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Is it right for us?

Why the TFI 3.0 was developed, and what we have learned about PBIS fidelity

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What is TFI 3.0?

Exploration Event

Thank you to Karen Robbie & Nicole Peterson (UConn) for Sharing Visuals and Content Development!

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UPDATED 11/10/25

www.midwestpbis.org

@midwestpbis

In partnership with

All youth achieve

social - emotional - behavioral

and academic success.

Our Vision

Collaborate with adults to create a safe, equitable, consistent, and positive learning environment for all youth.

Our Mission

The Midwest PBIS Network (MWPBIS) is a national research, grant, and direct-funded, nonprofit organization located in Illinois.

Our primary charge is to function as a hub of the Center on PBIS, a national technical assistance partnership funded from the U.S. Department of Education.

About Midwest PBIS Network

The Center's model of capacity building emphasizes a cascade of implementation to assist state departments of education in the installation, fidelity, outcomes, and sustainability of PBIS. We encourage you to also access local technical assistance from your state and region

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Objectives

Increase awareness and understanding of newly revised Tiered Fidelity Inventory 3.0

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Understand how the TFI 3.0 identifies priorities for continuous improvement

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Identify relevant resources to support strengthening of implementation efforts

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Let’s Get Connected

  1. Where are you located?
  2. What level of support do you provide?
  3. What is your experience with the TFI 3.0?
  4. What questions might you be having?

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Just as districts and schools engage in a continuous improvement cycle, so does the Center on PBIS. We revised the TFI 3.0 to more accurately align with center guidance on supporting classroom implementation, promoting family and student voice, integrating mental health and wellness, connecting crisis and emergency planning to schoolwide supports, and prioritizing equity.

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Key Areas Highlighted in the TFI 3.0

Classroom

Mental Health

Crisis Response

Voice

Offering better alignment with current guidance through the National Center on PBIS

EQUITY

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Can you Spot 5 Differences?

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TFI 2.1

TFI 3.0

What is Different?

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See all Tiers: https://support.pbisapps.org/support/solutions/articles/151000209970-item-crosswalk-of-tfi-2-1-and-tfi-3-0-items

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Item Crosswalk – Tier 1

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TFI 2.1 Tier 1

TFI 3.0 Tier 1

1.1 Team Composition

1.1 Team Composition

1.2 Team Operating Procedures

1.2 Team Operating Procedures

1.3 Behavioral Expectations

1.3 Schoolwide Expectations

1.4 Teaching Expectations

1.4 Schoolwide Expectations Taught

1.5 Problem Behavior Definitions

1.6 Contextually Inappropriate Behavior Definitions

1.6 Discipline Policies

1.7 Responses to Contextually Inappropriate Behavior

1.8 Crisis and Emergency Response Plan Linked to Schoolwide Supports

1.7 Professional Development

1.12 Schoolwide Professional Development and Coaching

1.13 Classroom Professional Development and Coaching

1.8 Classroom Procedures

1.9 Schoolwide Practices used in Classrooms

1.10 Classroom Practices

 

1.11 Established Priority

1.9 Feedback and Acknowledgement

1.5 Schoolwide Acknowledgement

1.10 Faculty Involvement

1.14 Faculty and Staff Engagement

1.11 Student/Family/Community Involvement

1.15 Student Engagement

1.16 Family and Community Engagement

1.12 Discipline Data

1.17 Decision making with Behavior Data

1.13 Data-based Decision Making

1.18 Using School and Community Data to inform Tier 1

1.14 Fidelity Data

1.19 Decision Making with Fidelity Data

1.15 Annual Evaluation

1.20 Evaluation Plan

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Item Crosswalk – Tier 2

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TFI 2.1 Tier 2

TFI 3.0 Tier 2

2.1 Team Composition

2.1 Team Composition

2.2 Team Operating Procedures

2.2 Team Operating Procedures

2.3 Screening

2.3 Screening

2.4 Request for Assistance

2.4 Request for Assistance

2.5 Options for Tier 2 Interventions

2.5 Options for Tier 2 Interventions

2.6 Tier 2 Critical Features

2.7 Practices Matched to Student Need

2.6 Decision Rules for Assigning and Exiting Students for Intervention

2.8 Access to Tier 1 Supports

2.7 Access to Tier 1 Supports

2.9 Professional Development

2.8 Orientation and Training

2.10 Level of Use

2.9 Level of Use

2.11 Student Performance Data

2.13 Decision Making with Student Performance Data

2.12 Fidelity Data

2.14 Decision Making with Fidelity Data

2.13 Annual Evaluation

2.15 Evaluation plan

 

