Whittier, CA – Los Nietos educators anticipate reaching a daily attendance rate of 95 percent this year as they enter their second year of a three-year program to implement a new discipline system that reinforces positive behaviors.

Teachers and staff from all four District schools gathered at Los Nietos Middle School on Sept. 7 for the first of four training sessions set for this year in the Safe and Civic Schools Positive Behavior Support (PBS) system. The program uses systematic techniques to improve behavior. Safe and Civil Schools Instructor Mike Booher led a six-hour session at Los Nietos Middle School that reviewed school safety data and outlined proactive and positive responses toward misbehavior.

“Los Nietos has laid a strong foundation for students by committing to a structure that sets clear expectations for the entire District,” Booher said. “The key to improving performance is not changing student behavior, but defining adult behavior. Students want to know what it takes to be successful and it’s up to educators to clarify what is expected of them.”

Los Nietos has set explicit guidelines this year concerning play areas and timeliness when reinforcing positive behavior. Each school has a foundational team made up of the principal and staff members who analyze data and track improvements.

PBS features three main tiers of focus: 1. schoolwide and classroom; 2. targeted individual interventions; 3. intense interventions. Los Nietos spent last year immersed in schoolwide and classroom curriculum to develop strategies that facilitate positive behavior changes.

“The PBS system falls in line with our culture as a small, safe District environment that engages the entire community,” Los Nietos Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez said. “We want to continue to ensure we’re evolving at a rate that positions our students for success.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

092616_LOSNIETOS_PBS1: Los Nietos is in the second year of a three-year commitment to the Positive Behavior Support program, which will train all schools in creating a positive school environment.

092616_LOSNIETOS_PBS2: Through the Positive Behavior Support program, the District has set explicit guidelines concerning play areas and timeliness this year.