About PBS Surveys

PBS Surveys is a web application that enables schools implementing positive behavior support plans to monitor progress, solicit feedback from teachers and other staff, adjust to local needs and challenges, and identify accomplishments.

Surveys assessing implementation status and needs can be conducted online and reports can be viewed as soon as a survey is completed.  These surveys have been developed to meet the data requirements of PBS usage in schools.  PBS school teams can use this survey data to assess whether school-wide behavior support programs are (a) being implemented with fidelity and (b) providing benefits to students. A PBS Implementers' Blueprint and Self-Assessment guide is available from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education.

You can evaluate PBS Surveys by logging in using the demonstration account.  To do so, visit the login page and enter "demo" for the school account.

See the signup page to learn how to obtain a PBS Surveys account and begin using the application.  Each of the surveys can also be downloaded using the links below:

• Benchmarks of Quality Scoring Guide
• Benchmarks of Quality Scoring Form
• Benchmarks of Quality Team Member Rating
• Safety Survey
• School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET)
• Self-Assessment Survey
• Team_Checklist (monthly)
• Team_Checklist (quarterly)

About PBS

Positive behavior support is a proactive, preventative, whole-school approach to achieving sustained improvement in the academic and social climates of elementary, middle, and high schools.  PBS has emerged from years of educational and applied behavior research.   As a scientific approach, its successful implementation relies upon the gathering and analysis of data to guide decision making.  Data is used to:

1. characterize and understand a situation (such as a classroom or other school setting, a student's behavior or performance, or a teacher's instruction);
2. evaluate the effectiveness and quality of implementation of current practices;
3. guide the development of new or modified practices; and
4. monitor student and program progress.

Positive behavior support involves the assessment and reengineering of environments so that people with problem behaviors experience reductions in them and increased social, personal, and professional quality in their lives. PBS is the application of behavior analysis and systems change perspectives within the context of person-centered values to the intensely social problems created by behaviors such as self-injury, aggression, property destruction, pica, defiance, and disruption. It is an approach that combines respect for the rights of people with disabilities with a practical science about how learning and behavior change occur. The overriding goal of PBS is an enhanced quality of life for individuals and their support providers in home, school, and community settings. The excitement about positive behavioral support lies in the promise it holds for addressing the very real and difficult challenges posed by problem behaviors (Horner, 1999).

PBS Decision Making

PBS surveys can be used to answer a wide range of evaluation questions.

1. What school wide PBS practices are in place?
   1. Use the Team Implementation Checklist (TIC) to monitor progress and build an action plan. Complete the TIC monthly or quarterly.
   2. Use the EBS Self Assessment survey to define what practices are in place and what changes are most important for action planning. Complete the EBS Self Assessment Survey annually, in the spring, when most staff are familiar with the school. Use results to build an Action Plan
   3. Use the SET to validate TIC and EBS Self-Assessment to document school wide PBS implementation. Conduct the SET annually.
2. Are school-wide PBS practices benefiting student?
   1. Use the School Safety Survey to get an index of risk factors and protective factors. Complete Annually in the spring when staff are familiar with the school

Elements of data-based decision-making are critical, including:

1. High quality data from clear definitions, processes, & implementation (e.g., sw behavior support).
2. An efficient data storage & manipulation system (e.g., SWIS).
3. A process for data-based decision making & action planning process (e.g., team)
   1. Start with an outcome and use the data to verify/justify/prioritize.
   2. Describe in measurable terms.
   3. Specify realistic & achievable criteria for success.

Establish an evaluation plan that:

1. Defines the evaluation questions.
2. Identifies indicators for answering each question.
3. Develops methods & schedules for collecting & analyzing indicators.
4. Makes decisions from an analysis of information.