Without effective support, students with disabilities experience more exclusionary discipline and benefit less from classroom instruction. Students with disabilities can benefit when teachers implement key classroom positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) practices (e.g., prompts, opportunities to respond, and specific praise), but many teachers need additional professional development

Promoting positive relationships with peers is an important support for children who exhibit social withdrawal. Children who show extreme shyness or are identified as self-isolating are at risk for developing internalizing conditions, which can also lead to poor social and academic outcomes. These children may benefit from targeted support to develop relationships with peers. Identifying effective

Check-in/Check-out (CICO) behavioral support has been implemented in Finnish School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) schools to cater to students who require personalized behavior support beyond the universal level. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of CICO as a behavioral support method. However, further research is needed to investigate its effectiveness

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study with a complementarity rationale examined the differential experiences of MTSS implementation in three Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)-implementing and three non-implementing secondary schools in the Midwestern United States. Using a survey and follow-up interviews with a sample of 25 secondary school leadership team (SLT) members

The Schoolwide Expectations Survey for Specific Settings (SESSS) is a free-access tool school leadership teams can use to gather opinions from faculty and staff regarding what student behaviors are critical for success in various school settings. While the SESSS has been used for over a decade to inform the building of schoolwide expectation matrix as part of their Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered

Amid a proliferation of highly potent opioids, school systems have sought to invest in programs for preventing substance misuse. School teams often prioritize early screening and intervention to prevent student substance misuse; however, given the limited resources of many schools, it is crucial to understand the extent to which commonly available data and existing frameworks are relevant for prevention

Internalizing problems are common mental health concerns among children and youth. Identifying malleable risk factors that are associated with internalizing problems, such as not having a trusted adult at school, can lead to positive behavior supports to reduce student risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between student-reported internalizing problems and having an adult

Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a classroom management intervention in which teachers incorporate positive behavior support (PBS) principles by teaching specific classroom expectations and providing feedback on student behavior as part of an interdependent group contingency. Interventions like CW-FIT may be helpful for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD)

The negative outcomes of exclusionary discipline practices on children and youth are well established. Fortunately, for the past two decades, research has demonstrated that pro-active instructional approaches and building supportive class and school environments can effectively promote student social, emotional, and behavioral well-being, especially when evidence-based practices are placed within a

We aimed to identify empirically valid cut scores on the positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) through an expert panel process known as bookmarking. The TFI is a measurement tool to evaluate the fidelity of implementation of PBIS. In the bookmark method, experts reviewed all TFI items and item scores by difficulty in order estimated by an item response

The Color Wheel System (CWS), a class-wide, rule-based behavioral management strategy, is a successful intervention to reduce off-task behaviors for elementary school students. However, this intervention has rarely been investigated in the middle school setting. The current study implemented the CWS within three sixth-grade general education inclusionary classrooms in a middle school in the United

Engaging with families to support their children’s social, emotional, and behavioral development is a key feature of positive behavior supports (PBSs). The purpose of this Special Series is to disseminate research on the application of PBSs with families and in home contexts. This issue contains five articles, including single case experimental designs, survey design, mixed-methods, and a literature

Children with developmental delays are more likely to experience difficulties in social-emotional skills and challenging behavior, which can lead to poor long-term outcomes if left untreated. The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize the literature related to home-based interventions to address social–emotional skills and challenging behavior. A systematic review of the literature resulted

The use of technology-based self monitoring (SM) interventions is becoming more popular, increasing the likelihood that SM interventions will have greater contextual fit within classrooms. SM has resulted in increases in desired school behaviors, such as increases in on task behavior, academic performance, and task completion for students diagnosed with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to

Group contingencies are well established as methods for reducing disruptive classroom behaviors and increasing academic behaviors. However, their role in increasing prosocial behaviors has not yet been explored to the same extent. We conducted a systematic review of the single-case literature to synthesize the types of prosocial and antisocial behaviors targeted in school settings, the short-term and

Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is a three-tiered framework shown to improve student behavioral outcomes. There has been considerable investment in scaling up Tier 1 PBIS but less focus on scaling Tier 2 supports. Having greater insight into teachers,’ students,’ and families’ perceptions regarding the social validity of Tier 2 interventions may further facilitate the scale-up of

The Mystery Motivator intervention has been shown to increase prosocial behavior among school-age children by capitalizing on the anticipation afforded by reward concealment or randomization. Although numerous evaluations have supported the effectiveness of the Mystery Motivator, the overall status of this intervention is still unknown. The purpose of the current meta-analysis was to quantify the effects

