Description:
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Websites for Additional Information: