Behavior Assessment Project

Running Head: BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 1
Behavioral Assessment in the Classroom
Classroom Management
Amanda Pedi
December 1, 2017
Table of Contents
Characteristics of the Setting and Learner………………………………………………………3
Goals and Specific Behavioral Objectives……………………………………………………...10
Data Collection…………………………………………………………………………………11
Interventions……………………………………………………………………………………22
Evaluation/Analysis……………………………………………………………………………23
Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………….18
References………………………………………………………………………………………29
Characteristics of the Setting and Learner
Joseph M. Ferraina Early Childhood Learning Center is located in Long Branch
Township. It is a school specifically devoted to students who fall between 2 ½-6 years. The
school is divided into two different wings. The East wing contains the younger students who
would be classified as toddlers and preschoolers, while the West wing contains the
kindergarteners. The school is small and contains roughly around 120 students. Faculty
members are well versed in different languages, special needs and general education so they are
well equipped to handle a diverse population of students. In terms of facilities that the school
provides, there are a broad array of facilities that are designed to keep students safe and happy.
The first feature of this school is a buzz in front door where guests are monitored from the
outside through a camera and a window, then are buzzed into the school after stating their
business through the intercom. Upon entering, guests sign in their name and are then directed to
a main office that requires another buzz in, or to the school, which also has a door that needs to
be unlocked upon exit or entry. This feature was designed with special needs students in mind in
case they try to leave the school through the main entrance. Each classroom features a drinking
fountain and a bathroom that can be used freely throughout the day. Breakfasts and lunches are
delivered directly to the classroom and meals are eaten at the student’s tables. In terms of
allergies, these are addressed in student paperwork and they are given special accommodations
during lunch time. Considering students eat in the same classroom, teachers also take special
care to inform the parents and guardians of other students to be courteous of other student’s
allergies.
In terms of the community, the school is located in a very well maintained area. The
houses and apartment complex in the area are kept very neat and pristine. The Long Branch
Police Station is also located a few minutes away from the school, so there are always police cars
and officers patrolling the area. In terms of the socioeconomic status of the area, it is very
middle class considering there are both English and Spanish speaking students that live in the
area. It is a very rural area as well, considering it is a mere two minutes from Seven President’s
Beach. The culture of the school is very mixed and features English and Spanish bulletin boards
for students to gather information from.

Classroom
The classroom I am observing in is an all inclusive kindergarten classroom. This
classroom community features bilingual students, and one child with an IEP. This classroom is
considered the lowest level of kindergarten that the school has to offer, because it teaches and
reinforces necessary skills that the students will need to succeed in their educational career. The
classroom itself is very large and has students sitting at 4 tables in groups of 5. There is an area
for reading, dramatic play, circle time, science and math activities. There are two teachers who
are constantly in the room and their desks are located in the corner of the room where they sit
back to back with one another, but still with a good perspective of the classroom. This
classroom has two co-teachers. One general education teacher and one bilingual teacher who
speaks Spanish.
The classroom routine is as follows, upon entering the classroom the students take off
their coats and backpacks and place them on their respective hooks and cubbies. Then students
go sit in their seats and begin to stand for the pledge of allegiance. The first main routine in class
begins with the student’s special activity: music, gym, art or computers. Then once the special
activity is done, students report back to their classroom, proceed through their morning activities
and then break for lunch and recess. After this break, they come back into the classroom and
continue through their afternoon activities. Finally, they sing their goodbye song, and dismissal
takes place.
See Appendix A for Classroom Climate Checklist

