Validated Practice

LEAP: Lockwood Elementary Acting Proud

Area of Nomination: Positive Behavior Intervention

School: Lockwood Elementary School
District: Letchworth Central School District
Region: Mid West
Grade Level: Elementary

About:

Lockwood Elementary School of Letchworth Central School District has implemented a school wide positive behavior intervention and support (PBIS) process that integrates recognition of individual student success through closed circuit television broadcasts, and custom music videos created for students by the principal and his "garage band" of educators.

District/School Demographics:

The Lockwood Elementary School is a small, rural district whose student enrollment is 99% white, with 39% of its student's receiving free or reduced lunches.

The Practice:

Lockwood Elementary School's PBIS practice not only provides a cohesive school wide set of expectations for behavior for students with disabilities and their typical peers, but offers unique and creative methods of integrating technology in the process.

Why was the practice initiated:

PBIS was first proposed by the school psychologist over 7 years ago as a strategy for addressing emerging patterns of challenging behavior. The district supported participation in professional development provided by PBIS model developers Rob Horner and George Sugai, which led to the school's adoption decision.

Why the practice was validated by S³TAIR:

Since Lockwood Elementary School implemented their PBIS approach, the district's classification rate has dropped from 17.5% to 12.8%, with the elementary school's classification rate at only 9%. In addition, their behavior referrals per 100 students have gone from 73.64 in 2002 to 15.58 in 2009. The Lockwood Elementary School is committed to the success of all children. In their eighth year of promoting positive behavioral strategies, they note that this is not a curriculum or a cookie cutter approach to discipline. It is a philosophy, a way of thinking; driven by and supported by data.

The Lockwood Elementary Acting Proud (LEAP) program teaches students expected behaviors and how these behaviors look across multiple environments. The three behavioral expectations at Lockwood Elementary School are Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible. LEAP works because it recognizes good behavior and expects that educators look for the positives that are occurring in the school. The LEAP model is collaborative; the PBIS team is made up of teachers, other school professionals, parents, counselors, and the elementary principal. The team meets monthly to analyze data and review current interventions and successes.

Unique to this district's integration of PBIS is their use of technology to recognize student success. Students make daily announcements of success on closed circuit television shows broadcast on classroom video monitors, and quarterly student assemblies conducted by the principal and his garage band of teachers incorporate original songs and custom music videos they've created. All of these community building rewards are also available for viewing on the Lockwood Elementary School website.