Anne W. Todd

A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Effectiveness Trial Assessing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support in Elementary Schools

We report a randomized, wait-list controlled trial assessing the effects of school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS). An effectiveness analysis was conducted with elementary schools in Hawaii and Illinois where training and technical assistance in SWPBS was provided by regular state personnel over a 3-year period. Results document that the training and technical assistance were functionally related to improved implementation of universal-level SWPBS practices. Improved use of SWPBS was functionally related to improvements in the perceived safety of the school setting and the proportion of third graders meeting or exceeding state reading assessment standards. Results also document that levels of office discipline referrals were comparatively low, but the absence of experimental control for this variable precludes inference about the impact of SWPBS. Implications for future research directions are offered.

The School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET): A Research Instrument for Assessing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support.

Schools throughout the country are now encouraged to implement school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) procedures as a way to improve their behavioral climate, safety, and social culture. Research is needed to determine (a) the extent to which schools already use school-wide PBS, (b) if training and technical assistance efforts result in change in the use of school-wide PBS procedures, and (c) if use of these procedures is related to valued change in safety, social culture, and behavior within schools. To address these questions, researchers need a metric for assessing implementation of school-wide PBS practices. The School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET; Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, Todd, & Horner, 2001) was created to provide a rigorous measure of primary prevention practices within school-wide behavior support. In this article, the authors describe the SET and document its psychometric characteristics. The results of their study suggest that the SET is a valid, reliable measure that can be used to assess the impact of school-wide training and technical assistance efforts. The SET should also be useful in formal analyses of the relationship between use of school-wide PBS and changes in social and academic outcomes.

Problem Behavior Interventions for Young Children with Autism: A Research Synthesis.

This paper provides a summary of research on behavioral interventions for children with autism 8 years of age or younger published between 1996 and 2000. The analysis is divided into four sections: (1) emerging themes in the technology of behavior support, (2) a review of existing research syntheses focusing on behavioral interventions, (3) a new literature review of current pertinent research, and (4) an evaluative discussion of the synthesis results and the fields future needs to develop effective behavioral interventions for young children with autism. The authors offer recommendations for strengthening the existing research base and advancing behavioral technology to meet the needs of the defined target population.

The Effects of a Targeted Intervention to Reduce Problem Behaviors: Elementary School Implementation of Check In—Check Out

Behavior support in schools is increasingly viewed as a three-tier prevention effort in which universal interventions are used for primary prevention, targeted interventions are used for secondary prevention, and intensive interventions are used for tertiary prevention. A growing body of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted interventions in decreasing the frequency of problem behaviors. The Check In—Check Out Program (CICO) is becoming a recognized targeted intervention. The present study examines if there is a functional relation between the implementation of CICO and a reduction in problem behaviors. Results indicate that implementation of CICO with four elementary school—age boys was functionally related to a reduction in problem behavior. Clinical and conceptual implications of these results, methodological limitations, and future research directions are reviewed.

Using Office Discipline Referral Data for Decision Making About Student Behavior in Elementary and Middle Schools An Empirical Evaluation of Validity

In this evaluation we used Messicks construct validity as a conceptual framework for an empirical study assessing the validity of use, utility, and impact of office discipline referral (ODR) measures for data-based decision making about student behavior in schools. The Messick approach provided a rubric for testing the fit of our theory of use of ODR measures with empirical data on reported and actual use. It also facilitated our demonstration of Messicks principle that validation is both a developmental and an ongoing collaborative process among developers of educational and psychological measures, researchers interested in theories underlying such measures, and educators who use these measures in professional practice. We used a single-group, nonexperimental evaluation design to survey users of ODR measures from the standardized School Wide Information System in 22 elementary and 10 middle schools; respondents included school staff involved exclusively with data entry and staff actively involved in data-based decision making. Results were highly consistent across 2 independent data sources—electronic database records of actual access of summaries of ODR measures and self-report survey responses regarding frequencies and types of uses of ODR measures for decision making. Results indicated that ODR measures are regularly used for a variety of types of data-based decision making and are regarded as both efficient and effective for those purposes. We discuss implications of our SWIS ODR validity evaluation results within the context of the Messick framework.

Check in/ Check out: A Post-Hoc Evaluation of an Efficient, Secondary-Level Targeted Intervention for Reducing Problem Behaviors in Schools

The Check in/ Check out (CICO) program was developed as a secondary-level, targeted behavioral intervention in a three-tier preventative model of behavior support and has received empirical support as an effective way to reduce problem behaviors (Hawken & Horner, 2003; March & Horner, 2002). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate, post-implementation, the fidelity of implementation and effectiveness of the CICO program to reduce problem behavior when program training and implementation was managed by typical district personnel. Results indicate that the critical components of the program were implemented with fidelity across three elementary schools and that the program was effective in reducing the number of office discipline referrals for students who entered the program. Further, the program was perceived as being effective and efficient by district personnel. It is argued that the CICO program should be considered a viable targeted behavioral intervention with students for whom primary-level preventative measures are insufficient.

Self-Monitoring and Self-Recruited Praise: Effects on Problem Behavior, Academic Engagement, and Work Completion in a Typical Classroom

This study examines the relationship between self-monitoring plus self-recruited attention and problem behaviors, on-task behavior, overall teacher perception of student performance, task completion, and frequency of teacher praise. The research design employed an ABAB withdrawal analysis coupled with a two-series multiple baseline design across class periods for one fourth-grade student with learning disabilities and problem behavior in a general education classroom. The results indicate that implementation of self-monitoring combined with self-evaluation and self-recruitment of teacher attention was functionally related to a decrease in the frequency of problem behaviors, an increase in on-task behavior, and an increase in task completion. In addition, the intervention was associated with increased positive teacher perceptions of student performance. Results are discussed in terms of the application of (a) comprehensive, positive behavioral support in typical classrooms; (b) self management strategies to reduce problem behaviors; and (c) expanded research outcomes to document behavior change with social significance.

Use of Functional Assessment and a Self-Management System to Increase Academic Engagement and Work Completion:

This study investigates whether a functional relationship exists between self-monitoring with self-recruited reinforcement and an increase in both on-task behavior and assignment completion. The study further assesses whether self-monitoring with self-recruited reinforcement is associated with generalization of performance gains to untrained settings. Training in self-management procedures included systematic instruction of behavior and general case programming to promote generalization of skills. An ABCAC design was used to assess the effects of self-management procedures in the training setting, and a multiple-baseline-across-settings design was used to assess generalization effects. The results demonstrated that a functional relationship existed between self-monitoring with self-recruited reinforcement and an increase in on-task behavior and assignment completion. Generalization of self-management skills to novel school contexts varied. The role of self-management procedures in promoting generalization is discussed.

Elements of behavior support plans: A technical brief.

In their efforts to address challenging problem behaviors, educators and families have indicated a great need to develop and implement effective behavior support plans (BSPs). Fortunately, the functional behavioral assessment technology provides an excellent base for building behavior intervention plans. However, educators and families need guidelines to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance of the BSPs they develop. The purpose of this article is to review the features of a BSP that teams should consider as they develop effective responses to problem behavior.

Teaching Recess: Low-Cost Efforts Producing Effective Results

This article describes an intervention using positive behavior support strategies to reduce behavioral incidences occurring during recess. The intervention was developed and implemented by an elementary school Effective Behavior Support team. The intervention was based on a model that focuses on (a) data-based decision making, (b) systems-oriented school improvement goals, and (c) team-driven management as the critical features of the intervention design. Available data suggest that the intervention reduced the number of behavioral incidences, improved the overall school climate, and increased staff satisfaction.