Promoting positive student behavior is one of the most important parts of developing a happy and healthy school climate for students, staff, and families. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework that supports students’ success inside and outside the classroom. Furthermore, integrating PBIS in schools is an excellent launching point for the development of successful social and emotional learning (SEL) programs.
The inclusive and all-encompassing nature of school-wide PBIS aligns well with the goals of SEL programs. Moreover, support structures can easily be built to address the fidelity of both programs because of their complementary features. Some of the benefits of incorporating SEL within your PBIS efforts include the following.
A strength-based SEL universal screener and assessment measures social and emotional skills critical to student success. Educators can then use student strengths to support growth in areas of need, fostering development through tailored guidance. Measurement is crucial to an effective program. It allows educators to track students’ progress in skill acquisition to see what works and what does not work.
Schools that utilize SEL and PBIS can collect and analyze data to make informed decisions about interventions and supports. We know that with a tiered approach, there are universal, targeted, and intensive support levels.
Aperture Education wanted to make it even easier in the 2023-2024 school year to integrate these levels of intervention. We’re offering a new SEL Strategies and Interventions Package that provides tailored recommendations that educators can use to implement strength-based programming with fidelity. This includes 90 research-backed universal and small group activities and five multi-week, targeted intervention programs.
Successful school districts also have family and community support. Using a strength-based lens to facilitate discussions with parents can lead to greater understanding of learning initiatives. It also helps build a “common language” around the skills students are focused on developing so that families can continue to bring what their children are learning at school and continue teaching it at home.
By implementing PBIS and SEL, schools can transform the classroom and community culture to an environment that supports students’ academic, social, behavioral, and emotional growth.
You may already have an SEL curriculum in place that focuses on fostering these skills, but are you measuring its impact? Contact our SEL advisors, who will serve as your guide for scaling your SEL program.