What is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen an elementary school’s culture?
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The elementary years in a child’s life are pivotal. Not only is this when they learn to read, speak, and write, but these are the years where they develop their understanding of how to behave and socialize with other humans.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
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Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Katherine Neumeier has spent the last 8 years in education working with Title I schools to build strong classroom practices and close academic gaps with English Language Learners and Special Populations. She has taught across multiple grade levels as well as coached educators, served as a reading specialist, and built an intervention program from the ground up. Integrating EdTech platforms as well as utilizing behavior management tools such as Liveschool have transformed and supported her role as an educator. She earned a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's University and a M.Ed from The University of St. Thomas.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The elementary years in a child’s life are pivotal. Not only is this when they learn to read, speak, and write, but these are the years where they develop their understanding of how to behave and socialize with other humans.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
The elementary years in a child’s life are pivotal. Not only is this when they learn to read, speak, and write, but these are the years where they develop their understanding of how to behave and socialize with other humans.
Children are reflections of their environments and the people within them. Therefore, the things we say as educators and model with our actions truly make a difference. A framework many schools, especially elementary, have adopted to support all children’s development is PBIS.
So what is PBIS and how can it be used to strengthen school culture and overall standard of behavior?
PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools use it as a proactive approach to improve behavior and support every student’s behavioral needs.
Within the framework, there are three tiers that include specific interventions at each level. The basic idea of PBIS is simple; Educators focus on positive behaviors and reinforce those behaviors with incentives and rewards.
To help keep track, most schools choose to use a digital PBIS platform to track behaviors, manage rewards, and provide parent feedback. A main focus of PBIS best practices is preventing the negative behavior from occurring instead of punishing them once they have been exhibited.
Over time, the hope is students will need less and less incentive to do the right thing. The more we focus on the positive and teach students explicitly what good behavior looks like, the more apt students will be to behave appropriately.
So what does this actually look like in Elementary School? Below you will find a list of examples of how PBIS tiers are implemented and used at the classroom level. Remember, the better a child’s foundation, the stronger a child will be both academically and behaviorally.
Positive narration is more than telling a student “good job” or congratulating them in front of others. It is about framing the specific academic behaviors or behavioral accomplishments you are observing in a way that encourages others to follow suit.
For example, you could say “I appreciate the way most of my students are lining up quietly” instead of “nice job Taylor, Evin, and Paige, I love the way you are lining up”. By naming the observable action and the specific way students are meeting the expectation, you are reiterating positively the need for this to be done.
More often than not, when you are framing things in a positive manner, the rest of the class will mimic the models. The best part about this example is you can use (and practice) positive narration at any moment during the school day.
Children might tell you otherwise, but they crave structure and routine. They love to know what is next and how they will be able to participate in whatever the school day brings.
Also, PBIS by nature is a very scaffolded, routine-based system so it makes sense that it would work well in a structured classroom environment. You can provide structure to your students by explicitly teaching behavioral expectations, holding students accountable, giving your students time to practice and perfect certain routines, and staying consistent in both your words and actions.
Students lose trust in you and their own self-control when they feel that their environment is not stable. Creating that structure will support you AND your students in fulfilling the day-to-day.
As stated previously, elementary-aged children need great models of what it looks like and sounds like to behave appropriately. After they receive these models, they then need time to practice, fail, and then try again.
This is where reinforcement lives in the PBIS reward system. Consistent reinforcement of positive behavior will eventually lead to most of the students doing the right thing. The more consistent you are with the reinforcements, the better.
As the structure of PBIS allows, using tangible reinforcements in the form of points, rewards, and incentives will create a more immediate result. Reinforce, reinforce, and then reinforce some more. It will make a huge difference in your classroom spaces.
You may now be wondering, what exactly am I reinforcing all day? Well, a critical part of PBIS is the explicit teaching and modeling of the behaviors you want to see. These can be established by the school normed rules or your own specific class expectations.
At the beginning of the year and then throughout, these behaviors should be a constant in your student’s minds. For example, some schools function on the foundation of four rules. The rules beautifully cover expectations about kindness, following directions, being safe, or helping yourself and others learn.
Teaching and reinforcing what it looks like to do these four things is a strong PBIS practice and will set your students up for success in the long run. Explicit teaching goes beyond naming what you want. It is all about how you model it and let students practice daily.
SEL, or social-emotional learning, has been a very hot topic within schools over the past couple of years. Curriculums have been implemented and thousands of teachers have been trained on best practices, all to go beyond the academics for our little ones.
SEL is exactly what our elementary kids need. I am in no way discounting the importance of academics, but we should be striving to find a balance in the way we educate our kids as whole intelligent human beings.
SEL and PBIS go hand in hand and as educators, it is our mission and delight to help our students grow in every way possible when they are within our four walls. That starts with teaching them how to be good people, inside and out!
In order for children to learn, they first need to feel safe and included. As educators, we must create a classroom environment that not only runs smoothly but is conducive to learning and growing.
Teaching and reinforcing the rules, incorporating SEL or character lessons, and showing students how to best interact are all ways your environment can become safer and more inviting.
The way you speak and act will also impact the overall dynamic of the room. Even when things get tough, try staying positive and encouraging.
In many schools across the nation, teachers are noticing that there can be a distinct difference between a child’s school and home behavior. This is simply because the environment and the people within it influence the behavior.
Within PBIS expectations, children are taught explicitly how to behave positively and are then rewarded for doing the right thing. If you are able to educate parents on how PBIS works and some interventions within that they can also use at home, the system will work even better. These conversations can occur during open houses, informational sessions, conferences, over the phone, etc.
Building relationships with the students and their families is important, but being on the same page with best practices to support each child will be the cherry on top.
The last PBIS example I have for you is initiating and engaging in restorative conversations. Throughout the year, there will be misunderstandings, points of frustration, and lots of mistakes.
This is to be expected, especially in elementary school. It is how these moments are handled that will set the tone and either build your relationship with kids or obliterate it. PBIS interventions are opportunities to name the mistake or undesired behavior, help figure out the root cause of it, and talk it out.
It allows for both parties to share how they feel and create a solution together for moving forward. These conversations will help you and your students bond and will support the creation of the inclusive, positive environment we are striving for.
When it comes to classroom management and helping our little ones develop positive behaviors early on, a PBIS behavior plan is definitely the way to go. As you implement some of these elementary school incentives and PBIS strategies into your own classroom, I hope they bring you and your students' new opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive! Want to learn all you can possibly learn about PBIS? Check out our Complete PBIS Field Guide.
Looking for a place to start your school culture journey? Check out our free PBIS template where you can download a sample to get started.
To learn what other educators are saying take a look at our PBIS reviews.
Want to improve your student rewards experience? Check out our rewards menu for elementary students.
How do you unlock the full potential of PBIS? Check out our resources on harnessing the power of PBIS for your school district.
Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric. Providing behavior support in today's schools requires that we address behavior problems holistically. Check out how The Dulles School of Excellence is doing just that by blending PBIS and SEL.
All the behavior resources you need to create the positive culture your school community deserves.
