Responsive Classroom® and PBIS
Can Schools Use Them Together?
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/pdf_files/RC_PBIS_white_paper.pdf
Positive behavior is requisite to school success. And positive
behavior can and must be taught, just as math, reading,
science, and art are taught. As educators and policy
makers at the national, state, and local levels come to recognize
the truth of these two statements, schools and districts are
increasingly turning to two growing educational movements--
Responsive Classroom and Positive Behavioral Interventions
and Supports (PBIS)—to learn strategies for teaching positive
student behavior. Some schools and districts see value in both
approaches. “Responsive Classroom and
PBIS compatible with each other? Can our school use both?”
The short answer to these questions is yes, although there are some key differences between
how the two approaches recommend reinforcing children’ positive behavior. The following
explains the areas of compatibility and difference and articulates how Responsive Classroom
and PBIS can work together to create an optimal learning environment for students.
What Is Responsive Classroom? What Is PBIS?
Responsive Classroom
Responsive Classroom is a research-based teaching approach that gives teachers concrete
practices for ensuring a high-quality education for every child every day. Although the
approach offers practices for improving student behavior through effective management,
it goes beyond that to also offer strategies for promoting academic engagement, building
a positive community, and teaching in a developmentally appropriate way.
Responsive Classroomapproach rests on the foundational idea that these four areas of
teaching—engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental
awareness—are interrelated and are all crucial to student success. e approach
gives teachers prac tical tools and strategies for raising their competence in all four areas.
e result is that teachers are not just improving student behavior, but constantly creating
an optimal learning environment that promotes students’overall school success (Center
for Responsive Schools, n.d., About Responsive Classroom).
Since 1981, more than 120,000 teachers have participated in
Responsive Classroomprofessional development, and Responsive
Classroompractices impact an estimated one million students each
year (Center for Responsive Schools, 2013, e Responsive ClassroomApproach,
p. 2; Center for Responsive Schools, 2013, Teacher
Skill Drives Common Core Success, p. 2).
PBIS
PBIS is a framework for providing behavioral supports and interventions
that enhance students’ academic and social outcomes.
As a guide to system building, the PBIS framework does not provide
or require schools to use specific practices. Instead, it names essential
features of an effective behavior support system. ese include:
the use of respectful, nonpunitive, prevention-oriented
practices
a focus on skill teaching
the use of evidence-based practices
the availability of a continuum of interventions that meet
the needs of all students
ongoing assessment of students’ needs
data-based decision making
Districts and schools then employ specific practices that have these
features and that fit their particular needs and culture (Horner, 2014;
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., PBIS FAQs).
Although the PBIS framework itself does not stipulate specific practices, PBIS trainers working at
the district or school level may guide schools toward specific behavior practices or social-emotional
learning programs (PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., SWPBIS for Beginners).
How Responsive Classroom and PBIS Align
As the preceding descriptions indicate, schools adopting Responsive Classroom can use the PBIS
framework to ensure systematic decision making, and schools adopting PBIS can use Responsive
Classroom practices to meet the PBIS goal of supporting positive behavior in all students.
e table at right shows how key Responsive Classroom practices match the components PBIS
identifies as essential to a comprehensive schoolwide discipline system.
2
M Y T H :
Responsive Classroom and PBIS cannot
be used together because they come
from two fundamentally opposed
schools of educational thought.
F A C T :
Responsive Classroom and PBIS are not
in opposition. Although the Responsive
Classroom approach draws heavily from
constructivist theory, it also uses best
practices from various other schools of
thought and the experiences of practicing
educators. Responsive Classroom
believes that this open-minded and
eclectic approach best meets the wide
range of student needs in our schools.
(To learn more, visit www.responsive
classroom.org/principles-and-practicesresponsive-
classroom.)
Meanwhile, although PBIS has roots
in behavior science, the PBIS framework
today is open to diverse evidencebased
strategies. Its goal is for schools
to provide a positive, comprehensive,
data-driven system of behavior interventions
rather than to adhere to any
particular educational approach.
3
Responsive Classroom Practices
Leadership actions for establishing a school discipline
policy that staff and parents support
Stated purpose of Responsive Classroom: To ensure
a high-quality education for every child every day.
Schools using Responsive Classroommay have
their own statement of purpose that is a variation
of (and compatible with) Responsive Classroom’s
stated purpose.
