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Washoe County Schools See Changes in Student Behavior Through Expanding Program
Schools Celebrate with Special Events This Week
Media Note: Media is invited to attend this week's PBIS events at Smithridge and Donner Springs Elementary schools. Please contact Nancy Leuenhagen at 333-3789 for additional information and to set up interviews.
Reno, NV (Oct. 25, 2011) - Schools across Washoe County are experiencing a shift in school climate and culture with the growth of a program that is part of the District's anti-bullying and respectful learning environments initiatives. More schools are implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to improve student academic and behavior outcomes by ensuring all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented instructional and behavioral practices and interventions.
At the end of the 2010 school year, only 51 percent of WCSD schools were trained and implementing PBIS. As of October 2011, more than 77 percent are implementing the strategic framework with success.
"Through PBIS, we are ensuring the social and emotional well-being of our students, which will lead to increased academic achievement. It is great to see the growth and success of the program in Washoe County," Trish Shaffer, the PBIS coordinator for WCSD, said.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports are a scientifically based framework endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education as a system that works to improve student behavior and alter an entire school culture and climate. PBIS works with and supports schools to develop effective schoolwide discipline systems that not only establish clear boundaries and expectations for students but also accentuates the positives. National research indicates that a safe, respectful and positive school climate helps increase academic achievement.
Through this framework, students are able to clearly state and demonstrate schoolwide and classroom expectations. Students are serviced using a model based on their own unique needs that is positive, predicable and consistent. They are receiving five positives to each negative interaction. They are interacting more positively with each other, and schools are seeing reductions in office discipline referrals and an increase in instructional minutes.
"The data demonstrates that PBIS is working in our schools," Shaffer said.
Schools regularly hold events to support, recognize and reward students who are demonstrating good behavior. Smithridge Elementary and Donner Springs Elementary will celebrate student success this week through programs they developed at their schools, including:
• Smithridge students who were chosen by their peers as Golden SPURRS award winners will be honored at a ceremony Tuesday night, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the school's multipurpose room. The SPURRS program, which stands for Stallions Perform Ultimate Respect Responsible Safety, is a new student incentive program created by Smithridge's PBIS committee this year. Each month, teachers choose one student from their class to be the Silver SPURRS winner. These students' names are announced over the loud speaker and they receive certificates and have their photos and certificates posted in the multipurpose room. Additionally, Golden SPURRS are peer-nominated students from each classroom who are honored once per trimester. These 30 students and their families are invited to an evening award ceremony and special recognition.
• As part of the PBIS program at Donner Springs Elementary, students will be able to choose three activities with the Donner Dollars they have collected for the month. Students can attend a balloon launch, participate in a special luncheon with friends and get extra recess. Through community donations, there will also be a drawing for a TV, bike and 2 Pump It Up Tickets. All events will happen on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Donner Springs Elementary. The balloon launch will take place at approximately 9:45 a.m.
PBIS represents the behavioral side of Response to Interventions (RTI), commonly referred to as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which offers a problem solving framework to promote long-term success of students in schools. Detailed information is available at www.pbis.org and at www.pbsnv.org.
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About Washoe County School District: The Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every child career and college ready.
For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.
Washoe County School District
425 East Ninth Street
Reno, NV 89512
