Behaviors

Observable

When describing a behavior, describe in terms of what it looks like. Saying a child is “not following directions” or “being disruptive” gives only part of the story. What does it look like? If the student is not following directions, what is happening instead?

Measureable: Frequency, Duration, and Intensity

How often does the behavior happen, how long does it last, and how severe is it? Different behaviors lend themselves to different measurements. You can’t be severely off task. For this, we would measure the duration.

Disruptive or Annoying?

One person’s annoyance is another person’s disruption. If it’s bothering you more than the students, perhaps it is more of an annoyance. Not that we can’t work on that as well, but it’s important to keep it in perspective.

Limit your focus

The more severe a student’s overall behavior is, the more important it is to target just one or two of the most disruptive or unsafe behaviors.

The ABCD of setting behavioral goals

Goals should be Achievable, Believable, Concrete, and Desirable.

• Achievable and believable: Celebrate small increments of improvement! Don’t expect to go from 50% of time on task to 95% overnight. 

• Concrete: Use frequency, duration, and intensity data to set a specific, quantifiable goal. 

• Desirable: Prioritize behavior goals, starting with those that are unsafe. If possible, encourage student involvement. Many students are well aware and want to change.