Methods for creating rules that students are
invested in:
• 3–5 positively stated rules in each classroom
• 3–5 positively stated rules for the whole school
Practical ways to teach how to translate the rules
into action:
• Interactive Modeling
• Guided practice
• Role-playing
• Positive teacher language: reminders and
specific reinforcing feedback
Strategies for creating an environment that
promotes positive behavior:
• Morning Meeting
• Frequent verbal connecting of behaviors
with rules
• Academic Choice
• Positive teacher language: reminders and
specific reinforcing feedback
• Closing circles
• Communications with parents about behavior
expectations
Respectful, productive ways to respond to
misbehavior:
• Teacher proximity and nonverbal cues
• Positive teacher language: redirections
• Additional modeling and role-playing
• Logical consequences
• Buddy teacher time-out
• Problem-solving conferences
• Problem-solving class meetings
• Student–student conflict resolution
• Individual written agreements
• Problem-solving with parents
Responsive Classroomassessment tools to measure
fidelity of implementation
Components of PBIS Schoolwide Discipline
An agreed-upon and common approach to
discipline
A positive statement of purpose
A small number of positively stated behavior
expectations for all students and staff
Procedures for teaching students the behavior
expectations
A continuum of procedures for encouraging students
to choose behaviors that meet expectations
A continuum of procedures for discouraging
students from choosing rule-breaking behavior
Procedures for regularly and frequently monitoring
the effectiveness of the discipline system
(Responsive Classroomresources and PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Primary FAQs)
A Side-by-Side Look
Three Tiers of Support
PBIS calls for schools to provide three tiers of positive behavior support to meet students’ dif -
fering needs (PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Secondary Level). Here are the
Responsive Classroom practices that align with each tier.
Tier 1
Classroom and schoolwide practices that support all students in all situations.ese practices
together create a positive social climate in which positive behaviors are explicitly taught
and reinforced and all adults respond to problem behaviors in a consistent way.
Responsive Classroom practices:
Commonly agreed-upon schoolwide discipline policy
Creation of schoolwide and classroom rules that students are invested in
Positive teacher language: reinforcements, reminders, redirections
Interactive Modeling
Guided practice
Role-playing
Frequent verbal connecting of behaviors with rules
Morning Meeting
Academic Choice
Closing circles
Logical consequences
Problem-solving conferences
Problem-solving class meetings
Student–student conflict resolution
Communications with parents about behavior expectations
Tier 2
Additional supports for times when a student needs an extra boost
to remember behavior expectations but doesn’t need the highly
individualized interventions of Tier 3.
4
Responsive Classroom practices:
Additional modeling
Additional role-playing
Buddy teacher time-out
Additional collaborative problem-solving
Additional student–student conflict resolution
Individual written agreements
Problem-solving with parents
Tier 2
Tier 1
5
Tier 3
Highly individualized interventions for serious behavior problems.
Educators draw on the range of Responsive Classroom
principles and practices to cra supports that work for each
child. Here is an example from a school in St. Paul, Minnesota,
that uses the Responsive Classroom approach and PBIS.
“Oliver,” a second grader, has a pattern of unsafe and disruptive
behavior, including shouting out during small-group
work, being physically aggressive during structured play,
and destroying his work in a fit of rage during academic
times. Aer determining Oliver’ unmet social and
academic needs, the school’ behavior specialist works
with Oliver’ teacher to design interventions that use
elements of the following Responsive Classroom
practices:
Interactive Modeling. To address his shouting during group work, Oliver’s teacher starts
using this modeling practice with him, one-on-one, to show him how to raise a hand as
a way to get attention. Oliver’s gym and computer teachers agree that he’ll use the same
method during their classes.
Problem-Solving Conference. To reinforce Oliver’s use of a positive behavior he’s learning
(such as playing safely during structured play), his teacher begins having brief conversations
with him that borrow from this Responsive Classroompractice. She names the specific helpful
behaviors she noticed and asks him what he noticed. They talk about how he felt when he
chose that behavior and how it helped everyone. They then agree on strategies to help him
continue that behavior, including the teacher’s giving him a quick reminder before structured
play and checking with him afterward to see how things went.
Academic Choice. To give Oliver a greater sense of control and accomplishment with his academic
work, his teacher begins offering him choices in how to complete assignments, such
as which specific topic to learn about, what supplies to use, which books or other resources
to look at, and how to show what he learned. The teacher also provides closer supervision
of his academic work time until he is able to independently manage his behavior.
All the while, the Tier 1 supports that the school provides to all students and the Tier 2
supports it provides to those needing extra help are creating a strong foundation that
enables these individualized interventions for Oliver to work at their best.
Tier 3
6
Reinforcing Positive Behavior
Both Responsive Classroom and PBIS recognize that reinforcing
students’ positive behaviors is crucial if students are to sustain
those behaviors. e two approaches differ, however, in
how they recommend giving this reinforcement.
What Responsive Classroom Recommends
e Responsive Classroom approach discourages the use of
tangible rewards as a general practice for reinforcing children’s
positive behavior. Instead, for most children, it emphasizes
using reinforcing teacher language.