Implementations of Transitions and Procedures
In terms of transitions and procedures, there are some implementations that take place in
the classroom. Consistent signals to gain student attention prior to direction are not used, and the
teacher relies mainly on vocal projections and verbal instruction for the students to either sit at
the carpet for the lesson objectives. Students however, are very familiar with their routine and
their daily schedule, so there is not that much of an issue in terms of the students not being able
to follow the schedule. For example, when the tone goes off for students to transition between
centers and activities, they get up, put their lesson materials away and then begin to transition to
the next activity. Once the bell rings, students transition to the next activity, without a first
warning or a final countdown. Most of the routine involves the bells without any warning to
when they will be rung. Necessary routines that involve students going to the bathroom or the
nurse are very broad. There is a bathroom in the classroom which students can use at any time
throughout the day. In terms of medical issues or other specific needs, the student need only ask
the teacher.
Implementation of Learning Support
The implementation of learning supports is seen when the general education teacher pulls
certain students from their center activities to work on specific skill mastery and go over topics
that were covered in the lesson. I saw her do this to multiple students and as each one
approached, she marked their progress down in a journal and in each child’s folder pulled out
activities tailored to learning a specific skill. For example, one student had a problem with
pronouncing words, so the teacher used specific flash cards to help the student practice
pronouncing words and get a feeling of how to pronounce certain letters in the words. During
the main circle time activities, when the whole class is gathered around for a story and activities,
the head teacher will use power point slides and charts to mark story progress and show the class
certain key points throughout the story. The use of technology in the classroom and visual aids
helps the class to gain a better understanding of what goes on during the lesson.
Methods of Cueing and Redirecting Behavior
The second a student acts out and begins to cause a disruption in the classroom, one of
the teachers in the room will intervene and correct the behavior. There is a token economy in
place in this classroom so every time a student demonstrated the correct behavior: saying please
and thank you, doing the right thing, and performing well in class, the student is rewarded with
classroom dollars that they can spend in the principal’s office for prizes. Students who
demonstrate bad behavior are pulled aside, and the teachers attempt to explain the situation and
show the student that what they did was wrong. Then they talk about what can they do better to
earn a classroom dollar.
Overview of Teacher Directed Instruction
Both teachers direct instruction when the class is gathered for whole group activities.
The main style of co-teaching I saw amongst these teachers, was one teach, one assist. The
bilingual Spanish teacher was sitting amongst the carpet amongst the students, giving them hints
and clues to how they should answer the general education teacher. Then when the class splits
for center activities, both teachers go to their respective centers and work with the students to
help them complete their tasks and gain a mastery of the skills being taught.
Overview of Cooperative Group/ Center Based Learning
In terms of cooperative group learning, there is a fair amount throughout the day as the
class gathers together to review important information and important concepts that were covered
in class. One such concept that was covered involved the class going over and pronouncing
words that they will use later on in class. The students will then separate for center activities
where they will read books and work together on activities that will reinforce what was taught
during the lesson. The center activities in the classroom were varied and taught the students
different literary skills that help them gain mastery over important concepts such as the alphabet,
basic phonics and spelling. These centers are the primary place of learning and students practice
and learn new skills that adhere to the lesson.
Overview of Independent Practice
In terms of independent practice, there is limited individualized practice, except when
students break off from their whole group activities and work on their writing skills. The main
activity students participate in involves writing in their journals after they have participated in
the reading of a story. The students return to their assigned tables and seats and write a short
sentence on what they have just listened to in the story, accompanied by a picture that illustrates
the scene that they have described. The students are practicing comprehension and
memorization skills when they participate in this activity. Since this is an early childhood
classroom, there is not much independent practice. The students are mainly working in small
groups or large groups.

Learner
The student I will be observing is named Ari. Ari is a young boy who is five years old of
Islamic background. In terms of his “disability” he is not classified under any specific category
and has not been referred for testing. He is not physically disabled, and has no physical or
cognitive limitations. Ari has strengths and weaknesses, but he tends to use his strengths in the
wrong aspects of his childhood. For example, Ari is very outgoing, but he tends to have more
outbursts in terms of vocal projections, when he could be using this to participate in class and
work with his fellow classmates. In terms of weaknesses, Ari also has a tendency to ignore
adults when they are speaking to him. When a teacher tells him to stop, he will not stop unless
he is fully removed from the situation. Even then, he will find another negative behavior that
will get him into trouble. In terms of the Tier 1 supports that are being used to intervene with
Ari’s behavior, there is a lot of negative reinforcement in terms of ignoring the behavior, and the
occasional yelling. I feel that Ari needs to have more positive support in terms of praise. Every
time he does something right, I will give him praise. Every time he does the wrong thing, I will
stop him, pull him to the side and give him a chance to tell me what he is doing that is wrong.
Ari has potential to become a very involved learner, but his energies and behavior issues need to
be redirected. He tends to be very creative and will have very great ideas, but this amazing
quality is covered up by his behavioral outbursts and it distracts the teachers from his true
potential. I have tried to use certain tier 1 supports in terms of redirecting and stopping his
behaviors, but there are times when I am left in a power struggle, which is what I want to avoid.
I will physically block his path and stop him in his tracks. Then I will sit him down and have a
talk with him about his incorrect behavior.

