The PBIS World Book

Clear, Consistent, And Predictable Consequences

Why should I do it:

  • This is the cornerstone and foundation for all effective consequence systems
  • It provides student with comfort and limits
  • You remain in control of the environment
  • Establishes clear cut boundaries
  • Reduces students’ anxiety about remaining within the class and school rules
  • Increases student compliance and participation
  • Increases student responsibility and accountability
  • Reduces excuses
  • Increases class and school coherence
  • Improves the class and school atmosphere
  • Provides structure
  • Improves students’ ability to cope with accepting consequences
  • Causes students to think about their behavior and cause/effect more

When should I do it:

  • This should ALWAYS be used with consequences, rules, behavior systems, etc

How do I do it:

  • Always deliver consequences with a neutral and flat emotional state and tone, remaining calm and collected and avoiding matching the potentially escalated state of the student
  • Be brief, succinct, to the point, and avoid lecturing when giving consequences
  • Deliver the consequence, expectation, etc, and then walk away
  • Give a consequence for the behavior every time it happens and avoid partiality
  • Always give the same consequence or group of consequences for the same behaviors
  • Keep a visual list in the classroom of the consequences
  • Discuss the consequences with the students occasionally, ensuring they understand and know what the consequences are, why, and what for, having them give examples and repeat them back
  • Use simple language
  • Always make sure the student knows why and what they are getting the consequence for
  • Try pointing to the specific consequence on the visual list rather than lecturing students verbally
  • For younger students, make a visual consequence list with pictures rather than words, or a combination of pictures and words