Presenter(s)

• Greta Kos, SWPBIS Implementation in High Schools, University of Minnesota

Abstract

Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is an evidence-based, system-wide, preventative framework that emphasizes five key elements to support student success: equity, implementation systems, data based decision making, evidence-based practices (EBPs), and measurable outcomes (Center on PBIS, 2023). Through SWPBIS, services are organized at multiple levels (e.g., school-wide, classroom, non-classroom, and individual student) and a continuum of behavior supports are provided that are universal (Tier 1), targeted (Tier 2), and intensive (Tier 3) in scope (Sugai & Horner, 2002). Estimates suggest that as of June 2018, more than 26,424 schools were implementing SWPBIS nationwide (Lee & Gage, 2020). As demonstrated by multiple experimental studies, SWPBIS has been implemented with fidelity in elementary and middle schools with positive impacts on student outcomes and school culture (e.g., Bradshaw et al., 2010; Horner et al., 2009). Foundational work postulated that the impact of SWPBIS would likely be the greatest at the elementary level given both the student developmental level (i.e., early intervention) and systemic structures in place (Walker et al., 1996). Indeed, much of the research examining the effects of SWPBIS has been conducted in elementary settings. Therefore, much less is known about SWPBIS implementation in high school settings, resulting in a far less robust evidence base. Even so, there has been an observed increase in the number of high schools implementing SWPBIS; as of July 2017, it was being implemented in at least 3,367 high schools compared to roughly 1,000 in 2010 (Flannery et al., 2018). This demonstrates growing momentum of implementation in high schools for a framework that was primarily designed for and evaluated with elementary schools.