THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, COHEN, STURLA, GRUCELA, LONGIETTI, M. O'BRIEN, MILNE, MURT, BISHOP, BRIGGS, CASORIO, GOODMAN, JOSEPHS, KOTIK, MUNDY, PARKER, PRESTON, READSHAW, SANTARSIERO, SIPTROTH, THOMAS, HESS AND GIBBONS, MARCH 12, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 12, 2010  

A RESOLUTION

Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study

and to issue a report on the status and success of states'

efforts to implement School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support

in their public schools, including the efforts to implement

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support in this Commonwealth,

and to make specific recommendations for legislative action.

WHEREAS, Educators, parents and general public cite negative

school climate and disruptive student behavior as challenges

that disrupt the learning environment in many public schools;

and

WHEREAS, Parents, community providers, including juvenile

justice, educators and the general public report increasing

degrees of behavioral health needs of children and adolescents

across urban, rural and suburban communities; and

WHEREAS, School-Wide Positive Behavior Support is an

evidence-based, data-driven approach that helps all children

acquire appropriate social skills and behavior and that can

prevent or identify early students' behavioral health needs,

enhance students' resiliency and improve students' school

performance; and

WHEREAS, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support consists of

the following:

(1)  Schools use a three-tiered approach to prevention

and early intervention that reflects universal prevention for

all students, targeted prevention and intervention, for

students who appear at risk to develop serious problem

behavior and intensive prevention and intervention inclusive

of services and supports, for individual students with

serious problem behavior or social and emotional support

needs.

(2)  School staff employ essential School-Wide Positive

Behavior Support practices consistently across all settings

within implementing schools in order to establish a

predictable and positive school culture for all students and

staff by setting clear behavioral expectations and frequently

acknowledging and rewarding students when they exhibit

expected behaviors.

(3)  School-Wide Positive Behavior Support is implemented

systematically over time and emphasizes the annual use of

published fidelity measures, including, but not limited to,

the School-Wide Evaluation Tool and the Benchmarks of

Quality.

(4)  Schools establish processes and procedures to

address behavioral needs of all students across all three

tiers of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support continuum.

(5)  School staff are provided training and technical

assistance to implement School-Wide Positive Behavior Support

with fidelity.

(6)  Schools that initiate School-Wide Positive Behavior

Support meet certain readiness requirements and schools and

school districts provide adequate leadership to meet

readiness requirements as well as meet ongoing targeted goals

throughout implementation in a longitudinal manner.

(7)  Schools implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior

Support collect and report appropriate data and use their

data for decision-making purposes;

and

WHEREAS, Schools and school districts across the nation that

have implemented School-Wide Positive Behavior Support have

shown positive results. As of September 2009, the United States

Office of Special Education Programs Technical Assistance Center

on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports was working

directly with more than 10,000 schools in 48 states and the

District of Columbia; and

WHEREAS, As of June 2009, Illinois had implemented School-

Wide Positive Behavior Support in 1,081 schools in 268 school

districts; and

WHEREAS, School-Wide Positive Behavior Support is operational

in at least some of the schools in all 24 school districts in

Maryland. Of the elementary schools that have employed this

approach with fidelity, more than 95% report that at least 80%

of their students had fewer than one discipline referral per

year. In Baltimore County schools that have implemented the

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support model, eighth grade math

scores increased 53% in schools reporting implementation of

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support from 2003 through 2007, as

compared to a 33.3% increase for other schools not implementing

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support; and

WHEREAS, School-Wide Positive Behavior Support is cost

effective; and

WHEREAS, Schools implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior

Support report a decrease in disciplinary referrals. As a

result, schools recover both administrator time that can be

reinvested and regain student instructional time in classrooms;

and

WHEREAS, In one year 12 Maryland schools implementing School-

Wide Positive Behavior Support reported 5,606 fewer office

referrals than in the previous year. Based on the calculation

that each office referral takes 15 minutes of administrator time

and 45 minutes of student instructional time in a six-hour

school day, these schools saved 233 days of administrator time

and 700 days of student instructional time as a result of this

reduction in office disciplinary referrals; and

WHEREAS, Currently, at least 105 Pennsylvania schools in 38

school districts are in various stages of implementing School-

Wide Positive Behavior Support, most with assistance from the

Department of Education; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the

Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct and review

research assessing the effectiveness of School-Wide Positive

Behavior Support in Pennsylvania and in other states; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

investigate and document the extent to which School-Wide

Positive Behavior Support has been implemented in this

Commonwealth, the outcomes in terms of student performance and

school climate that have been achieved and the barriers that

exist to further expansion; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

identify the cost, cost savings for schools and possible

mechanisms for expanding School-Wide Positive Behavior Support

to all schools and school districts in this Commonwealth that

seek to implement School-Wide Positive Behavior Support and

further identify all existing Federal, State and local funding

streams that can be used for these expansion efforts; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

provide recommendations on whether and how to expand and fund

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support in Pennsylvania; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

prepare a report of its findings and transmit copies of the

report to the House of Representatives no later than six months

after the adoption of this resolution.