Description:
Maximizing Structure is an evidence-based practice in which educators intentionally organize the physical environment, instructional routines, schedules, and classroom procedures to create predictable, consistent, and efficient learning environments. This practice includes clearly defined expectations, well-established routines, organized materials, and purposeful planning to minimize downtime and uncertainty for students. By increasing predictability and clarity, Maximizing Structure helps students understand what to expect and how to be successful throughout the school day.
Importance:
Maximizing Structure increases instructional time, improves student engagement, and reduces the likelihood of problem behavior. When environments are predictable and routines are consistently implemented, students are better able to focus on learning and participate successfully in classroom activities. Structured environments are especially beneficial for students who may experience difficulty with transitions, organization, attention, or self-regulation. Additionally, maximizing structure supports equitable access to learning by providing clear expectations and consistent supports for all students.
Critical Features:
- Predictable routines: Clear and consistent daily procedures and transitions.
- Organized physical environment: Materials, spaces, and instructional areas are intentionally arranged for efficiency and accessibility.
- Explicit expectations: Behavioral and academic expectations are clearly taught and reinforced.
- Efficient transitions: Procedures are in place to minimize downtime and confusion.
- Active engagement: Lessons are designed to keep students meaningfully involved in learning activities.
- Visual supports: Schedules, cues, and reminders are accessible and easy to understand.
- Consistency across staff and settings: Expectations and routines are implemented similarly throughout the school environment.
Implementation Tips:
- Establish and teach routines: Explicitly model, practice, and reinforce classroom procedures and expectations.
- Create visual supports: Use schedules, labels, charts, and cues to increase predictability and independence.
- Plan transitions carefully: Prepare materials in advance and use signals or prompts to support smooth movement between activities.
- Reduce unstructured downtime: Maintain a consistent pace and provide engaging tasks throughout lessons.
- Arrange the environment intentionally: Organize seating, materials, and traffic patterns to maximize accessibility and supervision.
- Use consistent language: Ensure staff use common terminology and expectations across settings.
- Monitor effectiveness: Collect feedback and use observation or behavior data to identify areas needing additional structure or support.
- Provide professional learning and coaching: Support staff in developing efficient classroom management and organizational practices.
Websites for Additional Information:
Description:
Expectations, Rules, and Routines are evidence-based classroom and schoolwide practices designed to create predictable, positive, and supportive learning environments for all students. Clearly defined behavioral expectations outline what students are expected to do across settings, while rules provide specific guidelines for behavior, and routines establish consistent procedures for daily activities and transitions. These practices are foundational components of effective classroom management and schoolwide positive behavior support systems.
Importance:
Clearly established expectations, rules, and routines help reduce ambiguity and increase student understanding of appropriate behavior across school settings. When students know what is expected and experience consistency from adults, they are more likely to engage positively in instruction and less likely to demonstrate problem behavior.
Research demonstrates that proactively teaching and reinforcing expectations improves classroom climate, increases instructional time, strengthens student engagement, and supports equitable outcomes for all learners. Predictable routines can be especially beneficial for students who require additional behavioral, social-emotional, or executive functioning supports, including students with disabilities.
Critical Features:
- Expectations are stated positively, clearly, and concisely (e.g., “Be Respectful,” “Be Responsible,” “Be Safe”).
- Rules and routines are developmentally appropriate and aligned across classrooms and school settings when possible.
- Expectations and routines are explicitly taught, modeled, practiced, and reviewed regularly.
- Visual supports and reminders are posted and accessible to students throughout the environment.
- Staff consistently reinforce expected behaviors using specific positive feedback and acknowledgement.
- Procedures for transitions, classroom activities, arrival/dismissal, and other common routines are clearly defined and practiced.
- Data and observation are used to identify areas where additional teaching or support may be needed.
- Families and caregivers are informed of schoolwide and classroom expectations to support consistency across environments.
Implementation Tips:
- Develop a small number of positively stated schoolwide expectations that can be applied across all settings.
- Collaboratively create classroom rules and routines that align with schoolwide expectations.
- Explicitly teach expectations and routines at the beginning of the school year and reteach them following breaks or when needed.
- Use modeling, role play, visuals, and practice opportunities to help students understand expectations.
- Provide frequent, behavior-specific praise and acknowledgement when students demonstrate expected behaviors.
- Pre-correct before transitions or potentially challenging activities by reminding students of expected behaviors in advance.
