1. Chapter Five
MONITORING STUDENT

2. 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.

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

4. Anecdotal Records
Diary Records
Notes
A description of everything!

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

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

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

8. Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence Record
Antecedent-Response-Consequence Record

9. A-B-C Record
A form with three columns

10. 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.

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

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

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

14. Event Record Also called: Frequency Recording Event Recording
Frequency Tally

15. 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

16. 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.

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

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

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

20. Rate Measures
a type of event record

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

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

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

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

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

26. 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)

27. Permanent Products
Also called an “outcome record.”

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

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

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

31. Con’s
limited opportunities

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

33. Duration Measure
The length of time a behavior lasts

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

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

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

37. Con’s
limited uses

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

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

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

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

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

43. 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

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

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

46. Interval Records Produce
% of intervals
duration
frequency
patterns over time

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

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

49. 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

50. 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!

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

52. 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.