classroom management plan for special education

Sample Classroom Management Plan for Special Education

Welcome to my blog on classroom management plans for special education! As a former special education teacher , I know firsthand how challenging it can be to manage a classroom of diverse learners with unique needs and abilities.

The key to creating a successful classroom environment is a solid classroom management plan. This plan outlines expectations, rules, consequences, and rewards for students and teachers. It helps to establish a sense of structure and routine, which can be especially important for students with special needs who may struggle with transitions and changes to their daily routines.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing a sample classroom management plan for special education that you can use as a starting point to create your plan. We’ll cover the key components of a classroom management plan, including setting expectations, building relationships, and managing behavior.

Whether you’re a new teacher just starting or a seasoned veteran looking to revamp your classroom management strategies, this blog will provide the tools and resources you need to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all your students. Here are some tips on the responsibilities of a teacher in an inclusive classroom . So let’s get started!

What is a Management Plan for Special Education Classroom?

A special education classroom management plan is a structured plan designed to meet the unique needs of students with special needs or disabilities. It is a tool used to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment tailored to each student’s specific needs.

Key Components

Some key components of a special education classroom management plan may include:

• Setting Clear Expectations: Clear and concise expectations for behavior, academic performance, and social interactions are critical in special education classrooms. Students with special needs often thrive on structure, routine, and predictability, so it’s essential to clearly define the expectations for behavior, classroom rules, and routines.
• Building Positive Relationships: Establishing a positive relationship with students is crucial for any classroom, especially for special education classrooms. Building positive relationships with students can help to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from their experiences. The Edutopia website offers insights on how to build these relationships.
• Providing Accommodations and Modifications: Accommodations and modifications are necessary to meet the unique needs of students with special needs or disabilities. A special education classroom management plan should outline the specific accommodations and modifications provided to each student, such as additional time for tests or assignments, preferential seating, or modified assignments.
• Managing Behavior: Managing behavior is a critical aspect of any classroom management plan, and it’s especially important in special education classrooms. Strategies such as positive reinforcement, clear expectations, and consistent consequences can help to manage behavior and support student success.
• Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment: A special education classroom management plan should be flexible and subject to ongoing assessment and adjustment. As the students’ needs and abilities change, the classroom management plan should be adapted to meet those changing needs. Resources from Council for Exceptional Children can be very useful in this regard.

What is Classroom Management Special Education?

Classroom management in special education is the set of strategies and techniques teachers use to create a positive and structured learning environment that meets the unique needs of students with disabilities or special needs. It requires a deep understanding of the needs of each student, as well as a range of skills and techniques for managing behavior, providing accommodations and modifications, and fostering positive relationships.

Classroom management plans for special education typically include clear expectations and rules, consistent consequences for behavior, accommodations and modifications to support learning, and ongoing assessment and adjustment to meet the changing needs of students. Creating a positive and effective learning environment for all students is essential to academic success, developing social and emotional skills, and building confidence and self-esteem.

What are Some Classroom Management Strategies for Special Education?

Teachers can use classroom management strategies to support students with special needs, such as developing a clear and structured routine, providing clear expectations and rules, using positive reinforcement, visual aids, and assistive technology, and incorporating movement and sensory breaks. Collaboration with families and other professionals can help to develop individualized support plans and ensure consistency across settings.

How Do You Write a Plan for Classroom Management?

Here are the steps to write a classroom management plan:

• Assess your classroom: The first step in creating a classroom management plan is to assess your classroom and students. Consider the age, developmental level, and individual needs of your students, as well as the physical layout and resources of the classroom.
• Establish expectations and rules: Next, develop clear and consistent expectations and rules for behavior in the classroom. Make sure the rules are age-appropriate and support a safe and positive learning environment. Communicate these expectations and rules to students and families.
• Develop consequences for behavior: Create a set of consequences for behavior that are consistent with your expectations and rules. Make sure students understand the consequences and the reasoning behind them. Consequences should be appropriate to the behavior and aim to teach positive behaviors.
• Incorporate positive reinforcement: Incorporate positive reinforcement strategies into your classroom management plan. This includes verbal praise, positive notes at home, and tangible rewards. Positive reinforcement promotes positive behavior and creates a positive learning environment.
• Create a plan for accommodations and modifications: Consider the unique needs of students in your classroom and create a plan for accommodations and modifications to support their learning. These may include assistive technology, preferential seating, and individualized support.
• Establish routines and procedures: Create routines and procedures for daily tasks, transitions, and emergencies. Establishing routines and procedures helps create a predictable and organized learning environment, especially for students with special needs.
• Review and revise: Review and revise your classroom management plan regularly. Make adjustments as needed to support your students better and promote positive behavior. Keep open lines of communication with families, staff, and administrators to help create a positive classroom culture.

Remember, an effective classroom management plan is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It should be tailored to meet the individual needs of your students and be flexible enough to change over time.

Here is a sample plan for classroom management for special education:

• Setting Clear Expectations:
• The classroom rules will be posted in a visible location in the classroom.
• The teacher will review the classroom rules and expectations at the beginning of the school year and as needed.
• The teacher will model and reinforce positive behavior.
• Building Positive Relationships:
• The teacher will take time to get to know each student individually, including their interests and strengths.
• The teacher will provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively and build relationships with their peers.
• The teacher will provide positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior and academic progress.

Here is a sample classroom management plan for special education:

• Providing Accommodations and Modifications:
• The teacher will work with the special education team to determine appropriate accommodations and modifications for each student, such as additional time for tests or assignments, preferential seating, or modified assignments.
• The teacher will provide visual aids, assistive technology, and other tools to support student learning .
• The teacher will provide differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
• Managing Behavior:
• The teacher will use positive reinforcement, such as praise and rewards, to encourage appropriate behavior.
• The teacher will use a consistent system of consequences for inappropriate behavior, such as verbal warnings, loss of privileges, or time-out.
• The teacher will communicate regularly with parents and the special education team about behavior progress and concerns.
• Ongoing Assessment and Adjustment:
• The teacher will regularly assess student progress and adjust the classroom management plan.
• The teacher will work collaboratively with the special education team to meet each student’s needs.
• The teacher will provide ongoing support and resources to ensure all students succeed.

By implementing this classroom management plan for special education, teachers can create a positive and inclusive learning environment that meets the unique needs of each student. This plan emphasizes clear expectations, positive relationships, accommodations and modifications, behavior management, and ongoing assessment and adjustment. Students with special needs can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally by providing a supportive and structured environment.

Special Education Classroom Behavior Management

Behavior management strategies for special education are the set of strategies and techniques that teachers use to promote positive behavior and prevent and respond to challenging behaviors in students with disabilities or special needs. It requires a deep understanding of the underlying causes of challenging behaviors and a range of skills and techniques for promoting positive behavior and addressing challenging behaviors.

One important aspect of behavior management is using accommodations and modifications to support positive behavior, such as preferential seating, visual aids, assistive technology, or other supports. Positive reinforcement, such as praise, rewards, and recognition, is also used to encourage appropriate behavior. Teachers can create a supportive and structured learning environment where all students can thrive by taking a proactive and positive approach to behavior management.

Teaching Strategies for Students with Special Needs

Effective teaching strategies for special needs students include using multi-sensory techniques, differentiated instruction, repetition and reinforcement, assistive technology, structured and predictable environments, frequent feedback, collaboration and peer support, cooperative learning, peer tutoring, and social skills training. These strategies can help to reinforce learning and promote retention of new concepts.

