What Are PBIS Interventions?

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS interventions) form an evidence-based system that schools use to promote positive behavior among students and improve their learning experience. 

The PBIS framework has been shown to reduce disciplinary referrals. It can also help with classroom management, which can be especially important for students with emotional regulation deficits and trauma-related behavioral issues. 

Schools considering implementing PBIS interventions are advised to consider the sustainability of PBIS practices and scalability across a variety of school environments. Success with this platform requires continuity, consistency, and cooperation across many sectors.

What are the PBIS Tiers?

The PBIS framework is a three-tiered system. Each tier is designed to provide a different level and type of support. The three tiers rely on each other for the system to function as a whole. 

Understanding the three tiers of PBIS provides a continuum of support and assists potential team members when making decisions about the equitable distribution of resources. 

Tier 1: Universal Interventions

Tier 1 is known as the “universal” tier. This tier targets all students, educators, and others within the educational sphere. The first tier represents a foundation. Examples of the types of interventions used in Tier 1 include:

• Teaching school-wide positive behavior expectations
• Developing consistent routines
• Developing systems to recognize positive behavior

Some of the key elements included in Tier 1 are school-wide rewards, expectations signage, and social-emotional skills lessons. Every tier requires a team. 

For Tier one, the team should consist of an administrator, a coach, a teacher from all grade levels, and a student and parent representative. The team will be responsible for setting expectations, rewarding students who meet those expectations, and monitoring progress. 

Two of the main benefits of building a foundation are that the number of common behavioral problems declines and that the school culture becomes more proactive. Without the foundational work of Tier 1, more advanced objectives could not be met. 

Tier 2: Targeted Interventions

Tier 2 focuses on the classroom and other small-group settings. Examples of the types of PBIS interventions used in Tier 2 include:

• Small group social skills training
• Mentoring
• Classroom behavior interventions
• Check-in/check-out systems

A complete Tier 2 team consists of administrators, counselors, a social worker or other mental health specialist, and a youth service coordinator. These professionals rely on various types of data to identify the students who can benefit from Tier 2 support. 

Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Interventions

A keyword to describe Tier 1 is “all.” The word “some” describes Tier 2. Tier 3  provides PBIS interventions to “one.”  This tier develops interventions for individual students with high-risk behaviors. The Tier 3 team is the same as that for Tier 2, with the addition of outside community-based services. 

This team’s job is to identify students whose individual needs were not met by the interventions provided in previous tiers. Examples of Tier 3 services include:

• Individualized behavior plans
• Wraparound services
• Collaboration with families and specialists

Students with complex needs benefit from professional assessment. Data gained through assessment helps a student’s team develop interventions that lead to success in school and beyond. Monitoring a student’s progress ensures that behavior plans stay current with the student’s needs.  

How PBIS Tiers Can Work Together

PBIS tiers are not meant to perform as independent programs. Not all students need the interventions offered in Tiers 2 and 3. However, all students benefit from the foundational features highlighted in Tier 1. The fluid nature of movement between tiers is based on the ever-changing needs of students in real time. 

Collaboration within and between teams and consistent data tracking provide the information that’s needed for making decisions and adjusting PBIS interventions as appropriate. Teams provide a continuum of support to meet students’ needs across all tiers. 

PBIS Tiers Support Mental Health and School Safety

Tiered PBIS interventions promote student well-being, which is connected to school safety. Studies show that some of the benefits of positive reinforcement include:

• Boosts children’s mental health
• Builds self-esteem
• Enhances emotional regulation
• Improves academic performance, 
• Promotes resilience
• Encourages independence
• Strengthens parent-child relationships

These are the types of mental health improvements that can help stop bullying and other types of school violence. One study suggests that identifying and addressing emotional regulation deficits in adolescents could prevent the development of more serious mental health concerns. 

Rachel’s Challenge Complements PBIS Tiers

The programs offered by Rachel’s Challenge are in alignment with PBIS interventions and goals. Our programs are developed to stop self-harm, school violence, and bullying. 

Rachel’s Challenge provides several age-appropriate live on-site and digital programs. All of our programs promote a positive culture with an emphasis on kindness. Examples include:

• RC Live offers evidence-based bully prevention programs
• RC Digital provides flexible programs, which can be used to complement live programs or used in fully remote environments
• Elementary, Middle School, and High School anti-bullying programs with age-appropriate materials
• RC Professional offers programs to improve corporate culture

Rachel’s Challenge has been bringing life-changing experiences to schools for over 20 years. The overriding goal of PBIS interventions is to show students, teachers, administrators, and parents that they are not alone. Connection promotes healing and hope. Rachel’s Challenge programs are designed to do just that. 

Strengthen Every Tier of Your PBIS Program With Rachel’s Challenge

PBIS interventions can reduce disciplinary issues, decrease school bullying and other types of violence, and help students succeed on every level. The three tiers of PBIS work together to provide a foundation of support for all students and more targeted interventions for those who need them. 

Like PBIS, Rachel’s Challenge anti-bullying programs are evidence-based and designed to improve school culture and provide ongoing resources to support growth. Our programs promote the same values and can strengthen every tier of your positive behavioral interventions and support programs. 

Whether you’re building universal supports, targeting at-risk students, or providing individualized interventions, Rachel’s Challenge offers assemblies and resources designed to reinforce kindness, empathy, and safety at every level. Empower your staff and students with the tools to make your PBIS efforts more effective and sustainable.

Book an event to complement your school’s PBIS interventions or support Rachel’s Challenge and help us reach even more schools.