The Alternative Suspension Therapy (AST) program is a trauma-informed, in-school discipline model that was designed to serve as an alternative to traditional suspension. The goal of the AST program was to minimize or eliminate the number of referrals a student might receive that could possibly lead to suspension. The participants in the AST…

This study examined the impact of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) on office discipline referrals (Category 1), suspensions (Category 2), and absence of infractions (Category 3) in an urban public elementary school in New Jersey. A sample of 267 second, third, fourth, and fifth grade students provided the data for the research. A chi-square…

This study was aimed to investigate the potential negative impact that positive (e.g., praise and rewards) and punitive (e.g., sending students to the office) disciplinary techniques, commonly used within the Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) approach, have on students' prosocial motivation, and how aspects of…

The study in this article was designed to examine the outcomes of positive behavior support approaches at a Southeastern suburban elementary school that had been experiencing increased discipline referrals. Schoolwide initiatives were implemented as well as a support group for targeted students. Post-intervention data indicated that behavioral…

Academic assessment for students with challenging behavior is often overlooked. Confronted with a curriculum that is above or below their instructional needs, students may engage in a range of inappropriate behaviors (e.g., acting-out, withdrawal, social avoidance). In that behavioral and learning problems are reciprocal, academically related…