For example, if a student listens carefully to classmates before
voicing disagreement during a discussion, his teacher might
whisper to him a moment later, “You listened and considered
other people’s opinions before speaking up. at helps make
the discussion more thoughtful.”And if a class efficiently transitions from a whole-group activity
to individual work, their teacher might say, “ou all got down to
work in less than a minute. at’ the fastest since the beginning
of the year!”e benefit of using reinforcing language and specifically naming
the helpful behavior as in these examples, rather than giving
a tangible reward, is that it focuses students’attention on the
behavior instead of on the reward. is encourages students to
see the behavior itself rather than the earning of a reward as the
chief goal. And for many children, a teacher’ reinforcing language
is all that’ needed for them to develop consistency in
showing positive behaviors.
e Responsive Classroom approach recognizes that some
students or classes, in some circumstances, will need further
reinforcements such as behavior tracking charts and rewards to change
an entrenched negative behavior pattern. In these cases the Responsive Classroom
approach offers guidelines on the effective use and eventual phase-out of the charts and
rewards (Brady et al., 2010; Crowe, 2009).
M Y T H :
Responsive Classroom says teachers
shouldn’t acknowledge individual students’
positive behavior.
F A C T :
e Responsive Classroomapproach
strongly recommends acknowledging
individual students’ positive behavior,
believing it is vital to their development
and to the creation of a positive school
climate. What the approach discourages
is naming an individual child as an
example for others, such as “See how
Ronna’s paying attention? Let’s see
how many others can pay attention
like that.” Such language comes across
as manipulative and can embarrass the
child being named while breeding
competition in the class. In the Responsive
Classroomapproach, if a teacher
wants to acknowledge Ronna’s behavior,
he does so in private if possible.
If the teacher’s goal is to remind the
class to pay attention, he does so
directly, such as by saying, “Remember,
eyes and ears on the speaker.” Or,
he reinforces the positive behavior of
some members of the class without
naming individual children, such as
“I see that some students are ready to
listen with their eyes and ears on the
speaker. Let’s have everyone do that
now so we can get started with our
learning.”
7
What PBIS Recommends
e PBIS framework emphasizes that schools should have
methods for acknowledging students’positive behaviors but
does not favor one type of acknowledgment over another, as
long as the student clearly understands what specific behavior
is being acknowledged. e framework states that naming the
specific behavior is “xtremely important in increasing the
reoccurrence of appropriate behavior.”e framework also supports,
although it does not mandate, simultaneously giving students
tokens or points for such behavior (whether or not those
are traded in for tangible objects or special privileges) (PBIS
OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Primary Level).
e decision about which specific method to use is le to
schools. It’ important to know that rather than requiring any
specific method, the PBIS framework encourages schools to
determine the method most suitable for their school (Horner, 2014).
Moving to Using Only Teacher Language
Oen, teachers who see the benefit of using only reinforcing teacher language nonetheless
find it challenging to shi to this method if they are accustomed to using tangible rewards.
In many cases, giving tokens is as much a way for busy teachers to keep track of whom they’e
observed and acknowledged in the course of a day as a way to motivate the students. For some
teachers, the token approach is simply what’ familiar.
In many schools that use both Responsive Classroom and PBIS, teachers successfully make
the shi to using only reinforcing language, without tokens or other tangibles, when they
take incremental steps and when their school leaders offer ample support and encouragement
along the way. Strategies teachers have used successfully include:
Posting examples of reinforcing language around the classroom as a self-reminder.
Setting up a tracking system visible to themselves but not to students, such as checking
off names on their class list when they provide specific reinforcing language.
Using a few set reinforcing phrases, such as “I see you followed our rule on ______”
and “You did ______. at helps us all be better learners”until they start coming up
with their own reinforcing words naturally.
M Y T H :
e central feature of PBIS is to give
children prizes as a reward for showing
desired behavior.
F A C T :
Although some teachers use prizes to
reward positive behavior, this is their
school’s or district’s choice for how to
meet PBIS’s goal of acknowledging
positive behavior. e PBIS framework
does not stipulate this way
of meeting that goal. In fact, some
PBIS coaches favor using intangible
acknowledgments such as positive
teacher language when such acknowledgments
suffice to encourage a child
to continue a positive behavior.
8
The three people facilitating the district’s use of the two
approaches—the Responsive Classroom coordinator and
two PBIS coordinators—can oen be seen walking into
a school together to attend a meeting or to co-lead a professional
development workshop. In their office, the three edu -
cators even sit in adjoining cubicles. Collaborating is oen
as simple as rolling their chairs out for a quick chat.
Whether working with a school on modeling expected behaviors,
giving children brain breaks during work periods, or
preventing bullying, the three educators blend strategies from
their own and each other’ approaches seamlessly. Labeling
strategies as “Responsive Classroom” or “PBIS” is not their
concern.
