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Positive behavior program a success at Riviera Elementary School
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Four years ago, Riviera Elementary School in Kelseyville implemented a new program entitled Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, or PBIS.
Today they are reaping the benefits of the program with a more positive school climate.
The US Department of Education, through the Lake County Office of Education, funds the PBIS program.
The underlying theme of PBIS is to teach behavioral expectations in the same manner as any core curriculum subject.
Put in simpler terms, PBIS is a program that works to change the discipline culture in schools by focusing on rewarding positive student behavior, instead of just focusing on negative consequences for poor student behavior.
“It’s a twofold process,” explained Riviera Elementary School Principal Tavis Perkins. “First, we communicate to our students how we expect them to behave. At Riviera Elementary, our students are taught to follow the SOAR rules: Safe inside out, on time & on task, accept responsibility, and respect.”
Once the students understand what type of behavior is expected of them, they are rewarded for following it. “When a student is ‘caught’ following a rule, they are awarded a SOAR Buck,” said Perkins.
There is a SOAR store at Riviera Elementary where students can use their bucks to purchase prizes and privileges.
Perkins said that some of the most popular prizes have been snap bracelets and emoji keychains, while the most popular privileges include eating lunch on the stage with a friend and moving ahead in the lunch line. Students can even save up their SOAR bucks to pie the principal.
After the successful rollout of Tier 1 of the program, the data has shown a tremendous decrease in major office referrals compared to the previous year.
The Riviera Elementary PBIS team continues to meet monthly to analyze data, make new goals, reward students who meet expectations and support those students who may be struggling.
“It has been an exciting and rewarding process seeing Riviera students soaring high,” said Tavis.