Other Resources

Many resources are available online for classroom management plan examples in PDF format. Your search for “classroom management plan example pdf,” “teaching strategies for special needs students pdf,” or “classroom management in special education ppt.”

Here are a few websites where you can find examples of classroom management plans:

• TeachThought: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template and a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template for middle and high school teachers.
• Edutopia: This website offers a variety of classroom management resources, including a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• Study.com: This website offers a free downloadable classroom management plan template and a sample classroom management plan in PDF format.
• Pinterest: You can also find many classroom management plan examples in PDF format on Pinterest. Search for “classroom management plan examples” and browse the many available examples.

Remember, when using a classroom management plan example, it’s important to customize the plan to meet the unique needs of your students and classroom. Use the example as a starting point and make adjustments to create a plan that works for you and your students.

We hope you enjoyed today’s discussion of the Sample Classroom Management Plan for Special Education. Have a great day!

Jennifer Hanson is a dedicated and seasoned writer specializing in the field of special education. With a passion for advocating for the rights and needs of children with diverse learning abilities, Jennifer uses her pen to educate, inspire, and empower both educators and parents alike.

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Behavior and Classroom Management in Special Education

Techniques to Use to Encourage Positive Behavior

• Behavior Management
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Lesson Plans
• Math Strategies
• Reading & Writing
• Social Skills
• Inclusion Strategies
• Individual Education Plans
• Becoming A Teacher
• Assessments & Tests
• Elementary Education
• Secondary Education
• Homeschooling
• M.Ed., Special Education, West Chester University
• B.A., Elementary Education, University of Pittsburgh

Behavior is one of the greatest challenges a special education teacher faces. This is especially true when students receiving special education services are in inclusive classrooms .

There are a number of strategies that teachers—both special and general education—can employ to help with these situations. We will begin by looking at ways to provide structure, move on to addressing behavior in general, and look at structured interventions as prescribed by federal law.

Classroom Management

The most effective way to deal with difficult behavior is to prevent it. It really is as simple as that, but that's also sometimes easier to say than to put into practice in real life.

Preventing bad behavior means creating a classroom environment that reinforces positive behavior . At the same time, you want to stimulate attention and imagination and make your expectations clear to the students.

To start, you can create a comprehensive classroom management plan . Beyond establishing rules, this plan will help you institute classroom routines , develop strategies to keep student's organized and implement Positive Behavior Support systems .

Behavior Management Strategies

Before you have to put a Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA)  and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) in place, there are other strategies you can try. These will help refocus behavior and avoid those higher, and more official, levels of intervention.

First of all, as a teacher, it's important that you understand the potential behavioral and emotional disorders children in your classroom may be dealing with. These may include psychiatric disorders or behavioral disabilities and each student will come to class with their own needs.

Then, we also need to define what inappropriate behavior is . This helps us understand why a student may be acting out the way she has in the past. It also gives us guidance in properly confronting these actions.

With this background, behavior management becomes part of classroom management . Here, you can begin to implement strategies to support a positive learning environment. This may include behavior contracts between yourself, the student, and their parents. It could also involve rewards for positive behavior.

For example, many teachers use interactive tools like the "Token Economy" to recognize good behavior in the classroom. These point systems can be customized to fit the individual needs of your students and classroom.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a research-based therapeutic system based on Behaviorism (the science of behavior), which was first defined by B.F. Skinner. It has been proven to be successful in managing and changing problematic behavior. ABA also provides instruction in functional and life skills, as well as academic programming .

Individual Education Plans (IEP)

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a way to organize your thoughts in a formal manner regarding a child's behavior. This can be shared with the IEP team, parents, other teachers, and school administration.

The goals outlined in an IEP should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and have a timeframe (SMART). All of this helps keep everyone on track and gives your student a very detailed sense of what is expected of them.

If the IEP is not working, then you might need to resort to the formal FBA or BIP. Yet, teachers often find that with earlier intervention, the right combination of tools, and a positive classroom environment, these measures can be avoided.

• BIP: The Behavior Intervention Plan
• Behavior Goals for Individual Education Plans
• Behavior Versus Classroom Management
• Guide to Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs)
• Creating a Comprehensive Classroom Management Plan
• Classroom Essentials for the New Special Educator
• Behavior Tracking Contracts, Incident Reports, and Worksheets
• Behavior Contracts to Support Good Behavior
• 5 Behavior Management Resources for Teachers
• Identifying Behavior for a Functional Behavior Analysis
• A Behavior Point System That Improves Math Skills
• What is Special Education?
• 4 Principles of Classroom Management and Social Emotional Learning
• Behavior Goals for An Early Intervention IEP
• How to Write a Functional Behavior Analysis
• 4 Tips for Effective Classroom Management

Register for our monthly Managing Behavior Webinar series!

• Published on August 4, 2020
• |  Blog
• | by Andrea Banks

Special Education Classroom Behavior Management Strategies for K12

If you work in education or specifically special education, you know how challenging it can be to manage a classroom with a variety of unique needs. Often those behaviors can be distracting and frustrating for both teachers and other students.

It probably would not surprise you to learn that on average, 144 minutes per week of instructional time is lost in classrooms because of behavior disruptions. Special education teachers must master classroom behavior management to become effective.

Students with disabilities present with so many unique needs, it becomes necessary to have a whole list of strategies to engage and manage their needs. With 13% of students  who qualify nationally for special education, there is an abundance of need.

Do you ever feel like you don’t have all the strategies you need to handle your classroom of unique students? You’re not alone. In fact, a large percentage of new teachers say they felt very unprepared for managing the behaviors in their special education classroom.

If you need some help with classroom behavior management, read on for some tips and strategies you can use in your special education classroom.

Establish Relationships With Students

Let’s face it, you spend a whole lot of time with your students over the course of a year. Often you spend more face to face time with them than their parents or guardians. Of all the  research-based strategies  available to you, one of the most important is developing a real relationship with your students.

They need to believe that you are invested in them and that you know them. It goes beyond smiling and welcoming them, although important. You need to find a way to make a connection with every student.

They won’t always make it easy either. If they come from a home where they don’t have positive relationships with adults, they will be wary. Work to get to know their interests, their  love languages , learn about their life outside of school. Attempt to and teach them about real conversations.

Why do quality relationships matter? Because when there are inevitable behavior issues that arise, you have goodwill and a student who is invested in a positive way with you. They are less likely to misbehave or less likely to want to give you a difficult time because you have this strong relationship.

Positive Learning Environment

As a teacher, you know you need to pay attention to a student’s intellectual, emotional, physical, and social needs. You need to set up your special education classroom that aims to meet those needs in each and every student in your room.

Establishing a positive learning environment where the focus is on both learning and positives will go a long way in curbing student behaviors. If they know, as students, that you will meet their needs and remain positive, they will be less likely to show you those negative behaviors.

Of course, you have to have a classroom with good procedures and expectations (more on this later) so students already understand how the classroom will function.

In a special education classroom, students will want to know you are there to support their learning and will help them when the learning is challenging for them. You create accommodations and scaffolds to help them learn like a student without a disability.

Set Expectations

Students understand schools have rules. As a teacher, you want to let your students know about your expectations.

There are a few students, who by nature, are rule followers. But many who are not rule followers, and some of them with disabilities, will also test those expectations.

The more you can establish expectations with your students about how your classroom operates, the more likely students will be to follow them. How do you establish those expectations?

You need to have clear and concise communications with students, routine, and practice. Students know what things bother them in the classroom. Establish routine and practice routines. Create and post anchor charts that give students information about the things they need to know.

Talk together as a class to establish norms of behavior that you all agree to abide by. When they are invested in creating those norms, they are much more likely to follow them.

