A classwide peer-assisted self-management program: Adaptations, implications, and a step-by-step guide for rural educators

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Spring 2002 by Mitchem, Katherine J, Wells, Deborah L

Mark and match cards. When partnerships are assigned to a team, the bundle of point cards (See Appendix C) picked from the bag is used for the week. Once teams are determined, the teacher should allow a few minutes for point card preparation. Students need to complete name, date, class and period, and partner name. Also requiring attention is the "I did" section. This section may be teacher or student driven. Using the classroom rules, three target rules or behaviors should be identified and recorded in the box. The teacher may choose three for the entire class or three for individual students. Partners must be aware of each other's target behaviors. Once cards are complete, it is time to start self-managing behavior.

The teacher must identify the time interval for cueing students to evaluate behavior and mark cards. If students are being evaluated four times, the teacher should divide the number of instructional minutes by four to determine the cueing interval. If two evaluations are being performed, the teacher should divide the minutes by two to determine the interval. When only one evaluation is implemented, cueing occurs at the end of the instructional period. The students should only require a few seconds to evaluate their behavior using the rating system and enter their rating on their point card. The students must also evaluate their partner's behavior and record the rating on the point card. Instruction should continue with cueing occurring as indicated by the interval. Cueing can be a silent cue, such as a hand motion, or an audible cue, such as a bell.

Once all cueing intervals have occurred and the point card is complete, students need a few moments to match ratings with their partner. There are three possible matches; a perfect match, a next-door match, and a non-match. A perfect match indicates that the partners agree on the behavior rating. With a perfect match the points for that rating are awarded along with a bonus point. A next-door match indicates that the partners assigned ratings varying only one rating level, either higher or lower. The partner's rating stands with the points awarded based on the partner's rating and no bonus points are awarded. A non-match indicates that a discrepancy of more than one rating separates the two ratings. Again, the partner's rating stands with the matching points awarded and no bonus points are awarded. (See Appendix D for a completed example of a point card.) Once students have compared cards and counted points, the partnership points should be combined and recorded in the "reported points" circle on the point card.

Report points. After students have recorded the combined partnership points, the teacher should record points on partnership and team tally sheets (See Appendix E). The tally sheets allow for weekly tracking of both partnership and team points. The partnership tally sheet lists partnerships by their assigned number, allowing the teacher to simply call the number and the partnership can report points. At the same time, the teacher may record the points on the team tally sheet. To assist in this, the partnership should report points along with team color. For example, partnership number two would report "blue, 40" allowing the teacher to quickly record both the partnership and the team points (See Appendix E for sample tally sheets). As the teacher and students become more comfortable and efficient with reporting points, the teacher may allow student recorders to take over this process.