High expectations are bringing positive behavior to schools.
School Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports is a program meant to incentivize positive behavior from students, and Beechwood Elementary School has retained its status this school year as a SWPBIS model site.
“PBIS involves a lot of planning, a lot of using data, a lot of involving kids’ parents and teachers to plan and provide them knowledge. It’s not only giving them things for their good behavior, but it’s also complimenting them — intrinsic motivation,” principal Tamikia Billings said.
The model site status is given through a personnel development grant called REACH Mississippi — Realizing Excellence for All Children in Mississippi — by the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education. Several schools across the state have been pronounced model sites, but Beechwood is the only school in Warren County to receive the recognition.
“We’re the only one in VWSD and that’s a great accomplishment,” Billings said.
With PBIS, when students do something wrong, she said teachers and administrators reteach the expectations instead of using discipline. Then when students make good choices, they are recognized.
“We model (positive behavior) also. We teach and reteach, and it’s imbedded in our lesson plans,” Billings said.
To get model site status, representatives from REACH MS visit schools for about a three-hour evaluation asking students and teachers questions. Schools must show how they are using the program and show progress through the data and pictures all compiled in binders, she said.
“When they come, they ask questions like, what is the motto? And the motto is be ready, be respectful, be responsible,” Billings said. “The kids have to know that, they have to own it and they have to know what that looks like.”
Another component of PBIS is incentives. Billings said each teacher has a classroom store where students can buy different treats or opportunities like playing basketball or visiting with friends with honey money earned by their behavior. Plus there is an event like a color run or a winter carnival at the end of each nine weeks that children with positive behavior can attend.
PBIS isn’t just for students, it reaches the teachers too.
“We also do PBIS for teachers as well. We award teachers with incentives,” Billings said. “We’ll give them chocolate or shout-outs.”
Beechwood has implemented PBIS since 2012, when Billings came to the school. She said it fits in well with other programs.
“We merge it with the Leader in Me because we’re a Leader in Me School. We teach the kids the expectations, and we align them with the seven habits,” Billings said.
She said it is important to analyze the data coming from the implementation of PBIS in the school to see what is and isn’t working, which is done by the school’s PBIS Leader in Me Lighthouse Team. The data helps her know where she needs to improve.
“We look at the data as a small group and we look at the data as a whole group with our faculty and staff. We look at things we need to change and things we work well in,” she said.
It is important for students to have improved behavior, because she said it improves relationships, discipline problems, character and academic performance. Billings said PBIS played a major role in the school going from a ‘D’ grade in 2012 to a ‘B’ in 2016.
“The overall end goal is to be productive citizen in society,” Billings said. “We want to create kids who can go out in society and create a positive impact.”