BATESVILLE, Ind. — The State of Indiana requires every school to have in place a Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) System.
Schools are encouraged to find creative ways to acknowledge and support students who constantly demonstrate positive behaviors, and also put in place creative interventions for students who struggle with their behavior choices.
Batesville Primary and Intermediate Schools are implementing PBIS to provide a proactive, systematic approach that focuses on teaching and acknowledging positive behaviors by using research-based behavior supports. The goal in using this framework is to establish consistent school-wide behavioral expectations and create a safe and positive educational environment.
In addition to accentuating the positive, staff members also focus on decreasing negative behaviors so that students can reach social, emotional and academic success in all areas of their school day.
Both BPS and BIS have adopted a unified set of expectations that support being responsible, being respectful and being safe. Expectations are clearly posted throughout the schools.
BPS Associate Principal Suzanne Kunkel said the school uses “Bulldog Bucks” to promote positive behavior for the students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
BIS Associate Principal Patricia Johnson commented her students are awarded quarterly for good performance.
School administrators have also encouraged bus drivers to post and implement expectations on their buses. As part of the process, school staff uses positive practices to provide children with more praise than correction, talk respectfully using a positive tone of voice, actively engage children in the learning process, and give positive, immediate and frequent praise and feedback to the students daily.
Instructors also apply consistent consequences for all children that do not show they are practicing the expectations.
