Concurrent operant assessments (COAs) offer a flexible model for evaluating instructional preferences for students with persistent, escape-motivated interfering behavior. In this article, we define the critical features of COAs and review what types of questions they can address for classroom educators. We then identify and describe a series of…

While noncompliance is a concerning challenging behavior and commonly reported by educators, its measurement is likely to be invalid and inaccurate given the subjectivity of the operational definition. Engagement is offered as a more valid, accurate measurement that may provide data regarding the amount of instruction accessed by the student. In…

Opportunities to respond (OTR) offer a useful approach to actively engage all students, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders, by enhancing their learning experiences and effectively reducing student problematic behavior due to lack of academic engagement. In this article, we discuss common challenges faced by teachers in…

Tootling is a classwide, peer-mediated intervention created to encourage desired classroom behaviors and enhance students' awareness of classmates' incidental prosocial behaviors (Cashwell et al., 2001; Skinner et al., 2000). This intervention was named Tootling by combining the word "tattling," which is a type of peer reporting, and the…

Choice-making is a strategy that can be implemented across varying age levels and abilities to target problem behavior as well as academic engagement/performance. It can be embedded within multitiered systems of support frameworks as an individual or group approach as well as a Tier 1 or 2 strategy, depending on students' need and response, thus…

Self-determination can support student mental health, particularly related to internalizing behaviors, because self-determined actions enable self-motivating consequences (i.e., self-efficacy). Self-regulation--a subset of self-determination--is often utilized by interventionists to improve self-determination and student behavior. Self-regulation…

Classroom management systems (CMS) are class-wide strategies that teachers use to keep students on task, attentive, and academically engaged. This review provides teachers an overview of eight effective and socially valid CMSs that are aligned with school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS). The goal is to provide teachers…

Students who are actively engaged in learning have a higher probability of academic and behavioral success in the classroom. One effective teaching practice that increases student engagement is providing students with frequent opportunities to respond (OTR). This article provides practitioners with a range of OTR strategies that include verbal,…

This practice brief provides practical, research-based strategies educators can use to de-escalate challenging student behavior in the classroom. Despite the development of supportive, safe, and predictable school environments, students may, at times, become agitated, and their behavior may escalate to unsafe levels. With some advance planning,…

Simmons shares tips and lessons learned, from his first year of teaching, for creating a classroom environment that minimizes off-task or "problem" behaviors and for addressing disruptive behavior in ways that keep it from escalating. Among his suggestions: alternate between being a "lion" and a "lamb," carefully…

Delivering high rates of opportunities to respond (OTR) has been shown to improve student outcomes for students with challenging behavior. High rates of OTR can maximize student engagement while providing ways for teachers to quickly assess student content mastery. Given the increasing trend of technology use in schools, teachers can leverage…

During lengthy instructional periods, many students can disengage from the task by looking out the window, daydreaming, etc. For the majority of students, this disengagement is short-lived, and they easily redirect back to the assignment. However, for some students, their lengthier distraction draws the attention of the teacher. When such mild…

Behavior and academic outcomes in school are interrelated; students who struggle with academics are likelier to exhibit troublesome behavior and students who struggle with behavior tend to fall behind academically. Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) offer frameworks for providing increasingly intensive support for students with academic and…

As schools continue to transition from pandemic-induced disruption to a new normal, educators must realize that the most vulnerable students are the ones who've been harmed the most. The problem is, because trauma and mental health distress aren't immediately visible, educators won't know "which" students are in a quiet state of…

An increasing number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders are being served in general education environments. This article provides general and special education teachers with step-by-step instructions in three classroom management strategies that, when implemented well, can increase academic engagement and reduce challenging…