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This intervention is a classroom management intervention aimed at creating routines and communicating to students the behaviors that are desired in the classroom. The intervention is appropriate for students of all ages

Expectations should clearly communicate to students the behaviors that are desired in the classroom. Expectations provide the basis for maintaining a safe and effective learning environment. In addition, research has demonstrated that establishing, teaching and enforcing expectations can reduce instances of problem behavior.

Classroom expectations should reflect behaviors that are important to the teacher and the school. Some schools may have general expectations for student behavior or specific behavior support systems in place. Classroom expectations can be aligned with or may extend beyond school-wide rules.

Expectations should be stated positively, communicating exactly what students need to DO to be successful in the classroom. That is, effective expectations focus on the DO, not the DON’T. In addition, expectations should be clear and accompanied with operational definitions, as well as teachers’ responses when the expectations are and are not followed. For example, “Be polite” is abstract while “Raise your hand and wait to be called on” is more concrete. Finally, the number of expectations should be limited to three to five so that they are easily remembered.

Students learn classroom expectations through explicit teacher instruction and teacher responses to appropriate and inappropriate student behavior. That is, teachers need to explain the content of each expectation, modeling behavior aligned with the expectation. In addition, teachers need to develop and communicate a plan for providing praise for complying with expectations that acknowledge the desired behavior, a plan for providing corrective feedback for misbehavior, and a response hierarchy (i.e., predetermined consequences) for instances when students repeatedly do not follow the expectations. The ratio of positive to negative statements given by teachers to students should be at least 4:1.

Materials Needed: 

• Expectations clearly posted in the classroom
• Expectations Reference Guide 
• Expectations Worksheet 
• Examples of Expectations 

Steps for Implementation:

1. Create expectations for the classroom (the Expectation Worksheet linked above may help). Expectations should be:
   • Stated in positive terms
   • Observable and measurable
   • Simply stated and age appropriate
   • Kept to a minimum (3 to 5)
2. Develop a plan for providing praise for students when they comply with expectations and a plan for providing corrective feedback for misbehavior. The ratio of positive to negative statements given by teachers to students should be approximately 4:1.
3. Explicitly teach expectations to students through examples, practice, and feedback
4. Post expectations and frequently remind students of the expectations

Developing routines is a classroom management intervention that involves developing a clear schedule for students to follow when prompted. This intervention is appropriate for students of all ages.

Routines allow teachers to focus more on instruction and less on classroom management by teaching students to self-manage and get into the habit of following a particular schedule. This sort of scheduling is particularly important for regularly occurring events in the classroom. Remember to keep it as simple as possible!

Classroom routines should provide students with a clear set of sequential instructions for completing a task or activity. Some schools may provide routines for classrooms and others may allow teachers to develop them as they see fit. Teachers must decide what routines are most appropriate for their classroom. However, they should align with the established rules or expectations set by the school or district.

Explicitly stated routines should first be introduced and students should have the opportunity to practice them. Students will learn through repetition and once they are established, teachers will have more time to focus on classroom instruction and will spend less time on redirection.

Materials:

• Routines Reference Guide 
• Routines Worksheet 
• Examples of Routines 

Steps:

1. Determine what types of routine would be appropriate for the classroom. If multiple routines need to be implemented, prioritize them.
2. Create a lesson to teach the routine to students.
3. Be sure to praise students when they are following the routine appropriately and provide positive feedback when errors are made.
4. Use some sort of visual aid or signal to cue students when the routine should be used.

Increasing opportunities to respond is a strategy for providing instruction that maximizes engagement of all students. These opportunities are appropriate for students of all ages. 
The goal of this intervention is to provide a way for all students to respond to content, rather than providing opportunities to individual students.

Research indicates that increasing opportunities to respond has several beneficial outcomes related to student engagement, academic outcomes, behavior and participation. Students tend to be more engaged, thereby participating more in class, which leads to higher academic outcomes. There also tend to be fewer occurrences of inappropriate behavior as appropriate behavior is reinforced. Using this intervention also allows for more efficient use of instructional time and should be incorporated into a teacher’s daily lesson plans.

Materials (see below) 
*Use the guide linked below to help decide which strategy will work best for both the teacher and the class.

