Butler Middle School

Culture and Climate  Support Plan Overview

What is PBIS?

PBIS is a tiered system of preventative interventions that support a student’s academic and emotional success. When implemented at the school level, PBIS provides a clear system for all expected behaviors at the Butler Middle School. Through PBIS, we will work together to create and maintain a productive and safe environment in which all school community members clearly understand the shared expectations for behavior. Through positive recognition and continual teaching of expectations, students will experience academic and social growth. 

What are the benefits of PBIS?

We believe that through the implementation of PBIS systems and strategies we will increase student academic performance, increase safety, decrease problem behaviors and establish a positive school climate. 

What is Restorative Justice (RJ)?

Restorative Justice practices are used when conflict and harm occur in any given situation.  It allows all parties (students, teachers, administrators and parents) involved to have a voice and for all parties to take responsibility for their actions and be part of the solution.

 What are the benefits of Restorative Justice?

We believe that through our use of Restorative Justice, we are working toward creating a culture of accountability for our students that gives them the tools to resolve conflicts both in school and beyond.

PBIS addresses behavior from a Tiered perspective, also sometimes referred to as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

•  Tier 1 – These are the interventions that all students in the building receive. These include the proactive classroom strategies of explicit instruction, praise, correction, and re-teaching. 80% of the students in the building are able to meet the school-wide expectations through Tier 1 interventions.
•  Tier 2 – Some students may need additional support beyond Tier 1 to meet expectations. These students may need additional group interventions or specialized classroom strategies. 15% of the students in the building will likely need Tier 2 interventions.
• Tier 3 - Tier 3 students, generally only 5%, need even more support. This may come from a behavior plan, interventions, and specific classroom support.
  

The tiered approach is modeled in a pyramid, and schools often find it useful to actually identify their specific interventions for each of the tiers on the pyramid.

RJ addresses the following:

• Building healthy relationships between educators and students
• Reduces, prevents, and improves harmful behavior
• Repairs harm and restore positive relationships
• Resolving conflict holds individuals and groups accountable.

Addresses and discusses the needs of the school community

Why PBIS?

PBIS methods are research-based and have been proven to significantly reduce the occurrence of problem behaviors in schools. One of the key components of the system is a focus on prevention. Students are taught clearly defined behavioral expectations for all aspects of the school environment. They are provided with predictable responses to their behavior, both positive and corrective.

Why RJ?

Restorative justice is an evidence-based practice effectively used to reduce suspensions, expulsions, and disciplinary referrals. Restorative justice focuses on righting a wrong committed and repairing harm done. The goal is to place value on relationships and focus on repairing relationships that have been injured. The victim and the wrongdoer have the opportunity to share with one another how they were harmed, as victims, or how they will work to resolve the harm caused, as wrongdoers. RJ practices also improve/reduce:

• Academic difficulties
• Truancy
• Acting out behaviors
• Psychological trauma
• Mental health difficulties
• Drop out rates

PBIS Practices

As part of PBIS, Butler Middle School has developed school-wide procedures to support implementation. 

1. Define Behavioral Expectations: A small number of behavioral expectations are positively stated and clearly defined. At the Butler Middle School, our expectations are: Be Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. These expectations are outlined in the expectations matrix included in this packet. 
2. Teach Behavioral Expectations: The behavioral expectations are taught to all students in a real context. Behavioral expectations are taught using the same teaching methods used in academic curricula (Teach, Model, and Practice).
3. Acknowledge Appropriate Behavior: Once appropriate behaviors have been defined and taught they will be acknowledged on a regular basis. Butler Middle School has developed a system that acknowledges expected behavior. This acknowledgment system is outlined in this packet. 
4. Correct Behavior Errors: When students violate behavioral expectations, they are informed that their behavior is unacceptable. Clear procedures are used to direct students to appropriate behavior. Additional information is included in this packet.

Additional information on PBIS is available at www.PBIS.org

RJ Practices:

Community service: Community service allows individuals to restore harm they may have committed to the school community by providing a meaningful service that contributes to their individual improvement and the community. 

Circle process: A circle is a versatile restorative practice that can be used proactively, to develop relationships and build community, or reactively, to respond to wrongdoing, conflicts, and problems. Circles can be used as a tool to teach social skills such as listening, respect, and problem-solving. Circles provide people an opportunity to speak and listen to one another in a safe atmosphere and allow educators and students to be heard and offer their own perspectives.9 Circles can also be used to celebrate students, begin and end the day, and discuss difficult issues.10

Preventative and post-conflict resolution programs: Conflict resolution programs provide students with problem-solving and self-control skills.  These programs teach young people how to manage potential conflict, defuse situations, mend hurt feelings, and reduce any inclination to retaliate after a conflict. Conflict resolution programs walk students through their emotions in the presence of one another and guide them through a team process of addressing the issues that gave rise to the conflict in the first instance. Since conflict resolution addresses and works to resolve the root causes of conflict, it helps prevent future incidents from occurring.

Informal restorative practices: Informal restorative practices are small ways educators and other school personnel can influence a positive environment. Examples include the use of statements that communicate people’s feelings, the use of questions that cause people to reflect on how their behavior has affected others, proactive engagement with students and families, mentor relationships;  lunchtime table talks, after-school programming, and community service.