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Scaling Up Tier 2 and 3 Behavior Supports Within School Districts.

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a multitiered approach to school-wide behavior support implemented in over 27,000 schools in the U.S. Although Tier 1 (universal behavior supports for all students) is widely scaled up within districts, districts often struggle to implement an...

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Published in:Behavioral Disorders Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 242 - 250
Main Authors: Kittelman, Angus, Horner, Robert H.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Sage Publications Inc. Aug2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      pub: Sage Publications Inc.
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        atl: Scaling Up Tier 2 and 3 Behavior Supports Within School Districts.
      aug:
        au:
          Kittelman, Angus
          Horner, Robert H.
        affil: University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Behavior Therapy
          School Health Services United States
          Support, Psychosocial
          Program Implementation
          Leadership
          United States
          Decision Making
          Child Behavior Disorders
          Schools
      ab: Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a multitiered approach to school-wide behavior support implemented in over 27,000 schools in the U.S. Although Tier 1 (universal behavior supports for all students) is widely scaled up within districts, districts often struggle to implement and scale up Tiers 2 and 3 (targeted or intensive supports for students with or at risk for behavioral disorders). In this paper, we propose that Tiers 2 and 3 practices are less likely to be implemented with fidelity, and scaled up within districts, because schools and districts too often launch Tiers 2 and 3 practices without the organizational systems needed for high-fidelity implementation. From an implementation science perspective, personnel preparation training in the practices associated with Tiers 2 and 3 too often occurs without completing the Exploration and Installation stages of effective implementation. Recommendations are offered for investing in the infrastructure needed to implement Tier 2 and Tier 3 practices within schools and to scale up these practices across schools within districts.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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