The PBS Team pictured left to right: Windy Barham, Sara Gane, Sara Moore, Ricki Helton, and Jennifer Clark.
Viewmont Elementary School has been named an Exemplar School in the North Carolina Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Initiative Annual Recognition. The school was recognized at the 59th Conference on Exceptional Children held in Greensboro at the Koury Convention Center. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction selected Viewmont because they achieved excellent results by working together to use school data to implement research-based practices and to develop support systems to teach students new behaviors.
The Positive Behavioral Support Program is a way to impact the learning environments in schools in order to support high student performance and to reduce behavioral problems. PBS sites integrate their Safe School Plan, Character Education strategies, and discipline efforts to make schools caring and safe communities for learning. The program shifts the focus of behavioral management from negative approaches to more positive ones. By using a variety of tools and procedures, Viewmont staff members work to find the reasons behind disruptive behaviors and then provide positive solutions. This is accomplished school wide through teaching clear expectations, positive reinforcement, and clear consequences. “It has taken a team approach with everyone working together to make PBS a success,” shared Principal Judy Jolly. “We have seen tremendous improvement in student behavior, office referrals, and discipline issues. I am so proud of our students and the way they have embraced the program.”
Viewmont was recognized as a Banner School in 2008 after completing all of the requirements then applied for Exemplar Recognition at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. A PowerPoint presentation has been developed to showcase implementation examples and the strategies that Viewmont is using to praise students for meeting the expectations of being RESPECTFUL, SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, and KIND. The presentation also includes system support procedures that have helped to make implementation successful and data that showed improvements in both academic and behavioral indicators. Exemplar schools must complete requirements for Green Ribbon and Banner schools and have completed all three team training Modules. Schools must score a Level 3 or higher on the Implementation Inventory and 95% total on the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET). At least 2 consecutive years of required behavioral, attendance, and academic data must show improvements, and they must have documented at least one additional data element that they are tracking as a team.
During the 2007-2008 school year, only 15 schools in North Carolina received recognition as an Exemplar School.
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