Check In Check Out (CICO)
Check In Check Out (CICO) is:
is a highly effective research based intervention and can be changed and adapted to suit any school or situation
The program consists of students daily checking in with an adult at the start of school to retrieve a goal sheet and encouragement, teachers provide feedback on the sheet throughout the day, students check out at the end of the day with an adult, and the student takes the sheet home at the end of the week to share with parents
Why should It be used?
Improves student accountability
Increases structure
Improves student behavior and academics when other interventions have failed
Provides feedback and adult support on a daily basis
Improves and establishes daily home/school communication and collaboration
Improves student organization, motivation, incentive, and reward
Helps students to self monitor and correct
Internalizes success and accomplishment of goals
Students get involved and excited about the program, enjoying the structure, support, and incentives of the intervention
Leads to maintenance free responsible behaviors, habits, and effort
When should it be used?
When a student has failed to respond to other interventions and general class management techniques and interventions
When a student is competing little to no work
When a student is not doing home work
When a student is not participating, being involved, or taking part in the learning process
When a student has emotional issues, like anxiety, frustration, etc
When kids have attention, focus, and impulsivity issues
When kids have very poor organization
When a student is exhibiting behavioral problems
When a student demonstrates low motivation and effort
How Do We Do it?
CICO has slight variations from program to program and school to school, but generalized and at its core, this is how to do CICO:
A student checks in with a specific adult at the start of the school day. The adult gives the student a point sheet that has the goals the student is working on. The adult speaks briefly with the student, reminding them what they need to focus on or any other things to help the student work towards their goals. The idea is to encourage the student and not say negative comments or blame.
The student goes through their day with the point sheet, working on their goals and having each teacher check how well they did on each goal on their sheet.
At the end of the day, the student checks out with the same adult they checked in with. The adult briefly talks with the student, asking them how they feel they did, what they did well on, and what they need to work on. The idea is to encourage the student and not make negative blaming statements.
The student may take a copy of their point sheet home to show and discuss with their parent.
The parent may sign and discuss the point sheet and what the student did well on and what they need to work on (the idea is for the parent encourage the student and not say negative or blaming comments).
The student returns the next morning, hands in their sheet, the adult along with the student enter their daily points into the point tracker, and the student receives a new sheet from their CICO adult, starting the process over.
The student and their team decide what the overall average point goal is for each week, like 80% of points each week. The weekly average point goals may be used along with a reward system where the student receives a reward at the end of the week for attaining their weekly average point level. Depending on the student, you may need to start rewards for reaching the point goal on a daily basis and work up to a week, so instead reaching 80% of their points for the week, they only need to reach 80% of their daily points for a reward.