“Our focus is always on what a school needs, what the students
need, what helps the kids and what doesn’t, not on what’s
Responsive Classroom and what’s PBIS,” says the Responsive
Classroom coordinator.
Responsive Classroom and PBIS
Collaboration in Action
In one large mid-Atlantic school district, Responsive Classroom
and PBIS work together—literally.
9
One of the PBIS coordinators adds that
to help teachers bridge a perceived gap
between Responsive Classroom and PBIS,
they use terminology the teachers understand.
For example, if they’re teaching the
Responsive Classroom practice of Interactive
Modeling, but the teachers in front
of them are used to referring to that kind
of practice by using the PBIS term “direct
instruction,” they’ll explicitly make the link
for the teachers between Interactive Modeling
and direct instruction.
When it comes to reinforcing children’s
positive behaviors, the PBIS coordinators
encourage schools to give reinforcements
that highlight the fact that everyone is
working together to build a positive community
rather than the idea of individuals
earning rewards. For example, they recognize
that schools may still want to give students
tickets for positive behavior, but they
encourage schools to count the number of
tickets earned as a whole school. en, when
a certain number of tickets are earned, the
entire student body does a big group cheer
during an assembly or a special group dance
during lunch.
e strong Responsive Classroom–PBIS
collaboration in the district comes from
the three educators’ clear understanding
of the compatibility of the two approaches.
It also comes from the district’s highestlevel
decision makers having that same
understanding. e district has directed
all schools to design a positive behavior
approach and promotes using Responsive
Classroom and PBIS together to do so.
e three staff members don’ do all their
professional development work together, of
course. e Responsive Classroom coordinator
still oversees the Responsive Classroom
workshops taking place throughout the
district, and the two PBIS coordinators still
provide the PBIS trainings to school teams.
But the close contact between Responsive
Classroom and PBIS in the district means
schools benefit from the strengths of both
approaches.
And at the end of the day, the three are back
to their adjoining cubicles to compare notes,
share ideas, and work together to benefit
students.
“Although I’m passionate about Responsive
Classroom and my colleagues are passionate
about PBIS, it’s not a tug of war,” says the
Responsive Classroom coordinator. “It’s a
tug of peace. And we’re always looking at
how to keep the child at the center of that
tug of peace.”
“Although I’m passionate about Responsive
Classroom and my colleagues are passionate about
PBIS, it’s not a tug of war, . . . It’s a tug of peace.”
10
Summary
e Responsive Classroom approach and PBIS are compatible for two major reasons:
1. Both hold, as a central tenet, the use of respectful, nonpunitive strategies for teaching
students positive behaviors.
2. Responsive Classroom’s array of practices for teaching positive behaviors and promoting
optimal student learning matches the components identified by PBIS as essential
to a comprehensive schoolwide discipline system.
When it comes to reinforcing students’ positive behavior, Responsive Classroom strongly
recommends using positive teacher language and avoiding the use of tangible rewards if
such rewards are not needed. e PBIS framework calls for reinforcing students’positive
behavior but refrains from stipulating which method to use. is makes it possible for schools
using the PBIS framework to follow Responsive Classroom’s recommended practice for
achieving this important goal.
11
R E F E R E N C E S
Horner, R. (2014, March). Building Capacity of Schools, Districts, and States
to Implement PBIS. Session presented at the 11th International Conference on
Positive Behavior Support, Chicago, IL.
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). About Responsive Classroom.
Retrieved from www.responsiveclassroom.org/about-responsive-classroom
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). Past Research. Retrieved from
www.responsiveclassroom.org/past-research
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). Research Confirms the Benefits.
Retrieved from www.responsiveclassroom.org/research
Center for Responsive Schools. (2013). e Responsive Classroom Approach:
Good Teaching Changes the Future (White paper).
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). e Responsive Classroom Approach:
A High-Quality Education for Every Child Every Day. Retrieved from
www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/pdf_files/rc_brochure.pdf
Center for Responsive Schools. (2013). Teacher Skill Drives Common Core
Success: How Responsive Classroom Helps (White paper).
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). PBIS FAQs. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners/pbis-faqs
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Primary FAQs. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/primary-level/faqs
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Primary Level. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/primary-level
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Secondary Level. Retrieved
from www.pbis.org/school/secondary-level
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). SWPBIS for Beginners.
Retrieved from www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners
F O U N D E D I N 1 9 8 1
Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.
85 Avenue A, P.O. Box 718
Turners Falls, MA 01376-0718
800-360-6332 Fax 877-206-3952
www.responsiveclassroom.org
This white paper is available
on the Responsive Classroom website at
http://bit.ly/rcwhitepaper3
Photographs © Jeff Woodward. All rights reserved.
Responsive Classroom®
Can Schools Use Them Together?