Goals and Specific Behavioral Objectives
The main goals I wish for Ari to achieve is following directions and exhibiting proper
classroom behavior. Ari has problems with following directions, and his behavior in class is not
appropriate for school. The first target behavior that I wish to address is Ari not staying on task.
More specifically, he becomes distracted with his pencil and will misuse the writing utensil in a
variety of ways. The main thing he does with the pencil is a stabbing motion towards himself, or
another student in the classroom. The desired behavior I would like Ari to exhibit, is to write
with his pencil, and then put it down as soon as he is done. I intend to implement this behavior
by working one on one with Ari and giving him positive reinforcement. Ari tends to carry out a
bad behavior when he is not being watched, or when he does not have enough attention. Every
time Ari does the right thing and puts the pencil down when he is done writing, I will reward him
with positive praise in the form of a high five. Over the course of 10 minutes, the student will
put down his pencil 5 out of 10 times after completing a writing assignment.
Data Collection
The data for Ari’s behavior was collected in a classroom setting, during the times
students transitioned between activities and centers. Ari also acts out during center times and
will walk off to other centers and disrupt his classmates and the teachers. I have noticed that the
main causes of Ari acting out is disinterest in the activity, or lack of positive attention. I
observed Ari for 25 hours, noting each time the behavior occurred, and recording it in my
notebook. The behavior typically occurred for 20 seconds until myself or my teacher intervened.
See Appendix B
In these charts, I observed and recorded the number of times Ari acted out in class and
recorded the specific antecedent, behavior and consequence of each of his actions. Most of the
times Ari acted out involved times where there was not enough attention on him and he was left
to his own devices. The understanding I am gaining from this data is that Ari does not have
enough positive attention on him. Every time he gets attention is when he is doing something
wrong. I think in order to correct this problem, Ari needs to receive more positive attention in
the form of praise and rewards. A token economy tailored to his specific likes would be more
influential and would help to intrinsically motivate him.
See Appendix B
Based on the data that I have collected, I have determined that with positive attention and
reinforcement, Ari will act out less in class. During the time I have observed Ari in class, I have
noticed that there is a lot of negative attention on him and no positive attention. The only time
the teachers are acknowledging Ari’s behavior is when he is doing something bad. Whenever he
does something good there is no attention, he is ignored. So in order to gain attention, Ari has
resorted to acting out in class for attention of any kind from the teacher. When I applied my
behavior interventions, I feel that they worked, but I needed to get more specific. I would have
liked to have the opportunity to implement a chart or some kind of miniature token economy
specifically catered to Ari’s likes and dislikes so that way he can have more motivation to
continue to behave in class. There needs to be more random positive attention on Ari so he is
always trying to do his best and is constantly working towards a goal.
Within these two graphs, I have plotted the amount of times Ari has acted out during my
observations, and the amount of times the behavioral intervention plan has worked. I have
recorded them over a series of five weeks, and recorded the data as best as I could. Week three,
where there is no data is the week where Ari was not present in the school. I used this day to
observe the classroom dynamic when Ari wasn’t there.

