Positive Behavior Support Plan

Intern Name: Victoria Poynter

Intern Email: vepoynter@gmail.com
Date/Course: 19 April 2016/SPED 498
I.

Student Background
Robert is an African American male in the 7th grade at Franklin Middle

School. He is in a self-contained math, reading, and language arts setting

and receives special education services. He continues to struggle in the
areas of reading, written language, and math.
II.

Definition of Specific Behavior

Robert speaks without permission during instruction in the forms of calling

out and talking with his peers. His talking is typically in a loud tone but can
be in a moderate to low tone on occasion. With this behavior Robert gets out
of his seat to talk to peers or adults in the classroom. This behavior has a
negative impact not only on him but the other students in the class as well;
this behavior is also very disruptive.
III.

Literature Review

Brown, Rachelle D. (2013) Creating an Effective Token Economy: Manual and

Professional Development Training Workshop. California State
University San Marcos. 1- 24
This article had a total of 141 pages. For this assignment I read and
used pages 1-24. Each chapter of this article is discussed and summarized

by the author. Chapter one introduces the definition of the problem in the
classroom and different behavior management strategies that teachers have
used. The author then discusses the purpose of the study, various definitions
of vocabulary words covered throughout the work, and the purpose of the
manual as a whole. The remaining chapters of the manual supply the reader
with the tools need to create and implement a token economy system in the
classroom and how to make them affective.
Carnett, A., Raulston, T., Lang, R., Tostanoski, A., Lee, A., Sigafoos, J., &
Machalicek, W. (2014). Effects of a Perseverative Interest-Based Token
Economy on Challenging and On-Task Behavior in a Child with
Autism. Journal Of Behavioral Education, 23(3), 368-377.
doi:10.1007/s10864-014-9195-7
This article first introduces what a token economy is and the purpose
of a token economy. The article then discusses the overall purpose of the
study that was conducted. In the study, the researches implemented a token
economy that was both interest based and non-interest based. Finally, the
article discussed the results of the study, which revealed that on-task
behaviors increase and challenging behaviors decrease with the use of both
token systems however interest based token economy systems were even
more successful.
Salmon, Raul D. (2015, May 31). The Effect of a Classroom Token Economy
on Students Academic Performance. Northwest Missouri State
University Department of Professional Development. 1-24.

This article was written based on a study that explored the effects of a
token economy on academic success. The article started out by providing the
reader with a background on the two classes used in the study. The article
then introduced the background of token economies, concerns about token
economies, school policy, etc. Once the writer of the article covered the
background on the article and the topic covered in the article, he then went
into the research methods used, the findings from the study, and the
conclusions drawn from those findings.

Schibsted, E. (2009, May 13). How to Develop Positive Classroom

Management. Retrieved November 19, 2015, from
http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-management-relationshipsstrategies-tips
This article starts out by discussing a recent report and survey
conducted regarding positive relationships between teachers and the
students. The article also focuses on how teachers feel there are other ways
to go about punishment other than suspension and punitive discipline. The
article then provides the reader with multiple tips and strategies for teachers
to try in his/her classroom in order to create those positive relationships and
peaceful classrooms teachers are looking for.
nl, E., Vuran, S., Erten Akdoan, F., Gven, D., Ynter, S., & elik, S.
(2014). Class-wide Positive Behavior Support Plan on Adhering of the
Classroom Rules. Ilkogretim Online, 13(2), 607-621.

This article discusses a study that was conducted to see whether

implementing a class wide PBS would be effective. The study was conducted
on a class of third grade students in a public school setting. Throughout the
article, the author(s) discuss the process and steps that occurred during each
phase of the study, the teachers role in the study and improving the classs
behaviors, as well as the process of Positive Behavior Support being
implemented into the classroom.
IV.

