Two previous articles in this journal advocate the greater use of a behaviourist methodology called "Precision Teaching" (PT). From a position located within virtue ethics, this article argues that the technical feat of raising narrowly defined performance in mathematics and other subjects is not sufficient justification for the…

In discussing the effectiveness of precision teaching, three questions are addressed: (1) What is different or unique about it? (2) What kind of data are necessary to prove that precision teaching affects learning? and (3) What evidence supports its use? (Author/CL)

The author reviews systems providing objective guidelines to facilitate ongoing, daily instructional decisions, focusing on those which utilize the sensitive datum and uniform charting procedures of precision teaching. Potential users are warned that the special education teacher must remain a critical and vigilant analyst of the learning process.…

A nonaversive technique was used to teach a severely handicapped woman to decrease her refusals. The technique employed precision teaching via precise daily measurement strategies, environmental analysis, and a focus on building appropriate behavior. (JDD)

Precision teaching is introduced as a method of helping students develop fluency or automaticity in the performance of academic skills. Precision teaching involves being aware of the relationship between teaching and learning, measuring student performance regularly and frequently, and analyzing the measurements to develop instructional and…

Precision teaching techniques can be used to chart students' attention span or endurance. Individual differences in attention span can then be better understood and dealt with effectively. The effects of performance duration on performance level, on error rates, and on learning rates are discussed. Implications for classroom practice are noted.…

Selecting student performance aims (proficiency levels stated in terms of rate of correct and incorrect responding) is an integral feature of the precision teaching and learning process. Descriptive and developmental research on appropriate aims is summarized, and methods for determining appropriate aims for students are described. (JDD)

Two proponents of the precision teaching approach to teaching the handicapped discuss such principles as: the problem of partial application of the method; relationship to behaviorism; relationship to experiential learning; and the importance of fluency in task performance, mastery learning, and recordkeeping. (DB)

The use of rate data in precision teaching, to improve fluency of student response, is discussed. Noted are its advantages, the demands it places on teachers and students, the impact on measurement procedures, and guidelines for determining when to shift from acquisition to fluency instruction. (JDD)

The founding policies of precision teaching are discussed: monitor frequency daily, use self-recording, use standard charts to display major changes, and accept that the child knows best how he or she learns. Contributions of teachers that have furthered the development of precision teaching are documented. (JDD)

The monograph describes various aspects of data collection, analysis and data-based decision-making for the regular or special education classroom teacher. Direct and repeated measurement of student progress and program effectiveness is advocated. Four fundamental steps are outlined: (1) identify instructional objectives and collect data on…

A speed reading technique is described for use with reluctant readers. The technique uses timed probes with practically any reading material, to heighten student motivation in addition to increasing fluency. Methods for self-recording progress data and strategies for building fluency are described. (JDD)

Techniques are presented to teach students with severe and multiple handicaps to record their performance data using adapted mechanical or electronic counting devices such as calculators. Described are the purposes of self-recording, materials needed, training guidelines, and evaluation procedures. (JDD)

A project combined precision teaching techniques and a flashcard approach known as SAFMEDS, with 4 students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders, age 14-18. Project results determined that the techniques provided students with necessary skills to pass the school district's minimum competency test in the area of local, state, and…

Procedures are presented for improving the reading fluency and comprehension of students with mild handicaps, through use of the neurological impress method and repeated readings method with some modifications. Precision teaching techniques are used in conjunction with these methods, to measure performance, monitor improvement, and design…