Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Carole Trueman
Committee Member
Betty Boult
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
adolescent behavior, administrator interviews, Aspen High School, behavior support, case study, challenging social behaviors, classroom discipline, discipline referrals, educator capacity building, educator support, group support, individual support, juvenile justice system, office referrals, organizational supports, parent involvement, PBIS, positive behavioral interventions and supports, problem behavior, school-wide evaluation tool, student behavior, student interviews, systemic strategies, teacher interviews, universal support
Abstract
This applied dissertation was a case study designed to describe, analyze, and evaluate the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to reduce the incidents of problem behavior at Aspen High School. Data collected regarding discipline referrals to the office, during the years from September 1998 to May 2003 indicated that 84 individual students on average were referred to the office each year. In addition, students who were in the juvenile justice system represented a disproportionate number of discipline referrals to the office when compared to the percentage of the student body that they represented, and the educators at Aspen High School needed a better way to support these students.
PBIS used multiple approaches to improve student behavior. The intent of its systemic and individualized strategies was building the capacity of the educators in the school to educate all students. Through the development of an effective continuum of PBIS systems and practices, the staff was in a position to support the majority of the students in the school who behaved appropriately as well as those students who exhibited challenging social behaviors. The plan included parent involvement. The evaluation was based on the school-wide evaluation tool, which included an assessment of the organizational supports that were in place as well as administrator, teacher, and student interviews.
Of the three PBIS interventions--individual, group, and universal support--individual support dominated the initial involvement. In the 1st year of implementation, the researcher did not find a decrease in office referrals during the 1st semester. The 2nd semester referrals were lower than 1 semester and can be attributable to a number of factors, one of which was the PBIS implementation.