PBIS, which was initially funded in 1998 in the U.S., is an evidence-based, multi-tiered, problem-solving and team-based framework used to build a continuum of support for teachers and students, according to FISD documents.
The overview
PBIS is integrated in the following three tiers:
- Tier One: General academic and social, emotional, behavioral instruction and support provided to all students in all settings.
- Tier Two: More target instruction or intervention and supplemental support provided to some individuals in addition to, and aligned with, tier one and the core curriculum.
- Tier Three: Most intense instruction and intervention based upon individual need provided, in addition to, and aligned with, tier one and the core curriculum.
“The goal of tier one is 85% of your children are going to respond to it, so that 85% of your kids are going to follow along, so then your energies and efforts are on that next group of students that might need that tier two or tier three intervention,” Stacy Guzetta, FISD’s executive director of student operations, said at the board of trustees’ Aug. 26 workshop.
How we got here
Kimberly Davis, FISD’s board certified behavior analyst and PBIS coordinator, said currently, teachers at FISD most likely wait for a new problem to arise in the classroom, react to the problem behavior, decide on a practice, use an expert to train the practice and expect, but essentially hope, for implementation.
“It's just not working,” Davis said at the workshop. “We’ve seen that it’s not working, so we have to figure out a way so that we can stop this, and that is having a system-wide support for all students.”
Davis also noted teachers don’t feel equipped with handling student behavior in a recent, open-ended question survey.
The survey also gathered that teachers at FISD have observed a change in social and emotional needs of students as illustrated in student discipline needs across campuses throughout the year. This led the district in the direction to take on the PBIS approach.
What’s next
The process to fully integrate PBIS for all grade levels will take three to five years, Davis said.
All elementary teachers were trained in universal systems during the 2023-24 school year. This year the district is training secondary teachers, Davis said.
As of right now, the training process focuses on Tier One systems to advise on how every student as a whole can be helped. Each campus has a team of eight to 10 teachers, chosen by campus administrators, that will guide training on PBIS, Davis said.
To begin tackling Tier Two and Three interventions, the district curated Mustang Intervention Teams, or MITs. These teams are similar to Response to Intervention, or RTI, teams, which have been used to assist students for academic purposes, such as extra support for reading or math, Davis said.
FISD Deputy Superintendent Lauren Ambeau said the district is also following the code of conduct while the district furthers integration of Tier Two and Three interventions.
“While...we figure out the best Tier Two, Tier Three interventions, we still follow the code of conduct, because the other children in that class deserve a right to learn as well,” Ambeau said at the meeting. “While they work through the process, we never want to send a message that we're going to allow this behavior to go on to where it takes away from the learning environment.”
What they said
FISD board trustee Rebecca Hillenburg said while she wants students to be taken care of and helped, she doesn’t want teachers to be overwhelmed with their workload.
“That’s one more thing on the teacher,” Hillenburg said at the workshop. “Having been in the classroom, you’ve got 24 other kids in there that you have to take care of.”
FISD board trustee Laura Seifert said she looks forward to seeing the district continue to integrate PBIS across campuses.
“This is huge,” Seifert said at the meeting. “You’re equipping [teachers] now. It will be three to five years, and it will be painful growth probably, but there’s no other way to do it. We’ve got to.”
