QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

How is Positive Behavior Support being implemented in North Carolina?

  • Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a team-based problem solving approach for looking at an individual school’s data, practices and systems for school discipline and climate.
  • Participating schools identify teams which are trained to implement PBS in their schools.


How does a school become part of the Positive Behavior Support Initiative?

  • In North Carolina a school that wants to start implementing PBS must have strong administrator support, identify a school team that is representative of the entire school staff, collect available school data, and obtain buy-in from 80% of the school staff.
  • If the school system has other schools participating in the Positive Behavior Support Initiative, the school then contacts the Exceptional Children Director or other central office staff to find out the next step. Most LEAs that have other schools participating have someone who is either a PBS trainer or becoming a PBS trainer. The LEA PBS trainer/coordinator may be doing PBS team training in the LEA or may be doing training with other PBS trainers/coordinators in the region of the state.
  • If the school system does not have other schools participating in the PBS Inititiave, the school should complete the Partnership Agreement for Developing a Positive Behavior Support Site which can be found on the DPI web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/behavioral/initiatives/positivebehavior. The partnership agreement should be mailed to Diann Irwin, Department of Public Instruction, 6356 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6356 or to the PBS Regional Coordinator. They will connect the school to training in the region or in a nearby LEA. Please note that if the school is from an LEA that is not already participating, the LEA is required to identify someone to become a PBS trainer/coordinator for the LEA by attending the training with the school.


What does it cost a school to participate in the PBS initiative?

  • PBS takes an up front investment of time and effort from the school PBS team and the rest of the school staff.
  • Some of the expenses for PBS team training participants are covered through special funds provided through Exceptional Children PRC 70 but some of the expenses must be covered by the school or district.
  • Developing a reinforcement system for students and staff can need financial resources. At times PTAs or local businesses will help with this expense.


What is involved in the PBS school team training?

  • The Positive Behavior Support school team training is composed of three modules, each two days in length spread out during the school year. The modules are made up of presentations, activities and team time for planning. Between modules the school PBS team meets and begins implementing the action plan developed during the training with the rest of the staff. The topics covered by the modules are: Introduction and Overview, Building a Foundation, Universal Strategies - Schoolwide, Universal Strategies - Nonclassroom settings, Universal Support - Classroom, Brain Based Learning, Teaching Universal Rules and Expectations (Social Skills), Targeted Small Group Interventions, Individual Systems - IDEA and FBA, Individual Systems - PBS Plans, Data Collection for Individual Students, Long Range Planning
  • The designated PBS trainer/coordinator form the LEA provides support and assistance to the school team as they begin to examine and recommend changes in practices to the school staff.


Who can be a PBS trainer?

  • A PBS trainer/coordinator for an LEA ideally is a person with some expertise in research and best practices for dealing with student behavior. The individual also should have a flexible schedule in order to give assistance to implementing schools and to provide training for new schools both at the local and regional level.
  • The LEA decides who they want to be trained to be their PBS trainer/coordinator.


What does the selected individual have to do in order to become a PBS trainer/coordinator?

  • Perspective PBS trainers/coordinators must attend the three PBS training modules with a school team and provide support and assistance to at least one school team during that year.
  • In order to receive a certificate as a North Carolina PBS trainer the perspective trainer must, solely or in a group, train one or more new schools in all three modules.