PBIS team outlines rollout and data showing more positive acknowledgments, fewer office referrals

Jamie Heise and members of the PBIS team presented the district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program, describing the framework and multi-year implementation across the middle and high school.

Heise explained PBIS as “it stands for positive behavioral interventions and supports” and described the three core components: common expectations, common language and positive recognition. Team members described year-one activities (trainings, trial behavior-ticket tracking and launch of Wildcat Way recognition tickets), year-two work with Minnesota Department of Education training and strengthened teacher training and data analysis, and year-three items including classroom expectations, expanded recognition and teacher goal-writing for behavior data use.

Presenters reported that year-two data showed approximately a 3-to-1 ratio of positive Wildcat Way tickets to office referrals and that early results this year show improvement to about 5-to-1. The team emphasized non-exclusionary practices (reflection, reteaching) and said planned next steps include continuing staff development, expanding staff trained (including ESPs and potentially kitchen and bus staff), enhancing targeted interventions and adding student leadership representation on the PBIS team. Board members asked about student voice and the team said student input has come through connect classes and that the team plans to add student representatives to its work.

The presenters credited Minnesota PBIS training and PTO grants for materials and recognition incentives. Staff said they will return with additional updates as implementation continues.