Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports(PBIS)
A schoolwide, tiered framework for proactively teaching and reinforcing expected behaviors to create a positive, predictable learning environment.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, prevention-oriented framework used widely in schools to improve behavior and climate. Rather than relying primarily on punishment, PBIS emphasizes explicitly teaching expected behaviors, acknowledging and reinforcing them, and using data to guide decisions across an entire school.
PBIS is organized into three tiers of support. Tier 1 provides universal, schoolwide expectations and reinforcement for all students. Tier 2 adds targeted, small-group interventions, such as structured check-in systems, for students who need more support. Tier 3 delivers intensive, individualized interventions, often informed by a functional behavior assessment, for students with the greatest needs.
Data is central to PBIS at every tier. Schools track indicators such as office discipline referrals and individual progress data to identify which students need more support and to evaluate whether interventions are working, making consistent and accessible data collection a practical requirement for the framework.