The School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) is a research-based evaluation tool that measures the progress of schools in systematically implementing School-Wide PBIS. Minnesota requires participating schools to arrange for the completion of a SET annually during their first two years of implementation. SW-PBIS school teams use SET findings to assess features that are in place and determine their annual goals. Currently, schools implementing SW-PBIS in years three and beyond are strongly encouraged to continue arranging for annual SET evaluations in order to assure sustained implementation fidelity.
The Minnesota Department of Education has contracted with Rainbow Research to establish and support a statewide cadre of educators who serve as SET evaluators. Minnesota is using a peer-based approach to SET evaluation by asking each implementing school to identify one or more staff as SET evaluators. This will enable schools to arrange "even exchanges" for getting required SET evaluations completed each year. Rainbow Research is also recruiting a small number of educators who do not work in an implementing school to be "back-up" SET evaluators on a "contract basis" when an exchange arrangement cannot be made. Contract SET evaluators will receive $150 per SET completed + mileage reimbursement.
This is a great professional development opportunity for a PBIS coach or team leader, school principal, behavior coach, or school psychologist. Teachers also make ideal SET evaluators if they can arrange classroom coverage.
As a SET evaluator, you receive training on the critical features of school-wide effective behavior support that represent full implementation of this model and how to determine if these features are in place or not. Additionally, you get the chance to see how schools outside your district are implementing this model.
Potential SET evaluators must be able to participate in the following activities (teachers will need to arrange their own classroom coverage):
Contact Pat Seppanen at Rainbow Research (pseppanen@rainbowresearch.org or 612/824-0724, ext. 204) if you have any questions.
The SET involves a brief site visit to a school (3 hrs). All you set up in advance is the date, time to interview the principal (or person in charge of discipline), and the assembly of a few existing documents by a person at the school for you to review. Usually the evaluator does this advance set up by phone or email using contact information provided by Rainbow Research.
As part of the site visit, you complete a 20-minute interview with the principal (or person in charge of discipline) and then walk the school, informally observing and interviewing a few teachers (3 questions) and students (2 questions). You also talk briefly with the SW-PBIS team members (usually as part of the teacher interview).
The SET comes with a scoring guide that you use to tabulate and score the findings after the site visit. You then enter the scores into an online reporting system (called pbssurveys), make copies of graphic tables from this system to insert in a brief two-page evaluation report, and draft the report narrative (a sample will be provided to you). You then send the report to the school and to Rainbow Research as an email attachment.
You can view and obtain a copy of the School-wide Evaluation Tool at http://www.pbssurveys.org/resources/SET_v2.1.doc