Organize Your Lessons

No matter your age, you can recall sitting in a classroom or meeting where you are bored. You know those times when you don’t care about what’s being said to you, and you want to lean over to the person next to you in the meeting and start talking about your vacation plans.

This happens when you aren’t engaged in what’s happening around you. Teachers need to focus on thoughtful and deliberate  lesson design  so kids stay engaged in what is being taught. The higher the engagement in the learning, the less likely there will be behavior issues.

As special education teachers, you know part of that lesson design includes how you will accommodate and structure lessons for individual learners. What changes in lessons will you need so all students in your room can learn based on the goals of their IEP?

Students need to know the objectives of your lesson and what you expect them to learn. They need to have opportunities for practice and multiple checks for understanding. These are all engagement strategies for students that keep them focused on the lesson and not on negative behaviors.

Focus on Strengths

Sometimes when a student is being particularly difficult, it’s easy to forget that everyone is good at something. Students forget this too, especially if they struggle with academic work in school. Often educators see students misbehave as a coping mechanism for when they don’t understand what school wants them to learn.

It’s so important for both special education teachers and students to remember that everyone is good at something. And if you are struggling with a student, you need to focus on their strengths. This is also where having a relationship with them comes into play. You have learned about the student and can find those strengths.

Many special education students also have  behavior intervention plans  to help them modulate their behavior. Use student strengths (and interests) to build those behavior plans so they will be more effective in curbing unwanted behaviors.

As you  focus on strengths , you can use those to engage students too.

Behavior Specific Praise

You will be hard-pressed to find a student who doesn’t respond to a positive. They might not always know how to react to praise, but they still like it.

Instead of focusing on the negatives that might be happening in your classroom (and this can be challenging, for sure), focus on the positives.

For many kids, the more responses and reactions they get from you for negative behaviors, the more negative behaviors they will give you. Inversely, the more positive reactions they get from you, the more positive behaviors you should see.

Having said that, your praise can’t be generic. Make the praise specific to the behavior you want to see. Use language to communicate specifically the behavior you wish to see.

Greet Students at the Door

Don’t underestimate the huge impact a greeting can have. When you are the door of your classroom, offer students an enthusiastic, sincere greeting. When you greet them individually, it does several important things.

You help set the tone for how the class will go. You have established a positive interaction. One study suggests that greeting students at the door can get you a  20% boost in student engagement . This is a pretty big boost for being at the door with a friendly and personalized greeting.

The other value is that you can get a gauge almost right away for how a student is feeling. You see their face and interact personally with them. As you get to know your students, you will know right away if they are having an off day and can be prepared for it. You can also use their specific social strategies to counteract a potential problem right at the beginning of the day.

Reminders and Cues

Students respond to reminders and cues. It’s important to let students know what you want them to do and how. If students aren’t sure what to do, they will do what they want or perhaps do something they shouldn’t do. If students are finishing their math, for example, and wondering what to do next, you can verbally give a reminder for everyone to hear.

You could also use specific praise that will work as a reminder for other students. For example, you can thank a student by name for putting their math assignment in the tray and getting started on their independent reading. That way, the student got praise for their work, and the others got a reminder.

Cues can be important too. You can even use these in behavior plans. Perhaps it’s something as simple as placing a post-it note on a student’s desk to let them know they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

Also, use student behavior plans to establish what cues will work best with individual students.

When you make eye contact with students you can use nonverbal cues to remind them what they should be doing (or not doing).

Active Supervision

Gone are the days in education where the teacher sits behind a desk facing students that quietly work (and behave), while the teacher grades papers. Students need to see you actively involved in what’s happening in the special education classroom.

Proximity is very effective in addressing potential negative behaviors. Maybe students are working on something quietly. Instead of sitting behind your desk, go sit next to or near a student. You can monitor what they are doing and your presence helps prevent negative behaviors from happening.

Students will quickly get used to seeing you moving around the room. You can answer questions as you move around. You can answer questions and have small, quiet conferences with students. As you talk quietly with one student, the students around you benefit from hearing those conversations too.

Don’t think of this as you watching them, looking for unwanted behaviors. Instead, approach it positively, as a way to interact about what they are working on.

There are some who might think that ignoring bad behaviors is not a good strategy. However, it can be a very effective strategy when ignoring is done deliberately.

If you have a behavior that is causing problems from a particular student in the classroom, instead of continually addressing it, try to ignore it. Then give the student positive feedback for other things and all the cue and reminders.

Recognize the students around the non-compliant student who are doing the things you want them to do.

It will be challenging to ignore, there’s no doubt. But when the student realizes they might not get the feedback or reaction they were trying for, eventually it’s likely they will comply and do what is asked of them.

Optimize Your Seating Plan

As teachers, you know that if you let your students choose their seats, then they might not make the best choices. Yet, the more ownership you give students in the self-contained special classroom, the more likely they will be to comply.

You use seating with that goal in mind. You might have a comfortable seating area that works as a reward area. You might let students who are working in a group choose where they sit. If they know they need to handle it correctly, or you will ask them to go back to a separate desk, they will work harder to maintain appropriate behaviors.

There are some kids who will need separate seating. They will even appreciate it. Maybe they need to be separate because it provides them a place to work with fewer distractions or stimuli.

As educators, you need to make deliberate decisions about where and how kids choose to sit and work.

Use Research-Based Classroom Behavior Management in Your Classroom

One of the biggest challenges you will face in your special education classroom will be managing unwanted behaviors. Be proactive and try one of these many strategies to get your classroom running smoothly.

If you are a special education director or counselor or have another role in working with special education students, you might benefit from our monthly managing student behavior series .

Make your classroom behavior management decisions with care and deliberation so you can have students engaged, learning, and behaving appropriately. Contact us today  to learn more about our Insights to Behavior program.

Modernize your District's Behavior Management with research-based best-practices.

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11 Classroom Management Strategies for Children with Special Needs

Topics: Inclusive Education , Brain Parade , Infant/Toddler (0-3) , Elementary (4-12) , Teen (13-17) , Articles

Strategies to use with your students

Inclusion is a great thing. Children with special needs are no longer isolated in “Special Ed” classrooms and only seen on the playground or in the lunchroom. Kids with special needs thrive in the presence of their peers. There are so many lessons that children with special needs can learn from other kids, and so many friendships to be formed.

Teachers are called upon to be creative and innovative when preparing classrooms. Managing an all-inclusive classroom is easier if simple, personalized teaching strategies for the special needs student are implemented.  The following tips will help you create a learning environment that will help students bloom where they are planted!

1. Use computer based programs to hold the interest of students with autism. Stages Learning Line is an invaluable tool when working with children with autism. The platform is a revolutionary visual learning and assessment tool for teachers and educators working with young children wit autism. The program includes thousands of images and exercises created by a certified behavior analyst. You can also use your own images to personalize lesson plans for students who have specific interests. One standardized platform allows teachers to create effective, customized lesson plan, that can be shared with other students and teachers who may share the same interests. The products preceding Stages Learning Line have been researched and implemented in schools around the world and have proven to be  effective learning tools for instructing students with autism.

2. Set the desks in the classroom is rows , rather than using circular seating around large tables, if possible. Students with autism need their own space. The student with ADHD is easily distracted, so a seat close to the teacher, facing forward works best. Children with special needs are easily distracted, so keep their desks away from the windows, doors and activity centers in the classroom.

3. Post classroom rules in a conspicuous place in the classroom , and review the regularly. Ask students to take turns reading the rules aloud as part of the daily routine. Make sure all students understand the rules of the classroom and the consequences for not adhering to them. It may be helpful to allow the class to help formulate the classroom rules.

