Recording and Communicating Behavior in the Special Education Classroom

     Special Education is an endless mountain of papers. Every year there is progress toward using the newest, most efficient program. However, all of these programs have one major error--- They are all reliant on paper! My student population in Special Education can run from high functioning, to showing motivation for only a single item and a small desire to follow 1-step directives to obtain the item. I don't always have time to run, get a clipboard, record behavioral data (ABC, sample observations (MTS), rating scales (BRS), etc.) legibly. There is not a 100% reliable method to maintain empirical frequency and rate data while also being in the thick of a meltdown. Even after all data is collected, papers can be stored incorrectly and the high risk of broken confidentiality is present. 

     I am currently using Google Forms to record data as behaviors occur during the regular school day. So far I have made an ABC data form, Interval Behavioral Data form, Parent Feedback form.

I started with a simple form that I can use to communicate daily behavior with parents. Very basic in design and the response form is linked directly into the personal student website I made earlier in the year. This response form is embedded to the site so when they visit, a real time description of the behavior is present. The verbiage is reader friendly for the forms directed to the parents. My hope is that it encourages the parents to read the response or fill out the forms more often. The parents can view the response form online as little or often as they wish and easily see how their student is doing. Also, by providing the beginning of a sample sentence, I don't feel the need to always write a lengthy response. 


For students with specific motivators, I have an ABC Form. It has simple headers that any staff, old or new, will be able to quickly identify and understand. 


I made a master of all the forms, then clicked "Make a Copy" under the "File" tab. This allows me to have a different file for each student and tailor the responses to choose from specific to the student. One student will manifest unwanted behaviors differently than the next so modifying the forms is important. 

   My staff and I can access the form via Google Drive, QR Code located on the wall near an area of the room that has reduced stimulants, and also icons on the staff cell phones. The cell phone icons have been very helpful when we are out in another part of the school or when access to the computer is not realistic. 

     Overall, I feel the addition of tracking behavior using the forms has increased my hands on productivity with the students, limited the amount of actual papers I lug around, and also gives me the option of creating a graph using the data in the form within seconds (perfect for IEP preparation).