Recently, I've been hearing a lot of push back on the idea of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) as a framework for tiered behavior support. I was kind of curious, because really, if you are implementing MTSS, you aren't far from being a "PBIS school." So I asked around. The biggest complaint? Reinforcers. Lots of people think PBIS and they think tickets/dollars/dojos with school stores and big huge individual reinforcement initiatives.
Guess what? Nobody has time for that. I mean, I guess they do, but I was never up for it. At the schools where I've worked, we've implemented Class Compliments. Just like it sounds, classes can earn compliments for any whole-class behavior that happens outside of their classroom: walking in the halls, time in specials, cafeteria, playground, etc. When the class earns 100 compliments, they earn a reward like pajama day, extra recess, or lunch outside. Easy peasy.
To introduce, we had the counselors and administrators go to each room for a "kick off." We explained the system, gave each class a compliment card, and hyped up the rewards. The compliment cards changed through the years but always had 100 squares/stars/circles that could be colored in when the class returned to the classroom. Anytime the class was out and about, they could earn compliments. To help you out, I've included one at the bottom of this post (may not be visible on mobile).
We also had to hype up the program with our staff. Compliments are only fun if you earn them! We had to get in the habit of saying "Mrs. Atkins, your class is walking so nicely down the hall." We wanted the compliments to be specific to the positive behavior. In specials, classes could earn up to 4 compliments each class. All of the specialists had different procedures for how this was handled. My favorite was to have a compliment for four specific behaviors and give the compliments specifically for those behaviors. For example, cooperating with your classmates.
Over the years we got creative! We had a bulletin board that had a football field. For every 100 compliments, your team player would move to the next yard line. Classes that reached 1000 compliments would have their jersey retired. The jerseys were cut out of poster board, had the class' photo on it and all the students got to sign it. About 4-5 classes out of 41 had their jerseys retired each year so it was a big deal! I sure wish I had a picture of it for you, it was super fun.
How do you support schoolwide behavior at your school? I'd love to hear some new ideas!
Guess what? Nobody has time for that. I mean, I guess they do, but I was never up for it. At the schools where I've worked, we've implemented Class Compliments. Just like it sounds, classes can earn compliments for any whole-class behavior that happens outside of their classroom: walking in the halls, time in specials, cafeteria, playground, etc. When the class earns 100 compliments, they earn a reward like pajama day, extra recess, or lunch outside. Easy peasy.
To introduce, we had the counselors and administrators go to each room for a "kick off." We explained the system, gave each class a compliment card, and hyped up the rewards. The compliment cards changed through the years but always had 100 squares/stars/circles that could be colored in when the class returned to the classroom. Anytime the class was out and about, they could earn compliments. To help you out, I've included one at the bottom of this post (may not be visible on mobile).
We also had to hype up the program with our staff. Compliments are only fun if you earn them! We had to get in the habit of saying "Mrs. Atkins, your class is walking so nicely down the hall." We wanted the compliments to be specific to the positive behavior. In specials, classes could earn up to 4 compliments each class. All of the specialists had different procedures for how this was handled. My favorite was to have a compliment for four specific behaviors and give the compliments specifically for those behaviors. For example, cooperating with your classmates.
Over the years we got creative! We had a bulletin board that had a football field. For every 100 compliments, your team player would move to the next yard line. Classes that reached 1000 compliments would have their jersey retired. The jerseys were cut out of poster board, had the class' photo on it and all the students got to sign it. About 4-5 classes out of 41 had their jerseys retired each year so it was a big deal! I sure wish I had a picture of it for you, it was super fun.
How do you support schoolwide behavior at your school? I'd love to hear some new ideas!