4. Keep it simple. Give verbal prompts frequently, and be sure your instructions are easy to understand. Repeat instructions if the student does not seem to comprehend what you are saying.

5. Use visual aids such as charts , graphs, and pictures. The Stages Learning Line computer program consists of colorful, vivid pictures that are sure to please. Children with autism tend to respond well to technology. Stages Learning Line is very appealing to them and allows them to be interactive while learning.

6. Peers can be wonderful role models for students on the autism spectrum. Pair compatible children together when working on projects or participating in classroom activities. Many children welcome the opportunity to be a peer role model to the special needs student. The experience is not only positive for the student with autism, but for the peer counselor as well.

7. Have a predictable schedule. Children with autism tend to prefer predictable routines. Give advance warning if the daily schedule is going to change. If there is going to be a field trip, a special guest in the classroom, or a substitute teacher, try to let the class know in advance. Unexpected changes in the routine can be difficult for the child with autism.

8. Teach social skills , such as hand raising, taking turns and sharing as part of the learning curriculum. All students will benefit when reminders are given. Children with autism often engage in self-stimulating behaviors such as hand flapping, rocking or even slapping themselves in the face. Help the other students in the class understand these behaviors.

9. Provide opportunities to take a break. Read a story, play a short game, stand up and stretch, or have casual conversation. Sometimes an opportunity to get out of his seat and walk around the room can be very calming for the child on the autism spectrum. Try to be aware of the signs that your student may need a short break.

10. Focus on student strengths. If a child is interested in dinosaurs, baseball, dogs or water sports, he or she needs the opportunity to exhibit expertise in that subject. Stages Learning Line was developed with the personalized lesson plan in mind. Students with autism thrive when they are studying a lesson plan that was formatted specifically for them.

11. Be aware of environmental triggers. Loud noises, bright lights, and hot or cold temperatures can disrupt a child’s thinking pattern and cause an unnecessary classroom outburst. Be mindful of these environmental triggers and eliminate them whenever possible. 

A Positive Experience All Around

Teaching students with autism is a challenge, but the experience can be a positive one for the autistic child, his teachers, and his classmates if the proper teaching strategies are incorporated into the daily routine. Autistic children struggle with socialization. The Stages Learning Line computer based program opens a world of wonder for each student who is enrolled. The autistic student can work independently, and can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as he masters skills and learns new concepts. The program makes it possible to focus on the things that appeal to the student. Teachers are impressed as they watch in wonder as their students with autism improve their verbal skills as they progress through the program at their own pace.

Stages Learning Line helps teachers improve the effectiveness of their teaching. Parents are delighted when they attend parent-teacher conferences and hear about the positive accomplishments being made in their child’s education. The combination of classroom management strategies and the Stages Learning Line program can help teachers create a learning environment that is productive, enthusiastic and conducive to academic success.

Written by Jim McClafferty

Jim McClafferty is the original Founder of Brain Parade. With a technology career of over 25 years and a lifetime of tinkering with new and innovative products, Jim was shocked to find out how this innovation was largely absent in special education. He founded Brain Parade with the goal of using his experience to build applications that help people with special needs. Brain Parade was created to build products that will have a profound, positive impact on the lives of these individuals, their teachers, their families and their caregivers. Before the sale of Brain Parade to Stages Learning Materials, Jim's leadership put quality digital autism education in the hands of hundreds of thousands of parents and educators.

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Classroom Management With Exceptional Learners

Managing a classroom effectively is a critical skill teachers need to maximize academic achievement, enhance student social competence, promote positive classroom climate, and support students with exceptional needs. When paired with effective instruction and implemented as part of a comprehensive classwide system of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), empirically-supported classroom management practices increase the likelihood of improved behavioral and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to highlight two key strategies that teachers can use to maximize student success and promote desired behaviors: (a) establishing and teaching routines and expectations and (b) providing behavior-specific praise and error corrections. These two practices, when implemented within a classwide PBIS system, help teachers establish classroom environments that maximize the impact of academic instruction and contribute to more positive classroom climates. Implementation guidelines, links to helpful resources, and multiple examples are included.

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5 Effective Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom

Please try again

Students with special and exceptional needs are placed in inclusive learning environments more frequently than in the past. For general educators with a limited special education background, this can often be anxiety provoking and stressful. Every teacher wants to provide the best instruction and education for her students. As a special education teacher for the past ten years, my job has been to support general education teachers when we share responsibility of students with special needs. I work with them to ensure that all students have the necessary resources in order to be successful, and that they themselves can grow and learn as an educator. Here are five strategies that have been successful for working with students in the inclusive classroom.

1. Get to know your students’ IEPs/504s

Upon receiving notice that a student with a specific plan is entering your class, it’s important to connect with that student’s case manager. For a student with a 504 plan, that is usually the school counselor; for a student with an IEP it’s either the Special Education Teacher or Resource Specialist. You should receive a brief synopsis of the IEP, often referred to as the “IEP at a Glance” form. This will detail the specific services and minutes each student receives, as well as any accommodations and modifications that are available for them.

One of the most common accommodations for students with special needs is preferential seating. This doesn’t always mean in the front row of the classroom right next to the teacher’s desk. There are many instances where seating a student in the front row can be catastrophic! Most of the rooms I see are grouped in clusters; I like to make sure that a student I am working with is next to peers they feel comfortable with, and can help explain a concept during collaborative time. Seats away from distractions such as windows or doors is quite helpful for students with attention issues.

Take Action: Check and make sure you have current documents for students in your class. Make a chart with what services each student receives and how frequently. Make note of their next IEP meeting date. If you haven’t started one yet, start a folder for student work samples-this will make the Special Educator’s job that much easier!

2. Implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Universal Design is so much more than one of the hottest buzzwords circulating around education circles. It’s an approach to curriculum planning and mapping that makes learning engaging and accessible to a wider range of learners with different strengths and needs. UDL builds on Howard Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligences , in that it calls for teaching to utilize multiple modalities, and for students to respond to learning with a variety of assessment tools. Educators that recognize the importance of UDL realize that we all learn and express ourselves in different ways, and that in order to assess skills we need to be allowed to use our strengths, while practicing our areas of need at the same time.

A great introduction to the concepts behind UDL can be found at CAST’s website .

Take Action: View the video and reflect on your teaching practices. How are you engaging students? How do students show what they know? How are students presented with material?

3. Support Important Life Skills

As a seasoned educator, when I hear the term “life skills”, I often think of tasks that are performed by our more severely disabled students, many of whom are not in a general education environment. When I do this, I am shortchanging my students, many who lack very necessary skills they need in order to be a productive and contributing member of society. Many general education mainstream students cannot perform the following simple tasks:

• telling time from an analog clock
• writing a simple letter
• signing their name in cursive
• note taking and study skills

Many of the teachers that I work with have a “Study Skills Thursday”, where students clean out their backpacks, organize their binders and notebooks, and focus on developing and self-reflecting on both short and long-term goals. I also do locker checks with some of my students. The battle is half won if a student comes to school organized and prepared.

Take Action: Find or create a survey for your students to gauge what essential skills they have, and what they need (I use this  Learning Skills and Work Habits Student Self-Assessment Checklist from Teachers Pay teachers ). How can you incorporate instruction in these skills into your everyday schedule?

