There is a new system for conduct; how does it work?

Joaquin Perez-Bahloul

The Kickboard system has recently come out; what is it and how does it work? Kickboard, as you may have heard, is being widely used by teachers and students. Kickboard, as explained by Dr. McKenzie, is “a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program…Kickboard [is] a way to reward students for the efforts they display throughout the school and an accountability system for behaviors that do not align with our UHS core values.” 

Essentially, teachers and staff observe students’ behavior and either grant or deduct Kickboard “dollars.” As stated by Dr. McKenzie, “Each month, a designated (KickBoard) dollar amount assessed by the school average grants students the ability to enjoy treats and fun at the KickIt party!”

 Previously, there has been “a pizza party and an ice/cream dessert bar!” 

One teacher who consistently uses Kickboard is high school Spanish teacher Seña. She grants Kickboard dollars at the end of each of her classes, but awards “larger dollar awards to students exceeding behavioral or academic expectations.” 

She deducts Kickboard dollars from students who are “ very off-task, tardy, and have their electronics in use.” 

She wants to “curb the most common misbehaviors by redirecting students and issuing a consequence that is visible on Kickboard.”

Seña believes that “Kickboard is a great way for students, parents, educators, and administrators to see real-time behavior tracking” that allows them to see “to see all of the positive moments students are having” and “unwanted behaviors in school.”

 Seña also thinks that Kickboard is helpful for improving or maintaining a student’s behavior as she believes that “it is important for student's hard work and everyday actions to be rewarded and noted to provide motivation for students who might not be meeting the target and to inspire them to change their actions.”

Seña does enjoy the Kickboard system, but believes that there should be a “different tier reward for how much a student has in their Kickboard wallet, so that the reward is not the same for someone with a much lower balance than their peer.” 

She also has the idea of students being able to “buy from a student store with their kickboard money by performing a transaction to deduct part of their balance in exchange for a snack or other small item of their choosing.” 

Hopefully, these changes will come to fruition.

Dr. McKenzie says that the installation of the Kickboard system was “a collective decision of our University High School administration team.” It was installed as it is “a streamlined source for teachers and students to be able to utilize”, and she hopes that “Kickboard continues to be used to showcase all the great things students do in classes and throughout the day.”

All in all, the Kickboard system is a behavioral support system in which students either gain or lose Kickboard dollars which can add up to earn a party at the end of each month. Teachers like Seña grant Kickboard dollars to students who either meet or exceed behavior expectations and believe that is it a good way to either change or maintain a student’s behavior. However, some changes regarding the benefits of accumulating a high amount of Kickboard dollars may be imminent. Only time will tell the future of Kickboard and what more is in store.