As the use of school-based positive behavior support (PBS) spreads nationwide, the development of assessment strategies to identify intervention priorities becomes more critical. This study addresses the validity of the Effective Behavior Supports Survey (Lewis & Sugai, 1999) by examining reliability, determining whether rating differences exist across the four PBS systems and among schools, and reporting the use of the scale in schoolwide planning. Total scale internal consistency reliability reflects a moderate to high level, suggesting that the instrument does contain a cohesive set of items. A large effect size was also found differentiating ratings for the PBS systems, indicating that Individual Student Systems were considered least in place. A case example illustrating the use of the scale as a vehicle for collaborative action planning in a middle school is also discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Carr, E.G., Horner, R.H., Turnbull, A.P., Marquis, J.G., McLaughlin, D.M., McAtee, M.L., et al. (1999). Positive behavior support for people with developmental disabilities: A research synthesis. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation.
2.
Cohen, J. (1987). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
3.
Effective Behavior Supports Survey (EBS). Retrieved October 12, 2004, from http://eval.uoregon.edu/pdf/EBS15S.pdf
4.
Gersten, R., Keating, T., & Irvin, L.K. (1995). The burden of proof: Validity as improvement of instructional practice. Exceptional Children, 61, 510— 519.
5.
Horner, R.H. (2000). Positive behavior supports. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 15, 97—105.
6.
Horner, R.H., Sugai, G., Todd, A.W., & Lewis-Palmer, T. (in press). Schoolwide positive behavior support: An alternative approach to discipline in schools. In L. Bambara & L. Kern (Eds.), Positive behavior support. New York: Guilford Press.
7.
Horner, R.H., Todd, A.W., Lewis-Palmer, T., Irvin, L.K., Sugai, G., & Boland, J.B. (2004). The School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET): A research instrument for assessing school-wide positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 6, 3—12.
8.
Irvin, L.K., Tobin, T.J., Sprague, J.R., Sugai, G., & Vincent, C.G. (2004). Validity of office discipline referral measures as indices of school-wide behavioral status and effects of school-wide behavioral interventions. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions , 6, 131—147.
9.
Leedy, A., Bates, P., & Safran, S.P. (2004). Bridging the research to practice gap: Improving hallway behavior using positive behavior supports. Behavioral Disorders, 29, 130—139.
10.
Lewis, T.J., & Garrison-Harrell, L. (1999). Effective behavior support: Designing setting-specific interventions. Effective School Practices, 17(4), 38— 46.
11.
Lewis, T.J., & Sugai, G. (1999). Effective behavior support: A systems approach to proactive schoolwide management. Focus onExceptional Children , 31(6), 24—47.
12.
Lewis-Palmer, T., Sugai, G., & Larson, S. (1999). Using data to guide decisions about program implementation and effectiveness: An overview and applied example. Effective School Practices, 17(4), 47—53.
13.
Messick, S. (1981). Evidence and ethics in the evaluation of tests . Educational Researcher, 10(9), 9—20.
14.
Messick, S. (1994). The interplay of evidence and consequences in the validation of performance assessments. Educational Researcher , 23(2), 12—23.
15.
Nelson, J.R., Gonzalez, J.E., Epstein, M.H., & Benner, G.J. (2003). Administrative discipline contacts: A review of the literature. Behavioral Disorders, 28(3), 249—281.
16.
Oswald, K., Safran, S.P., & Johanson, J. (2005). Preventing trouble: Making schools safer places using positive behavior supports. Education and Treatment of Children, 28, 265—278.
17.
Safran, S.P., & Oswald, K. (2003). Positive behavior supports: Can schools reshape disciplinary practices?Exceptional Children, 69, 361—373.
18.
Safran, S.P., & Safran, J.S. (1988). Perceptions of problem behaviors: A review and analysis of research. In R.B. Rutherford, C.M. Nelson, & S.R. For-ness (Eds.), Bases of behavior disorders of children and youth (pp. 39—50). San Diego: College-Hill .
19.
Sasso, G.M., Conroy, M.A., Stichter, J.P., & Fox, J.J. (2001). Slowing down the bandwagon: The misapplication of functional assessment for students with emotional or behavioral disorders . Behavioral Disorders, 26, 282—296.
20.
School-Wide Evaluation Tool (SET). Retrieved October 23, 2005 , from http://www.pbis.org/tools.htm
21.
Skiba, R.J., Peterson, R.L., & Williams, T. (1997). Office referrals and suspension: Disciplinary intervention in middle schools. Education & Treatment of Children, 20, 295—315.
22.
Sugai, G., Sprague, J.R., Horner, R.H., & Walker, H.M. (2000). Preventing school violence: The use of office discipline referrals to assess and monitor school-wide discipline interventions . Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8, 94—101.
23.
Turnbull, A., Edmondson, H., Griggs, P., Wickham, D., Sailor, W., Freeman, R., et al. (2002). A blueprint for schoolwide positive behavior support. Exceptional Children, 68, 377—402.
24.
Wright, J.A., & Dusek, J.B. (1998). Compiling school base rates for disruptive behaviors from student disciplinary referral data. School Psychology Review, 27(1), 138—147.