4. Engage in Collaborative Planning and Teaching

No classroom is an island, especially an inclusive classroom. Opening up your room to service providers, paraprofessionals, special education teachers, and parents gives you valuable opportunities to participate in collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching looks differently depending on what school, level, and setting you are working. I am fortunate enough to work in a school where collaborative teaching is encouraged and celebrated. Teachers have common planning times, and professional development time is often set aside for teachers to plan together. This often spans grade levels and subject areas.

Take Action: Try to find a common time to sit and meet with your grade-level Special Education teacher. How can you work together to improve student learning? Draft a plan to hand to your administrator; perhaps you can receive a stipend for your planning time!

5. Develop a strong Behavior Management Plan

Having a successful inclusive classroom depends upon having control of your classroom. It is essential to have clearly communicated expectations and goals, that are accessible to all students. Your classroom environment should be tailored to better suit diverse students’ needs. With students’ and specialists’ input, create a checklist or action plan for students.

Some specific behavior management strategies that support effective instruction are:

• Posting daily schedules
• Displaying classroom rules and expectations
• Encouraging peer to peer instruction and leadership
• Using signals to quiet down, start working, and putting away materials.
• Giving students folders, labels and containers to organize supplies.
• Checking in with students while they work
• Utilizing proactive rather than reactive interventions as needed
• Speaking to students privately about any concerns
• Employing specific, targeted positive reinforcement when a student meets a behavioral or academic goal.

Take Action: Look through student IEPs to see if any student has a formal Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). Consult with your Special Education teacher for resources on how to establish and strengthen behavior management in your classroom. If possible, have the SpEd teacher observe and give feedback.

There are many pieces to the puzzle for creating an effective inclusive classroom. Communication is key, and collaboration with other educators and professionals has a great benefit to all.

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Classroom Management Strategies for Special Education Students

• Categories : Inclusion strategies for mainstreamed classrooms
• Tags : Special ed information for teachers & parents

Classroom Management Strategies - Individualizing the Interventions

Each student is unique and different in behavioral needs within the classroom. Interventions that address behavioral issues must be individualized and implemented with specific behavioral outcomes that meet the unique needs of special education students. The student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) will present diagnostic behavioral concerns and the IEP team members may have shared outcome strategies in the FBA (Functional Behavioral Analysis) or the BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plan) if included in the IEP. However, it is the teacher in the student’s classroom who must understand that students with special needs must be addressed individually when creating effective classroom management strategies for the classroom.

Monitor and Adjust

Oftentimes, teachers are asked to monitor and adjust expectations according to the students behavioral or learning disability. Students could have defined learning disabilities which require curriculum and instructional modifications to accommodate the learning needs of the students or they could have physical or emotional disabilities that require a different intervention or adjustment. The following strategies can create effective classroom management goals that are win-win for both teacher and students in the classroom.

The Strategies and Interventions

• In designing effective curriculum and instruction to meet the academic needs of the student, create lessons that scaffold into smaller chunks of learning and instructional access. Students must be able to feel success in learning which translates into more on task behavior and less off task monitoring during the class period.
• Provide collaborative peer pair sharing groups so that special education students feel valued and included in the learning process. Have expectations of constructive contributions within group projects so that all students understand that inclusion equals academic and behavioral accountability.
• Use assistive technology or other learning tools to provide a diversity of educational aids that promote student opportunities to process and practice the learning objectives.
• Monitor and adjust assignment expectations so that students can feel more win-win moments and fewer lose-lose moments when they may have difficulty understanding and producing academic and behavioral outcome.
• Create classroom management plans that are doable with constructive consequences and adjustments for special education students.
• Provide students with graphic organizers or a diversity of learning strategies to process and master learning chunks.
• Create a classroom SIP (Student Intervention Plan) capitalizing on the unique needs of the student using input from the student on behavioral actions and re-directions needed to create academic and behavioral success in the classroom.

By providing special education students with high expectations to self-monitor academic and behavioral performance in the classroom, teachers are providing them with tools to understand and redirect their own behavior in more constructive and proactive ways that say win-win in learning and in life.

Mrs. P's Specialties

Classroom Management Hacks For Special Ed

Classroom Management Ideas & Hacks

Managing a special education classroom can be overwhelming and exhausting, to say the least. To make your job a little bit easier, here are some great classroom management hacks I have learned over the years in my special education classroom.

visual supports & tools

Using visual supports are a must for students and staff. When used with students, visual supports and tools can reduce prompting, increase independence and reduce behaviors in the classroom. The more independent your students are, the less you have to be right there to guide them and the more time you will have for all of the other things you need to do.

Some of the visuals and tools I use with my students are visual schedules, the pause button, timers, a wireless doorbell, etc. Visual supports and tools greatly improve classroom management and student growth. Grab the behavior visuals below HERE .

Another classroom management hack is to use visual supports and tools with staff. We need our staff to be independent just like our students! When we use visuals to make them more independent and less dependent on our direction, then we aren’t pulled for questions, spending time to reteach & train.

Visual supports and tools I use with staff include:

• Prompt hierarchy
• Class schedule
• My lesson plans
• Break and lunch schedule for staff
• Prompts for ways to say and ask questions or directives

physical set up as a classroom management hack

How you set up and design the physical layout of your room has a huge impact on classroom management. Take the time at the beginning of the year to set up your classroom in the best possible way for your students to be independent and successful.

Think about ways you can use your furniture to create boundaries and quiet learning spaces. Consider what each space will be used for and what furniture, materials, etc will be used in that area. Be sure to limit visual distractions as much as possible so your students can focus, self-regulate and learn.

Establish & teach classroom routines right away

Our students crave structure! They need it to feel less anxious and better self-regulate. For our sake and theirs, it is important to establish routines starting on the first day of school. This includes your daily schedule, arrival and dismissal routines, your behavior management system, transitioning to other areas of the school building, lunch and snack routines, lining up, etc. If we want our students to be successful and independent, we have to start working on the structure and routines from day one!

organization & system classroom management hacks

Take the time before the school year starts to get your classroom organized and to put systems in place. The better organized you are and the more systems you have set up, the easier your classroom will run. Make sure you have systems for each of these areas:

• Behavior system ( I use a token economy system in my room)
• Data collection
• Centers: who leads it, the order, if students earn after each center, etc.
• How materials will be prepped for lessons: when they will be prepped, where to put materials after they’re prepped, etc.

Write up your systems on the computer so you have it at your fingertips any time you get new paras or therapists. You can print them out and hang them up, hand them out to classroom staff and email everyone so your instructions are available for the staff to use as a reference.

If you take the time to implement systems and have your materials organized, it will allow your day to run smoothly, your students to be less distracted, there will be less downtime, and you won’t be left scrambling for materials when it’s time to do an activity. This greatly improves classroom management!

Plan as though you won’t be in the classroom

Your classroom cannot stop running every time you get called to a meeting, have to take a phone call, are absent, etc. It is imperative that you set things up in a way that learning can continue even when you aren’t available to teach. If you have systems in place, materials prepped ahead of time, and staff that’s well trained, this won’t be difficult at all. Make sure that staff and students know that you expect the day, schedule, rules, behavior systems, and learning to keep going even when you aren’t there! Read more about how to do this HERE .

This is the most common area admins and visitors comment on and praise when they pop in my classroom. It’s a sign that you have effective classroom management skills.

classroom management relies on good training

The only way that a special education classroom can run effectively is if all of the adults know, understand and follow the protocols and expectations that have been established. You have to take the time to train your staff ! They need to know everything about the students, the program, the behavior system, prompting, protocols, your expectations for them and the students, etc. Your classroom simply cannot function and your students cannot learn and progress if all of the adults are not on the same page and don’t have all of the vital information they need to do their jobs.

