Skip to content

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 15 claims (12 for, 3 mixed) · 14 studies (10 causal, 2 review, 1 quant-synthesis, 1 theoretical), q1–q4 · 4 of 14 report an effect size · 11 claims rest on one study

Description

PBIS is an evidence-based, multitiered framework used by schools to organize data, systems, and behavioral practices through universal, targeted, and individualized supports.

Components

  • PBIS three-tiered prevention and intervention framework: PBIS is described as "a three-tiered, comprehensive, evidence-based framework aimed at improving and integrating all the data, systems, and practices that shape student outcomes." It organizes supports into universal Tier 1 schoolwide expectations taught and positively reinforced for all students, targeted Tier 2 small-group social skills supports such as Check In–Check Out for roughly 5–15 percent of students, and intensive individualized Tier 3 supports based on functional behavior assessment for 3–5 percent of students. It is a framework supporting ongoing professional development and capacity building, not a curriculum or scripted program. (Gage et al. (2025))
  • School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS): PBIS is a universal, school-wide prevention strategy aimed at reducing disruptive behavior problems, described in the article as "a universal, school-wide prevention strategy that is currently implemented in over 7,500 schools". It operates as a whole-school prevention model whose implementation was tested in a group-randomized effectiveness trial in 37 elementary schools, where trained schools varied in how quickly they adopted the model. The article treats PBIS as an organizational as well as behavioral intervention, linking it to staff-reported school climate. (Bradshaw et al. (2009))
  • SWPBIS as a 3-tiered universal prevention framework altering the school's organizational context: SWPBIS is a noncurricular universal prevention strategy that "aims to alter the school 's organizational context to implement enhanced procedures and systems to guide data-based decisions related to student behavior problems and academics." It applies behavioral, social learning, and organizational principles school-wide, establishes positively stated expectations taught to all students and staff, and implements "a 3-tiered prevention framework" in which selective and indicated programs complement universal components. In this trial it was delivered via team training, booster sessions, and monthly behavior-support coaching. (Catherine P. Bradshaw et al. (2012))
  • SWPBIS is a multitiered whole-school prevention framework aimed at altering the school environment: The article describes Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports as "a multitiered system o f supports framework aimed at altering the school environment through improved systems, data-based decision making, and implemention of evidence-based practices." It applies behavioral, social learning, and organizational principles across all school contexts to prevent disruptive behavior and enhance school climate. The model follows a three-tiered prevention model in which selective (Tier 2) and indicated (Tier 3) programs complement universal (Tier 1) school-wide components. Most of the more than 20,000 implementing schools focus on the universal elements due to resource needs. (Bradshaw et al. (2015))
  • SWPBIS three-tiered prevention model: SWPBIS is a universal, schoolwide prevention strategy that "aims to alter school environments by creating improved systems and procedures that promote positive change in student behavior by targeting staff behaviors." It draws on behavioral, social learning, and organizational behavioral principles, and sits at the universal level of a three-tiered public health prevention model that also includes secondary (targeted/selective) and tertiary (individual/indicated) systems of support. The universal model is implemented through seven steps covering team formation, coaching, defined and taught expectations, reward systems, response to violations, and data-based decision making. (Catherine P. Bradshaw et al. (2010))
  • SWPBIS: a noncurricular, universal, three-tiered schoolwide behavior support model: SWPBIS is described as "a noncurricular, universal prevention model that draws on behavioral, social learning, and organizational principles." A SWPBIS team establishes 3 to 5 positively stated schoolwide expectations that are posted, taught to all students and staff, and reinforced through praise and tangible rewards, with data on problem behaviors used to guide supervision and more intensive supports. It follows a 3-tiered public health prevention approach, layering targeted and indicated programs onto the universal model. In this trial, 21 elementary schools received training and coaching and reached high-fidelity implementation. (Waasdorp TE et al. (2012))

Claims

Using it in practice

Instructions

  1. Define 3–5 positively stated school-wide expectations (e.g., "Be respectful, be responsible, be safe") with behavioral examples for each setting — State Objectives
  2. Teach expectations explicitly in every setting, using Modeling and Act-It-Out practice rather than posting rules alone
  3. Establish a consistent acknowledgment system that reinforces expected behavior promptly — Provide Feedback
  4. Use a continuum of consequences for problem behavior that is instructional, not exclusionary, wherever possible
  5. Monitor office discipline referrals, attendance, and climate data on a regular cycle and adjust tier supports — Assessment
  6. Escalate support through tiers: Coaching and check-in/check-out for at-risk students, function-based individual plans for intensive need

