Educators who employ student behavior improvement programs know that their efforts often produce some welcome side-effects. By focusing energy on student behavior, student behavior – as we’ve seen with our customers using Hero – by and large improves. But we’ve also seen how behavior improvement programs can reduce suspensions and referrals. And improve school climate & culture. And even help educators pull off restorative justice.
What behavior programs can also do is give educators powerful ways to spot behavior patterns. And sometimes, these patterns can indicate there’s a more serious issue a student is dealing with, just below the surface.
What Behavior Patterns Can Tell Us
A Pattern of Acting Out
- Studies have shown that when a student is struggling academically with a particular subject, they may exhibit delay or avoidance tactics. So when students act out in class, their intentions may be to disrupt the learning environment as a delay tactic. This is a pattern that can show up in a school’s student behavior data. Teachers report the student’s action, and if that student frequently acts out, it’s instantly clear to administrators where there may be academic concerns. At schools using HeroRise, students who are excessively marked for disruptive or disrespectful behavior in certain classes are often times these students.
A Tardy-to-Class Pattern
- As with acting out, a Tardy-to-Class behavior pattern can also indicate a student is struggling academically. Tardiness may be a student’s physical avoidance tactic.
- A Tardy-to-Class pattern may reveal another reason why students are late: bullying. If a student has problems with aggressive peers or faces bullying, they may take an extra-long route to class to avoid other students. When and where tardiness occurs throughout the school day shows up with a behavior tool like HeroReady.
A Tardy-to-School Pattern
- Tardy-to-School should be studied separately from Tardy-to-Class behavior as it may reveal entirely different issues. Students who face unsafe environments or situations on their way from home to school may be late because they are altering their route or leaving later than they otherwise would. This pattern shows up in Tardy-to-School data, also with a tool like HeroReady, and/or in a school’s attendance data.
The Common Thread
What do all of these behavior patterns have in common? The roots of each problem are different, but they can actually all cause a student to miss significant instructional time.
And missing school, as we all know, is a massive problem. With 8 million students reported chronic absent each year, attendance issues are a national crisis, per the federal government.
Find the patterns. Then intervene.
The positive news is that educators are incredibly good at treating these larger student issues revealed by behavior patterns. And thankfully, behavior data can make it a littler easier these days for educators to see where they just need to intervene.
Grab a copy of Curbing Chronic Absenteeism: Six Real Actions Local Leaders Can Take To Make A Big Difference. Inside, you’ll find intervention guidance and more on the above, plus other ways to reduce absenteeism. It’s research-backed and educator-approved help so you can #BeTheChange.
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