What is PBIS?
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an approach to teaching and supporting positive behaviors and meeting the needs of ALL students. This is a K-8 District wide initiative that focuses on building a safe and positive environment in which all students can learn. Common expectations across all district K-8 buildings are: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Compassionate.
Part of the focus of the PBIS Program is acknowledging and rewarding students for consistent positive behavior. At James, we are utilizing a ticket system to serve this purpose and to encourage our students to consistently demonstrate our building-wide expectations. Students can earn tickets throughout the day and across settings. These tickets are collected by their homeroom teacher. There are regular award systems in each classroom as well as larger incentives at the end of each month. Expectations are clearly marked throughout the building with a variety of posters explaining what each expectation should look like in places such as: hallways, lunchroom, restrooms, playground, classrooms, and even the bus. To be sure all students know what we expect, lessons are designed, taught, modeled, practiced and reinforced.