2.10 Student Engagement

 

2.11 Family and Community Engagement

 

2.12 Faculty and Staff Engagement

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Items Crosswalk – Tier 3

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TFI 2.1 Tier 3

TFI 3.0 Tier 3

3.1 Team Composition

3.1 Team Composition

3.2 Team Operating Procedures

3.2 Team Operating Procedures

3.3 Screening

3.3 Screening

3.4 Student Support Team

3.15 Individual Support Team

3.16 Individual Assessment Plans

3.17 Individual Support Plans

3.18 Individual Support Plan Orientation and Training

3.5 Staffing

3.9 Staffing

3.6 Student Family Community Involvement

3.10 Student Engagement

3.11 Family and Community Engagement

3.12 Faculty and Staff Engagement

3.7 Professional Development

3.7 Leadership Team Professional Development and Coaching

3.8 Quality of Life Indicators

3.4 Comprehensive Assessment Protocol

3.9 Academic Social and Physical Indicators

3.10 Hypothesis Statement

3.11 Comprehensive Support

3.5 Individual Support Plan Protocol

3.12 Formal and Natural Supports

3.13 Access to Tier 1 and Tier 2 Supports

3.6 Access to Tier 1 and Tier 2 Supports

3.14 Data System

3.13 Decision Making with Aggregated Student Performance Data and Fidelity Data

3.15 Data-based Decision Making

3.19 Individualized Data-Based Decision Making

3.16 Level of Use

3.8 Level of Use

3.17 Annual Evaluation

3.14 Evaluation Plan

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HOW HAS SCORING CHANGED?

TFI 3.0 = 5-point scale (0-4)

TFI 2.1 = 3-point scale (0-2)

Your points total may be similar to the 2.1 however your % implementation will likely drop!

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HOW HAS TIER 1 FIDELITY % CHANGED?

TFI 3. 0 Tier 1 Fidelity based on reaching 50% of possible points

TFI 2.1 Tier 1 Fidelity = 70%

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  • What interests you so far about the TFI 3.0?
  • What are you still wondering about?

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Administration Process

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TFI Administration Process

  • Completed by a school’s Leadership Team or Systems Planning Team
  • Team comes to consensus for each score
  • Completion with an External Coach recommended
  • More frequent administration for early implementers
  • Can be completed with paper/pencil or on PBISApps.org
  • There is no cost to complete the TFI

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Glossary and Acronym Key

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TFI Walkthrough Procedures

    • provides a snapshot of schoolwide implementation
    • informs team scoring of key fidelity items on the TFI rubric
    • may identify implementation areas for teams to explore more in-depth.

Why?

    • before completing the TFI
    • takes about 20-30 minutes

When?

    • during formal, annual assessment, an individual who is external to the school (e.g., external coach, coordinator) conducts the walkthrough
    • when used as a progress monitoring tool, an individual from the school team completes it

Who?

    • 1.3 Schoolwide Expectations
    • 1.4 Schoolwide Expectations Taught
    • 1.5 Schoolwide Acknowledgement
    • 1.6 Contextually Inappropriate Behavior Definitions
    • 1.9 Schoolwide Practices used in Classrooms
    • 1.11 Established Priority

Relevant TFI Features

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TFI Walkthrough Procedures

Interview at least 10% of staff or at least 5 staff members for smaller schools

TFI Item

Question

1.3

What are the schoolwide expectations or values ?

1.4

Have you taught the behavioral expectations defined in the schoolwide matrix this year?

1.9

If staff person is a classroom teacher:

  • Have you also defined and taught these behavioral expectations for each of your classroom routines (Classroom Matrix)?
  • Have you integrated the schoolwide expectations into your academic and social emotional behavioral (SEB) curriculum
    • If yes, can you give an example of one way you have done this?

1.5

Have you acknowledged students for demonstrating behaviors or skills reflected on the schoolwide matrix within the last week?

1.6

Do you know the schoolwide procedures for handling contextually inappropriate behavior, including what behaviors are office supported vs. teacher/staff supported?

1.7

Are the established procedures for responding to contextually inappropriate behavior used consistently across the school?