Many teachers don’t have consistent paras or time to meet with paras away from students. If this is the case in your classroom, I would recommend creating a systems packet that outlines your classroom rules and systems. I also make student cheat sheets for paras and therapists. Include diagnosis, important info, relevant background, and a photo. This is very helpful for staff changes, the first month of school, and ESY.

movement improves classroom management

Research shows that students learn best when given plenty of opportunities to move! Put research into action:

• Look at classroom & studnet schedules. Students shouldn’t be sitting for more than an hour.
• Add movement into most activities
• Schedule short motor groups, recess, brain gym, brainbreaks, etc. throughout the day.

Movement doesn’t have to be running around to be effective. It could be activities as simple as:

• Doing exercises during morning meeting
• Count and write the room during some ELA and math times
• Students rotating through centers or stations instead of adults moving to students.
• Changing seating: lay prone on floor for independent reading, stand up and do writing on the board, sitting at a ball during task bins, etc.

Be sure to find time throughout the day to fit in movement, it will increase your students attending, decrease behaviors & improve classroom management.

reduce downtime to improve behaviors

Downtime does not work well for most of my students and it often leads to behaviors. I keep my classroom running on a pretty tight schedule to eliminate as much downtime as possible. My students all use a token economy system. They cash in when they hear my wireless doorbell go off, and they have 3-5 minutes of reinforcement, then we go right into our next activity. If there is any downtime, we have bins of activities for students who just cannot tolerate waiting. In order to keep your students ready to learn and to avoid behaviors, reduce the downtime in your classroom as much as possible.

Theme units help classroom management

Not only does using themes have tremendous benefits for your students, but it makes things so much easier on you as well. Lesson planning is a breeze when you have a good schedule in place and you use themes. In my classroom, we do each theme unit for a two-week block. When I am doing my lesson plans for that two-week block, I simply plug the new theme activities into my existing schedule. So, for example, on Mondays at 9:00, we do vocabulary on our whiteboard. All I have to do is pull out the new vocabulary cards from the theme unit bin and I’m good to go. Using theme units will save you so much time!

build Relationships with students and staff

Our students (and staff) have to trust us and feel safe in order to take risks in learning. One of the best things you can do for your students is to take the time to build connections with them. Start doing this on day one!

It is also important to pair yourself with the reinforcers a student most enjoys. They need to know that you are the gateway to getting what they want. If you build a positive relationship and pair yourself with the fun, enticing reinforcers that the student wants, you will quickly establish instructional control and improve classroom management.

These classroom management hacks can really get you off on the right foot to a great school year. They take some work and time in the beginning, but they will all decrease your stress and workload and will increase your students’ learning, independence and success.

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Effective Small Group Instruction

How to Create a Proven Successful Special Education Inclusive Classroom

Special education inclusive classroom.

Creating a special education inclusive classroom can be challenging. There are many different layouts for special education classrooms. Some are more isolated than others. The more isolated you are in your setting, the more you may be overwhelmed when creating an inclusive environment. How can you support your students’ access to others of different abilities and cultures? How can you support your students’ self-advocacy within their class or grade level? If you are struggling with these questions about creating a special education inclusive classroom, read more to learn how to make this dream a reality!

Small group instruction can be your key to creating a successful special education inclusive classroom. Use this free guide 7 Tips for Small Group Instruction to get the most out of your small group learning time.

Define Inclusive Classroom

There are so many terms in education, it can be hard to keep them straight! You may be asking yourself “What is an inclusive classroom?”. An inclusive classroom is one that builds a relationship with each student as an individual and works to meet his or her needs while valuing their culture and family . In the United States, many laws attempt to support an inclusive model in the classroom. The term “inclusive classroom” is most commonly used when referring to integrating students identified with special education needs into the general education classroom but a truly inclusive classroom supports all students of various identities and their families. Read more about strategies for an inclusive classroom here!

Why is an Inclusive Classroom Important for Special Education?

Utilizing inclusive classroom strategies when working in a special education environment can be life-changing. Creating an inclusive classroom for special education means providing real-world experiences that allow peer-to-peer learning. An inclusive classroom also means providing choice and multiple methods of learning. This increases accessibility while promoting collaboration between students and staff. 

An inclusive classroom for special education also promotes a least restrictive environment. American Dictionary of Psychology says the least restrictive environment is “an educational setting that gives a student with disabilities the opportunity to receive instruction within a classroom that meets his or her learning needs and physical requirements”. Providing a least restrictive environment is a best learning practice. It is also the law in the United States! Special education students have the right to an inclusive environment that values their individual abilities.

Why Use a Least Restrictive Environment

When creating a special education inclusive classroom, teachers should work together. Creating a least restrictive environment should be a single classroom! Start to map out your student’s day. Are they in a special education classroom? Do they access a traditional classroom? Take a birds-eye view of your student’s educational experience. Are they in an environment that meets their needs? Do they have access to peers and experiences? Can they participate in a variety of learning methods? Creating a special education inclusive classroom means asking difficult questions. Have conversations among the special education team to explore creating an inclusive classroom.

Inclusive Classroom Practices

To build a special education inclusive classroom follow best practices! The best practices for an inclusive classroom can vary widely. bInclusive classrooms have two things in common: choice and access. The more student lead choice and self-advocacy you can use in your lessons, the more inclusive classroom you will create.

One of the most important strategies for an inclusive classroom surrounds access to instruction or materials. When students are able to understand or relate to the material, they are able to learn. Think about your instruction – are you utilizing multiple mediums? Are you providing several opportunities for the students to explore the material? Are your students moving, talking, watching, drawing? Read on to find out some of the most effective strategies for an inclusive classroom! 

Utilizing Small Group Instruction for Special Education

Small group instruction is one of the most powerful strategies for an inclusive classroom. Small group instruction allows you to listen to each individual student and creates a safe space for students to share their knowledge as well. Students are twice as likely to share their thinking in a small group when compared to whole group instruction. Small group instruction allows you to easily introduce new material in the method which students can access. It also allows you level instruction, which is crucial for accurate growth and data collection.

Using small group instruction in your special education inclusive classroom allows all students to explore and grow. Teaching in small groups allows you to easily differentiate instruction to meet students where they are at. Here are more strategies to easily differentiate instruction in your classroom, while creating an inclusive environment. 

Creating an Inclusive Classroom

Creating an inclusive classroom is important! It touches every aspect of your students’ special education experience. Inclusive classrooms often lead to increased student engagement and achievement because, by nature, students are invested in their learning when working in a special education inclusive classroom. Creating a special education inclusive classroom is a long-term goal. To succeed, use these steps to create an actionable plan for yourself. Small steps lead to big change when creating an inclusive classroom! Your students will reap the inclusive classroom benefits from any small, meaningful change you make. 

Use Clear but Flexible Classroom Management

Classroom management is the first step in creating a special education inclusive classroom. Utilizing routines and expectations allows your students to take risks and become independent. Inclusive classroom routines are also key to the success of your classroom support! When paraprofessionals understand and contribute to, the classroom expectations and environment they are better able to support their student’s individualities and cultures.

Make a clear and easy-to-follow classroom management plan. Your plan should fit on a single page, and be simple enough for all students to not only follow but recite! Generally, these are also considered classroom rules for classroom special education. When creating your classroom management special education plan (or rules) you want the rules to be simple enough for staff and students to remember, and follow, but broad enough they cover almost any event that can occur in your classroom. 

Think about Your Special Education Space

When creating a special education inclusive classroom, think about your space. What materials can students access independently? Do your students have mobility concerns? Arranging your special education environment is a key part of creating a special education inclusive classroom. Have common resources like number strips, word walls, and alphabet posters readily accessible and directly teach when and how to access these materials . Resources are only as good as the student who is using them!