Requirements

  • A small set (3–5) of positively stated, school-wide expectations defined in observable terms
  • Explicit lessons teaching what each expectation looks like in every setting (classroom, hallway, bus, cafeteria)
  • A consistent acknowledgment/reinforcement system and a data system (e.g., office referral data) for monitoring and decision-making
  • Administrative commitment and a team that meets regularly to review data and adjust supports
  • A leadership team with administrator support and a defined set of 3–5 positively stated expectations
  • Explicit lesson plans that teach expectations in each setting, like any Direct Instruction sequence
  • A reinforcement/acknowledgment system (tokens, praise, privileges) delivered consistently by all staff
  • Behavioral data collection (referrals, attendance) reviewed regularly for tier placement decisions
  • Family and staff buy-in; the framework fails when only some classrooms participate

Constraints

  • Implementation without fidelity — expectations posted but never taught or reinforced — produces little or no benefit Effects depend on implementation fidelity and duration. [~S]
  • Punitive or inconsistent staff responses undermine the reinforcement system; partial adoption (posters without teaching) is a common failure mode
  • Tier 1 alone is insufficient for students with intensive behavioral needs; without Tier 2/3 supports, effects for high-need students wash out [~S]
  • Rewards perceived as controlling can crowd out intrinsic motivation for some students Autonomy-supportive framing matters for intrinsic motivation. [~M] — acknowledgment systems should emphasize progress and competence rather than compliance-for-prizes
  • Implementation without fidelity — expectations posted but never taught or reinforced — produces no measurable benefit [-S]; effects depend on sustained (3+ years) high-fidelity implementation
  • Punitive or inconsistent staff responses undermine the reinforcement system; mixed messaging reduces effectiveness [~M]
  • Tier 1 alone is insufficient for students with intensive needs; withholding Tier 2/3 supports while claiming "PBIS doesn't work" is a common misattribution [-M]
  • Critiques note that acknowledgment systems can feel controlling or inequitable if rewards favor already-compliant students; culturally responsive adaptation is required [~M]

Key Sources

  • Gage, N. A., Grasley-Boy, N. M., MacSuga-Gage, A. S., & Ulrich, T. G. (2025). Implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Three Tiers of Prevention and Intervention as Protective Factors. WestEd. https://www.wested.org
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Altering School Climate through School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a Group-Randomized Effectiveness Trial. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0114-9
  • Catherine P. Bradshaw, Tracy E. Waasdorp, Philip J. Leaf. (2012). Effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on Child Behavior Problems. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-0243
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., & Leaf, P. J. (2015). Examining Variation in the Impact of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings From a Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037630
  • Catherine P. Bradshaw, Mary M. Mitchell, & Philip J. Leaf. (2010). Examining the Effects of Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on Student Outcomes: Results From a Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial in Elementary Schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12(3), 133-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300709334798
  • Waasdorp TE, Bradshaw CP, Leaf PJ. (2012). The Impact of Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on Bullying and Peer Rejection: A Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;166(2):149-156. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/archpediatrics/fullarticle/
  • Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., Smolkowski, K., Eber, L., Nakasato, J., Todd, A. W., & Esperanza, J. (2009). A randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial assessing school-wide positive behavior support in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12(3), 133-148.
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports on student outcomes. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12(3), 133-148. doi:10.1177/1098300709334798
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Waasdorp, T. E., & Leaf, P. J. (2012). Effects of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports on child behavior problems. Pediatrics, 130(5), e1136–e1145. doi:10.1542/peds.2012-0243
  • Sugai, G., & Horner, R. H. (2006). A promising approach for expanding and sustaining school-wide positive behavior support. School Psychology Review, 35(2), 245–259. doi:10.1080/02796015.2006.12087989
  • Simonsen, B., & Myers, D. (2015). Classroom behavior management: A practical guide for educators. Rowman & Littlefield.
  • Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., Todd, A. W., & Lewis-Palmer, T. (2005). Schoolwide positive behavior support: An alternative approach to discipline in schools. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology, 7(3), 307-326.
  • Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports on student outcomes. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12(3), 133–148. doi:10.1177/1098300709334798
  • Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(1), 351-380. doi:10.1353/etc.0.0007
Page metadata
Field Value
type product
id positive-behavioral-interventions-and-supports-pbis
title Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
description PBIS is an evidence-based, multitiered framework used by schools to organize data, systems, and behavioral practices through universal, targeted, and individualized supports.
status review
moved_from strategy/positive-behavioral-interventions-and-supports-pbis, strategy/positive_behavioral_interventions_and_supports_pbis
product_kind framework
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-09
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.