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/pdf_files/RC_PBIS_white_paper.pdf
Positive behavior is requisite to school success. And positive
behavior can and must be taught, just as math, reading,
science, and art are taught. As educators and policy
makers at the national, state, and local levels come to recognize
the truth of these two statements, schools and districts are
increasingly turning to two growing educational movements--
Responsive Classroom and Positive Behavioral Interventions
and Supports (PBIS)—to learn strategies for teaching positive
student behavior. Some schools and districts see value in both
approaches. “Responsive Classroom and
PBIS compatible with each other? Can our school use both?”
The short answer to these questions is yes, although there are some key differences between
how the two approaches recommend reinforcing children’ positive behavior. The following
explains the areas of compatibility and difference and articulates how Responsive Classroom
and PBIS can work together to create an optimal learning environment for students.
What Is Responsive Classroom? What Is PBIS?
Responsive Classroom
Responsive Classroom is a research-based teaching approach that gives teachers concrete
practices for ensuring a high-quality education for every child every day. Although the
approach offers practices for improving student behavior through effective management,
it goes beyond that to also offer strategies for promoting academic engagement, building
a positive community, and teaching in a developmentally appropriate way.
Responsive Classroomapproach rests on the foundational idea that these four areas of
teaching—engaging academics, positive community, effective management, and developmental
awareness—are interrelated and are all crucial to student success. e approach
gives teachers prac tical tools and strategies for raising their competence in all four areas.
e result is that teachers are not just improving student behavior, but constantly creating
an optimal learning environment that promotes students’overall school success (Center
for Responsive Schools, n.d., About Responsive Classroom).
Since 1981, more than 120,000 teachers have participated in
Responsive Classroomprofessional development, and Responsive
Classroompractices impact an estimated one million students each
year (Center for Responsive Schools, 2013, e Responsive ClassroomApproach,
p. 2; Center for Responsive Schools, 2013, Teacher
Skill Drives Common Core Success, p. 2).
PBIS
PBIS is a framework for providing behavioral supports and interventions
that enhance students’ academic and social outcomes.
As a guide to system building, the PBIS framework does not provide
or require schools to use specific practices. Instead, it names essential
features of an effective behavior support system. ese include:
the use of respectful, nonpunitive, prevention-oriented
practices
a focus on skill teaching
the use of evidence-based practices
the availability of a continuum of interventions that meet
the needs of all students
ongoing assessment of students’ needs
data-based decision making
Districts and schools then employ specific practices that have these
features and that fit their particular needs and culture (Horner, 2014;
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., PBIS FAQs).
Although the PBIS framework itself does not stipulate specific practices, PBIS trainers working at
the district or school level may guide schools toward specific behavior practices or social-emotional
learning programs (PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., SWPBIS for Beginners).
How Responsive Classroom and PBIS Align
As the preceding descriptions indicate, schools adopting Responsive Classroom can use the PBIS
framework to ensure systematic decision making, and schools adopting PBIS can use Responsive
Classroom practices to meet the PBIS goal of supporting positive behavior in all students.
e table at right shows how key Responsive Classroom practices match the components PBIS
identifies as essential to a comprehensive schoolwide discipline system.
2
M Y T H :
Responsive Classroom and PBIS cannot
be used together because they come
from two fundamentally opposed
schools of educational thought.
F A C T :
Responsive Classroom and PBIS are not
in opposition. Although the Responsive
Classroom approach draws heavily from
constructivist theory, it also uses best
practices from various other schools of
thought and the experiences of practicing
educators. Responsive Classroom
believes that this open-minded and
eclectic approach best meets the wide
range of student needs in our schools.
(To learn more, visit www.responsive
classroom.org/principles-and-practicesresponsive-
classroom.)
Meanwhile, although PBIS has roots
in behavior science, the PBIS framework
today is open to diverse evidencebased
strategies. Its goal is for schools
to provide a positive, comprehensive,
data-driven system of behavior interventions
rather than to adhere to any
particular educational approach.
3
Responsive Classroom Practices
Leadership actions for establishing a school discipline
policy that staff and parents support
Stated purpose of Responsive Classroom: To ensure
a high-quality education for every child every day.
Schools using Responsive Classroommay have
their own statement of purpose that is a variation
of (and compatible with) Responsive Classroom’s
stated purpose.
