The Relationship Between Implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports and Performance on State Accountability Measures

Abstract

This study examined data from 96 schools in a Southeastern U.S. state participating in training and/or coaching on School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) provided by the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) in their state. Schools studied either received training only (“non-intensive” sites) or training and on-site coaching (“intensive” sites). Fidelity of implementation was self-evaluated by both types of schools using the Benchmarks of Quality (BOQ). Some schools were also externally evaluated using the School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET), with those scoring 80% or higher determined “model sites.” Using an independent sample t-test, analyses revealed statistically significant differences between intensive and nonintensive schools’ Quality of Distribution Index (QDI) scores and between model sites and nonmodel sites on QDI scores. Correlations were performed to determine whether the fidelity of implementation of SWPBIS as measured by the BOQ was related to any of the state’s accountability measures: performance classification, QDI, or growth.

An Examination of Factors that Relate to School Counselors' Knowledge and Skills in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

“…Two of the most widely used and familiar versions of MTSS in schools are Response to Intervention (RtI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Research shows that schools implementing MTSS had higher scores on academic accountability measures (Marin & Filce, 2013;McIntosh, Sadler, & Brown, 2012), significantly reduced office discipline referrals and suspension rates (Benner, Nelson, Sanders, & Ralston, 2012), and improved perceptions of school safety among school staff and students (Horner et al, 2009). MTSS implementation can also improve outcomes for students who may otherwise go underserved (Betters-Bubon, Brunner, & Kansteiner, 2016;McIntosh, Girvan, Horner, Smolkowski, & Sugai, 2014).…”

Longitudinal disciplinary and achievement outcomes associated with school‐wide PBIS implementation level

“…However, some of these studies did not comprehensively consider implementation fidelity, which refers to the degree to which the core features of SWPBIS are implemented exactly as they are designed and intended. This is problematic considering the research that has found positive associations between implementation fidelity and positive academic and behavioral student outcomes (Marin & Filce, ; Pas & Bradshaw, ; Simonsen et al, ). Some of the studies that did not find a significantly positive relationship between SWPBIS and academic achievement either did not consistently measure implementation fidelity (e.g., Caldarella et al, ) or categorized or dichotomized implementation fidelity variables (e.g., Freeman et al, ; Gage, Sugai, Lewis, & Brzozowy, ; Noltemeyer et al, ), which limits the variability within these fidelity measures and also makes it more difficult to detect small changes in implementation.…”