Behavioral Assessment to improve School Environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Behavioral Assessment to improve School Environment

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The BASEproject, in response to the European requirement of reforming the whole scholastic disciplinary system, identifies in the proven US-born concept of the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) one possible solution, and tries to adapt its practical and evidence-based principles to the heterogeneous European school settings. The main targets of the project were mainly school leaders, teachers and all students including those coming from vulnerable groups. The aim of the BASE project was the introduction in the European context of the PBS, an innovative system to manage the scholastic environment, especially in face of individuals’ challenging behaviours. The PBS is rooted in the behavioural science and in the practice of Functional Behaviour Analysis (FBA). The idea underpinning the project was that only a preventive, proactive and multi-level approach, able to mobilise the entire educational ecosystem, starting from school leaders and teachers, until all actors of the community involved in the learning processes, can contribute to set up effective solutions. Another guiding principle in the designing the project was the attention toward practices with a sufficient level of evidence and a good theoretical basis. In the construction of the partnership, the systemic approach finds the most evident expression. To realize actions able to have a profound effect, a plurality of subjects, with different competencies and experiences, has been involved. One Research Centre and four Universities coming from 4 European countries (IT, PT, NL, IE) with diverse backgrounds: educational psychology, computer science, project management, ICT studies, and others. Three amongst associations, NGOs and Public Bodies from the UK, RO and TR, engaged in general and special needs education. 5 schools and scholastic districts, from different European countries (PT, RO, TR, NL, IT), in charge to involve and support local school leaders and teachers. This wide team, for a total of 13 entities and about 40 persons, has been essential to deploy the diverse actions laid down in the project:
• The development of the BASE application to support the implementation of the PBS system according to stringent theoretical and methodological constraints defined in the project.
• The construction of a repository for the data gathered at schools through the BASE application, documents about PBS, and a reasoned collection of multimedia contents on PBS strategies.
• The organization of a good practices collection to retrieve evidence and experiences about the application of PBS strategies at school in each country involved in the project.
• The definition of policy recommendations to provide policy makers with the foundation for the development of policies in national contexts heavily based on evidence.
• The implementation of evidence-based PBS dataset, where to put together data about the application of the PBS approach in the schools involved in the project. This dataset permits to consult and compare all the measures collected through the BASE system during the project lifetime.
The BASE project has a solid methodological foundation. In fact, it use the PBS approach as a transversal theme that links the results carried out in two successful European projects: the WHAAM project (531244-LLP-2012-IT-KA3MP LLP, KA3 Multilateral projects), and the PBS Europe project (509966-LLP-1-2010-NL-COMENIUS-CMP, KA Multilateral Projects).
From the first project, BASE inherits some methodological and technological solutions, designed to apply the FBA processes in real contexts. The application of the FBA is crucial for the development of positive behavioural interventions that are effective and efficient.
From the second project, BASE adopts the concept of “working smarter” for ensuring to all students – not just those with learning and behavioural difficulties – to have access to the most effective instructional and behavioural practices and interventions. The definition of an European expertise team, animated by the same principles and values, provides an opportunity to disseminate widely the PBS and FBA practices in other European of a European expertise team, animated by the same principles and values, provides an opportunity to disseminate widely the PBS and FBA practices in other European countries, and redesign carefully a multi-systemic school environment. This in according to the main principle at the basis of PBS, that is pursuing simultaneous changes: in the system (policies, structures, routines), in the environment, such as the aspects of the setting, in students’ and adults’ (parents, teachers, staff) behaviour, and in the appreciation of appropriate behaviours. These have been also the main impacts of the BASE project. Thanks to a series of multiplier events, organized in five different countries, it helped the construction of a community of practices engaged in doing experiences and sharing information, also beyond the project’s lifetime.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 404433,24 Eur

Project Coordinator

Fundatia de Abilitare Speranta & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Scoala Gimnaziala Nr. 30 Timisoara
• Prof. Dr. Gunningschool-VSO
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO
• Agrupamento de Escolas do Viso – Porto
• ADD INFORMATION SERVICES
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PALERMO
• Istituto Comprensivo Statale “Silvio Boccone”