Check-In / Check-Out 

Check-In / Check-Out (CICO)

Goal: Give a student daily, structured contact with a positive adult to decrease chronic, low-level behavior — especially behavior maintained by adult attention.

Who It's For

CICO supports:

• Students at Tier II, Tier III, or receiving special education behavior support

• Students whose behavior is maintained by attention, especially adult attention

• Students who thrive with a positive adult role model and consistent daily check-ins

Why It Works

CICO works because it builds structured, predictable adult contact into the student's day — at the start and end, when it matters most for setting expectations and closing the loop. For a student seeking attention, CICO channels that need into a positive, consistent relationship instead of behavior that pulls in negative attention.

What success looks like: the student checks in and out consistently, behavior expectations are clear at the start of the day, and feedback at the end of the day is specific and positive.

How to Implement It

1. Select an adult with a positive rapport or relationship with the student.

2. Meet with the student at the beginning and end of the school day.

3. Beginning of the day: review the Behavior Contract (if applicable), review the Social Story (if applicable), and review classroom/school rules.

4. End of the day: review the Behavior Contract (if applicable) and provide feedback.

Tips for Success

• Choose the adult carefully. The relationship is the mechanism — CICO works because the student wants that adult's attention.

• Keep both check-ins short and consistent. Five to ten minutes is typically enough.

• Make feedback specific and positive, especially at check-out — that's the reinforcement that makes CICO work.

• Fade gradually. As the student succeeds, reduce frequency of adult check-ins rather than stopping abruptly.

• Match the intervention to the function. CICO is most effective when attention (not escape or access) is the maintaining function — pair with Function of Behavior thinking before starting.

Helpful Tools

Student Goal-Setting Form

CICO Letter to Parents

CICO Contract

CICO Daily Check-in

What Does the Research Say?

• CICO is the most widely used Tier 2 behavior intervention in U.S. schools, and research consistently finds it effective at reducing office discipline referrals and increasing academic engagement for at-risk students.

• Research indicates CICO is most effective for students whose behavior is maintained by adult attention, rather than students whose behavior is maintained by peer attention or escape from academic tasks — reinforcing that function should guide whether CICO is the right fit.

• A review of implementation across multiple elementary schools found the core components of CICO could be delivered with fidelity by typical school staff, and that the program reduced office discipline referrals for participating students.

• Studies report roughly 60–75% of students identified for Tier 2 support respond positively to CICO as designed, making it well suited to serve a majority of students needing additional behavior support.