features of SWPBS. The team provide professional learning to all staff, including classroom coaching to establish the critical features.

The team monitor classroom practice, and provides ongoing professional learning for staff. They collect and evaluate data on a regular basis to identify problems, develop solution plans, and measure the impact and fidelity of implementation.

Once the school has established the Tier One foundations, they establish Tier Two systems for students with additional support needs, and finally, they develop Tier Three, individualised supports, for students with complex needs.

When it comes to implementation, it’s important to keep in mind that SWPBS is an approach that schools use to focus on their particular needs, not a program, and the focus of a school’s work will change as the needs of students and the school community changes.

To find out how SWPBS can help your school improve student outcomes, go to the Department of Education’s Policy and Advisory Library and search for SWPBS, or contact the Positive Behaviour Support Team: positive.behaviour@education.vic.gov.au

[End screen displays Victoria State Government – Department of Education logo.]

[End of transcript]

Updated 29 February 2024

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Introduction to School-wide Positive Behaviour Support

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