Data Collection
I am currently placed at Franklin Middle School. At the school I am with

a Special Education, Math teacher. At the school there is a special education

teacher for each department, including Science, Social Studies, English, and
Math. The school has inclusion, self-contained classes, and a CALS program.
My mentor has a class five out of the seven periods of the day. Two of those
classes are self-contained classes while the other three are inclusion classes.
In each class there are at least two adults, not including myself. Robert is a
member of the Math 7, self-contained class that my mentor and I teach. This
class is first period (7:45am- 8:35am) and occurs daily.
I was unable to review the students file but I was able to look at the
students IEP.
The category of his disability is other health impairments-ADD/ADHD. Like
previously mentioned, he continues to struggle in the areas of reading,
written language, and math based on formal/informal assessments and
observations. Additionally, Robert has goals for reading, reading

comprehension, written language, mathematics, and behaviorsocial/emotional/behavior. The goal I focused on for this project was his
behavior goal. His goal is that he will increase his ability to control impulses
and behaviors that negatively affect academic progress/social functioning.
The first objective aligned with this goal is that he will decrease negative
verbalization when given incentives, reminders, and support. The second
objective is that he will remain in assigned areas given directions, reminders,
and support. The third objective is that Robert will complete assignments and
all assigned tasks. Finally, the fourth objective is that Robert will
demonstrate pro-social friend making behaviors when given instruction and
verbalizations to use with peers.
I was also able to discuss Roberts behavior with my mentor teacher as
well as the teacher we share a room with and has Robert in her reading and
language arts classes. These two teachers both agreed that Roberts
behavior is worse in the morning than it is later in the day. Also, both
teachers agreed that much of what Robert says is a lie and enjoys gaining
the attention of his peers by calling out and telling made up stories. Finally,
they both agreed that he is capable of completing all of the work and being
successful with the assistance of an adult if he would stop talking, stay in his
seat, pay attention in class, and complete his work.
I was able to review Roberts grades from the first, second, and third
quarters. His official grades for his report card from first and second quarter
are below. His marking period three grades have not officially been handed

out on his report card but the data below is what is listed online. For his
health class, marking period three grades are not applicable since it is a
semester long course. Similarly, Family and Consumer Science grades are
not applicable for the first and second quarter because he is taking this
course as a second semester course (marking periods three and four).
Subject

Marking Period 1

Marking Period 2

Marking Period
3

Language Arts

Reading

World Cultures

Pre-Algebra

Science

Physical
Education

Health

N/a

Family Consumer
Science

N/a

N/a

When looking at his grades it is clear that his grades have decreased as
the year has gone on. Each one of his grades in all seven on his classes has
decreased by one or more letter grades or stayed the same. When
examining his grades, there is no real pattern among the type of class and
his grades. For example, he seemed to do poorly in both his core subjects as

well as his elective classes. He actually received a higher grade in his

language arts and reading classes than he did in physical education. The
third quarter it is clear that Robert failed all of this classes except for his
reading and language arts classes. His grades in these classes, however,
have still decreased from the start of the year.
I observed Robert on three (3) separate occasions, each in the first period
math-seven/pre-algebra class. This class occurs from 7:45-8:35 am. I took
handwritten notes in chart form that discussed the antecedent, the behavior,
the consequence, and any other notes I may have regarding the situation. I
also kept track of when the behavior began and its duration using time.
During my observations, I was looking to see when Robert was talking out of
turn. The two behaviors I looked for during my observations included talking
to his peers and calling out. The data charts from my observations are below,
starting on February 23, 2016 and ending on February 29, 2016.

When Robert begins talking to his peers and calling out other students
begin to feed off of his poor behavior. This then creates poor behavior from
other students as well. However, the data above does display that Robert

does talk to his peers and calls out without permission during instruction.
While observing Robert, I noticed that his behavior is inadequate at the
beginning of the day/class period and will settle down as the class period
goes on. On occasion he will be completing his work and mostly stop talking
to his peers by the end of the period. Additionally, I noticed that Robert is
less likely to talk to his peers if his friend(s) are absent and/or sleeping in
class. Finally, Roberts behavior is typically worse after he has been absent
and/or on Monday after the weekend.
V.

Hypothesis of Functional Intention

Based on the data, it can be concluded that Roberts functional
intentions behind his problem behaviors are to gain attention and
avoidance. When Robert is exhibiting problem behaviors such as talking
to his peers and/or calling out in class, he is meeting his goal of gaining
his peers attention and avoiding his work. Additionally, when Robert talks
back and/or does not respond to his consequence, he gains more
attention from the class as a whole. All of the observations I have
conducted as well as the examination of his grades, IEP, and discussion
with teachers allow me to conclude that Robert holds conversations with
his peers and calls out as a way to gain attention and avoid his work.

