TIES TIPS Foundations of Inclusion

Leadership Team

• Establishes systems and practices for universal supports (Tier 1)
• Responsible for monitoring schoolwide data, ensuring equitable access to supports, and evaluating overall effectiveness of program

• Engage in interdisciplinary collaborative teaming (e.g., administrators, general educators, special educators, related service providers) to gain input from professionals with diverse areas of expertise to guide planning for implementation in inclusive settings

Example: When planning school-based committees for the year, Kendra Richardson, middle school principal, works with the school’s leadership team and staff members to ensure the PBIS Team (and others) include interdisciplinary representation. This includes having professionals with diverse areas of expertise to guide planning for implementation of universal supports in inclusive settings. To help advocate for the inclusion of her students in universal supports across inclusive settings, Donna Salcido, special education teacher, volunteers to join the PBIS Team. Donna is comfortable representing a wide range of learners, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, as she plans for designing and implementing the schoolwide system.

Establishing a Positive Inclusive Schoolwide Culture

• Identify implementation of PBIS as a critical priority
• Confirm school personnel agree PBIS implementation is critical to addressing social, emotional, and behavioral growth of all students

• Administer an annual schoolwide belief survey that is designed to measure educator beliefs about student learning, problem-solving, and expectations for instructional effectiveness
• Use data from survey to guide professional development and coaching supports specific to PBIS and effective ways to make universal supports accessible to all students

Example: As a part of the school’s comprehensive assessment system, at the beginning of the year, the PBIS Team supports the administration of a schoolwide belief survey. This survey is designed to measure educator beliefs about student learning, problem-solving, and expectations for instructional effectiveness, including students with significant cognitive disabilities. Once data has been gathered, the PBIS Team will use the information that was collected to guide professional development and coaching supports specific to PBIS and effective ways to make universal supports accessible to all students.

Ongoing Data-Based Monitoring, Evaluation, & Dissemination

• Review academic and behavioral outcome data monthly to help guide decisions and share with school personnel
• Review fidelity data to measure implementation of critical components of PBIS universal supports (Tier 1) and share with school personnel
• Annually, evaluate overall effectiveness of universal supports and share data with all stakeholders

• Evaluate universal supports within the PBIS framework and ensure data collection tools are modified to assess the extent to which students with significant cognitive disabilities are included and are positively responding to preventative supports.
• Include behavioral data gathered from students’ behavior intervention plans when evaluating overall student response to universal prevention efforts

Example: Prior to the start of the year, the PBIS Team evaluates the extent to which data collection tools (e.g., Tiered Fidelity Inventory; Algozzine et al., 2019) are inclusive of all student populations, including students with significant cognitive disabilities. Donna helps facilitate conversations regarding modifications to data collection tools that may be needed to ensure tools accurately monitor and assess school-wide response to preventative universal supports.

Schoolwide Positive Expectations & Behaviors are Defined & Taught

• Identify 3-5 positively stated schoolwide expectations
• Develop behavior lesson plans to teach schoolwide expectations
• Establish a calendar for teaching behavior lesson plans along with planned reviews and boosters to facilitate retention and generalization of skills

• Ensure behavioral lesson plans include evidence-based practices (EBPs; e.g., systematic instruction)
• Use principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to improve how school teams plan, design, implement, and assess the use of visual supports (e.g., schoolwide matrix), and teaching strategies
• Include schoolwide expectations and rules as a part of students’ augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems when teaching skills to provide them a means to communicate knowledge of behavioral expectations
• Include social skill instruction in students’ IEP that are aligned with school-wide expectations

Example: During summer planning, the PBIS Team develops a schedule for explicitly teaching school-wide expectations at the beginning of the year and following extended breaks. Through a collaborative process, the PBIS Team develops behavioral lesson plans that will be used by all teachers to teach schoolwide expectations across all school settings. These behavioral lesson plans use principles of UDL and include evidence-based practices to ensure content is accessible to all students. Additionally, Donna works together with Lily Cardoso, speech language pathologist, to include schoolwide expectations and rules as a part of students’ AAC systems when teaching skills to students. Lily also advises the team to include supplemental video models in behavioral lesson plans as another form of representation. These can also be useful when teachers are providing booster sessions for students based on the data.

Establishing Classroom Expectations & Routines Aligned to Schoolwide Expectations

• Explain how schoolwide expectations are applied to specific classroom routines

• Establishes a safe, predictable, and positive learning environment

Example: Donna and Lily provide guidance to Mr. Carter, a second grade general education teacher, on how to increase opportunities for students with significant cognitive disabilities to demonstrate their understanding of schoolwide expectations and classroom routines using their AAC devices.

Continuum of Procedures for Encouraging Expected Behavior

• Use an acknowledgement system in addition to behavior specific praise to acknowledge students positively for demonstrating appropriate behaviors

• Provide additional individualized reinforcement for students when available rewards are not reinforcing or when tokens may be too abstract
• Adjust frequency and immediacy of reinforcement
• Collaborative teaming should be used to ensure acknowledgement events are fully inclusive and accessible to all students

Example: The PBIS Team uses collaborative teaming when planning, implementing, and assessing their school’s positive acknowledgement system. Stakeholders with knowledge of students with significant cognitive disabilities (e.g., special education teacher, speech language pathologists, family/community member) help to guide the team in developing a system that is both physically and cognitively accessible in general education settings and aligned to students’ unique support needs.

Procedures for Encouraging School-Family Partnerships

• Include input from families and school community members on universal supports (Tier 1) to ensure program is culturally responsive and reflects the values of the local community

• Ensure the representation of stakeholders who are familiar with the unique needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities

Example: In the development of the school’s universal prevention system (Tier 1), the PBIS Team sought membership and active participation from diverse families and school community members to ensure systems and practices are fully accessible, culturally responsive, and reflect the values of the local community.