Tier 1 universal prevention

Universal, or Tier 1, practices are provided to all students to proactively support student SEB needs and to proactively promote connection and belonging.

Prioritize connection and belonging • Codesign schoolwide and classroom-wide expectations • SEB skill instruction for all students • Structures to support a culture of acknowledgment and appreciation • Clearly defined instructional and supportive responses to student behaviors

Uses multiple sources of data from both within (e.g., climate surveys, attendance, academics, discipline) and community (e.g., social determinants of health) to: • Inform the design of Tier 1 systems and practices • Monitor implementation and impact of Tier 1 practices and systems

Process for assessing individual student needs and level of support • District-wide access to external agency supports (e.g., mental health)

Core universal, or Tier 1, practices include intentional efforts to prioritize belonging and connection for all, clearly codefining and teaching schoolwide and classroom expectations, developing systems of acknowledgment and appreciation, and clearly defining instructional and supportive responses to behaviors that do not align with established expectations and values.

All staff should receive training on core, universal (Tier 1) PBIS elements to better understand schoolwide and classroom expectations, acknowledgment and appreciation systems, and response to behaviors that do not align with established expectations and values.

Training on other topics such as suicide awareness and prevention, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, developmental disabilities, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma, and mental health first aid can also support universal prevention efforts and assist school faculty, staff, and administrators with fostering positive school climates.

Moreover, training on additional topics, such as child development, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, students with disabilities, unintentional assumptions of student backgrounds, ACEs and trauma, mental health first aid, and specific schoolwide programs and practices can better position all officers to promote positive school climates and support the school’s Tier 1 prevention efforts.

District-wide/Schoolwide supports for responding to behavior • Assessment systems for early identification

AWARENESS AND PREVENTION • Cultivate positive, connected, encouraging, unconditional relationships • Teach prosocial behavior • Enhanced SEB learning • Teach students how to recognize concerns in peers • Teach families how to recognize concerning behavior • Teach students and families how to report concerns as an act of caring • Bullying and harassment prevention • Suicide prevention • Mental health first aid

School climate surveys • Community data • Behavior referrals

Collectively, the group establishes an action plan designed to support all staff with building positive, trusting relationships with students and which outlines practices and resources that can foster an environment where students feel seen, heard, connected, and respected.

At the Tier 1 level, students with disabilities (SWD), like all students, benefit from a varied menu of universal supports that are well-designed and intended to set all students up for success through proactive prevention.

Meanwhile, BTAM teams can also review and enhance schoolwide safety procedures, supervision protocols, and reporting mechanisms to support safety for ALL students.

Additionally, the BTAM team works to support the safety of all students by increasing active supervision in hallways during transitions, reviewing and enhancing entry/exit procedures and building-wide safety protocols, reducing access to unsupervised locations, enhancing learning opportunities, and sharing reminders for how to recognize and report concerning behavior.