- Ensure consistency among staff in how expectations, rules, and routines are communicated and reinforced.
- Use visual schedules, cue cards, and structured routines to support students who benefit from additional predictability.
- Regularly review behavioral data and gather staff/student feedback to refine practices and improve implementation fidelity.
Websites for Additional Information:
Description:
Encouraging Appropriate Behavior is an evidence-based practice designed to increase positive student behaviors through intentional acknowledgment, reinforcement, and supportive adult interactions. This practice focuses on recognizing and reinforcing behaviors educators want to see more frequently, rather than relying primarily on corrective or punitive responses. Encouraging appropriate behavior helps create positive learning environments where students feel valued, supported, and motivated to engage successfully in academic and social activities.
Importance:
Research consistently demonstrates that students are more likely to repeat behaviors that receive positive attention and reinforcement. When educators intentionally acknowledge appropriate behavior, students develop a clearer understanding of expectations and experience increased motivation, confidence, and connection within the learning environment.
Encouraging appropriate behavior contributes to improved classroom climate, increased instructional time, reduced problem behavior, and stronger student-teacher relationships. These practices are especially beneficial for students who may need additional behavioral, social-emotional, or self-regulation supports, including students with disabilities and students who have experienced adversity or inconsistent reinforcement histories.
Critical Features:
- Positive behaviors are acknowledged consistently and intentionally across settings.
- Reinforcement is specific, meaningful, and directly connected to the expected behavior.
- Educators use behavior-specific praise that clearly identifies what the student did correctly.
- Reinforcement strategies are developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive.
- Encouragement occurs more frequently than corrective feedback.
- A variety of reinforcement methods are used, including verbal praise, privileges, activities, recognition systems, and natural reinforcers.
- Reinforcement is delivered immediately or soon after the desired behavior occurs whenever possible.
- Systems for encouraging appropriate behavior are implemented consistently by all staff.
- Student preferences and interests are considered when identifying effective reinforcers and motivators.
Implementation Tips:
- Establish clear behavioral expectations so students understand what appropriate behavior looks like.
- Use behavior-specific praise statements such as, “Thank you for raising your hand before speaking,” rather than general praise alone.
- Strive to maintain a higher ratio of positive interactions to corrective interactions throughout the school day.
- Reinforce small steps toward desired behavior, particularly when students are learning new skills or routines.
- Incorporate a variety of acknowledgment strategies to maintain student engagement and motivation.
- Use classroom or schoolwide acknowledgment systems that align with school expectations and goals.
- Pair verbal praise with visual supports, gestures, or tangible acknowledgments when appropriate.
- Provide reinforcement consistently across staff members and settings to increase predictability for students.
- Regularly review data and student feedback to determine whether reinforcement practices are effective and equitable.
- Collaborate with families to identify meaningful motivators and encourage consistency between school and home environments.
Websites for Additional Information:
Evidence-Based Strategies for Encouraging Appropriate Behavior
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Description
Active Supervision is an evidence-based practice in which educators intentionally and consistently monitor, interact with, and support students across all school settings to promote safe, predictable, and positive behavior. Rather than passively observing, staff actively engage in supervision by moving, scanning, and interacting with students.
This practice typically includes three core components:
- Moving: Continuously circulating throughout the setting to maintain proximity to students
- Scanning: Systematically observing all areas and students to identify appropriate behavior and potential concerns
- Interacting: Providing frequent, positive, and corrective feedback to reinforce expectations and redirect behavior as needed
Active Supervision is commonly implemented within frameworks such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), especially in less structured environments like hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, and arrival/dismissal times.
When implemented effectively, Active Supervision:
- Increases student engagement and appropriate behavior
- Reduces the likelihood of problem behavior and safety concerns
- Allows for early intervention before behaviors escalate
- Reinforces school-wide expectations in real time
Active Supervision emphasizes prevention through visibility, presence, and positive interaction, helping create environments where students are supported and expectations are consistently reinforced.
Importance
Active Supervision increases student engagement, reduces the likelihood of problem behavior, and improves overall school climate. When adults are visibly present and interacting positively, students are more likely to follow expectations and less likely to engage in unsafe or disruptive behaviors. This practice also allows educators to respond quickly to emerging issues, reinforce positive behavior in real time, and build stronger relationships with students. In addition, Active Supervision supports equity by ensuring all students receive consistent attention and support across settings.
Critical Features
- Movement: Staff continuously move throughout the environment, avoiding prolonged stationary positions.
