What are Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports?
Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) has been referred to as those systems and individualized supports and interventions that help people enhance and improve their productive social behavior while reducing any problematic behavior they may use. In the past decade, major advances have been seen in community settings, particularly in public schools, as providers and consumers implement PBIS systems and strategies. At the NorthWest PBIS Network, we are primarily focusing on improving school environments as educators implement Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (SWPBIS). SWPBIS implementation in schools focuses on three levels or tiers of intervention, which include:
- Tier 1: Universal Interventions
- Tier 2: Targeted Group Interventions
- Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Interventions
The PBIS approach concentrates on essential features and data based decision-making in schools. Schools apply essential features in SPBIS by establishing clear social expectations and then teaching, modeling, and reinforcing behaviors that match the expectations across all school settings. Sustained use of essential PBIS features has been found to enhance the social and academic outcomes of students.