This study evaluated the quality and behavior change techniques (BCTs) included in 11 freely available mobile classroom behavior management applications (mCBM apps). We found that mCBM apps included a limited number of BCTs, with an average of 9 of 21 possible BCTs. Consequence-based BCTs like rewards and feedback were common, while antecedent-based strategies like prompts and reminders were less prevalent

Teachers and clinicians report feeling underprepared to implement evidence-based behavior supports. As such, effective models of professional development that lead to improved outcomes for all individuals are required. Critical components of high-quality professional development include explicit instruction, modeling, practice, direct feedback, and, potentially, individual coaching. However, delivering

Various district-level factors contribute to the successful implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in schools, a widely implemented evidence-based framework supporting students’ social, emotional, and behavioral development. Prior research has identified the district PBIS coordinator as a critical factor supporting school-level PBIS implementation. However, further

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is widely implemented across the United States. Evidence suggests that SWPBIS, when implemented with fidelity, has a significant an...

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social interactions that manifest in specific social situations. These challenges may inhibit them from developing sustained ...

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience challenges with social skill interactions that may affect their quality of life. Given that parents are often the most frequent and ...

The Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) is an evidence-based practice used in classrooms to reduce disruptive classroom behavior. This approach to classwide intervention has been implemented and its effe...

Teacher-directed self-monitoring (TD-SM) is often recommended to special education teachers as a simple and efficient method for improving the implementation fidelity of evidence-based practices in...

There is a need to provide evidence-based social, emotional, and behavioral interventions for learners at risk for emotional and behavioral problems. Evidence-based interventions for social and emo...

Coaching is a key driver supporting implementation of evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices (EBPs). The purposes of this study were to propose a model of coaching and examine the ef...

Functional communication training (FCT) is a well-established, evidence-based practice used to address challenging behavior among individuals across settings, ages, and disability categories. Howev...

Research has demonstrated behavior specificity as a salient characteristic of teacher praise efficacy. Praise variety may also be an important characteristic to reinforce desired student behavior b...

A single-case multiple baseline design across three families was used to evaluate the impact of a manualized Prevent Teach Reinforce for Families (PTR-F) process for addressing challenging behavior...

Coaching is necessary for the successful implementation of individualized behavior support in the classroom. However, the way in which school teams engage in coaching to facilitate the implementati...

In this mixed methods study, we used a state-wide survey to explore 936 preschool through second-grade teachers’ perceptions about inclusion in their elementary school’s social emotional multitiere...

Few studies examine the effects of behavior-specific praise (BSP) in secondary classrooms, and there is limited research examining the rate of BSP that is needed to improve classwide appropriately ...

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework for promoting positive school climates and improving student social and behavioral outcomes. Yet secondary schoo...

In recent years, there has been increased attention regarding systems-level implementation to support the sustained use of evidence-based interventions and supports in authentic early childhood set...

This study evaluated use of the Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) across two adolescent student populations, maintaining a focus on the provision of feedback during the game. The CBGG, a variation of t...

Challenging behavior exhibited by young children with neurodevelopmental disabilities is known to negatively affect their optimal development and families’ quality of life. Although some support ex...

Noncompliance with adult instruction is a common problem exhibited by individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The high-probability (high-p) request sequence was desi...

On August 5, 2021, we lost a pioneer and ardent champion of positive behavior support (PBS). Dr. Meme Hieneman died on that date following a long and valiant struggle with cancer. Meme left a close and loving family, including husband Brad and sons Jake and Steven, as well as legions of colleagues, students, and the many beneficiaries of her dedicated efforts on behalf of individuals with significant

Dependent group contingencies offer an efficient way to improve the behavior of an entire group of students, as the performance of only one or a few students needs to be monitored at a time. Prior literature reviews outlined the use of group contingency interventions with children in educational settings; however, these reviews did not exclusively examine dependent group contingencies or the varied

Integration of multitiered academic, behavioral, and social-emotional efforts, such as the implementation of a Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered (Ci3T) model of prevention, is critical for supporting student development across domains of functioning. In particular, universal behavior screening has been shown to predict outcomes across these domains and as such is foundational to integrated systems

One core feature of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) is a systems-level teaming process for coordinating staff implementation of evidence-based practices and monitoring student progress across all three tiers. Prior research has shown schools that report regular teaming and team-based data use are more likely to successfully adopt and sustain implementation of multi-tiered systems

Teaching parents to serve as interventionists for their children is a common approach to enhance child learning. Research demonstrates that parents are able to implement evidence-based interventions with high integrity; however, there is limited research indicating the extent to which parents are able to maintain skills. We taught parents of two children, age 10 and 11, to implement three positive

The social validity of behavior intervention is rooted in consumer perception. This information is typically garnered through questionnaires and interviews conducted with relevant consumers such as teachers or caregivers. Often, the participants (i.e., the individuals with disabilities receiving the intervention) play less of a role in the assessment of social validity, despite their primary role in