Visual representation of Data
Development Levels
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
In order to make sure that I am using sound and developmentally appropriate practices
with Ari, I have done some research to make sure my methods will work. One article I have read
involves positive attention and breaking the streak of a “'reprimand trap.'…First, the student
misbehaves. Then the teacher approaches the student and reprimands him or her for
misbehaving…The student finds the negative teacher attention to be reinforcing, he or she
continues to misbehave-and the teacher naturally responds by reprimanding the student more
often!” (Intervention Central). This is a preview of how I saw the teachers intervening with Ari
whenever he acted out. The article also goes into great detail about how students can be steered
away from this path by using a technique called “random positive attention”. The positive
attention method worked with Ari because he is lacking attention in the classroom. Once I
noticed that he still acted out during class time, I began to vary the amount of times I would give
him positive attention and I noticed that he began to work for my attention. If I was the teacher
of Ari’s class, I would “put together a list of ways to deliver positive attention that (a) can be
done quickly, without disrupting classroom instruction, and (b) the student actually finds
rewarding.” (Intervention Central). Ari’s behavior is manageable, but there needs to be more
effort put into helping him along.
In the future, I would continue to vary the amounts of positive attention I give to Ari in
order to make sure he is always working towards positive attention. I would have also liked to
implement a token economy catered specifically to Ari’s needs. While the classroom already has
a small token economy in place, it does not work with Ari because he has lost interest in it. If he
could have one tailored to his needs, he would be more enthusiastic about working towards it.
Also, I would start rewarding students based on their manners, etiquette and effort put forth in
class. If I could set the example for Ari and the other students, then they will see that all positive
behavior is rewarded and negative behaviors will not be tolerated in the classroom. One other
thing that I think should be implemented into the classroom is a form of time out corner. This is
a kindergarten classroom, and the students are still young. Sometimes in order to help students
detach from the situation, it is best to have a time out corner in order to help them take a few
minutes and reflect on what is being done.
In terms of generalization, Ari will start doing his work upon instruction, then when the
other students start chatting or talking with the teacher, Ari will act out in a demand for attention.
If he does not receive any sort of attention, then he will continue to act out and cause a disruption
in the classroom. However, the teacher does not address this problem directly and instead allows
the student to act out. The biggest fear that I have for this child is that the intervention strategies
will not work and he will be beyond help if something is not done from an early age.
Tier 3 Interventions
To implement tier 3 interventions in the classroom I will place a heavy focus on giving
Ari one on one supports so that there can be more of a focus on Ari’s behavioral issues. I would
have the school psychologist come into the classroom with Ari for a certain amount of time each
day and allow them to work one on one with him. The overall goal of this intervention is to have
Ari get the amount of attention he needs in order to work out the behavioral issue. Considering
that Ari’s main issue stems from a lack of positive attention, brining the guidance counselor in
would be beneficial to Ari in order to help him gain a positive amount of attention and help
redirect him away from the negative attention.
Reflection
After working closely with Ari and implementing the behavioral plan, I realize now that
working with general education students and their behaviors proves to be a challenge. With Ari,
I used positive attention and different types of reinforcement to make sure that Ari stayed on
task. Every time he did something right without instruction he was rewarded with a high five. I
proceeded to reward him every time he did this. Then when I noticed he grew bored of high
fives, I proceeded to use random positive attention and rewarded him at irregular intervals. I
would tell the teacher to continue using the random positive praise with Ari and to also work to
implement a form of personalized rewards system with him. Unfortunately, I did not have the
opportunity to implement a rewards system with Ari because I needed to go through multiple
levels of clearance that would take up too much time. Working with Ari has been a valuable
learning experience. He has taught me how to be patient with students that have behavioral
issues and to always have different tools at my disposal to reprimand and help the student get
back on track. Working with him has taught me how to gain a greater appreciation of the
student’s perspective during class time and when they are working. This insight has shown me
that there are more factors to a student’s life that determine their personalities and their actions in
how they behave. The home life is the most influential piece in a student’s life and in order for
me to be able to understand the student better, I must understand them in all aspects of their
lives.
In order for the school to implement this behavior plan, they will need to get clearance
and approval to start a rewards system with Ari and form a plan and stick to it. This can be done
by both the teacher and the school psychologist, sitting down and working together to form a
behavioral intervention plan for the student. I would have them work together in terms of
providing Ari with more positive attention and support as opposed to negative attention and
punishment. The root of Ari’s main problem is a lack of positive attention. This can be solved
by sticking to the behavioral intervention plan. All of the teachers that interact with Ari and
participate in the classroom with the main teacher, will need to be made aware of Ari’s behavior
plan and how it works. Then the teachers and other faculty members can work together to help
Ari improve his behavior in the classroom, and even improve the plan to benefit him further
down his educational path.
Ari’s family members need to be more involved in his life by applying the plan in his
home environment. I have noticed that Ari talks about things and subjects of conversation that
are not appropriate for a kindergartener to be saying. Ari for example, shows a deep interest in
knives and stabbing, which is not appropriate at all. Ari’s parents need to heavily enforce the
behavioral plan and follow through with it in order to make sure Ari is following through with
his education plan. While I am not too familiar with Ari’s family background and how things
function in his household, if I was the teacher I would have meetings with them or arrange phone
calls to discuss Ari’s behavior with them. If they cannot make arrangements to meet with me,
then I would send a note home to Ari’s parents and have them write back and forth with me so
we can communicate on a proper plan for Ari.
With the experience I have gained from working with Ari, I have learned that working
with students and their behavioral issues is crucial to any teacher. I have learned that it is
important to understand the crucial aspects of a student’s life in order to form a behavior plan
that can benefit them throughout their educational career. By working with Ari, I have learned
how to work with and understand students with behavioral issues. I have realized by reflecting
on my previous efforts and plans, I can work to improve my behavioral intervention strategies
and with carful observation and research, even make new ones that can benefit the students.
Positive behavior supports are key to any classroom. Students need positive behavior in order to
function in a classroom. Teachers who use negative supports and constant yelling and
punishment will never teach students the error of their ways. Taking all of the skills that I have
learned from this experience, I will use this in my future classrooms by following similar steps to
work with my students and write behavioral interventions that will benefit them in the classroom.
Appendix A: Class Climate and Culture Reflection Checklist