- Scanning: Educators visually sweep the entire area frequently to monitor all students.
- Interaction: Staff engage in frequent, positive, and brief interactions with students (e.g., greetings, behavior-specific praise, reminders of expectations).
- Proximity: Adults position themselves strategically near areas where supervision is most needed.
- Pre-correction: Staff proactively remind students of expectations before transitions or high-risk situations.
- Consistency: All staff implement Active Supervision practices across settings and times of day.
Implementation Tips
- Define and teach expectations: Clearly outline what Active Supervision looks like in various settings and explicitly train staff on the practice.
- Model and practice: Provide opportunities for staff to observe, role-play, and receive feedback on movement, scanning, and interactions.
- Use data to guide supervision: Identify “hot spots” (times/locations with higher rates of problem behavior) and assign staff strategically.
- Provide ongoing coaching and feedback: Use walkthroughs or checklists to support fidelity and continuous improvement.
- Ensure adequate coverage: Develop schedules that allow staff to actively supervise without competing responsibilities.
- Reinforce implementation: Acknowledge and celebrate staff who consistently demonstrate effective Active Supervision.
- Engage all staff: Include teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and support staff to ensure consistency across environments.
Websites for Additional Information
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Description
Active Engagement is an evidence-based instructional practice that intentionally increases students’ meaningful participation during learning activities. Rather than passively receiving information, students are actively involved through opportunities to respond, discuss, write, solve problems, collaborate, and interact with instructional content. Active Engagement strategies can be used across grade levels, content areas, and instructional settings to promote attention, participation, and learning outcomes for all students.
Importance
Active Engagement is important because students learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process. Research demonstrates that increasing student engagement leads to improved academic performance, higher rates of on-task behavior, increased retention of information, and reduced disruptive behavior. When students are consistently engaged, they are more likely to remain attentive, participate appropriately, and develop deeper understanding of instructional content.
Active Engagement also promotes equitable access to learning opportunities by ensuring all students have frequent chances to respond and participate. For students who may struggle academically, behaviorally, or socially, structured engagement strategies provide additional support and increase opportunities for success. Creating engaging and interactive learning environments can also strengthen student confidence, motivation, and sense of belonging within the classroom community.
Critical Features
- Frequent Opportunities to Respond: Educators provide students with multiple opportunities to actively participate during instruction.
- Varied Engagement Strategies: Instruction includes a range of activities such as discussion, partner work, response cards, technology-based responses, writing tasks, and hands-on learning.
- High Rates of Student Participation: All students are encouraged and expected to engage regularly throughout instruction.
- Clear Expectations and Routines: Educators establish predictable structures that support active participation and smooth transitions.
- Immediate Feedback: Students receive timely academic and behavioral feedback to reinforce learning and engagement.
- Appropriate Instructional Pacing: Lessons are designed to maintain student attention and minimize downtime.
- Differentiation and Accessibility: Engagement opportunities are adapted to meet the diverse academic, communication, behavioral, and sensory needs of students.
Implementation Tips
- Provide professional learning opportunities focused on evidence-based engagement strategies.
- Encourage the use of instructional practices that maximize student participation across classrooms and grade levels.
- Incorporate Active Engagement into schoolwide instructional frameworks and coaching systems.
- Support collaborative planning among educators to design engaging, student-centered instruction.
- Use classroom observation and student outcome data to monitor engagement practices and identify areas for support.
- Promote inclusive instructional practices that ensure all students have meaningful opportunities to participate.
- Plan lessons that include frequent opportunities for all students to respond and interact.
- Use a variety of engagement strategies such as think-pair-share, choral responding, guided discussion, movement activities, and collaborative learning tasks.
- Actively monitor student participation and adjust instruction to maintain engagement.
- Provide clear directions, models, and expectations for participation.
- Deliver frequent positive feedback and acknowledgment for student effort and participation.
- Differentiate instructional materials and response options to support diverse learner needs.
- Minimize passive instructional time and increase opportunities for active learning throughout the lesson.
Websites for Additional Information
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Description
Opportunities to Respond (OTR) is an evidence-based instructional practice in which educators intentionally provide frequent chances for students to actively engage by responding to prompts, questions, or tasks during instruction. These responses can be verbal (e.g., answering questions, choral responding), written (e.g., whiteboards, exit tickets), or physical (e.g., signaling, movement-based responses).
