Chapter Five MONITORING STUDENT

OBJECTIVES Select alternative ways to measure targeted behaviors that take into consideration the characteristics of the behavior, the setting, constraints on data collection, and the person collecting the data. Explain and illustrate the following measurement strategies so that a parent or paraprofessional could use them: permanent product recording, event recording, trials-to-criterion recording, duration and response latency recording, interval recording, and time sampling. Design an appropriate recording strategy for two or more target behaviors or for monitoring multiple students who are exhibiting similar behaviors. Given event or interval data collected simultaneously by two observers, select the appropriate formula for calculating inter-observer agreement and calculate inter-observer agreement correctly.

Strategies for Recording Student Behavior Description Example How to’s Pro’s Con’s Troubleshooting

Anecdotal Records Diary Records Notes A description of everything!

Anecdotal Record: Examples: teacher’s notes consultant records medical charts

How To’s Select time sequence Select student Don’t select behaviors Use adverbs, adjectives, action verbs Bracket [] around interpretations.

A-B-C Record also called A-R-C Record

Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence Record Antecedent-Response-Consequence Record

A-B-C Record A form with three columns

How To’s Draw the form. Have a timepiece. Select one student. Begin with the first behavior of this student. Enter this under response. Go from there, entering consequent event. Continue for a few minutes.

Pro’s Helps analyze behaviors. Helps sort out who did what to whom. Easier than anecdotal. Establishes patterns of behaviors. Helps predict behaviors.

Con’s Can’t be done while teaching. Doesn’t produce a quantifiable result. Hard to retrieve the data later.

Troubleshooting Tips: Don’t try to record everything or everyone! Think of it as superimposing the columns over the situation you observe. Practice!

Event Record Also called: Frequency Recording Event Recording Frequency Tally

Event Recording A notation is made every time a student engages in a behavior. Examples: Number of fights Use of curse words Number of problems completed

How To’s 1. Select a discrete behavior (with an obvious beginning and ending). 2. Get a checklist, wrist counter, hand counter, penny-transfer, pennies, paperclips and a timepiece. 3. When you develop the form, put high frequency items at the top.

Pro’s fairly simple parents can easily understand it often a part of the routine

Con’s cannot be used with non-discrete behaviors may not be suitable for behaviors that vary in length of time

Troubleshooting Avoid very high rate behaviors. Don’t use for very long-lasting behaviors. If a controlled presentation, use %. Hold time constant.

Rate Measures a type of event record

Rate Measure: Definition frequency of occurrence within a certain time the number of responses divided by the time

Rate Measure: Examples academic data how many problems, words, per minute

How To’s: Same way you do an event record Possibly a probe: “Start now...stop now.” Almost always in minutes.

Pro’s very sensitive to small increments of change when level of performance, fluency are required

Con’s does take time may be hard to explain some are overwhelmed by 6-cycle paper!

Troubleshooting Tips If lengths of time are quite extreme, data may not be comparable (learner fatigue, attention span) Don’t use with controlled-rate tasks (e.g., spelling)

Permanent Products Also called an “outcome record.”

Tangible items or environmental effects that result from a behavior taking place. Provides an enduring record of the behavior.

Examples of Permanent Products number of problems worked trash taken out room cleaned windows broken % of problems correct, wrong blood pressure audio and videotapes

Pro’s simple doesn’t interfere can do an error analysis you can come back to it later easy to get reliability durability

Con’s limited opportunities

Troubleshooting Put the same number of problems on a page, preferably an easily divided number

Duration Measure The length of time a behavior lasts

Duration Measure: Examples length of time in social play length of time to complete homework time on task length of time in seat

How To’s Use a stopwatch or clock. Don’t confuse with latency measure.

Pro’s only two things you measure (start and stop) good for high rate behaviors good for extended time behaviors

Con’s limited uses

Latency Measure The time it takes for a student to respond to a direction. Remember: “late”

Momentary Time Sampling Occurrence/non-occurrence of behaviors immediately after a specified time interval “PLACHECK” : Planned Activity Check of several children at once

Momentary Time Sampling: Examples: thumb sucking out of seat attention to task

How To’s Have a check sheet with squares. Mark the box at the end of the interval. You observe only once an interval.

Pro’s gathers similar data to an interval recording can do this while teaching you don’t have to write so fast

Con’s may not be as sensitive or reliable as interval record behavior may occur just before or after the scoring misses data unless frequent or of long duration

Comparisons with Interval Recording 1 observation per cell intervals usually longer intervals may be variable intervals may be less frequent

Interval Recording Measurement of occurrence/non-occurrence of a behavior within a certain time interval Also called “whole interval” recording

Interval Records Produce % of intervals duration frequency patterns over time

Examples of Interval Records: social interaction compliance on/off task self-stimulation self-injurious behavior

How To’s Mark sheet into “cells”, intervals (boxes). Usually 6 - 30 seconds. Horizontal or vertical. Have a pen, paper, time instrument, clipboard. Mark if the behavior occurs (1 mark).

Pro’s sensitive captures interactions, sequences gets duration and frequency estimates probability of behavior by time, by antecedent less effort than ARC, anecdotal timers make it reliable behavior can be non-discrete diverse applications

Con’s can’t teach while doing this difficult with less visible behavior size of interval must match frequency low-frequency behavior must be measured frequently or it will be deceptive Don’t call it rate data!

Variations on Interval Recording PLACHEK continuous interval record (code every occurrence to yield rate data) multiple behaviors (precoded forms) multiple students “observe”...”record” method

Common Pitfalls in Data Collection Collect data on everything. Collect data on nonessential behaviors. Record the results of behavior. Not responding to the data collected.