Todd R. Risley (1937–2007) was a founder of applied behavior analysis (e.g., Baer et al., 1968) and positive behavior support (e.g., Risley, 1996); he was an influential editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and he was an associate editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Todd was a renowned scholar, an activist, and a visionary whose contributions to the well-being

In U.S. schools, Black and Latinx youth receive disciplinary action at rates greater than their White peers. In the context of systemic racism in the United States, proposed systemic solutions such as school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS) should be evaluated for their effectiveness in producing more equitable school discipline. In light of mixed evidence for a SWPBIS–equity

The importance of family engagement in their children’s education and treatment is emphasized by researchers, professional organizations, and legislatures. Providing services with caregivers via telepractice has gained more support and is becoming especially timely due to the current pandemic and social distancing requirements. Professionals, such as board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), who work

Middle school teachers frequently struggle with positively managing student behavior. However, praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) have received little research attention. PRRs studied in elementary school have been positively associated with improvements in on-task and prosocial behavior, but limited research has been conducted on optimal PRRs in middle schools. We conducted this study in the context

In tiered systems, all school faculty and staff ideally recognize student academic, behavioral, and social achievement as a shared responsibility. In an ideal system, faculty and staff collaborate in a data-informed process to define common student expectations to facilitate success. Adults provide clarity for all students by defining expectations for instructional and non-instructional settings, allowing

Although the number of schools implementing multitiered systems of support for behavior (MTSS-B) continues to grow, most schools have still not adopted these evidence-based frameworks. We examined the views of educators (N = 561) at the outset of adopting MTSS-B in their schools or districts. Our survey addressed the (a) reasons schools and districts decided to adopt MTSS-B, (b) challenges they anticipated

The purpose of this review was to systematically analyze the literature on behavior management training for general educators (Pre-K-12). We identified 74 articles in which general educators were trained to implement a behavior management strategy. General educators were most commonly trained to implement behavior-specific praise (n = 12), Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (n = 8), or

Middle school students with social and behavioral concerns need additional support. The current study investigated the effects of class-wide function-related intervention teams adapted for middle school contexts (CW-FIT MS) and self-management (SM) in a sixth-grade reading class. CW-FIT MS was implemented, subsequently, for students with data indicating additional support was needed, a self-management

Aggression is a known contributor to burnout and caregiver instability among direct support professionals (DSPs) caring for adults with developmental disabilities. However, few studies have explored the differential effects of aggression subtypes on caregivers and what implications these may have for intervention planning. This longitudinal study examined whether different types of aggression were

Schools implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with fidelity demonstrate a wealth of student and school benefits. At the same time, there exists limited research from an inclusive innovation perspective: examining whether schools and communities have equitable access to PBIS based on sociodemographic school and community variables. This article presents the results of an

Schools continue to rely on disciplinary exclusions as a consequence for behavioral rule violations, despite evidence that removing students from instruction for discipline purposes is associated with poor behavioral, academic, and social outcomes. School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is one multitiered support framework used to prevent behavior problems while developing

With the emergence of interventions shown to reduce school discipline disparities, it is important to explore what variables influence educators to implement these approaches. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 21 educators asked to describe their experiences implementing an equity-focused Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) intervention. A qualitative

The mission of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (JPBI) is to extend the research and practice of positive behavioral supports (PBS) for individuals in school, home, and community settings, with a focus on comprehensive outcomes in the lives of children, youth, and adults. In the first issue of JPBI in 1999, inaugural editors Drs. Koegel and Dunlap introduced JPBI as a collective format

The present study aimed to identify a way for educators to improve the accuracy of their praise and reprimand reflections to ultimately improve their ability to set, monitor, and evaluate their use of praise and reprimand. To do this, teachers’ natural use of praise and reprimand (in the absence of intervention) were compared with their perceived use. A 20-min direct observation was collected from

Research conducted to date provides a limited understanding of the landscape of school-based screening practices across academic, behavioral, and health domains, thus providing an impetus for the current survey study. A total of 475 K–12 school building administrators representing 409 unique school districts across the United States completed an online survey, which assessed current school-based screening

As 2020 came to a close, so did our role as editors in chief for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions (JPBI; Kern 2013–2020; Lane 2014–2020). We want to express our deepest gratitude to the Hammill Institute, associate editors (Paul Caldarella, Maureen Conroy, Ronnie Detrich, Lise Fox, Jen Freeman, Grace Gengoux, Josh Harrower, Todd Haydon, Melinda Leko, Dan Maggin, Wendy Oakes, Keith Smolkowski