Clearview Elementary to Be Honored for Positive Behavior

Clearview Elementary in the Washington School District will be one of 267 schools recognized statewide for successful adoption and implementation of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (SW-PBS), a comprehensive approach for improving student behavior and academic performance.

State education officials will recognize the public and charter schools June 18 during the seventh annual SW-PBS Summer Institute at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, where more than 1,200 educators are expected to attend.

The Summer Institute is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the University of Missouri Center for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports.

Dr. Ronald Lankford, deputy commissioner at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will recognize the award recipients. Schools are awarded a recognition level (gold, silver or bronze), which represents the extent of their implementation of SW-PBS strategies and the evidence they have compiled about the program’s impact in their school.

Clearview Elementary will be honored at the bronze level.

“The schools receiving recognition for SW-PBS are much-deserving,” said Missouri SW-PBS State Coordinator Mary Richter, Ph.D. “Implementing these types of strategies not only takes time, typically two to eight years, but real systemic change on behalf of the school. And schools who incorporate this type of supportive environment make a real difference in the lives of students who deal with behavior challenges every day.”

SW-PBS is a systematic approach to creating safer and more effective schools by structuring the learning environment to support the academic and social success of all students. It focuses on encouraging positive student behavior, preventing disruptive behavior and tailoring academic strategies to individual student needs.

During the 2011-2012 school year, approximately 700 Missouri schools participated in the SW-PBS program.

Successful systematic changes, such as SW-PBS, will help Missouri reach Goal 1 of the Department’s Top 10 by 20 initiative, which focuses on college and/or career readiness for all students statewide. The Top 10 by 20 initiative aims for student achievement in Missouri to rank among the top 10 states by the year 2020.

Other schools in the county who will be recognized include Meramec Valley Middle School and Truman Elementary in the Meramec Valley School District, and St. Clair Elementary and Edgar Murray Elementary in the St. Clair School District. All of these schools will be honored at the bronze level.