Implementation of Check-In/Check-Out to Improve Classroom Behavior of At-Risk Elementary School Students.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Behavioral Interventions
• School Psychology

Background:

• Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a school-wide model for preventing behavioral and academic issues.
• Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is a Tier 2 intervention within PBIS, targeting students needing additional support.
• Problem behaviors maintained by teacher attention were the focus for three elementary students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the CICO intervention.
• To examine the impact of CICO on academic engagement and problem behavior.
• To assess the feasibility of fading CICO components for maintenance.

Main Methods:

• A concurrent multiple baseline design across three participants was used.
• Single-case experimental design methodology was employed.
• Fidelity of implementation, academic engagement, problem behavior, and social validity were measured.

Main Results:

• CICO implementation led to increased academic engagement and reduced problem behavior in all students.
• Tau-U effect sizes indicated medium to large effects for engagement and small to medium for behavior.
• Fading CICO components showed potential for maintenance of positive effects for some students.

Conclusions:

• CICO is an effective intervention for improving academic engagement and reducing problem behavior in elementary students.
• High fidelity implementation by all stakeholders is crucial for CICO success.
• Fading strategies and social validity support the sustainability of CICO.