Bus Loading Area and Lunchroom Interventions

       

         A presentation was made at the 27th annual TECBD National Conference©.  Often schools have non-classroom areas that are identified a areas of concern to administration and teachers.  This presentation will explore the results of using peers as mediators of positive behavior support in an elementary school's bus loading area  and lunchroom.  Positive behavior supports (PBS) were identified by school administrators and designed with input from school personnel to address the behavior issues in each desinated area.  These PBS strategies were then implemented and evaluated across the school year.

       The presentations will discuss how fourth and fifth grade students were used to monitor the bus loading area and the lunchroom.  Monitors served on a rotating schedule from one week in the lunchroom to up to three weeks at a time in the bus loading area.  In both contexts the monitors were taught to find students following the rules and award them a ticket coupled with verbal praise for compliance.  Any infractions of the rules were reported to a teacher or an adult supervising the area.

      Students riding the bus received rewards collectively for the entire bus route line reaching a goal (number of tickets).  Students in the lunchroom placed the lunchroom placed their tickets in a drawing box and prizes were awarded twice a week.

      Effects of the bus line intervention were measured subjectively by the students, teachers on bus duty, bus drivers, and school district busing personnel.  Subjective measurement was used to make the evaluation more feasible and practical for school personnel.

      The effects of the lunchroom intervention were formally measured through direct observation by the researchers.  Data based decisions were then made in consultation with the principal with consideration for practicality and feasibility.  The outcomes from both interventions were positive.  Using student peers as monitors of troubled areas was effective in changing student behavior and helped to make the interventions practical and feasible for school personnel.

 

Bus Line Intervention Problem: Student behavior during after school wait time for the bus: •Not staying in designated area •Not keeping hands and feet to self •Yelling •Defiance	Lunchroom Intervention Problem: Student behavior during lunch time: •Not keeping hands and feet to self •Not staying seated •Running •Excessive litter •Noise level
Challenges: •Bus Students = 575 (96% of students) •Bus Routes = 5 •Wait Time = 5-25+ minutes •Number of Teachers on Bus Duty = 3 •Limited resources	Challenges: •One adult lunchroom supervisor •500 students in 45 minutes •Data collection •Limited resources
Solution Bus loading area rules: I line up. I stay in my bus line. I talk softly. I keep my hands and feet to myself. Line Organization: Shapes used to designate individual bus lines. Example of shapes: star, square, triangle, rectangle and heart. Student Monitors: They handed out little tickets to reward students for following the rules. Posters/Rewards: There was a poster with a thermometer.  An arrow indicated the number of tickets received for following the rules.  The goal was to move the arrow to the top of the thermometer.	Solution Lunchroom rules: I stay seated. I walk and talk quietly. I clean my area when I leave. I keep my hands and feet to myself. Student Monitors: They handed out tickets to reward students for following the rules. Rewards: The tickets were entered into the lunchbox drawing. The cleanest area received the "Golden Lunch Tray" for their classroom.
Outcomes •Student monitors = 10,154 tickets •2003/2004	Data What? •Number of rule infractions •Trash How? •Same time every day –direct observation •Custodian weighed trash with fishing weight
Feedback “Bus duty is so much nicer now.”-Teacher “How do you keep these kids so under control? It’s very nice and makes the bus drivers’ job so much better.” -District Bus Supervisor	Feedback “There is a definite improvement over last year this same time.”-Principal “There is definite improvement in the students staying seated.” -Custodian “The kids are doing a better job cleaning up.” -Lunchroom Staff “Things have changed in here. It seems quieter.” -Teacher
	Results As the number of tickets distributed increased the number of inappropriate behaviors decreased.  The amount of trash decreased from an average of approximately 200 pieces of trash per day to an average of approximately 100 pieces of trash.

 

This presentation was presented by Lynnette Christensen, Janet Young, Richard Young and Michelle Marchant.

If you would like to see the presentation as it was presented at the conference you can find it here.  To view the file you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader ©.

The Effects of Positive Behavior Support Interventions on an Elementary School's Bus Loading Area and Lunchroom.