VI.

Replacement Behaviors
1. What should the student be doing?
Instead of talking out of turn in the forms of talking with his peers and
calling out, Robert should be waiting to have conversations with peers

until it is an approved time by the teacher. He should also be raising

his hand to speak when answering and/or asking a question. These
behaviors are non-disruptive and teach Robert to speak only when
appropriate.
2. How will you teach it?
I will teach the replacement behaviors by modeling correct behaviors
as well as reinforcing positive behavior by him as well as other
students. I will also praise Robert when he uses replacement behaviors
such as raising his hand. If Robert does call out or talk with his peers at
inappropriate times, I will provide him with non-verbal cues as a
reminder to adjust his misbehaviors.
3. When will you teach it?
I will teach the replacement behaviors at the beginning of the day as
well as when they occur during the class period. I will have a detailed
conversation with Robert to discuss what poor behaviors he has been
participating in, what he thinks are acceptable replacement behaviors,
and how we can achieve those behaviors. By having this conversation
at the beginning of the day, when he first arrives at school, he should
be able to understand the expectations for class and practice these
behaviors in his other classes as well. Also, by correcting the behaviors
by using non-verbal cues and proximity control as they occur in class I
will be able to remind him of the expectations and he will have the
opportunity to correct his misbehaviors.
4. How will you know the student has learned it?
I will know Robert has learned his replacement behaviors as he
implements them throughout not only first period (math) but also

throughout fourth and fifth periods (reading and language arts).

Although Roberts problem behaviors will not be terminated
immediately, it is my hope that with practice, frequent reminders of
the replacement behaviors, correction of misbehaviors, and earning his
incentive/reward from the token economy for his positive behavior he
will learn to and implement the replacement behaviors over time. The
evidence of hang raising and remaining quiet during instruction and/or
unless instructed will show me that Robert has learned and mastered
his replacement behaviors.
VII.

Positive Behavior Supports

Robert will have three positive behavioral supports that include proximity

control, non-verbal cues, and a token economy system. Each of these

supports will be discussed and reviewed with Robert before implementation. I
will inform him of the role of proximity control, we will agree upon a nonverbal cue, and set up a token economy that is of interest to him.
I will use proximity control in order to inform Robert he is participating in
unwanted behaviors such as talking with his peers and/or calling out. By
moving closer to Robert when he is talking, I will be reminding him of the
expectation to behave properly. Since this will be discussed ahead of time,
Robert should be aware of the intentions of the proximity control and correct
his behaviors.
I will use non-verbal cues to remind Robert to use positive behaviors in
the classroom. This non-verbal cue will be agreed upon when discussing the

plan. This will allow the student to be reminded to use positive behaviors
without disrupting teaching and the other students in the class.
The final support will be a token economy. I will create a plan that first
decides which behaviors will be rewarded in the class. Second, I will create a
list of reinforcers based off of the students interests. I will discuss with the
student what he would like as reinforcers and what would motivate him to
behave properly in class. Finally, I will explain to the student that I will be
using a tally system to keep track of his positive behaviors. I will ask the
student if he would like me to keep this on his desk or keep it to myself and
let him know when he earned enough tallies to earn a reinforcer.
Details of the plan
Key players
It is my hope that all of Roberts teachers will be involved in this plan as
well as his parents. However, realistically I believe that his math teacher, Mr.
Smith and his reading and language arts teacher Mrs. Dot will be the main
teachers involved in implementing the plan. He will need to practice his
replacement behaviors not only in his math class but also in as many classes
as possible. This will allow him to be consistent and expectations will remain
the same. All of the key players should collaborate to create the plan,
enforce the implementation, and monitor progress but I will be the main key
player involved.
Implementation plan