Steps for Implementation

1. There are several ways in which teachers can increase opportunities to respond. Each method can be used for students of all ages and more than one method can be used:
   • Guided Notes 
   • Response Cards 
   • Computer Assisted Interventions 
   • Peer Tutoring 
2. Select the method or methods that are best suited for your class.
   • Guided Notes: teacher-prepared handouts that provide an outline of the lecture, which students complete during class by writing key facts, concepts, and/or relationships.
   • Response Cards: cards, signs, or items simultaneously held up by all students to display their responses to a question or problem presented by the teacher.
   • Computer Assisted Interventions: programs that are specifically designed to provide instruction to students to improve skills.
   • Peer Tutoring: practices that employ peers as one-on-one instructors to provide individualized instruction, practice, repetition, or clarification of concepts.

Teacher-Student Relationship Reference Guide

This classroom management intervention is aimed at creating and fostering positive relationships among teachers and students.It is appropriate for students of all ages

Positive interactions between teachers and their students play an important role in student success. Research shows that increasing positive interactions (e.g., praise, supportive statements) and decreasing negative interactions improves the classroom climate as well as student academic and behavioral outcomes. In general, a positive relationship with teachers boosts student motivation and cooperation. Interacting with students in a positive way teaches students valuable interpersonal skills as well. The ratio of positive to negative or corrective teacher statements to students should be at least 4:1.

Increasing praise statements to acknowledge appropriate behaviors, using error correction procedures to address misbehavior, and practicing active supervision (e.g., circulating, scanning, encouraging) are strategies teachers can employ to improve student-teacher interactions. Providing choices can also help to improve relationships with students as it gives them a sense of control and may reduce challenging behaviors.

Improving interactions with students will take time and practice! Increasing positivity will improve student behavior and may improve teacher outlook as well.

Following are examples of the three types of feedback that can be given to students:

• Praise Statements: Using the student’s name when making praise statements personalizes the message. Remember to state the specific desirable behavior exhibited by the student. “You did a great job participating in class today, Alex. Keep up the great work!”
• Corrective Statements: “Please remember to raise your hand to share your answer.” “Please use a quiet voice like mine so I can understand better what it is that you need.” 
• Negative Statements: Should be avoided. “You’re late.” “You’re not listening again.” “Only stupid people do that.”
• Materials Needed (See Attached Materials)
  • Teacher- Student Relationship Reference Guide

Steps to Intervention

1. Increase praise statements and begin employing instructive feedback when interacting with students. Decrease the number of negative statements when interacting with students.
2. Use the tips to enhance positive teacher-student interactions.

• Active Supervision: Active supervision promotes the development of a positive classroom climate by proactively encouraging and maintaining student on-task behaviors. Active supervision of students is characterized by patterns of teacher movement and high rates of positive interactions with students, including praise statements and instructive feedback.
• Circulating: Circulation in the classroom provides teachers increased opportunities to praise students for on-task behavior, provide instructive feedback, and offer encouragement. Teachers should use proximity to check in with students during independent and group work.
• Scanning: Frequent visual scanning of the classroom environment is a good way for teachers to observe student behavior related to expectations and routines. General statements of praise or error correction can be made: “I really like how everyone is on task right now. Great work!”
• Encouraging: Provide encouragement when students are struggling or have completed a task. Also, encourage students to encourage each other! Then be sure to provide students with the appropriate supports (e.g., accommodations) to increase success.
• Choices: Providing choices can help redirect undesired behavior and create an opportunity for praise and/or encouragement. When students make good choices, remember to reinforce the appropriate behavior to increase the likelihood that students will repeat the desired behavior. “I see you have not started your math work. Would you like to use scrap paper or graph paper to help you figure the problems?”

Developed through the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research at The Ohio State University

What is the intervention?
Read It Again-PreK is an evidence-based curricular supplement that focuses on preschool children’s language and literacy skills. The intervention is organized around read-aloud of high quality story books.

Specifically, Read It Again-PreK provides 60 soft-scripted read-aloud lessons that are delivered over 30 weeks (that is, two lessons per week). The lessons incorporate repeated reading of 15 engaging and easily accessible storybooks to focus on four domains of language and literacy development: (a) vocabulary, (b) phonological awareness, (c) print knowledge, and (d) narrative. Guidance is provided to differentiate instruction based on children’s skills.

Who is it for?
The intervention is designed for use by teachers and other professionals working with preschool children. It may also be adapted to provide parents with helpful guidance in reading aloud with their young children.

Purpose:
Read It Again – PreK is a supplement to everyday instruction designed to develop and strengthen early language and literacy skills in young children.

Research shows that literacy development is occurring in preschoolers and we know the following:

• Young children develop important precursors to reading and writing.
• There are individual differences in the literacy development of preschoolers that are meaningful.
• A young child’s experience plays an important role along the path of literacy development.