Methods for creating rules that students are
invested in:
• 3–5 positively stated rules in each classroom
• 3–5 positively stated rules for the whole school
Practical ways to teach how to translate the rules
into action:
• Interactive Modeling
• Guided practice
• Role-playing
• Positive teacher language: reminders and
specific reinforcing feedback
Strategies for creating an environment that
promotes positive behavior:
• Morning Meeting
• Frequent verbal connecting of behaviors
with rules
• Academic Choice
• Positive teacher language: reminders and
specific reinforcing feedback
• Closing circles
• Communications with parents about behavior
expectations
Respectful, productive ways to respond to
misbehavior:
• Teacher proximity and nonverbal cues
• Positive teacher language: redirections
• Additional modeling and role-playing
• Logical consequences
• Buddy teacher time-out
• Problem-solving conferences
• Problem-solving class meetings
• Student–student conflict resolution
• Individual written agreements
• Problem-solving with parents
Responsive Classroomassessment tools to measure
fidelity of implementation
Components of PBIS Schoolwide Discipline
An agreed-upon and common approach to
discipline
A positive statement of purpose
A small number of positively stated behavior
expectations for all students and staff
Procedures for teaching students the behavior
expectations
A continuum of procedures for encouraging students
to choose behaviors that meet expectations
A continuum of procedures for discouraging
students from choosing rule-breaking behavior
Procedures for regularly and frequently monitoring
the effectiveness of the discipline system
(Responsive Classroomresources and PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Primary FAQs)
A Side-by-Side Look
Three Tiers of Support
PBIS calls for schools to provide three tiers of positive behavior support to meet students’ dif -
fering needs (PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Secondary Level). Here are the
Responsive Classroom practices that align with each tier.
Tier 1
Classroom and schoolwide practices that support all students in all situations.ese practices
together create a positive social climate in which positive behaviors are explicitly taught
and reinforced and all adults respond to problem behaviors in a consistent way.
Responsive Classroom practices:
Commonly agreed-upon schoolwide discipline policy
Creation of schoolwide and classroom rules that students are invested in
Positive teacher language: reinforcements, reminders, redirections
Interactive Modeling
Guided practice
Role-playing
Frequent verbal connecting of behaviors with rules
Morning Meeting
Academic Choice
Closing circles
Logical consequences
Problem-solving conferences
Problem-solving class meetings
Student–student conflict resolution
Communications with parents about behavior expectations
Tier 2
Additional supports for times when a student needs an extra boost
to remember behavior expectations but doesn’t need the highly
individualized interventions of Tier 3.
4
Responsive Classroom practices:
Additional modeling
Additional role-playing
Buddy teacher time-out
Additional collaborative problem-solving
Additional student–student conflict resolution
Individual written agreements
Problem-solving with parents
Tier 2
Tier 1
5
Tier 3
Highly individualized interventions for serious behavior problems.
Educators draw on the range of Responsive Classroom
principles and practices to cra supports that work for each
child. Here is an example from a school in St. Paul, Minnesota,
that uses the Responsive Classroom approach and PBIS.
“Oliver,” a second grader, has a pattern of unsafe and disruptive
behavior, including shouting out during small-group
work, being physically aggressive during structured play,
and destroying his work in a fit of rage during academic
times. Aer determining Oliver’ unmet social and
academic needs, the school’ behavior specialist works
with Oliver’ teacher to design interventions that use
elements of the following Responsive Classroom
practices:
Interactive Modeling. To address his shouting during group work, Oliver’s teacher starts
using this modeling practice with him, one-on-one, to show him how to raise a hand as
a way to get attention. Oliver’s gym and computer teachers agree that he’ll use the same
method during their classes.
Problem-Solving Conference. To reinforce Oliver’s use of a positive behavior he’s learning
(such as playing safely during structured play), his teacher begins having brief conversations
with him that borrow from this Responsive Classroompractice. She names the specific helpful
behaviors she noticed and asks him what he noticed. They talk about how he felt when he
chose that behavior and how it helped everyone. They then agree on strategies to help him
continue that behavior, including the teacher’s giving him a quick reminder before structured
play and checking with him afterward to see how things went.
Academic Choice. To give Oliver a greater sense of control and accomplishment with his academic
work, his teacher begins offering him choices in how to complete assignments, such
as which specific topic to learn about, what supplies to use, which books or other resources
to look at, and how to show what he learned. The teacher also provides closer supervision
of his academic work time until he is able to independently manage his behavior.
All the while, the Tier 1 supports that the school provides to all students and the Tier 2
supports it provides to those needing extra help are creating a strong foundation that
enables these individualized interventions for Oliver to work at their best.
Tier 3
6
Reinforcing Positive Behavior
Both Responsive Classroom and PBIS recognize that reinforcing
students’ positive behaviors is crucial if students are to sustain
those behaviors. e two approaches differ, however, in
how they recommend giving this reinforcement.
What Responsive Classroom Recommends
e Responsive Classroom approach discourages the use of
tangible rewards as a general practice for reinforcing children’s
positive behavior. Instead, for most children, it emphasizes
using reinforcing teacher language.
