Tier 1 Universal Team

The Tier 1 Team generally consists of 8-10 members, depending on school size, and should include representation from various constituencies in the school community. Such representation must include:

• a regular educator,
• a special educator,
• an administrator,
• an individual with expertise in data gathering and analysis and
• a parent.

Other members may include a paraeducator, specialist teachers, a school nurse, school bus drivers or custodians, guidance counselors/behavior specialists or school board members. In middle and high schools, a student may be an excellent team member. 

The team guides the development, implementation, continuity and evaluation of the schoolwide PBS program. In addition, the team reports regularly to the faculty and the community on implementation steps and outcomes. In this respect, the challenge for the team is to lead the initiative while not getting too far ahead of the faculty and the community as a whole.

What is a SW-PBS Coach?

“Effective coaches embody…a ‘compelling combination of personal humility and professional will.’ They are affirmative, humble, and deeply respectful of classroom teachers, but they are unwilling to rest unless they achieve significant improvements in teaching and learning in their schools.” (Instructional Coaching, The School Administrator, April 2006)

The SW-PBS coach is a cheerleader, a strong communicator and an optimistic, positive leader.   He or she is eternally persistent, a natural problem-solver, has a deep level of commitment and positive energy and is someone who practices what they preach.  An effective coach will be highly skilled at developing and sustaining trusting relationships, ambitious and positive about the change process, respectful of teachers and the demands of the classroom and skilled at working with and understanding data.

The responsibilities of the SW-PBS  coach include mentoring, providing assistance and guidance to the SW-PBS team, ensuring that data is collected and used efficiently for decision-making, and sharing information and results with stakeholders on a regular basis. The coach is a major advocate and promoter of SW-PBS in the school and the district, serves as a liaison between stakeholder groups. The SW-PBS coach prepares for and attends trainings at the Regional Professional Development Center and is responsible for teaching other coaches on their school team.  They are leaders in the development and implementation of action plans and heavily rely on self-assessment instruments (PBS Surveys) and student outcome data to determine progress.

While this description is predominantly about the Internal Coach or Co-Coaches, it also describes the qualities desired of each of the members of the SW-PBS Coaching Team.  Each member of the team needs energy and perseverance to make SW-PBS the way business is done in each school.  It is critical to match each member of the group with the right role in order to spread the responsibilitites based on the special talents of each member.  See “Roles and Responsibilities.”