Creating Multiple Places for Inclusivity

When thinking of a special education inclusive classroom, think of the individual experience. If your student accesses multiple places, work with your team to create a cohesive, inclusive experience among multiple spaces. Is the student accessing a particular alphabet in the resource room? Do they use the same strip in the regular education classroom? Think of small changes you can make that will have a large impact on creating an inclusive environment.

Small Group Instruction for Inclusive Classroom Management 

Providing instruction in small groups is a key component to successful classroom management in special education. Meeting with children in groups of 2-4 students allows you to easily level your instruction, collect data, and meet the needs of all students. This is a great resource for classroom management during small group instruction!

An Inclusive Environment Has Options

A successful special education inclusive classroom has student-led options. This means providing multiple types of assessments for students of various abilities and needs. A student utilizing an AAC device can demonstrate the same skill as a student with physical limitations but think about the how. Choice boards, picture boards, and manipulatives are going to be your best friend! Special education inclusive classrooms focus on the application of skills, rather than the simple rote memorization of skills. Although, often rote memorization is the start of skill acquisition! When using choice in your inclusive environment, encourage students to reflect and share why they made that particular choice. This will build your special education inclusive classroom because it promotes collaboration and conversation among your students. During conversations, students learn how to respect each other’s differences and values – a key part of a successful special education inclusive classroom!

Adapt One Activity to Meet Multiple Needs  

To create a special education inclusive classroom, be sure to work smarter not harder! For all activities start with a base, then scaffold the activity to make it slightly harder or easier to meet the needs of your students. Adding visuals is a great way to accommodate an activity or adding a deep-thinking question (usually starts with “why”) to make an activity more challenging. Overwhelmed with differentiating curriculum to create an inclusive classroom? Check out these leveled resources for grades K-2!

Use Peer Supports to Encourage an Inclusive Classroom 

Peer-to-peer learning is a vital part of any classroom. Research shows children learn most from each other. Teachers can facilitate peer-to-peer learning by leading thoughtful, intentional conversations among their class. Conversations between peers create a special education inclusive classroom. Step out of your room for these conversations! Include peers in other classes and service providers. By having conversations across locations, teachers can create cohesive educational experiences among their special education students. 

Small Groups Are The Key to a Successful Inclusive Classroom

In a special education inclusive classroom, each child feels heard, supported, and valued. The most effective way to build these relationships and encourage students to share their thoughts is through intentional small group conversation. By encouraging conversation in small groups, children are more likely to take risks and share personal experiences with each other. This allows for more growth, connection, and understanding between peers. Through small group instruction, teachers can also easily level the curriculum and provide multiple methods of learning. These are both key to creating an inclusive space while providing special education supports to students. If you are struggling with effective small group instruction, be sure to check out these free 7 Tips for Effective Small Group Instruction .

Importance of Teamwork When Creating a Special Education Inclusive Classroom

It may be cliche, but it’s true: teamwork makes the dream work! A special education inclusive classroom utilizes the experiences and philosophies of all team members. Special educators, classroom teachers, service providers, paraprofessionals…each member contributes valuable insight and experiences into the child’s educational experience. You can read more about leading an effective special education team here.

Special Education Inclusive Classrooms are Fun!

While it may seem overwhelming, special education inclusive classrooms flow naturally and are fun! By providing students with choice and encouraging meaningful conversations, teachers support student inquiry and growth. Special educators and classroom teachers who create an inclusive environment ensure their students are valued and supported.

Looking for more information on how to best support special education students in an inclusive classroom? Check these articles out!

https://degree.lamar.edu/articles/education/helping-special-education-students/

https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/promoting-an-inclusive-special-education-classroom

https://www.dmgroupk12.com/blog/10-best-practices-for-improving-special-education

What is an Inclusive Classroom? And Why is it Important?

https://www.understood.org/articles/en/4-benefits-of-inclusive-classrooms

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Special Education Guide

The Behavior Issues Guide: How to Respond, Prevent, De-escalate Effectively

Even though RTI teaching strategies  and interventions are widely used, it is estimated that between 15 and 30 percent of students struggle to learn due to psychosocial problems which affect attention to and retention of material. For these students, as well as for all those in their classrooms, positive behavior support (PBS) is crucial to success.

Just like the academic RTI framework , the framework for PBS has three levels. The first level is a positive school and classroom behavior plan. A school may use a program like CHAMPs, which is a school-wide, positive classroom management plan. In this plan, all classrooms share the same rules and consequences.

Tier Two Behavioral Interventions

When students don’t respond to proactive classroom management , they receive interventions associated with the second level of RTI, such as small group instruction in anger management, social interaction skills, how to follow directions or other needed skills to help them be successful in the classroom. You can also change the seating arrangement and proximity to peers who negatively influence a student, as well as seek help from other teachers, school counselors or parents. If a student does not respond to PBS interventions from level two of the RTI framework, the RTI team will assign more personal and individual behavioral interventions.

When disruptions occur at this level, the teacher records the behavior and its effect on learning using concrete, specific, non-emotional terms; he or she also records details surrounding the behavior, such as the time, the subject being taught, the learning activity and its difficulty, the location of the student in the classroom and nearby peers or other adults. Be sure to record what happened before the disruption, during the disruption and after the disruption as all three can supply clues which can help you successfully intervene. You are looking for a trigger (what started the disruption) so that you can address it in the small group.

There are several types of events that can trigger students to disrupt. For example, a student may be unable to answer a question or complete work and, as a result, may act out in frustration; this behavior can be addressed through an intervention. As you continue to watch the student’s behavior and record the cycle of disruption, you gather the data that will be necessary to complete a functional behavioral analysis (FBA) , which is used if the behavior continues.

Although a large part of PBS is teaching the student new skills to increase appropriate behavior, there are times when a student’s behavior needs immediate attention or when he or she needs to be removed from the classroom. If the behavior is escalating or influencing other students, the class is unable to learn or safety is threatened, it is time to involve administrative personnel. You can always work with the student later to help him or her learn how to deal with whatever is triggering the behavior, but sometimes, removal is the only option to allow other students to continue learning.

Understanding the Increase in Emotional and Behavioral Disturbances

Schools have seen an upsurge in the number of students with emotional or behavioral disturbance (EBD) ; however, as is the case with academic interventions , a student is not placed in a special education program just because he or she is receiving behavioral interventions from level three. Students in special education programs with an emotional or behavioral issue will have a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) , but they are far from the only ones receiving behavioral interventions.

The upsurge in the number of EBDs could be due in part to how we define them. Not all emotional or behavioral disturbances are long term; sometimes symptoms only last a short while, such as is often the case when a student is depressed after losing a loved one or when his or her parents are divorcing. An outburst from a grieving student might be considered disruptive; if the behavior continues, it is important to assign that student to interventions from level two of the RTI framework or even send the student to the school counselor for individual help if the disturbance is ongoing. Dealing effectively with students with EBD, in whatever form it occurs, is crucial, especially given the growing concerns of educators and parents about school shootings.

De-escalating the Cycle of Disruption

A cycle of disruption, tantrums and meltdowns can be common, given the stresses that are placed upon students who may have psychosocial or learning disorders, and knowing how to effectively recognize and de-escalate this cycle is crucial. First, understand that aggression leads to aggression, and that responding with frustration will only make the situation worse. Putting distance between yourself and a student who is building up to a behavioral eruption can help to reduce conflict. You can do this verbally; for example, if Patty is making noises while you are going over answers to a quiz, you could say, “Patty, I’ll get back to you in just a minute. George, what do you have for number three?” Circle back around to Patty privately and see if she will communicate with you. Of course, unless a student has a very good reason for his or her disruptive behavior, you will need to follow your discipline plan to maintain consistency in the classroom. When you do, don’t take a student’s behavior personally, and be as matter-of-fact as possible.

