Collecting data is my cardio.... is it yours?
One of my most frequently asked questions is, 'How do you collect data?' Well, that's a loaded question. I'm going to attempt to encompass my behavior charts and data collection system into one feasible, easy to read, and hopefully be helpful in minimizing the time you use when collecting data type of blog post.
Behavior Charts & The Colored System:
Let's start with behavior charts. Teachers are either for or against behavior charts, and quite frankly I find it to be the easiest way to collect classroom data and create behavior goals from. Let me show you what a student's daily behavior chart looks like!
The positive behaviors located at the top of the chart varies from student to student. These behaviors are determined based on the student's behavioral needs or the goals they have in their IEP. Looking at this behavior chart example (see picture below), this student has 4 positive behaviors they are focusing on.
Are you in the right spot?
Are you working the whole time?
Are you following directions?
Did you have a safe body?
There are visuals on the behavior chart as well as these phrases to ensure staff are using the common verbiage all day with the student. The use of common verbiage across all staff members ensures students are understanding the expectations being asked of them. The phrases promote positive behaviors and allow staff a reminder as to what to ask the student when reviewing their behavior during a certain time period. I've always been a fan of reminding students of what they SHOULD be doing as opposed to what they shouldn't be doing. For example: 'are you in the right spot?' versus 'stop running around the room.' Asking students questions initiates a more reflective thought process.
The chart is broke down into time periods to fit their schedules and the times are also included. This is so helpful being in a self-contained setting where EVERYONES SCHEDULE IS DIFFERENT due to pushing out into the general education classroom, varying grade levels and fitting diverse needs of students. (we all know special education classroom schedules are a nightmare, this is one way I help manage that).
As students progress through their day, staff will go over their behavior charts with them. I have designated times of the day where I review behavior charts one by one with students. If they've had a rough day, it's time to reflect and encourage them. Sometimes we do an emotion check in and 'make a plan' for the rest of the day. For other students, it's a way to recognize their behaviors and continue to encourage them to make good choices. Students know after 2 redirects, they will not receive that smile for the certain time period. For example, if I have asked a child two times 'Are you being quiet so others can learn?' I will often say, 'If I have to ask you one more time, you will not be able to get that smile during this time period.' This is a GREAT way to teach students self-control and awareness of their behaviors and how often they are engaging in them.
Each day, students are working for 'choice time'. Choice time is the last 20 minutes of the day where students engage in free time and play with other students as a reward for their good behavior. As students earn smiles on their behavior chart through the day, their smiles put them on the 'colored system' found at the bottom of the behavior chart. The break down is as follows:
-90% - 100% of appropriate behavior puts you on the color purple
-80% - 89% of appropriate behavior puts you on the color green
-70% - 79% of appropriate behavior puts you on the color yellow
-69% or below of appropriate behavior puts you on the color red
Why do I like and utilize this system? It's concrete. Students know exactly how many smiles they need to obtain a certain color. We do multiple chart check ins each day so students know exactly what they need to do to go to choice time. Also, some parents reinforce this system at home as well! If they know their child ended on green or purple on their behavior charts they have special incentives at home for their child!
Recording Big Behavior Incidents
Tracking smiles or not earned smiles and determining the percentage of appropriate daily behavior is a system that students and teacher find easy. But what about recording those big behavioral incidents? That's where the real data comes from! Well, I'm going to show you what is on the back of my behavior charts that helps me to record big behavioral incidents quickly and effectively.
This page is on the back of every student's behavior chart. Anytime a behavior happens that requires staff intervention, we mark the antecedent event, behaviors and frequency (by tallies), the length of the behavior, the subject it happened in and how staff responded. I've collected data many different ways on big behavioral incidents. I promise you, we don't need anecdotal notes from every behavior. It isn't useful information for the student or you. Data collection is factual. It should look like numbers! I spent my first year writing anecdotal notes and after that NO MORE. That's where this was developed! (free download in my TPT store).
