Teri Lewis-Palmer

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.

The effect of visual performance feedback on teacher use of behavior-specific praise

This study evaluated the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) on teacher use of behavior-specific praise. In addition to receiving individual VPF, teachers participated in group consultation focused on increasing competence in the use of behavior-specific praise. Three general education elementary teachers and six students participated in the study. Classroom peer composite data were also collected. Teacher and student behaviors were monitored across baseline and VPF conditions in a multiple baseline design. The results indicated that VPF resulted in an increase in behavior-specific praise for participating students across all teachers relative to baseline. Additionally, teachers increased their use of behavior-specific praise with classroom peers. The findings highlight the need for direct assessment of intervention implementation and for the collection of peer data to identify collateral intervention effects.

Overview of the Functional Behavioral Assessment Process.

The research literature is replete with examples that support the use of the functional behavioral assessment (FBA) process. In addition, the 1997 amendments to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act have recognized the importance of the FBA process for students who display significant problem behavior in schools. However, clarity about the specific definition and features of the FBA process is just beginning to be developed. The purpose of this article is to provide a general description of the features and steps of the FBA process.

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.

Transitions for Young Children with Autism from Preschool to Kindergarten.

The transition of young children with autism from preschool to kindergarten is an important event both for sustaining gains made during preschool and for establishing future social and academic development. This article provides a summary of 25 transition elements identified from the research literature as important for a successful transition. The elements were built into a survey instrument, and the instrument was used with the parents, preschool teachers, and kindergarten teachers for three children with autism who transitioned during 1999 to 2001. Results from the survey indicate that transition elements identified in the literature were perceived as important by families, preschool teachers, and kindergarten teachers. High variability, however, was reported in the perceived level of implementation for the transition elements. The report provides an index of transition elements that may be useful to guide future research and to facilitate effective transitions.

Teaching Respect in the Classroom: An Instructional Approach

Teachers frequently are asked to address misbehavior in the classroom. To minimize the negative effects of reactive, punishment-based classroom management strategies, proactive instructional approaches are recommended. The Cool Tool is a social skills strategy designed to teach and encourage prosocial behaviors in the classroom and larger school environment. This case study utilized the Cool Tool with 26 middle school students across two classroom settings to teach “Respect to Adults” and “Respect to Peers.” A decrease in inappropriate behaviors was observed across both settings when the Cool Tool was initiated. Decreased rates of inappropriate behavior maintained for two months. Implications, limitations, and recommendations are discussed.

A Description of Elementary Classroom Discipline Referral Patterns.

Abstract There remains a focus on how schools provide support to students with behavioral problems who require special education services. Previous researchers and practitioners have used office discipline referrals to identify needs and strengths, and to evaluate the effectiveness of school-wide discipline efforts. This article extends the use of office discipline referrals to examine patterns across several elementary schools from two different states. Office discipline referrals originating from these elementary school classrooms were evaluated across (a) behaviors, (b) administrative decision, (c) grade level, and (d) month of year. Results suggest while some variability exists across individual schools, stable patterns for schools and states emerged. Description of office discipline referral patterns and implications for decision-making, establishing effective classroom systems, and future research are presented.

Using School Bus Discipline Referral Data in Decision Making: Two Case Studies

Public schools are responsible for providing a safe, structured environment that is conducive to learning. This requirement encompasses a variety of settings, including school bus transportation. However, limited research exists to indicate best practices for designing and implementing behavior programs for school bus transportation. The availability of bus discipline referrals provides an ideal source of information on bus-related discipline needs. This article describes 2 examples of using bus discipline referrals to identify discipline concerns and possible support needs. First, a district-wide assessment of bus discipline referrals is presented. Second, the results of an assessment of school-wide needs of a single elementary school are presented. Additionally, the patterns from the district-wide assessment and school assessment are compared and contrasted to determine concerns specific to a school that may not be addressed through a district-based behavior intervention. Implications for data-based decision-making are discussed.

Districtwide System for Providing Individual Student Support

Although schools generally provide safe environments, teachers, staff, parents, and students are concerned with the rising level of disruptive, antisocial behavior (Horner, Sugai, Lewis-Palmer, & Todd, 2001). Only a relatively small number of students in a school building engage in the most serious and/or chronic problem behaviors. However, these students account for about 50% of the incidents handled by office staff and dominate a majority of staff time (Lewis & Sugai, 1999; Sugai & Horner, 1994). Recent research recommends addressing individual student needs within a schoolwide discipline system. The purpose of this article was to provide an overview of individual student systems, identify guidelines for implementing a function-based model, and describe a case study of a districts attempts to build a comprehensive district-based individual student support systems cadre.