If the student is escalating toward an eruption, you may be able to verbally de-escalate him or her. For example, you could do this by changing the subject, listening and empathizing, setting limits (such as re-stating the classroom rules), giving a choice or distracting the student by getting him or her to focus on something else.

Especially for students with chronic or severe behavioral problems, it is helpful to recognize the steps leading up to an outburst so that you can take preventative measures. First, there is the calm stage. In this stage, students are doing what they are supposed to be doing. In the next stage, a trigger has set off the behavior. The student may demonstrate some agitation, murmuring, tapping or engaging in other excessive movement. If you can determine what the trigger was and intervene at this point, an outburst may be avoided. You may be able to break the cycle before it starts by using the verbal de-escalation techniques above, moving closer to the student without talking to him or her or having the student move by asking him or her to run an errand or complete a task, such as sharpen your pencil.

The next stage is acceleration or escalation. Here, the student engages others in the outburst. He or she may question loudly, make inappropriate comments, argue, provoke or defy. When this happens, it is very easy to feel that you are losing control and that it is a reflection on you and your abilities as a teacher. Let go of that and focus on de-escalating the student’s behavior. Assure yourself that you will discipline the student, if appropriate, when they calm down; in the meantime, you need to remain calm, keep your voice low and even and resist the urge to respond in frustration. Put distance between yourself and the student by walking to another part of the classroom, by doing something else or by verbally pausing. This shows that you are still calm and in control.

If none of these strategies are successful in de-escalating the behavior, the student may enter into the next stage in which the behavior peaks and the student may act in rage. This is the time to ensure everyone’s safety, including the student in the rage. Contact the appropriate help from outside of the classroom so the student can be separated from the class.

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Planning for Individuality in Preschool Spaces

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Ms. Briana’s preschool classroom is abuzz as children explore the room and engage in self-directed play. The room is organized into activity centers that are filled with a variety of materials to inspire them. Each child has their own unique interests, skill sets, and cultural experiences, which Ms. Briana takes into consideration when planning.

Today, her intentional planning efforts are on display: Harrison is playing with cars and blocks along with a few classmates, Maria, Tyson, and Khadija. Through previous observations, Ms. Briana has noticed that Harrison usually plays with the cars by himself. This week, she strategically placed a basket of cars in the block area, where other children play often. This small but impactful shift helps to support Harrison’s socialization, communication, and cooperative play.

Children enter preschool with a variety of knowledge, experiences, and abilities. As part of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), early childhood educators are called to individualize their teaching strategies and curricula to meet these specific needs and contexts.

But what does this look like in practice? How do teachers intentionally plan learning experiences that build on children’s individual strengths? Following, we (the authors) outline ways that educators can identify children’s unique strengths and abilities, then offer examples of individualized lesson plans for different times and activities during the day. We base these practical planning recommendations on our past experiences—both of us worked in general and special education preschool settings for over 15 years and used similar planning tools. Currently, we are university professors working with pre- and in-service preschool teachers with whom we share these approaches.

Understanding Preschool Children’s Individuality

DAP calls for educators to develop learning experiences that reflect both what is known about young children in general and about each child in particular. To do this, teachers must understand each child’s abilities, characteristics, interests, and contexts. Observation and building relationships with families are key ways to do this.

Observing to Identify Strengths

When observing, educators can look for and record a variety of skills and characteristics. Some of these may be easier to identify (physical abilities, language, food preferences); some may be more difficult (feelings and emotions, thought processes, culture). Educators can gather vital information by carefully watching and listening each day, in different areas and at different times. To gather meaningful data, they can use a variety of formal and informal techniques, such as running records, anecdotal notes, checklists, and time and event sampling.

Building Relationships with Families

To build on each child’s assets, it’s crucial that educators connect with families. By building these relationships, teachers will gather insights into children’s individual qualities and interests and their home and cultural contexts. This information is key to recognizing each child’s unique strengths and to providing a safe, comfortable, and responsive learning environment.

Preschool educators can tap families’ expertise in a variety of ways to strengthen school-to-home and home-to-school connections. At the beginning of each year, for example, Ms. Briana sends home a “Get to Know Me” page for families to share information. She also reaches out by phone or text to share positive observations about a child’s first week of school and to invite families’ initial questions and thoughts. Besides showing her genuine interest in building reciprocal relationships, these steps guide Ms. Briana as she sets up the learning environment and interacts with each child.  

Throughout the school year, Ms. Briana continues to build relationships with families by sending home daily notes that include individualized examples of what their children did that day. ​​She uses small, premade sheets with each center listed. She circles which centers the child participated in that day. The sheet also has blank spaces where Ms. Briana can record the day’s snack and the child’s favorite activity. She uses snack time to talk with each child and quickly fill out the form. These notes let families know that Ms. Briana checks in with their children individually each day.  

Ms. Briana continues to make connections by email, text, and phone calls to share details about children’s learning and to help work through any issues if necessary. She uses family-educator conferences for more in-depth conversations, offering different days, times, and formats to accommodate families. She uses all of these points of contact to inform her intentional planning. 

Planning for Individuality

As they gather information about each child, educators can begin individualizing their plans for learning experiences. Rather than focusing on a particular activity or routine, this individualization should encompass the entire learning day—self-directed and guided play, small- and large-group experiences, and routines and transitions. Following, we offer some examples of planning for individualization.

Self-Directed and Guided Play

Preschool settings should be intentionally created to nurture and support play and to address each child’s unique interests, strengths, and needs. Educators can do this by rotating a variety of materials and toys that children are interested in. These should represent different races, cultures, genders, family structures, and other aspects of identity.

Small- and Large-Group Times

When children work in groups, they share their individuality and learn from their peers. Educators can scaffold small and large gatherings by planning activities that build on children’s interests and assets and that encourage them to share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings as they work together.

Routines and Transitions

Routines (arrival, mealtime, transitions from one activity to another) are an integral part of preschool. During them, children practice many developmental and learning skills. For example, children work on social skills at snack time by waiting their turn; they practice their language and communication skills when they ask for a snack.

At the same time, routines can challenge children who are still developing specific skills. Educators can capitalize on these moments to individualize and scaffold instruction, tapping into children’s strengths and addressing their individual areas for growth.

Planning for each and every child in an early learning program is an ongoing process that requires continuous commitment. By honoring each child’s unique strengths and abilities, early childhood educators position individual children for success as they celebrate all of the children and families in their settings.

Photographs: © Getty Images Copyright © 2024 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at  NAEYC.org/resources/permissions .

Standard 1: Relationships 1A: Building Positive Relationships Between Educators and Families Standard 3: Teaching 3E: Responding to Children’s Interests and Needs Standard 4: Assessment of Child Progress 4E: Communicating with Families and Involving Families in the Assessment Process

Jessica Grimone-Hopkins, PhD, is an assistant professor of early childhood education at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Prior to working in higher education, Dr. Grimone-Hopkins spent more than 10 years teaching and supervising in public and private schools.

Christina Mirtes, PhD,   is a tenured associate professor and the graduate program coordinator of early childhood education in the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. She draws from her 20 years of classroom teaching experience working with children and families in pre-K–third grade inclusive early childhood environments.

Vol. 17, No. 3

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