This plan will be implemented at the beginning of the day. I will speak
with Robert before first period starts and explain that I will be implementing
the plan we have discussed together. It will be a collaboration process in
creating the plan and implementing it. I will go through both of his problem
behaviors, express my final concerns for these behaviors, ensure he
understands that they are wrong and what he believes are acceptable
replacement behaviors. This will allow Robert to continue to be aware of poor
behaviors he is participating in.
The replacement behaviors will be modeled for Robert to ensure he
understands. He will also be reminded of the behavioral supports provided
such as proximity control, our non-verbal cue, and the token economy. I will
also explain to Robert that I will provide him with frequent reminders
throughout the class of his appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.
Plan for data analysis
Data will be collected daily, specifically for the token economy. This
data will include a tally of how many times Robert participated in his
replacement behaviors and they are exhibited in class. This data will be
collected in his math, reading, and language arts classes. If this positive
behavior support plan is successful, the frequency of the tallies Robert earns
will be less to ensure he is not relying on the rewards and learning to use his
replacement behaviors regularly.
Plan for communication and transition

The information regarding the positive behavior support plan has been
discussed with Roberts math and reading/language arts teachers. I would
have liked to discuss this at an IEP team meeting but that was not possible.
However, there will be a plethora of communication between myself and his
other teachers throughout the process of implementing this plan.

VIII.

Data collection and Visual Representation

After having a discussion with Robert we were able to agree upon a non-

verbal cue to use as well as set up the token economy system together. He
was very hesitant on setting up the system and said I can behave on my
own, come on man but when I mentioned the potential for candy and/or free
time his interest sparked.
The non-verbal cue we agreed upon was scratching my forehead. If Robert
was not using his replacement behaviors I would scratch my forehead and
look at him and he should know to adjust his behavior.
When planning out the token economy system I first had to think of what
behaviors I thought should be rewarded. These included being in his seat,
completing work, being quiet while someone else is talking, raising hand,
arriving to class on time, being prepared with his materials, and having his
phone away. Robert agreed that these were all positive behaviors that should
be rewarded. Second, Robert and I discussed reinforcers/incentives he would
like. I asked him if candy was something he would be interested in and he
agreed. He told me he liked jolly ranchers, lollipops, and lifesavers. I then

asked him if having some free time would be of interest and he also agreed.
Robert and I then discussed how we wanted to keep track of his positive
behaviors. We both agreed that actual tokens could get in the way and came
up with tallies. Robert also insisted that the sheet not stay on his desk but
rather that I kept track of the tallies and let him know if/when he earned a
reward. Finally, we discussed how many tallies he must receive before he
earns a reward; we agreed upon five tallies for a piece of candy and ten
tallies for two minutes of free time.
Over the course of fifteen days I was able to implement Roberts positive
behavior support plan by utilizing proximity control, our agreed upon nonverbal cue, and the token economy. I collected data based on the tally marks
that he earned each day. Additionally, I collected data and implemented this
plan in first period (math), fourth period (reading) and fifth period (language
arts). These data sheets are provided below as well as table and graphical
representation of this data.
On the back of each data sheet I wrote down the reinforcers/incentives
that Robert could earn and how many tallies he needs to earn each
incentive.

Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
IX. 13
14
15
a

Number of Tallies
Period 1
Period 4
2
3
2
2
1
2
N/a
N/a
3
5
5
4
4
4
0
2
5
4
4
3
2
3
3
4
2
3
5
2
3
N/a
Summary and Interpretation

Period 5
2
3
3
N/a
2
3
2
3
2
4
2
2
4
2
N/a

Dat

When looking at my written data collection of Roberts behavior I wrote

down a tally each time he was participating in one of the acceptable positive
behaviors. These behaviors, again, included:
Being in his seat, completing work, being quiet while someone else is
talking, raising hand, arriving to class on time, being prepared with his
materials, and having his phone away

If/when Robert earned five tallies I would circle them to indicate that he
has earned enough tallies to receive a reward. I would then ask Robert if he
wanted a piece of candy for his five tallies or would like to keep going to see
if he could earn ten tallies for two minutes of free time. Each time Robert
earned five tallies he chose to receive a piece of candy.
In each data box I would also write down any notes that I thought were
important or if he was not in class that day for any reason. For example,
Robert was sent to the grade level manager/resource room half way through
first period on March 22nd, was in the resource room for the whole day on
March 23rd, he came to school late and was not in first period on April 6th, and
he was in the computer lab for periods four and five on April 15th.
After collecting data on implementation, I was able to examine the data in
table form and graph form. In the table I wrote n/a for the days that Robert
was not in class and therefore there was no data for that period. On the
graph these showed up as zero. This does skew the data some because he
would have had the potential to earn tallies if he was present, but since there
was no data it is a zero on the graph.
It is clear from examining the data that there was not a clear increase in
Roberts positive behavior over the course of the fifteen days. The data is
sporadic with no real trend. There were a total of four days out of the fifteen
days that Robert earned a reward for his positive behavior. Of these four
days, he only earned enough tallies to earn a piece of candy, and never
earned enough for two minutes of free time. Additionally, he did not receive

