Positive Behavior Support

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind has adopted Positive Behavior Support (PBS) as its model for campus-wide behavior.

Students see clear expectations for behavior in classrooms, in dormitories, on buses, and in all common areas. The expectations for behavior are called The Big Three:

  • Be Responsible
  • Be Cooperative
  • Be Respectful

Why Positive Behavior Support?

FSDB chose to adopt a PBS model because it is :

  • Individualized. We make our own school plan.
  • Collaborative. Everyone on campus participates.
  • Data-driven. We establish what we need based on local research.
  • Effective. Over 50 years of research backs up the process.

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) begins with the philosophy that positive behavior is more effective than problem behavior. This philosophy is not new to FSDB. Recognizing students’ positive behavior often and consistently through rewards and incentives is a key to a PBS philosophy.

Positive Behavior Support at FSDB

Within Florida, more than 50 districts and 800 schools already practice PBS. A Positive Behavior Support environment within a school requires a process that takes more than three years to fully integrate and includes staff, student, and parental involvement.

Far from a canned program, PBS grows from the specific needs within an organization. At FSDB, representatives from each academic or dorm area analyzed discipline referrals. The representatives also described how our ideal students behave and interact. The team listed manageable behavioral expectations we want to reinforce in all areas of campus: respect, cooperation, and responsibility. From this collaborative, data-driven effort grew FSDB’s Big Three.

Central to the PBS model is both the recognition of positive behavior, and the active teaching of normal social behavior. In all areas of FSDB, and with our Big Three in mind, we will

  • Teach students appropriate skills.
  • Teach when to use these skills.
  • Teach the expected behavior, procedure, or routine in all settings.
  • Teach skills in context, that is making use of “teachable moments.”
  • Reward appropriate skills consistently.

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is fully committed to the PBS environment. FSDB has a PBS District Coordinator who works closely with the state Positive Behavior Support Project at University of South Florida, as well as our local School Teams.

Find out more

The following links provide more information about Positive Behavior Support:

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children

Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports

The PBIS Compendium

Contact Us

For more information about Positive Behavior Support on our campus, contact Karen Kolkedy, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), PBS District Coordinator