OTR shifts instruction from passive listening to active participation, ensuring that all students have regular, structured opportunities to demonstrate understanding and practice skills. Rather than calling on a few volunteers, teachers use strategies that prompt responses from many or all students throughout a lesson.
This practice is commonly used within frameworks such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) because it supports both academic learning and positive behavior. Increasing OTR has been shown to:
- Improve student engagement and on-task behavior.
- Increase academic responding and accuracy.
- Reduce disruptive behavior.
- Provide immediate feedback to guide instruction.
Effective use of OTR includes planning questions and prompts in advance, using varied response formats, ensuring a high rate of participation across all students, and providing timely feedback.
Opportunities to Respond is a simple yet powerful strategy that helps create interactive, inclusive classrooms where students are consistently engaged in the learning process.
Importance
Opportunities to Respond increases student engagement, improves academic outcomes, and reduces off-task or disruptive behavior. When students are given frequent chances to respond, they are more likely to stay focused, practice new skills, and receive immediate feedback. OTR also allows educators to quickly assess understanding and adjust instruction in real time. Additionally, this practice promotes equitable participation by ensuring all students have access to responding, rather than relying on a small number of volunteers.
Critical Features
- High frequency: Multiple opportunities for students to respond are embedded throughout instruction.
- Inclusive participation: Strategies are used to engage all students simultaneously or systematically.
- Varied response modes: Responses can be verbal, written, or physical to meet diverse learner needs.
- Clear prompts: Questions or directions are explicit and aligned with instructional goals.
- Pacing: Opportunities are delivered at an appropriate pace to maintain engagement without overwhelming students.
- Immediate feedback: Educators provide timely acknowledgment or correction following responses.
Implementation Tips
- Plan for OTR: Intentionally design lessons with embedded response opportunities every few minutes.
- Use a variety of strategies: Incorporate think-pair-share, choral responding, response cards, whiteboards, polling, or technology tools.
- Ensure all-student participation: Avoid relying solely on hand-raising; use strategies that engage every learner.
- Teach routines: Model and practice how students should respond during different OTR formats.
- Monitor and adjust: Use student responses to gauge understanding and adapt instruction as needed.
- Balance difficulty: Include a mix of review and new content to maintain confidence and challenge.
- Pair with positive feedback: Reinforce correct responses with behavior-specific praise to strengthen learning.
- Support diverse learners: Provide scaffolds such as sentence starters, visual supports, or partner responses when needed.
Websites for Additional Information
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Description
Behavior-Specific Praise (BSP) is an evidence-based practice in which educators provide explicit, positive feedback that clearly identifies the specific behavior a student demonstrated. Instead of general praise (e.g., “Good job”), BSP names the exact action being reinforced (e.g., “Great job raising your hand before speaking”).
This practice helps students understand precisely what they did well, making it more likely that the behavior will be repeated. By directly linking praise to observable behaviors, educators strengthen desired skills and clarify expectations for all learners.
Behavior-Specific Praise is commonly used within frameworks such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). It supports both individual student growth and a positive classroom climate by:
- Increasing appropriate and expected behaviors.
- Improving student engagement and motivation.
- Reducing the need for corrective or disciplinary responses.
- Reinforcing clearly defined classroom expectations.
Effective BSP is immediate, specific, and contingent on the behavior. It is delivered in a sincere and age-appropriate manner and aligned with classroom or school-wide expectations (e.g., being respectful, responsible, or safe).
Behavior-Specific Praise is a foundational strategy for building positive relationships and promoting a supportive, predictable learning environment where students know what success looks like.
Importance
Behavior-Specific Praise is a powerful strategy for increasing appropriate behaviors, improving student engagement, and reducing the need for corrective or disciplinary responses. When students receive clear, positive feedback, they are more likely to repeat desired behaviors and feel recognized for their efforts. BSP also contributes to stronger student–teacher relationships and helps create a predictable, encouraging learning environment. Additionally, it supports equitable practices by ensuring all students receive intentional and meaningful acknowledgment.
Critical Features
- Specificity: Clearly describes the exact behavior being recognized.
- Contingency: Delivered immediately following the desired behavior.
- Sincerity: Communicated in an authentic and age-appropriate manner.
- Frequency: Provided consistently and often, especially when teaching new expectations.
- Focus on effort and behavior: Highlights what the student did, not personal traits.
- Alignment with expectations: Directly connects to established classroom or schoolwide expectations.
Implementation Tips
- Teach and model BSP: Provide staff with examples and non-examples to build fluency in delivering specific praise.