Appendix B: ABC Data
Name: Ari Duration: 2 minutes Date: 10/5/17

Time: 10:00 am
Antecedent: Behavior: Behavior: Consequences:
Interrupt Activity During the morning Crying Physically guide to
do now and activity comply
Told-no Whining Ignored problem
behavior
Wants something-can Screaming Deny access to
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
Sensory Bolting Count and mand
reinforcement is procedure
valuable
Demand at table Biting Contingent effort
procedure
Wants attention, can’t Kicking Block behavior and
have it redirect
Demand away from Hitting Other
table
Other: Got bored of Other: Hit himself in
activity the head with a pencil

Time: 10:30
Antecedent: Description: Behavior: Consequences:
Interrupt Activity Crying Physically guide to
comply
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect

table
Other: Not enough Tried to leave spot at Other: Tried to stab
attention on him, the table, teacher told another student with
teacher told class to him no, stay in your a pencil
be quiet and stand for spot.
the pledge of
allegiance

Time: 10:30
comply
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
table
Other: Not enough Tried to leave spot at Other: Tried to stab
attention on him, the table, teacher told another student with
teacher told class to him no, stay in your a pencil
be quiet and stand for spot.
the pledge of
allegiance
Name: Ari Duration: 20 seconds Date: 10/5/17

Time: 10:45
Interrupt Activity Teacher put student Crying Physically guide to

in the coloring group comply
for a center activity.
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
Demand away from Hitting Other: Teacher made
table him apologize, and
sat next to him for the
duration of the center
Other: Other: Student placed
hands on another
classmate

Time: 11:30
Interrupt Activity Teacher passed out Crying Physically guide to
markers and dry erase comply
boards for students to
write with.
Told-no Whining: Ignored problem
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect

table
Other: Throwing
markers and erasers
at other students and
drawing on them

Time: 1:30
comply
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
table
Other: Students Students were Other:
assigned to centers. assigned to centers,
dramatic play center
had foam swords and
knight gear

Time: 10:15
comply
behavior
Wants something- Students were given Screaming Deny access to
can’t have the instruction to fill reinforcer and
out their daily physically guide to

calendars comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
table
Other: Other: Covering ears

Time: 11:00
comply
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
table
Other: Was told to Student did Other:
come to the teacher something wrong,
desk and was told by the
teacher to come to the
desk.

