PBIS Program

A small number of clearly defined behavioral expectations are communicated to students in positive

terms. Each school develops its own expectations, typically communicated as short, easy-to-remember slogans. The expectations are reinforced school wide via the use of regular lessons in classrooms, posters, videos, and assemblies.  

Otis Elementary School's expectations are:

• Be Safe
• Be Responsible
• Be Respectful
• Be An Ally

Teachers and staff clearly and consistently explain the behavioral expectations for various settings. A behavioral expectation for a cafeteria might be "clean up your area," for instance, while an expectation for the playground might be, "take turns."  The behaviors are taught to all of the students in the school through direct teaching in the classroom and across other areas on campus.

Teachers and staff acknowledge appropriate behavior and efforts when they see them.  A specific verbal

acknowledgment ("great job cleaning up the block area!") may be paired with giving an acknowledgment ticket.  Each school has its own ticket that reflects their school expectations and mascot.

At Otis Elementary, students receive "Hoot, Hoot, Hurray"  tickets when they exhibit appropriate behavior. Hoot Hoot Hoorays are randomly drawn out of a collection box by the teacher once a week for student recognition and reward.

Office discipline and low-level (minor) discipline data are collected on school-wide behavior. The school's PBIS team reviews the data regularly to look for patterns that indicate a need for re-teaching expectations. 

Each site has a Coordination of Services (COS) Team that meets regularly and connects students with appropriate interventions in any area of need (e.g., behavior, academics, attendance, health, and social-emotional).  Parents are engaged as active partners to ensure that the best plan is created to foster student success.

In the most successful implementations of PBIS, the entire school community - including all teachers, staff, students, and families - understand, support,  and participate in the PBIS. The goal of school-wide PBIS is a school environment that is safe, predictable, inclusive and welcoming for students and families.

The PBIS framework incorporates three tiers.

Tier 1/Universal Support: This is the training that all students in all settings receive on the behavioral expectations and climate of their school.

Tier 2/Selected:About 10-20% of a school's students may need more focused support via, for example, social skills groups, daily check-ins with an adult, or behavioral interventions in the classroom.

Tier 3/Targeted: Some 3 to 5% of a school's students may need individualized behavioral interventions with, for instanced, a psychologist or behavioral interventionist.

At Otis, student leaders from upper grades apply and train to become Peacemakers who help on the play yard for conflict resolution.