Schools test positive behavior program

P-B-S doesn’t just mean Public Broadcasting System. P-B-S is also the abbreviation for Positive Behavioral Support, a program to promote social responsibility being tested in several Iowa school districts. Amanda Aspengren is a senior at Jefferson-Scranton High School which is in its third year of the program. Aspengren says “Our theme throughout the whole P-B-S is: ‘Be in the right place at the right time with the right people doing the right thing,’ and it’s more of a focus to have more positive behavior.” She describes one of the ways the program rewards such behavior. Aspengren says “We have ‘Tee-rrifics’ that get put up on a board for everyone to see and the teachers and administration can write out personal comments of what you did good that day, and then your name goes in for an award like a t-shirt or something fun.” Nick Denkel, a freshman at Jefferson-Scranton, says in less than a year, he has seen a change in his class due to the positive re-enforcement. Denkel says “I think the main thing we’re trying to talk about with P-B-S is kids don’t react well with negative influence, they like positive influence, so if you re-enforce kids with positive influence, they’ll react more to what you’re trying to get through.” Annette Brown, a youth development specialist at the I-S-U Extension, helped bring Positive Behavioral Support to Iowa schools. Brown says P-B-S helps in the classroom as well as making students more responsible. Brown says “The whole purpose is to create a more positive environment in the school where young people feel very comfortable and in turn they will increase or improve academic skills as well as have a more positive social environment.” Brown says P-B-S is being used in various forms in at least 17 elementary, middle and senior high schools across Iowa.