- Use a ratio goal: Aim for a higher rate of positive to corrective feedback (e.g., 4:1).
- Plan for it: Identify key behaviors to reinforce during lessons, transitions, and routines.
- Make it visible and audible: Ensure praise is delivered in a way that students can hear and connect to expectations.
- Differentiate delivery: Adjust language and tone based on student age, preference, and cultural responsiveness.
- Incorporate across settings: Use BSP in classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, and during extracurricular activities.
- Monitor and reflect: Use self-assessment or peer feedback to improve consistency and effectiveness.
- Pair with other practices: Integrate BSP with systems such as acknowledgment programs or schoolwide expectations.
Websites for Additional Information
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Description
Instructional Choice is an evidence-based practice in which educators intentionally provide students with meaningful options within instructional activities to increase engagement, motivation, and appropriate behavior. Rather than directing all aspects of a task, teachers offer structured choices that allow students to have a sense of control while still meeting learning objectives.
Choices may include options related to materials (e.g., pencil or marker), tasks (e.g., which problem to complete first), formats (e.g., write, draw, or verbally respond), partners, or the order in which activities are completed. These choices are carefully designed to be acceptable to the teacher and aligned with instructional goals.
Instructional Choice is commonly used within frameworks such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). When implemented effectively, it:
- Increases student engagement and participation.
- Reduces avoidance and problem behavior.
- Promotes independence and decision-making skills.
- Supports a positive and responsive classroom environment.
Effective Instructional Choice involves offering a limited number of clear, appropriate options, teaching students how to make choices, and reinforcing engagement with the selected option.
Instructional Choice is a proactive strategy that empowers students while maintaining instructional structure, helping create classrooms where students are more motivated and invested in their learning.
Importance
Instructional Choice enhances student motivation, engagement, and ownership of learning. When students are given opportunities to make decisions, they are more likely to participate actively and persist in tasks. This practice can also reduce problem behavior by increasing predictability and giving students a sense of control, particularly during challenging or non-preferred activities. Additionally, Instructional Choice supports inclusive practices by allowing educators to respond to diverse learning needs, preferences, and cultural backgrounds.
Critical Features
- Meaningful options: Choices are purposeful, relevant, and aligned with instructional objectives.
- Structured flexibility: Options are pre-determined by the educator to ensure all choices are appropriate and manageable.
- Clarity: Students understand the available options and how to make a selection.
- Consistency: Opportunities for choice are embedded regularly across routines and lessons.
- Respect for student preferences: Choices reflect student interests, strengths, and needs.
- Balanced control: Educators maintain instructional integrity while sharing decision-making with students.
Implementation Tips
- Start small: Introduce simple choices (e.g., “Which problem would you like to complete first?”) and expand over time.
- Plan ahead: Identify where choices can be embedded within lessons, transitions, and routines.
- Teach choice-making skills: Model and practice how to make decisions, especially for students who may need additional support.
- Use visuals or supports: Provide choice boards, menus, or schedules to make options clear and accessible.
- Offer limited options: Present 2–4 choices to avoid overwhelming students.
- Ensure all options are acceptable: Design choices so that any selection leads to desired outcomes.
- Monitor effectiveness: Observe how choice impacts engagement and behavior, and adjust as needed.
- Collaborate with families and teams: Incorporate student preferences and cultural considerations into choice opportunities.
Websites for Additional Information
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Description
Precorrection is an evidence-based practice in which educators proactively prompt and remind students of expected behaviors before those behaviors are required. By clearly stating and modeling expectations in advance—especially in situations where errors are likely—teachers increase the likelihood that students will engage in appropriate behavior.
This strategy focuses on prevention rather than reaction. Instead of waiting for misbehavior to occur, educators anticipate challenging situations (e.g., transitions, group work, hallway movement) and provide timely cues, reminders, or brief practice opportunities to set students up for success.
Precorrection is commonly used within frameworks such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). It supports consistent expectations across settings and helps reduce the need for corrective responses. When used effectively, precorrection:
- Increases the likelihood of appropriate behavior.
- Reduces errors and problem behavior.
- Supports smoother transitions and routines.
- Reinforces clarity and predictability for all students.
Effective precorrection is brief, specific, and delivered immediately before the expected behavior. It often includes stating the expectation, modeling or prompting the behavior, and following up with positive feedback (such as behavior-specific praise) when students respond appropriately.
