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Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.
Often as school leaders, we have some great ideas.

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

About the Event

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Register Now

About the Event

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

About the Presenter

Jordan resides in Lexington, Kentucky. He has experience in Public Education as an Administrator, Science Teacher, and as a Coach. He has extensive experience with School Discipline, PBIS, SEL, Restorative Practices, MTSS, and Trauma-Informed Care.

Sign up for more ideas
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Often as school leaders, we have some great ideas.

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 
Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

Often as school leaders, we have some great ideas.

Projects that will change the culture of our campus and propel our students to a successful academic and post-academic life. 

Objectives that can change behaviors and increase classroom engagement. Concepts that will bring about the change that our school may desperately need. Those are powerful thoughts

But ideas are just that. Good thoughts. Unless you have a plan and the team to carry out that plan. In this case, your team is likely going to be your teaching staff. A staff that has no additional time or resources available to dedicate to said plan. They are already maxed out.

So what do you do? That’s the question that Jason Malaschak, Assistant Principal of Piper Creek Elementary and Piper USD 203's District Data Director sought to answer in a recent webinar with LiveSchool.

Piper serves grades 3-5 and currently has 621 students across those grades. Jason and his team recently transitioned from a paper-based positive behavioral reinforcement system to a digital system that is working wonders in their school. Let’s talk about how and why they did it.

Deciding to Move From Paper to Digital

Jason and his team decided to move from a transitional punitive model of discipline to a positive reinforcement model (PBIS) that was more preventive and motivational to students. Doing so, meant devising a plan to recognize students who were doing the right things.

That’s how “Piper Gold” was born. Jason and his team created a paper ticket system where teachers were to distribute the tickets as “gold” when they noticed students meeting expectations.

The staff was on board 100%. They gave out mountains of “Piper Gold”. But there were a few problems logistically:

  1. Printing and photocopying “Gold” wastes staff time.

Remember what we said about teachers and time? The same is true of counselors and pretty much everyone else in your school. 

  1. “Gold” gets lost or misused.

As a parent of a student in this age range, I can confirm that my daughter’s backpack is a bit of a mess. I’m certain that things of importance are in there, but I doubt they are in their original form. Organization is a work in progress at this age.

  1. Lack of data analysis

To see what your students are doing well and what needs improvement next semester you’re going to have to count up all of that “gold”. As we mentioned before…ain’t nobody got time for all that.

  1. Lack of parental involvement

If the system requires students to hold onto paper and for staff to count the paper…those are two pretty big obstacles to getting correct information home to parents promptly.

Ok, back to the drawing board at Piper. Jason and his staff reworked the system using a Google Form that was meant to capture all of the necessary data and would make record-keeping fairly straightforward. This worked well for about a month.

The process took too much time for teachers. It was taking time away from lessons so they either tabled it until after class or had students fill out their forms…which resulted in students filling their accounts with however much “gold” they’d like to reward themselves with.

Next was a spreadsheet that auto-filled and tabulated the data as teachers input it. This worked for a bit. But it was prone to user error. Once incorrect data was in or accurate data was deleted the sheet was compromised. 

It. Just. Wasn’t. Working.

They had the team. They had the plan. They needed the tool. Enter LiveSchool.

Implementation Tips From Piper Elementary

It was time to go digital. But after two years of starts and stops, Jason and his team wanted to make sure they got it right. They took several actions that ensured success:

  1. Pilot program

Once they had decided on LiveSchool as the tool, they created a small committee to pilot the program and work out the kinks before introducing it broadly to the school.

  1. Consistency and clear expectations

Once they had a plan in place, that was the plan. They created standards around use and point distribution and then they let their staff go to work.

  1. 5:1 positive to negative ratio

They wanted to ensure that the staff was looking for opportunities to positively reinforce expectations. They set a goal of a 5:1 ratio of positive reinforcements to negative demerits.

  1. Data analysis

This is the real secret sauce of LiveSchool's success at Piper. Jason and his team are constantly monitoring school-wide discipline data in real-time. 

If they notice an uptick in demerits in a single location they can then deploy more resources and attention to improving the situation before it becomes steeped into the norms or culture of the school.

Success With LiveSchool

Piper 203’s leadership team is a great example of taking an idea and making it a real bonafide game-changer in your building. 

For more tips on positive reinforcement, you should read our guide on bringing PBIS to your school district or check out how Vickery Elementary  reduced Referrals by 25%.

Learn more about the author, 
Jordan Pruitt
 

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