Let's walk through how I would observe a behavior and mark it accordingly on the chart. Here is a sample behavior that happened with a student. After reading through it, you will see how I break it down to record:
Student was asked to grab his lunchbox and line up for lunch. The student grabbed his lunchbox and got in line. Another student raced him to beat him in line. Once in line, the student kicked the other student two times and knocked over a chair. Staff intervened by redirecting the student to his calm down box with his sensory supplies. The student began knocking over more chairs and tore up 3 classroom books. The teacher set a timer for 1 minute to find his safe spot. After the timer went off, the student sat in his safe spot and engaged with his calm down box and sensory supports.
I would mark the antecedent event as a peer interaction. I would then mark that the student kicked and tally how many kicks they did. I would also mark the destroy property box and make general notes about what they did. I mark that the subject was during lunch and how long the incident lasted. Last I would record all the things staff did to get the student to engage in more positive behaviors. This system is so much easier than recording anecdotal notes and having to review all of them come progress monitoring time!
I also find this system so easy when collecting data! I can create behavior goals from their behavior charts and collect and store data daily on students. I'm able to identify trends in behavior, patterns and trouble shoot parts of the day students are struggling more. Let's look at some behavior goals I create from my charts.
Collecting Data on Behavioral Goals
Using the behavior chart example from above, this student has a rule of 'were you working the whole time?' This is also a goal for this student. The goal statement is as follows:
Goal: By his 2021 annual case review, with no more than 2 redirects, the student will improve his percentage of working the whole time from 65% to 80% based on weekly data collection.
Here's how I collect data on that goal. I have an excel spreadsheet for each of my students with a behavior plan! At the end of each day, I take the data from the behavior chart and compile it into an easy to reference sheet for easy analysis of data and collection of data for goals. Here are the pages I have in my excel spreadsheet:
Page 1: Daily Percentage of Behavior
Each day, in input into the spreadsheet what percentage the student earned that day! My spreadsheet automatically color codes based on the number I insert (thanks smart excel spreadsheet husband) and finds the weekly average of their daily percentage of appropriate behavior. I LOVE looking at this data to see trends in weekly/monthly behavior. Things I look for, does this student struggle on certain days? Does this student have a higher percentage at the beginning or end of the week? Is this student's behavior plan supporting their needs in the classroom? Parents love looking at this overview of data and helps to catch students who may be slowly struggling with behavior for a faster intervention.
Page 2: Behavior Rules Analysis
At the end of the week, I find the weekly average of each rule on the student's behavior chart and insert it into the excel sheet. This is where I create most of my behavior goals from!
Page 3: Antecedent Events
This is my absolute FAVORITE part of collecting data. Figuring out the antecedent events. This DRIVES my behavior interventions and social skills lessons in the classroom. By looking at this data, I can see this student is really struggling with peer interactions and when given directions. These are great target behaviors that could tell me what goals this student needs, what social skills lessons we need to work on and what social stories need made!
Page 4: Aggression Data Analysis
This page is where I record all of the aggression, verbal threats and elopement students engage in. Again, great way to track and make goals from!
Ok, so you're probably thinking.. wow how do you have time to track all of this? I insert data daily/weekly into the sheet! By compiling this data each day/week, I save myself the dreaded *it's the end of the semester, I better compile all of my data in one night HELLLLOOOOO 6 hour data collection struggle from a teacher at 2 AM.*. Believe me, I've been there and done that. I hated it and it often resulted in not the best data collection. I have allotted time after school each day to insert the data (takes about 15 minutes) and then on Fridays I compile any of the weekly data needed (takes about 15-20 minutes). I have found taking the time to do it each day/week yields better data and less stress on me come progress monitoring time. I also, send a weekly behavior data collection to parents so they can also help to spot trends in behavior.
Data is my jam, but it's not everyone's! Also, everyone develops their own system that works for them and their students. There's no right way to collect data, it's just what works for you. I hope you can read this post and take away something you liked or want to implement in your classroom. I don't know everything, but I do know that you shouldn't work for the data.. the data should be working for you!