Children with primary speech-language impairment or a general developmental delay typically show substantial lags in their attainment of early literacy skills in preschool and are likely to develop reading disabilities by the later elementary grades.

Read alouds by parents and teachers support children’s language and literacy skills.

• Repeated reading provides opportunities for children to hear the book more than once.
• Children are active participants during read aloud when they answer questions or retell a story.
• Teachers provide short definitions for some words when reading which helps children develop vocabulary.

Research shows that there are two important areas of development that are highly related to young children’s success in learning to read and later reading proficiency:

• Language skills that build a bridge between listening and reading as well as speaking and writing.
• Emergent Literacy Skills provide precursor skills so that children learn to use print as a meaningful communication system.

Materials Needed:
Read It Again-PreK is free and available for download. The curriculum supplement, lesson plans and materials can be accessed through this link.

Steps of Intervention:

1. Download the curriculum supplement, lesson plans, lesson materials, implementation and progress notes from the above website.
2. Obtain story books listed in the curriculum supplement that correspond to the lesson plans.
3. Each week, conduct the prescribed lessons.

What is the intervention?
Assignment tracking is an easy to use system that assists students to keep track of their assignments. Students track assignments, due dates and when they are completed.

Who is it for?
Students of all ages.

Purpose:
This system teaches student’s time and material management skills. This system allows students to track their assignments and also gives them the opportunity to turn in the work in time enough to earn credit.

Materials:
Missing Assignment Tracking Reference Guide
Missing Assignment Tracking Student Form

Steps:

1. Identify the students who have less than 90% of their work turned in and what assignments they are missing.
2. Create a brief introduction to present this system and work with the student to implement the intervention using the steps described in the Missing Assignment Tracking Reference Sheet.

Missing Assignment Tracking Reference Guide
Missing Assignment Tracking Student Form

What is the Intervention?
An Organization Checklist is an individual intervention aimed at improving a student’s ability to organize his/her materials and assignments.

Who is it for?
Students of all ages.

Purpose:
The goal of this intervention is to have the student routinely use a checklist to monitor and facilitate organization of his/her binder, book bag, or locker. This intervention targets general organization of the binder, the most critical area for academic success, however, it can be adapted to other areas like the locker or book bag.

Background Information:
The Organization Checklist intervention establishes a structure designed to facilitate the student’s ability to sort and store paperwork, identify assigned homework, and locate completed assignments when they are due.

Indication of need for this intervention includes turning in assignments an average of below 90% of the time across classes, and/or parent, teacher, or student report of difficulty with materials management.  This intervention would be helpful if the student appears (or is reportedly) disorganized to the point where it interferes with his/her ability to be successful in school.

Materials Needed:
Copies of Organization Checklist
Organization Checklist Reference Guide
Organization Checklist Example

Steps of Intervention:

1. Conduct an assessment to determine where the student has organizational needs. This can be accomplished by identifying where a student stores materials (e.g., binder, locker, book bag) and evaluating whether those materials are stored in an orderly fashion.
2. Develop a brief script to introduce the organization intervention to the student. To facilitate implementation, you may wish to establish a weekly routine when time is dedicated to organization.  Some students may require more intensive support to stay organized. In this case the organization intervention can be implemented several times a week or even daily, if necessary.
3. Spend time with the student emptying items out of the target area and begin organizing the contents according to the Organization Checklist. Mark a “Y” for yes if the student meets full criteria and “N” for no if he or she does not meet full criteria. Have the student file papers where they belong in your presence, providing assistance or prompting if necessary.
4. To reinforce the student for using the checklist and being organized, begin with verbal praise. If this is not sufficient to motivate the student, other rewards can be added. Progressively increase the student’s organization goal. For example, if a student continually achieves 60% accuracy on the checklist, increase the goal to 70% for the student to earn a reward.
5. Assist the student in completing the Organization Checklist until the student reaches 100% accuracy for three consecutive checks. The intervention can then be faded or used as a self-monitoring tool with periodic teacher checks for accuracy.

The projects associated with the Center for Promoting Research have created evidence based practices and interventions to help parents to promote social and emotional learning with their children. Social emotional interventions help children to understand and manage emotions.

Social Emotional Development Guide

What is the intervention?
The Social Emotional Development Guide helps parents talk with their children about appropriately identifying and expressing their emotions.

Who is it for?
Toddlers (1-4)

Purpose:
Children learn to communicate through everyday interactions with their environments. They learn to express their emotions by identifying and modeling the behavior and language of those they most often interact with, parents. This guide helps parents identify opportunities to teach their children how to use language to identify and express their emotions.  

