22 Vista Schools Honored with PBIS Certifications
District schools are models for implementing positive behavioral structures
Vista Unified School District is once again celebrating its commitment to implementing the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program across its school sites. The state of California PBIS has recognized a whopping 22 of 28 Vista USD schools with a mix of Gold, Silver, and Bronze certifications.
PBIS is a multi-tiered system created to support the academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and mental health needs of students by building school-wide behavior expectations and applying acknowledgment systems for when those expectations are met.
Rhonda Marriott-Spencer, Director of MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) for VUSD, explains how the PBIS program is implemented in schools in more detail: “PBIS is a framework that provides the structure to support a school’s behavior expectations - one that acknowledges positive and appropriate behavior - not just on the punitive or discipline side but in a way that promotes behaviors we hope students will exhibit.
“There are specific instructional practices and strategies that teachers, school counselors, administrators, school psychologists and all stakeholders at a school site utilize to support that behavior.”
Setting Expectations
The first step of the program is to inform students about the school-wide behavior expectations, says Marriott-Spencer.
This addresses all areas of the school, including when students are walking through the halls, in the cafeteria, and even when using the restroom. Teachers then help to keep these expectations consistent in the classroom so that children are clear about what is optimal, explains Marriott-Spencer.
Acknowledging and Celebrating Positive Behaviors
The second focus of the program is the acknowledgment system for when those behaviors are followed.
“It's not just about the rewards but we do want to celebrate students for appropriate behavior,” says Marriott-Spencer. “This can range from a high five to choosing from a prize box, to being recognized at an assembly or even a Friday flag assembly.”
Each school has its own PBIS team that works together to develop its school-wide behavior expectations and acknowledgment systems. They then share this with staff, families, and students to get their input to ensure a collaborative and inclusive effort.
“That way everybody has a shared contribution and understanding of what it's going to look like as we roll out PBIS school-wide,” says Marriott-Spencer.
Teams can be as creative as they like regarding how they determine the rewards and acknowledgment of behaviors. Some schools receive donations from the community such as gift cards to award, or lunch with the principal is a popular prize.
Growth Across the District
Implementing PBIS practices is in its third year in VUSD schools. Various schools are in different stages, and a significant outcome of implementing the program has been a decrease in inappropriate behavior, which has led to a decrease in office discipline referrals, says Marriott-Spencer.
“We saw a large decrease when we compared the 22/23 school year to last year. We also saw a decrease in suspensions and expulsions. On the flip side, we've seen an increase in positive behavior.”
She also describes how teachers and staff are articulating to students’ different ways of acknowledging appropriate behavior, which is a key part of the program.
“We're looking for an increase in that ratio of five to one, as in ‘I'm acknowledging five times that this is the appropriate behavior. I'm seeing exactly what that behavior is’. So then everybody is aware of what the appropriate behavior was and what they did right. So, it's both the shift in student behavior and the change in adult behavior of looking for the positive things to acknowledge.”
Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
In addition to professional training for PBIS, VUSD teachers regularly brainstorm on how to best implement the program in their classrooms. This can include ways to design environments that encourage a positive behavior system.
Equity walks are another tool, where teachers, students, and community members can observe other classes in order to learn helpful strategies or practices. During the 2023-24 school year Roosevelt Middle School hosted a cohort of educators from the Netherlands researching how schools implement PBIS. Roosevelt was recommended to the Dutch group by the San Diego County Office of Education as a strong example of PBIS implementation.
PBIS has grown and evolved within VUSD at a quick pace. Last year the district had just one school that was recognized at Gold level, and this year it has six. Marriott-Spencer attributes this gain in momentum to two things: The long-range plan and the consistent focus.
“This is year three for some of our sites implementing PBIS. The opportunity for those PBIS teams to come together to plan and implement the professional learnings, but then come back and ask ‘What successes are we having? What challenges are we seeing?’ - that collaboration all contributes to the long-term success.”
PBIS Certification Parameters
PBIS is a continuous journey and can take multiple years to implement with fidelity (at least 70 percent on the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI), a school site self-assessment).
Bronze PBIS Schools are recognized for implementing PBIS Tier 1 with between 40 and 69 percent fidelity.
Silver PBIS Schools are recognized for implementing PBIS Tier 1 with above 70 percent fidelity.
Gold PBIS Schools are recognized for implementing PBIS Tier 1 and Tier 2 with above 70 percent fidelity.
GOLD Recognition:
Bobier Elementary School
Grapevine Elementary
Lake Elementary School
Mission Meadows Elementary School
Roosevelt Middle School
T.H.E. Leadership Academy
SILVER Recognition:
Alamosa Park Elementary School
Empresa Elementary School
Foothill-Oak Elementary School
Hannalei Elementary School
Maryland Elementary School
Monte Vista Elementary
Rancho Minerva Middle
Vista Magnet Middle School
BRONZE Recognition:
Breeze Hill Elementary School
Casita Center
Madison Middle School
Mission Vista High School
Rancho Buena Vista High School
Vista Innovation & Design Academy (VIDA)
Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts
Vista High School