Precorrection is a simple, proactive strategy that helps create structured, supportive learning environments where students are prepared to meet expectations.
Importance
Precorrection reduces the likelihood of problem behavior by addressing expectations before errors occur. When students know what is expected and are reminded at key moments, they are more likely to engage in appropriate behavior and less likely to require corrective responses. This proactive approach increases instructional time, supports smoother transitions, and contributes to a positive classroom climate. Additionally, Precorrection promotes consistency and equity by ensuring all students receive clear, timely guidance.
Critical Features
- Proactive timing: Delivered before situations where problem behavior is likely.
- Clear expectations: Specific, concise statements of the desired behavior.
- Contextual relevance: Targets routines, transitions, or settings known to be challenging.
- Brief and focused: Quick reminders that are easy for students to understand and follow.
- Positive framing: Emphasizes what to do rather than what not to do.
- Follow-through: Paired with active supervision and reinforcement of expected behavior.
Implementation Tips
- Identify high-risk situations: Use data and observation to determine when and where precorrection is most needed (e.g., hallway transitions, group work).
- Plan ahead: Build precorrection into lesson plans, routines, and transition points.
- Model expected behavior: Demonstrate what the expectation looks like when appropriate.
- Use consistent language: Align reminders with schoolwide or classroom expectations.
- Keep it brief: Deliver quick, clear prompts that do not interrupt instructional flow.
- Reinforce success: Follow precorrection with behavior-specific praise when students meet expectations.
- Practice with students: Teach and rehearse expectations regularly to build fluency.
- Collaborate across staff: Ensure all adults use precorrection consistently across settings.
Student Interaction Part 1: Reinforcing
Student Interaction Part 2: Reminding
Student Interaction Part 3: Redirecting
Websites for Additional Information
Description:
Responding to Challenging Behavior is an evidence-based practice focused on using proactive, instructional, and supportive strategies to address behaviors that interfere with student learning, social relationships, or participation in school activities. Effective responses to challenging behavior emphasize maintaining student dignity, promoting safety, teaching replacement skills, and reducing the likelihood that challenging behaviors will continue or escalate. Rather than relying solely on punitive or exclusionary practices, educators use consistent, data-informed approaches to support positive behavioral change and strengthen student success.
Importance:
Challenging behavior can disrupt instruction, impact school climate, and interfere with academic and social-emotional growth for both individual students and their peers. Research demonstrates that punitive and reactive approaches alone are often ineffective in producing long-term behavioral change and may contribute to increased disengagement, exclusion, or escalation.
Effective responses to challenging behavior help educators address concerns in a calm, consistent, and instructional manner while preserving positive relationships with students. These practices increase opportunities for teaching appropriate replacement behaviors, improving self-regulation, and promoting equitable outcomes for all learners. Supportive behavioral responses are especially important for students who may experience difficulties related to disability, trauma, communication, emotional regulation, or environmental stressors.
Critical Features:
- Responses to behavior are calm, respectful, consistent, and focused on instruction rather than punishment.
- Staff use de-escalation and prevention strategies to reduce the likelihood of escalation.
- Replacement behaviors and self-regulation skills are explicitly taught and reinforced.
- Behavioral responses are aligned with clearly defined expectations and schoolwide procedures.
- Consequences are logical, instructional, and connected to the behavior when appropriate.
- Staff consider the function or purpose of behavior when selecting interventions and supports.
- Positive relationships and student dignity are maintained throughout behavioral interactions.
- Data are used to identify patterns, triggers, and effective intervention strategies.
- Families and support teams are included in collaborative problem-solving and intervention planning when needed.
Implementation Tips:
- Establish and consistently teach clear behavioral expectations and routines across settings.
- Respond to challenging behavior promptly, calmly, and privately whenever possible.
- Use neutral and concise language to redirect behavior and avoid power struggles or public reprimands.
- Reinforce appropriate replacement behaviors more frequently than correcting inappropriate behaviors.
- Incorporate de-escalation strategies such as offering choices, reducing demands temporarily, providing wait time, or using calming supports.
- Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) when challenging behavior is persistent or significantly interferes with learning.
- Develop individualized behavior support plans that include prevention strategies, replacement skills, reinforcement systems, and response procedures.
- Ensure staff receive training and coaching in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-based behavioral practices.
- Review behavioral data regularly to evaluate intervention effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
- Collaborate with families to maintain consistency and develop supportive strategies across school and home environments.
Websites for Additional Information: