Supporting inclusion of at risk students in secondary school through positive behaviour support

Abstract

The retention of 'at risk' students in secondary schools is a major challenge to inclusive education policy. Students with non-compliant behaviour at this level are typically dealt with by authoritarian and punitive disciplinary systems that frequently lead to exclusion from school. This paper reports on the successful establishment of a positive behaviour support system in a secondary school. School-wide systemic change was developed to support the inclusion of students at risk of failure and suspension for non-compliant behaviour. The programme led to the retention of all students in the identified cohort and improved academic performance for all the students. Classroom instructional patterns incorporating evidence-based strategies to engage students, goal setting and self management skills were introduced. Collaborative problem solving with students and teachers ensured intervention integrity. The outcome of the programme and extension at a systemic level for the whole school is briefly discussed.

Goal-Setting Interventions for Students with Behavior Problems: A Systematic Review

“…Specifically, in studies of focused goal setting, students were more likely to attain their goals when they were involved directly in setting those goals (Barbrack & Maher, 1984;Hill & Brown, 2013;Maher, 1981). In these three studies, students also reported strong buy-in to the procedures, which indicates that not only does allowing students to provide input about their goals result in positive perceptions about intervention, but also positive student outcomes.…”

“…In these four studies, the primary purpose was to evaluate the effects of goal setting on student outcomes (Barbrack & Maher, 1984;Hill & Brown, 2013;Maher, 1981;Mazzotti et al, 2013). In all four studies, some students had input about their goal, and in two studies, some students did not have input about their goal.…”

“…In two studies, it was stated explicitly that data were used to track student progress and that an adult discussed progress with the students (Barbrack & Maher, 1984;Mazzotti et al, 2013). Across studies, goal-setting interventions resulted in functionally related increases in knowledge of goal-setting procedures and decreases in disruptive behavior (Mazzotti et al, 2013), significant increases in goal attainment for students with direct input in goal setting (Barbrack & Maher, 1984;Maher 1981), and significant reductions in office discipline referrals (Hill & Brown, 2013).…”

How schools can move beyond exclusion

“…Graham and Harwood 2011;Razer, Friedman, and Warshofsky 2013;Persson 2013;Hill and Brown, 2013;Cefai, Cooper, and Vella 2013). Across different settings, contexts and population groups, these and others document the understandings, mechanisms and practices which move schools towards being able to provide support and an inclusive environment for all students.…”

Goal setting: A concept analysis

“…Leading researchers in the academic field define goal setting in similar ways. Goals in academia need to be specific and monitored as well as include feedback during the attainment process by an outside source (Moore, Prebble, Robertson, Watford, & Anderson, ) . Current goal setting research in the education field is centered in the kindergarten through the twelfth‐grade level and is mostly focused on behavioral issues in the classroom.…”