For example, if a student listens carefully to classmates before
voicing disagreement during a discussion, his teacher might
whisper to him a moment later, “You listened and considered
other people’s opinions before speaking up. at helps make
the discussion more thoughtful.”And if a class efficiently transitions from a whole-group activity
to individual work, their teacher might say, “ou all got down to
work in less than a minute. at’ the fastest since the beginning
of the year!”e benefit of using reinforcing language and specifically naming
the helpful behavior as in these examples, rather than giving
a tangible reward, is that it focuses students’attention on the
behavior instead of on the reward. is encourages students to
see the behavior itself rather than the earning of a reward as the
chief goal. And for many children, a teacher’ reinforcing language
is all that’ needed for them to develop consistency in
showing positive behaviors.
e Responsive Classroom approach recognizes that some
students or classes, in some circumstances, will need further
reinforcements such as behavior tracking charts and rewards to change
an entrenched negative behavior pattern. In these cases the Responsive Classroom
approach offers guidelines on the effective use and eventual phase-out of the charts and
rewards (Brady et al., 2010; Crowe, 2009).
M Y T H :
Responsive Classroom says teachers
shouldn’t acknowledge individual students’
positive behavior.
F A C T :
e Responsive Classroomapproach
strongly recommends acknowledging
individual students’ positive behavior,
believing it is vital to their development
and to the creation of a positive school
climate. What the approach discourages
is naming an individual child as an
example for others, such as “See how
Ronna’s paying attention? Let’s see
how many others can pay attention
like that.” Such language comes across
as manipulative and can embarrass the
child being named while breeding
competition in the class. In the Responsive
Classroomapproach, if a teacher
wants to acknowledge Ronna’s behavior,
he does so in private if possible.
If the teacher’s goal is to remind the
class to pay attention, he does so
directly, such as by saying, “Remember,
eyes and ears on the speaker.” Or,
he reinforces the positive behavior of
some members of the class without
naming individual children, such as
“I see that some students are ready to
listen with their eyes and ears on the
speaker. Let’s have everyone do that
now so we can get started with our
learning.”
7
What PBIS Recommends
e PBIS framework emphasizes that schools should have
methods for acknowledging students’positive behaviors but
does not favor one type of acknowledgment over another, as
long as the student clearly understands what specific behavior
is being acknowledged. e framework states that naming the
specific behavior is “xtremely important in increasing the
reoccurrence of appropriate behavior.”e framework also supports,
although it does not mandate, simultaneously giving students
tokens or points for such behavior (whether or not those
are traded in for tangible objects or special privileges) (PBIS
OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d., Primary Level).
e decision about which specific method to use is le to
schools. It’ important to know that rather than requiring any
specific method, the PBIS framework encourages schools to
determine the method most suitable for their school (Horner, 2014).
Moving to Using Only Teacher Language
Oen, teachers who see the benefit of using only reinforcing teacher language nonetheless
find it challenging to shi to this method if they are accustomed to using tangible rewards.
In many cases, giving tokens is as much a way for busy teachers to keep track of whom they’e
observed and acknowledged in the course of a day as a way to motivate the students. For some
teachers, the token approach is simply what’ familiar.
In many schools that use both Responsive Classroom and PBIS, teachers successfully make
the shi to using only reinforcing language, without tokens or other tangibles, when they
take incremental steps and when their school leaders offer ample support and encouragement
along the way. Strategies teachers have used successfully include:
Posting examples of reinforcing language around the classroom as a self-reminder.
Setting up a tracking system visible to themselves but not to students, such as checking
off names on their class list when they provide specific reinforcing language.
Using a few set reinforcing phrases, such as “I see you followed our rule on ______”
and “You did ______. at helps us all be better learners”until they start coming up
with their own reinforcing words naturally.
M Y T H :
e central feature of PBIS is to give
children prizes as a reward for showing
desired behavior.
F A C T :
Although some teachers use prizes to
reward positive behavior, this is their
school’s or district’s choice for how to
meet PBIS’s goal of acknowledging
positive behavior. e PBIS framework
does not stipulate this way
of meeting that goal. In fact, some
PBIS coaches favor using intangible
acknowledgments such as positive
teacher language when such acknowledgments
suffice to encourage a child
to continue a positive behavior.
8
The three people facilitating the district’s use of the two
approaches—the Responsive Classroom coordinator and
two PBIS coordinators—can oen be seen walking into
a school together to attend a meeting or to co-lead a professional
development workshop. In their office, the three edu -
cators even sit in adjoining cubicles. Collaborating is oen
as simple as rolling their chairs out for a quick chat.
Whether working with a school on modeling expected behaviors,
giving children brain breaks during work periods, or
preventing bullying, the three educators blend strategies from
their own and each other’ approaches seamlessly. Labeling
strategies as “Responsive Classroom” or “PBIS” is not their
concern.
“Our focus is always on what a school needs, what the students
need, what helps the kids and what doesn’t, not on what’s
Responsive Classroom and what’s PBIS,” says the Responsive
Classroom coordinator.
