The Middle Creek Elementary School third-grade teacher has always tried to give students positive reinforcement. But having used the Positive Behavior Intervention Support, or PBIS, program during the past three years, Jendrasiak says her entire outlook has shifted.

Q: You are the Middle Creek team leader for Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS). Tell me about when the program began at your school and how Middle Creek has put its own spin on it.

PBIS has been in Wake County for a long time; each school has transitioned into using it. I started using it in my third year of teaching [at another school], and this is our third year of using PBIS at Middle Creek.

PBIS changes the way you think about things; you learn to verbalize in a positive way. Instead of saying, "Don't do that," you would say, "I like the way Johnny is standing quietly."

Before we started PBIS, there was no set way for students to do things throughout the school. There was no set way to walk in the hallway, no set way to behave in the cafeteria, no set way to act in the bathroom. Each teacher had a different way of directing their students to behave. PBIS sets up standards for behavior for the whole school.

Q: If each school uses this program, how has Middle Creek put its own stamp on it?

Our school chose a theme using the acronym SWIM. It stands for Stay safe, Work hard, Is respectful and kind, and Manages acts. Our SWIM team consists of one representative from each grade level, a specialist and a special education teacher - every part of the school is involved.

The team came up with guidelines for different locations throughout the school: how to SWIM in the bathroom, on the playground, in the hallway. Children know how they are expected to behave wherever they are.

Q: PBIS sounds like a good program, but how can you tell that it's really working?

We have a data collection tool where we keep track of the number of referrals [for behavioral problems]. We know that if referrals are going down, PBIS is working. From two years ago to last year, in all grade levels except one, all referrals went down. Not just a little but, for example, from ten to three.

Students with high office referrals were paired with an adult, a "Fish Friend," who encouraged them. The staff member met with the student in the morning and at the end of the day. The students wanted to have a good report for them, and we found that 18 out of 19 students improved.

Q: You are the team leader. How does PBIS affect the school and the other staff members?

I enjoy the program because it is all about being positive. I find that the whole morale of the school is completely different. PBIS even includes the teachers. I do a monthly newsletter and special shout-outs to teachers who have been caught SWIMming. We reward teachers with little prizes.

Q: What about your own teaching style? Has PBIS changed the way you teach, or did you always use positive reinforcement?

PBIS has changed how I teach completely. I used to be very positive, but I would forget in little ways. PBIS forces you to change how you think, and it has definitely changed how I teach.

My expectations are also higher. I can expect things from my students. Third-grade students even sign an agreement at the beginning of the year to behave in a certain way. As a teacher, my job is to catch kids doing things correctly.

Q: Third grade is a tough year - the first year of end-of-grade testing. Do you have special rewards for students for working hard?

I think the most important thing is making the material relevant to them. As long as the lesson is exciting and relevant, that's important. For example, last year, we were working on writing instructions, or directions. We completed a recipe to show how important having the right instructions is. With PBIS, there are incentives already set in place - it's easy to reward kids.

Q: Do you have any advice for parents about supporting their kids' schoolwork?

I believe in constant communication between the teacher and parents. One way I accomplish this is by using my website and a separate photo site to allow parents to see students doing a science experiment or reading outside.

We're also adding a PBIS link through the school website that will help parents understand our SWIM theme and what it means. My goal is to work more on parent communication and create a quarterly newsletter about PBIS.