PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. PBS is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. 

Our goals: 

• Define and layout clear attainable expectations for students
• Acknowledgment of good behavior
• Continual data collection and fine-tuning of procedures
• Be transparent, so all stakeholders are included

We believe that all foundations for success start in the classroom. Students that have provided clear expectations and skills to be better stewards of excellence will be better equipped for success. Vanden High School teachers support these efforts via clear classroom expectations and communication with students and parents.

When a student’s problem behavior is unresponsive to preventive school-wide and classroom-wide procedures, information about the student’s behavior is used to:

• understand why the problem behavior is occurring (function); 
• strengthen more acceptable alternative behaviors (social skills); 
• remove antecedents and consequences that trigger and maintain problem behavior, respectively 
• add antecedents and consequences that trigger and maintain acceptable alternative behaviors.

The PBIS team at Vanden High School consists of various stakeholders in our community. The team members are here to serve and support all students and teachers at Vanden High School in order to ensure student behavioral expectations are taught and reinforced so that behavioral incidents are kept at a minimum. If staff, students, or parents ever have PBIS questions or need assistance in regards to PBIS, they should contact a PBIS team member.

The PBIS team members are:

PBIS Tier I Team:

• Rafael Gavidia, Social Worker
• Tyrrell Espy, Student Support Specialist
• Zachary Nules, Counselor
• April Koon, Social Science Teacher
• Diane Johnson, Assistant Principal
• Cheryl Berg, Special Education Co-Chair
• Cheryl Garcia, English Teacher
• Renee Brasher, Special Education Teacher
• Denise Johnson-Kaul, CTE Teacher

Tier 1 supports are also known as universal supports. These supports are available to all students, and they serve as the foundation to build upon for tiers 2 and 3 in a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).

Interventions included in tier 1 are the guiding principles for behavior expectations school-wide, which continue to be supported in the classrooms. These principles provide guidelines to teachers on how to increase and maintain positive behaviors as well as how to respond to challenging behavior and prevent future problems for about 75-90% of the students. These principles also reflect school culture, and support school climate and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

Schoolwide norms, routines, and procedures become the core focus of this tier as well as reinforcement for students when they engage in expected behaviors. These norms are developed collaboratively with stakeholders and create a common language for the entire school community. They provide guidance to all school members on expected behaviors in the different school environments and reflect the values of each individual school. Having a strong Tier 1 in place will allow schools to identify students who require additional support, more accurately.

The following are core principles guiding Tier 1:

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• Effectively teach appropriate behavior to all children.
• Intervene early before unwanted behaviors escalate.
• Use research-based, scientifically validated interventions whenever possible.
• Monitor student progress.
• Use data to make decisions.

Vanden offers students the opportunity to celebrate them for performing one of the four Core Values of Vanden. Twice a week students who have received a green ticket are placed into a raffle. Every Tuesday and Friday students are acknowledged via the Daily Announcements on VHS-TV. 

PBIS Handbook

CARE TEAM

The Vanden High School Care Team is made up of a group of Vanden High School staff members who are dedicated to improving the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of students at Vanden High School. The Care Team meets weekly to respond to student needs and/or review student situations.  

When a student is referred to the Care Team, our team completes the following five steps:

1. Review the Care Team referral that was submitted about the student. 
2. Review the student's "cumulative" file. This is a file containing their general school information that typically contains grades, attendance, discipline, standardized assessment reports and other information from a student's educational career. 
3. Discuss what is known about the student and determine the next best action to take. 
4. Provide the intervention to support the student. 
5. Follow up and review. ​At each Care Team meeting, the team reviews previously handled student situations to determine if there needs to be more follow up or further intervention. The team determines which cases are closed and what information - if any - can be shared with critical educational partners. The follow up and review process is meant to ensure that actual resolution occurs for each student, or that a meaningful plan is created to help lead to the wanted resolution.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255.