Background Information:
This information is from the “Little Talks” intervention which focuses on language development through book sharing. Through book sharing, parents can help their child’s language development by exposing them to more complex language. The social emotional development piece guides parents’ conversations with their young children about their emotions through book sharing.

For more information about the Little Talks project please use the link provided.
Introduction to Little Talks Intervention

Materials Needed:

• Social Emotional Development Guide (English)
• Social Emotional Development Guide (Spanish)

Steps for Intervention:

1. Select books to read with your child that allows him/her to identify emotions like happiness, sadness and anger. Please see our book recommendations.
2. In conversations and interactions with your child, work with them to identify the emotions they are experiencing.
3. Teach them how to appropriately express and respond to their emotions after identifying them.
4. Print the Social Emotional Development Guide as a reference for having these conversations and fostering social emotional development.

The projects at The Center for Promoting Research to Practice have created various interventions and tools to help parents and children to work together on academics.

We are continuing to update and add more interventions and evidence based practice, check back for more!

Missing assignment tracking for parents

What is the intervention?
Assignment tracking is an easy to use system that assists your child to keep track of his/her assignments. Your child will track assignments, due dates and when they are completed.

Who is it for?
Children of all ages.

Purpose:
This system teaches your child time and material management skills. This system allows your child to track his/her assignments and also gives him/her the opportunity to turn in the work in time enough to earn credit.

Materials:

• Missing Assignment Tracking Reference Guide for Parents
• Missing Assignment Tracking for Parents

Steps:

1. Introduce the system to your child by stating that you would like him/her to begin tracking assignments.
2. Follow the steps listed on the Missing Assignment Tracking Reference Sheet.

What is the Intervention?
The CARS Anxiety program includes a set of activities based on evidence-based cognitive behavioral interventions targeting anxiety. The program is designed for use in a group format.

Who is it for?
Students of all ages

Purpose:
This intervention is designed to reduce anxiety through group activities and individual sessions.

Background Information:
The group activities described in this manual are based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and should be provided by a professional with appropriate training (e.g., training in CBT procedures). There are three phases of this intervention; each phase covers different topics and activities. The topics do not need to be completed in separate sessions; however, they should be completed in order. In addition to the group activities, the manual includes homework assignments for students to complete outside of the group to practice and reinforce the skills discussed during the sessions.

Phase 1: Phase 1 can be completed in a group setting. Students learn about the nature of anxiety and understand the connection between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Students will also learn vocabulary for their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and how to rate the intensity of their anxiety.

Phase 2: Phase 2 can be completed in a group setting. In this phase students will learn skills to help them better manage their anxiety including relaxation techniques, identifying and modifying self-talk, and rewarding.

Phase 3: Phase 3 should be completed in individual sessions. During Phase 3 students will apply newly learned skills through exposure to anxiety-provoking situations. This takes place through both role-play and real life practice.

Materials Needed:
CARS Anxiety Intervention Manual

What is the Intervention?
The CARS depression manual includes a set of activities from evidence based interventions targeting depressed mood.  The intervention is to be used in a group format.

Who is it for?
Middle and high school students

Purpose:
This intervention is designed to help students who may be experienced depressed moods through group activities and individual sessions.

Background Information:
The group activities presented in this manual are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based activities and should be provided by a professional with a graduate degree in a mental health discipline (i.e. counseling, social work, psychology, school psychology). There are three phases of this intervention; each phase covers different topics and activities. The topics do not need to be completed in separate sessions; however, they should be completed in the order presented. In addition to the group activities, the manual includes homework assignments for students to complete outside of the group to practice and reinforce the skills discussed during the sessions.

Phase 1: Phase one can be completed in a group setting. The first phase involves students learning about moods and how they can be managed.

Phase 2: Phase two can be completed in a group setting. In this phase students will learn skills to help them better manage and improve his/her mood.

Phase 3: Phase three should be completed in individual sessions. During phase 3 students will apply their newly learned skills in their daily lives.

Materials Needed:
CARS Depression Manual

The purpose of this policy brief is to provide state education agency (SEA) leaders with (a) a portrait of the reclassification policy landscape in the U.S., (b) the latest research findings regarding equitable reclassification, and (c) recommendations for promoting reclassification policies and procedures that consider the unique needs of dually identified students. An additional purpose is to promote collaboration between English Learner (EL) and special education departments in the process of re-classification.