Book Description

Today%u2019s school-wide Positive Behavioral Support approaches are more specific, integrated, effective, and comprehensive than ever before. This Electronic Book (E-Book) describes the components and specific elements of Project ACHIEVE%u2019s evidence-based Positive Behavioral Self-Management System (PBSS) that (a) addresses the prevention, intervention, and intensive needs of challenging students, and (b) is fully consistent with NCLB and IDEA. Project ACHIEVE is a national award winning school improvement program that has been designated as an evidence-based through two federal agencies%u2014for example, the Department of Health & Human Service%u2019s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This E-Book first describes Project ACHIEVE%u2019s PBSS at the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention levels, focusing on the following areas: (a) teaching children and adolescents functional self-management skills, using the Stop & Think Social Skills Program, such that they master and demonstrate interpersonal, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills as well as independent learning and academic engagement skills; (b) teaching teachers the instructional self-management skills that they need to run positive, effective classrooms that consistently hold students accountable for their behavior, and that result in student learning and behavioral growth; and (c) teaching school staff organizational self-management skills so that they develop the systemic approaches needed for identifying resources and building capacity to independently sustain successful building-wide services for the prevention, strategic intervention, and intensive support needs of all students. The six critical components that make up the PBSS then are presented in detail: (a) the Stop & Think Social Skills Program; (b) the development of grade-level and building-wide accountability systems; (c) how to increase staff and student consistency; (d) the analysis of %u201Cspecial situations%u201D-- behavioral situations that occur in the common areas of a school and/or that involve peer-mediated teasing, taunting, bullying, harassment, and physical aggression; (e) crisis prevention, intervention, and response; and (f) the importance of home and community outreach. Finally, the E-Book focuses specifically %u201CSpecial Situations%u201D and %u201CSpecial Situation Analyses.%u201D There are two types of %u201CSpecial Situations%u201D%u2014Setting-specific and Student- or Peer-specific. The Setting-specific Special Situations involve the common or %u201Cpublic%u201D areas of a school: the hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, playground, media center/library, buses, and other school gathering places. The Student- or Peer-specific Special Situations involve the continuum from teasing to taunting to bullying to harassment to physical aggression or fighting. Clearly, these %u201Csetting%u201D and %u201Cstudent%u201D situations are critical to a PBSS as they can (positively) contribute to a school%u2019s positive climate, or they can (negatively) interfere with the classroom climate, making it more difficult for students to be completely engaged and focused on academic achievement. In order to develop strategic interventions for these negative special situations, this E-Book describes how to conduct a %u201CSpecial Situations Analysis%u201D%u2014a systematic data-based problem-solving process that links Problem Identification to Functional Assessment/Problem Analysis to Intervention and to Formative and Summative Evaluations. The Functional Assessment/Problem Analysis domains discussed will include: (a) Student Characteristics, Issues, and Factors; (b) Teacher/Staff Characteristics, Issues, and Factors; (c) Environmental Characteristics, Issues, and Factors-- Physical Plant and Logistics; (d) Incentives and Consequences; and (e) Resources. For Student-specific Special Situations, the Peer Group is added to the analysis. In the end, this E-Book describes a functional, effective, and comprehensive school-wide system that maximizes students%u2019 academic achievement, creates safe school environments and positive school climates, increases and sustains effective classroom instruction and parent involvement, and collects data to demonstrate student and building outcomes. This E-Book describes the necessary components of a PBSS, and provides an in-depth and practical, step-by-step approach to the Special Situation Analysis, demonstrating its explicit link with the strategic interventions that help schools to decrease or eliminate these issues%u2014thus, increasing their positive and productive school climates and classroom settings.