a reward in more than one period during the same day. Because of this I
would say that the positive behavior support plan that was created for Robert
was unsuccessful and/or has not been implemented for long enough yet.
One major downfall with Robert and this behavior plan is that he loses
interest in things very quickly. When this plan first started he was very
excited to earn a piece of candy and/or free time. However, as soon as he did
not earn enough tallies he would give up and behave poorly. For example,
one day I used the candy as a reward for a group game/activity that the class
played. When Robert found out he said, you cant give them candy! What
about me? I told him that he needed to earn it by showing me that he can
participate in the positive behaviors we discussed. Then he replied with fine
Ill go buy my own candy. Forget you!.
Additionally, Robert has a hard time coming to class, especially first
period, ready to be quiet and learn. His behavior is typically much worse at
the start of the day/period and after he gains the attention of his peers and is
reprimanded a few times he calms down and begins to work hard. I need to
find a way to try and get Robert to exhibit his positive behaviors from the
start of class rather than the middle of it. One idea I had was to maybe have
a share and tell at the start of each period to allow Robert to get some of his
talking/attention seeking out before getting to work. This would also be good
for other students that like to chatter some as well. The only problem with
this is that it would be taking away from valuable class time.

Another way to try and improve this behavior plan could be to lower
the number of tallies needed to earn a reward and gradually increase the
number as his behavior improves. This could hopefully keep his attention
with the plan longer since he will be earning a reward more frequently. Once
his behavior improves, over time the number of tallies will increase making it
harder to earn a reward.
Overall, I believe that the time and effort put into this positive behavior
support plan did not show in the results of the data collected from the fifteen
days of implementation. However, some adjustments and continued work
will help to improve Roberts behavior over time. In this case I will have to
think of it not as a sprint, but as a marathon.
X.

Reflection

Over the course of creating and implementing Roberts positive behavior

support plan my knowledge and skills have not only grown in classroom
management but also in positive behavior support plans. I now have a set of
skills to select a target behavior that a student struggles with, collect data on
this target behavior, create a plan that fits not only improving this behavior
but fits with the interests and needs of the student, as well as implement this
plan and collect data on the change in the students behavior.
By being able to implement a positive behavior support plan for a student
in my classes I will be able to utilize a key classroom management technique
in order to maintain and improve my students behaviors as a class.
Additionally, my knowledge and skills in classroom management have grown

by being able to realize the different needs from not only on a class-to-class
basis, but also on a student-to-student basis. If I were to create an
implement a positive behavior support plan for a different student than
Robert, it would most likely look completely different based on that students
needs, target behavior, etc.
In the future there are some things I would do different when it comes to
creating and implementing positive behavior support plans in my classroom.
One thing I would change would be to start earlier. Although I collected my
data on Robert fairly early in my time at Franklin Middle, I did not implement
the plan right away. I believe if I had started earlier with the plan, when I first
knew his target behavior and how I wanted to fix it, his behavior would have
improved more. This would have not allowed him to get comfortable with
misbehaving and known the classroom expectations sooner.
Another thing I would change in the future would be to start the plan with
lower requirements. Like previously mentioned, although I know Robert is
capable of behaving properly, I believe that starting with a lower number or
tallies, or whatever it may be in a student positive behavior support plan, will
allow the student to have a more gradual and successful increase in positive
behaviors. I believe that this should help ensure the student is learning the
behaviors that are expected of them and steadily increasing the use of these
behaviors over time. For some student it may happen over night, but for
many students it will take some time and effort to improve poor behaviors.

In my future classroom I hope to have the classroom management skills

and plan to hinder poor behavior by my students. However, there are times
that there will be a student that may need more than the class rules, plan,
etc. I feel that I am prepared to create a positive behavior support plan that
will fit that students needs and help to improve their classroom behavior.