Responsive Classroom and PBIS
Collaboration in Action
In one large mid-Atlantic school district, Responsive Classroom
and PBIS work together—literally.
9
One of the PBIS coordinators adds that
to help teachers bridge a perceived gap
between Responsive Classroom and PBIS,
they use terminology the teachers understand.
For example, if they’re teaching the
Responsive Classroom practice of Interactive
Modeling, but the teachers in front
of them are used to referring to that kind
of practice by using the PBIS term “direct
instruction,” they’ll explicitly make the link
for the teachers between Interactive Modeling
and direct instruction.
When it comes to reinforcing children’s
positive behaviors, the PBIS coordinators
encourage schools to give reinforcements
that highlight the fact that everyone is
working together to build a positive community
rather than the idea of individuals
earning rewards. For example, they recognize
that schools may still want to give students
tickets for positive behavior, but they
encourage schools to count the number of
tickets earned as a whole school. en, when
a certain number of tickets are earned, the
entire student body does a big group cheer
during an assembly or a special group dance
during lunch.
e strong Responsive Classroom–PBIS
collaboration in the district comes from
the three educators’ clear understanding
of the compatibility of the two approaches.
It also comes from the district’s highestlevel
decision makers having that same
understanding. e district has directed
all schools to design a positive behavior
approach and promotes using Responsive
Classroom and PBIS together to do so.
e three staff members don’ do all their
professional development work together, of
course. e Responsive Classroom coordinator
still oversees the Responsive Classroom
workshops taking place throughout the
district, and the two PBIS coordinators still
provide the PBIS trainings to school teams.
But the close contact between Responsive
Classroom and PBIS in the district means
schools benefit from the strengths of both
approaches.
And at the end of the day, the three are back
to their adjoining cubicles to compare notes,
share ideas, and work together to benefit
students.
“Although I’m passionate about Responsive
Classroom and my colleagues are passionate
about PBIS, it’s not a tug of war,” says the
Responsive Classroom coordinator. “It’s a
tug of peace. And we’re always looking at
how to keep the child at the center of that
tug of peace.”
“Although I’m passionate about Responsive
Classroom and my colleagues are passionate about
PBIS, it’s not a tug of war, . . . It’s a tug of peace.”
10
Summary
e Responsive Classroom approach and PBIS are compatible for two major reasons:
1. Both hold, as a central tenet, the use of respectful, nonpunitive strategies for teaching
students positive behaviors.
2. Responsive Classroom’s array of practices for teaching positive behaviors and promoting
optimal student learning matches the components identified by PBIS as essential
to a comprehensive schoolwide discipline system.
When it comes to reinforcing students’ positive behavior, Responsive Classroom strongly
recommends using positive teacher language and avoiding the use of tangible rewards if
such rewards are not needed. e PBIS framework calls for reinforcing students’positive
behavior but refrains from stipulating which method to use. is makes it possible for schools
using the PBIS framework to follow Responsive Classroom’s recommended practice for
achieving this important goal.
11
R E F E R E N C E S
Horner, R. (2014, March). Building Capacity of Schools, Districts, and States
to Implement PBIS. Session presented at the 11th International Conference on
Positive Behavior Support, Chicago, IL.
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). About Responsive Classroom.
Retrieved from www.responsiveclassroom.org/about-responsive-classroom
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). Past Research. Retrieved from
www.responsiveclassroom.org/past-research
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). Research Confirms the Benefits.
Retrieved from www.responsiveclassroom.org/research
Center for Responsive Schools. (2013). e Responsive Classroom Approach:
Good Teaching Changes the Future (White paper).
Center for Responsive Schools. (n.d.). e Responsive Classroom Approach:
A High-Quality Education for Every Child Every Day. Retrieved from
www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/pdf_files/rc_brochure.pdf
Center for Responsive Schools. (2013). Teacher Skill Drives Common Core
Success: How Responsive Classroom Helps (White paper).
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). PBIS FAQs. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners/pbis-faqs
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Primary FAQs. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/primary-level/faqs
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Primary Level. Retrieved from
www.pbis.org/school/primary-level
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). Secondary Level. Retrieved
from www.pbis.org/school/secondary-level
PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center. (n.d.). SWPBIS for Beginners.
Retrieved from www.pbis.org/school/swpbis-for-beginners
F O U N D E D I N 1 9 8 1
Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.
85 Avenue A, P.O. Box 718
Turners Falls, MA 01376-0718
800-360-6332 Fax 877-206-3952
www.responsiveclassroom.org
This white paper is available
on the Responsive Classroom website at
http://bit.ly/rcwhitepaper3
Photographs © Jeff Woodward. All rights reserved.
Responsive Classroom®