Time: 1:30
Interrupt Activity Teacher had students Crying Physically guide to

on the circle time comply
carpet, was reading a
story to the students.
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
table

Time: 1:45
Interrupt Activity Teacher sent students Crying Physically guide to
back to their tables comply
for a small group
activity and asked for
silence
behavior
have reinforcer and
physically guide to
comply and demand
valuable
procedure
have it redirect
Demand away from Hitting Other: Verbal
table reprimanding in
private
Appendix C: Behavioral Chart Data

Appendix D: Completing Pathway Template

Appendix E: Integrity Checklist
Integrity checklist
Check: Check: Checklist Item
Yes No
√ Did I identify target
behavior?
√ Did I identify unwanted
behavior?
√ Did I observe the student for
a reasonable amount of time?
√ Did I acknowledge the
student when the target
behavior was performed?
√ Did I apply the behavior
technique when the student
acted out?
Did I record the student’s

√
behaviors in detail?
References
Intervention Central. (n.d.). Behavioral Interventions and Challenging Students. Retrieved from
Intervention Central: http://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-
interventions/challenging-students/breaking-attention-seeking-habit-power-random-
positive
PBIS World. (2017). Tier 1 Supports. Retrieved from pbisworld.com:
http://www.pbisworld.com/tier-1/

Behavior Assessment Project

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Behavior Assessment Project

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Running Head: BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 1

Behavioral Assessment in the Classroom

Characteristics of the Setting and Learner

Joseph M. Ferraina Early Childhood Learning Center is located in Long Branch

for students to gather information from.

The classroom I am observing in is an all inclusive kindergarten classroom. This

See Appendix A for Classroom Climate Checklist

Implementations of Transitions and Procedures

Implementation of Learning Support

Methods of Cueing and Redirecting Behavior

earn a classroom dollar.

Overview of Teacher Directed Instruction

Overview of Cooperative Group/ Center Based Learning

and learn new skills that adhere to the lesson.

Overview of Independent Practice

In terms of independent practice, there is limited individualized practice, except when

groups or large groups.

talk with him about his incorrect behavior.

Goals and Specific Behavioral Objectives

influential and would help to intrinsically motivate him.

always trying to do his best and is constantly working towards a goal.

observe the classroom dynamic when Ari wasn’t there.

Visual representation of Data

misbehaving…The student finds the negative teacher attention to be reinforcing, he or she

effort put into helping him along.

minutes and reflect on what is being done.

redirect him away from the negative attention.

down his educational path.

we can communicate on a proper plan for Ari.

Appendix A: Class Climate and Culture Reflection Checklist

Appendix B: ABC Data

Name: Ari Duration: 2 minutes Date: 10/5/17

Name: Ari Duration: 2 minutes Date: 10/5/17

Demand away from Hitting Other

Name: Ari Duration: 2 minutes Date: 10/5/17

Name: Ari Duration: 20 seconds Date: 10/5/17

Interrupt Activity Teacher put student Crying Physically guide to

Name: Ari Duration: 10 minutes Date: 10/12/17

Demand away from Hitting Other

Name: Ari Duration: 15 seconds Date: 10/12/17

Name: Ari Duration: 30 seconds Date: 10/26/17

out their daily physically guide to

Name: Ari Duration: 10 seconds Date: 10/26/17

Name: Ari Duration: 8 minutes Date: 10/26/17

Interrupt Activity Teacher had students Crying Physically guide to

Name: Ari Duration: 2 minutes Date: 10/26/17

Appendix C: Behavioral Chart Data

Appendix D: Completing Pathway Template

Appendix E: Integrity Checklist

Check: Check: Checklist Item

√ Did I identify target

√ Did I identify unwanted

√ Did I observe the student for

a reasonable amount of time?

√ Did I acknowledge the

student when the target

behavior was performed?

√ Did I apply the behavior

technique when the student

Did I record the student’s

Intervention Central: http://www.interventioncentral.org/behavioral-

PBIS World. (2017). Tier 1 Supports. Retrieved from pbisworld.com:

You might also like