1.11

Does PBIS implementation support school improvement goals

Staff Questions

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TFI Walkthrough Procedures

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TFI Walkthrough Procedures

Interview a minimum of 10 students

TFI Item

Question

1.4

What are the schoolwide expectations or values ?

1.4

Can you give an example of ________(school expectation) in the _______ (current setting or routine)?

1.5

Have you been acknowledged (or earned ______) for demonstrating the schoolwide expectations or values in the last 2 weeks?

1.5

Are you acknowledged or rewarded in ways that you like (elementary) or are meaningful to you (secondary

Student Questions

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TFI Walkthrough Procedures

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Classroom Data Summary Procedures

Review data from a representative sample of most (>60%) of classrooms collected at multiple time points

Used to answer Item 1.10 Classroom Procedures

    • teacher self-monitoring
    • peer observations
    • coaches or mentor teachers
    • administrators
    • paper-and-pencil
    • Be+ App
    • brief rating scale

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Classroom Data Summary Procedures

  • counts of identified skills
    • greetings
    • prompts,
    • OTRs
    • specific praise
    • supportive corrections
  • observations or rating scales that consider quality or effectiveness of implementation to supplement counts of skills

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1.4 Teaching Expectations

0

1

2

3

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Schoolwide expectations are not taught.

 

Schoolwide expectations are taught informally or inconsistently.

A written process for scheduled delivery of lesson plans is used to directly teach, practice, actively supervise, and prompt academic/SEB competencies and routines as defined in the schoolwide teaching matrix across all settings, and at least 80% of students can list at least 100% of the expectations and give an example of at least one expectation within a particular setting or routine.

A written process for scheduled delivery of lesson plans is used to directly teach, practice, actively supervise and prompt, academic/SEB competencies and routines as defined in the schoolwide teaching matrix across all settings, at least 80% of students can list at least all of the expectations and give an example of at least one expectation within a particular setting or routine, and at least 50% of educators can give an example of how schoolwide expectations are monitored, prompted, reviewed, or reinforced within SEB or academic instruction.

A written process for scheduled delivery of lesson plans is used to directly teach, practice, actively supervise and prompt, academic/SEB competencies and routines as defined in the schoolwide teaching matrix across all settings, at least 80% of students can list all of the expectations and give an example of at least one expectation within a particular setting or routine, and at least 80% of educators can give an example of how schoolwide expectations are monitored, prompted, reviewed, or reinforced within SEB or academic instruction.

Reflective questions to focus the conversation:

  • Are regularly scheduled times identified for teaching expectations at least once per school year?
  • Is there a documented teaching schedule?
  • Are the behavioral expectations taught to all students across all school settings (e.g., cafeteria, hallways, classrooms, etc.)?
  • Are students fluent in the schoolwide expectations?
  • Are the adults fluent in the system for teaching, promoting, and reinforcing schoolwide expectations?

Example of walkthrough data embedded into scoring criteria

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  • How might you prepare for administration of TFI 3.0?
  • What questions might you have about preparing for administration?

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PBIS Assessment

Data Entry & Reporting

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PBIS Assessments – Data Entry

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PBIS Assessment Reports

Available Reports

  • Total
  • Scale (by tier)
  • Subscale (by tier and domain)
  • Items

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Points vs Percentage

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Subscale Report�Team, Practices, Systems, Data

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Next Steps

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Both Versions Remain Available

  • Using the TFI 3.0 may require states, regions, and districts to update training and coaching materials.

  • Both versions will remain available on PBISApps for the time being
    • Center on PBIS will provide at least 12 months before converting TFI 2.1 to read-only status

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What about this school year?

  • Teams are encouraged to select the measure most aligned with the training and coaching currently available to you.

  • More support materials will be available in the 2025-26 school year

  • If you are in an active research project, please consult with a member of the research team.

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Statewide Recognition & the TFI

Illinois schools

- For the 2025-2026 school year, Midwest PBIS Network will continue to accept either TFI 2.1 or 3.0 for recognition purposes. Check our website after the New Year for all details!

Other states need to connect with your local networks for guidance.

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Resources for TFI 3.0

https://www.pbisapps.org/products/tfi

    • TFI 3.0 Tier 1: Preparing for Administration and Scoring Items
    • TFI 3.0 Tier 2: Preparing for Administration and Scoring Items
    • TFI 3.0 Tier 3: Preparing for Administration and Scoring Items

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Questions & Support

evaluation@midwestpbis.org

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