ShawneeDispatch.com

Mrs. Pfortmiller goes to Washington.

That’s just what Hocker Grove Middle School Principal Debbie Pfortmiller did in early June, when she testified in front of a congressional committee about the Positive Behavioral Support Program in the Shawnee Mission School District.

Hocker Grove recently finished the second year of PBS, a data-based decision-making program that focuses on positive outcomes. PBS is in use in schools around the nation.

The Center for Exceptional Children, which sponsored the briefing, contacted the Kansas State Department of Education, which contacted the Shawnee Mission District, and Pfortmiller was chosen to make the trip to Washington.

“There are two schools at the point we are in with implementing the program,” she said.

Westridge Middle School is in the same stage as Hocker Grove, Pfortmiller said.

“We are different in size and approach differently but we’ve both had a lot of success with decline in office referrals and increase in positive behavior,” she said.

Pfortmiller shared her stories of PBS with members of Congress on June 8.

“I talked about all the positive things we have seen at Hocker Grove,” she said.

Two other educators from Minnesota and Georgia testified with Pfortmiller. The entire presentation, with questions and answers lasted about 90 minutes.

“It was really interesting to be involved with people in the education side of government,” she said.

Pfortmiller’s presentation included ways Hocker Grove has been able to lessen the number of referrals to the office for behavior problems in the past two years. She said the average was less than one per student.

Hocker Grove’s program was designed around the idea of S.O.A.R., after the school’s mascot the eagle.

S.O.A.R. stands for safe behavior, on task, acts responsibly and respect self and others, Pfortmiller said.

“We try to help students make decisions to fall in those categories,” she said. “If you are doing these four things, you are acting appropriately; students are able to stay in the classroom and learn.”

Hocker Grove has two PBS coaches who offer support to fellow teachers. A PBS team, comprised of teachers, a paraprofessional and school social worker, created activities to encourage positive behavior for the program.

‘Subs for sub sandwiches’ is one program in which students are rewarded for their good behavior.

A substitute can write down the name of a student who has contributed to helping them during the day, to be entered in a drawing for a sub sandwich.

“The reflection we’ve had from the subs is that this makes the day positive,” Pfortmiller said.

Posters, review assemblies and Eagle Excellence, which takes place the first two days of school, all contribute to the PBS program at Hocker Grove, Pfortmiller said.

“It’s a nice way to remind them that they are doing the right thing and we appreciate it,” she said.

“I was very proud to represent Hocker Grove,” she said of the trip, “and what Shawnee Mission is doing to positively support kids. When student are on task and behave appropriately, they have more opportunities to learn. I think that Shawnee Mission is being very proactive in this to help students providing us with support and more and more schools are beginning the process to implement the program.”

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