WWC review of this study

A State-Wide Quasi-Experimental Effectiveness Study of the Scale-up of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Pas, Elise T.; Ryoo, Ji Hoon; Musci, Rashelle; Bradshaw, Catherine P. (2019). Grantee Submission. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED593800

  •  examining 
    775,839
     Students
    , grades
    K-8

Reviewed: April 2024

At least one finding shows moderate evidence of effectiveness
No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards with reservations
General Literacy Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Percentage of proficient and advanced students in a state reading test

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Elementary schools;
336,108 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Percentage of proficient and advanced students in a state reading test

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Secondary schools;
431,439 students

N/A

N/A

No

--
General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Percentage of proficient and advanced students in a state math test

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Elementary schools;
336,108 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

--
 

Percentage of proficient and advanced students in a state math test

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Secondary schools;
431,439 students

N/A

N/A

No

--
School Attendance outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

School-level truancy rate

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Elementary schools;
341,230 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

School-level truancy rate

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Secondary schools;
433,676 students

N/A

N/A

No

--
Student Discipline outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

School-level suspension rate

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Elementary Schools - Full sample;
342,164 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

School-level suspension rate

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Secondary schools;
433,676 students

N/A

N/A

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

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    Maryland
  • Race
    Asian
    5%
    Black
    37%
    Native American
    0%
    Other or unknown
    9%
    White
    49%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    8%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    92%

Setting

The study was conducted in public schools, both elementary and secondary, across all 24 districts in Maryland. In accordance with the protocol, this review focuses only on elementary schools (which included K–5, K–6, and K–8 configurations).

Study sample

In the first year of the study, among the participating students, 12 percent received special education, 35 percent received free and reduced-price meals, 36 percent were African American, 49 percent were White, 8 percent were Hispanic, 5 percent were Asian, and 0.4 percent were American Indian.

Intervention Group

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a school-wide intervention offering three tiers of support. School-wide PBIS (SW–PBIS) is a universal (tier 1) intervention that teaches all staff to use a proactive and positive approach for behavior management. Staff are trained to implement three core components of SW–PBIS: 1) setting and teaching clear behavioral expectations; 2) implementing a system for proactively encouraging desired behaviors and preventing undesired behaviors; and 3) creating and implementing a system for consistently responding to behavioral infractions that will be applied to all students across all school settings. SW–PBIS is meant to be implemented throughout the school year.

Comparison Group

The comparison condition consisted of schools that had not yet undergone PBIS training.

Support for implementation

The intervention schools were required to 1) make a 3-year commitment to implement SW–PBIS; and 2) identify four to six staff members to be trained by the federal Office for Special Education Programs in SW–PBIS. New teams were given a 2-day initial training and returning teams, a 2-day booster training. Each four-to-six-person intervention school team trained all the staff in their school to implement the three SW–PBIS components. The teams also provided their schools with ongoing supports throughout the school year.

 

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