The Impact of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on Office Discipline Referrals in Quebec Schools: A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

The effectiveness of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in reducing major misbehavior has been demonstrated in many research studies. However, no research on the effects of PBIS on student behavior has been conducted in Quebec and other French-speaking regions. This study focuses on the results of PBIS implementation in Quebec schools in Canada. This article presents results following implementation in three secondary schools and one elementary school that recorded Office Discipline Referrals (ODRs) for the year preceding PBIS implementation and the following 3 years of PBIS implementation. An average annual rate of ODRs per student was calculated for each school and for each year. The results show a reduction in the average annual rate of ODRs per student in each of the 3 years following the implementation of PBIS. In total, there was a 78% reduction in the number of ODRs in Year 3 of PBIS across the four schools. The article also discusses the features of PBIS implementation in Quebec.