CTE - Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Tutorial: PBIS in Maryland

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Tutorial

PBIS in Maryland:

The Maryland Model

State Leadership Team:

Consists of representatives from:

The Maryland State Department of Education, The Division of Student and School Services and Education/Early Intervention Services

Sheppard Pratt Health Systems
Johns Hopkins University
Local School System Behavior Support Coaches

The Team meets monthly to plan and coordinate the training and support for the school teams and behavior support coaches. The Leadership Team also provides training for School-Wide Evaluation Tool Assessors and trains school personnel in the use of the School Wide Information System (SWIS). Additionally, individual team members provide support to specific local school systems.

	Local School System Point of Contact:
	All 24 participating local school systems (LSS) in Maryland have identified a specific point of contact (POC) for PBIS. Information regarding upcoming meetings and training opportunities are disseminated through these POCs. The POC is usually the LSS Director of Student/Pupil Services or the Director of Special Education Services.

	Behavior Support Coaches:
	Maryland has trained approximately 100 Behavior Support Coaches. These coaches are usually itinerant staff that support multiple schools working within their discipline. As Behavior Support Coaches, these professionals facilitate the functioning of the existing trained teams and provide leadership within their respective LSSs to continue to expand the initiative. The majority of Coaches are school psychologists, and within the scope of PBIS, they work with 3-5 PBIS schools. Coaches attend PBIS school team meetings and provide ongoing support for the implementation and sustainment of PBIS. Additionally, coaches meet at the state level five (5) times each year to share ideas, and challenges.

	School Teams:
	In Maryland, all of the trained school teams have volunteered to participate in PBIS. Since administrative support is so critical to the success of PBIS, administrators (Principal or Assistant Principal) must be a part of the team and attend training sessions. The team also must be representative of the school staff and must agree to collect and use data for all decision making. Additionally, the school must agree to implement PBIS for a minimum of three years.