7 Steps for Developing a Proactive Schoolwide Discipline Plan: A Guide for Principals and Leadership Teams

In Pursuit of Positive and Proactive Behaviors – The Challenge
Every school wants to provide a safe, preventive, and positive learning environment, but recent shifts in societal and cultural norms have given rise to reactions that can be injurious, uncivil, and discriminatory. Creating and maintaining positive and proactive school discipline plans while preserving societal values and norms is more challenging than ever. Urges to get tough and enact zero tolerance policies may give impetus, but not tools. Schools are often left wondering how to address problematic behaviors, make real change happen, and accomplish their intended goals.
Seven Steps shows practitioners and pre-service educators what, why, and how to build effective school-wide discipline practices using both data and documented successes. It offers a step-by-step process that maximizes teaching and learning and prevents problem behavior while establishing and maintaining desirable behavior to enhance school success. Seven procedural steps show how to:

• Develop, teach, and maintain schoolwide behavior expectations

• Correct problem behaviors

• Sustain your plan for the long haul

Get started in creating a positive and supportive environment by exposing students to the best possible practices by all teachers in all settings.

Table of Contents

Prologue

About the Authors

Introduction

SECTION I: FOUNDATIONS

1.Guiding Principles in Providing Quality Education for All Students

• Guiding Principle One: Secure Active and Integrated Participation and Support From All Levels of Stakeholders
• Guiding Principle Two: Ensure That School Principal Is an Effective Instructional Leader and Active Participant in All Implementation
• Guiding Principle Three: Develop Systems to Ensure All Students Have Access to the Best Instructional and Behavioral Practices for School Success
• Guiding Principle Four: Implement Instructional and Behavior Practices and Systems Concurrently Within Multitiered Support Continuum
• Guiding Principle Five: Implement Support Systems With Fidelity to Ensure Sustainability
• Guiding Principle Six: Use Positive Reinforcement Judiciously
• Guiding Principle Seven: Manage Data Effectively and Efficiently
• Guiding Principle Eight: Utilize a Building Leadership Team-Based Approach
• Guiding Principle Nine: Consider Context and Culture When Implementing Procedural Details

2.Understanding the Teaching–Learning Process

• Stages Involved in the Process of Learning a Skill

SECTION II: COMPONENTS OF A PROACTIVE SCHOOLWIDE DISCIPLINE PLAN

3. Step 1: Getting Started

• Conduct Preliminary Schoolwide Discipline Plan Survey
• Establish a Leadership Team
• Establish Need for the Plan
• Communicate Effectiveness of the Plan
• Explore How Plan Can Mesh With School Goals and With Other Plans
• Assess District’s and Schools’ Capacity to Implement the Plan
• Present Roles and Responsibilities for Implementation
• Provide Opportunities for Full Discussion
• Plan for the Long Haul
• Obtain Commitment From All Stakeholders
• Develop a Comprehensive Professional Development Plan
• Develop and Use a Self-Assessment Checklist for Implementation Action Planning

4. Step 2: Developing Schoolwide Behavior Expectations

• Adopting Guidelines for Selecting Schoolwide Behavior Expectations
• Applying Schoolwide Behavior Expectations to Major Common Areas in the School

5. Step 3: Teaching the Behavior Expectations

• Teaching Behavior Expectations to Younger Students (K–3)
• Teaching Behavior Expectations to Older Students (Grades 4–12) and a Maintenance Teaching Plan for Younger Students
• Generalizing the Teaching to All Common Areas

6. Step 4: Maintaining the Behavior Expectations

• Systematic Review
• Modeling by Faculty Through Informal Practices
• Schoolwide Recognition Plans

7. Step 5: Correcting Problem Behavior

• A System Involving a Continuum of Responses for the Full Range of Problem Behavior
• Overview of Continuum of Responses for Addressing Problem Behavior
• Office-Managed Behavior
• Staff-Managed Behavior

8. Step 6: Using Data Effectively

• Defining the Role of the Leadership Team
• Clarifying the Purposes of an Effective Data Management System
• Establishing Guidelines in Developing a Data Management System

9. Step 7: Sustaining the Plan for the Long Haul

• Implementation Phases and Drivers
• General Implementation-Stage Logic Based on Action Planning
• Ongoing Process Factors
• PBIS Exemplar for Sustainability
• Ongoing Refresh Meetings to Sustain the Plan
• Future Directions

Concluding Remarks

Appendices (Appendices A-Q, Reproducible Checklists, Plans, and Forms)

References

Credits

Index