1. Advanced Training on Check In, Check Out: FAQs and High School Implementation
Leanne S. Hawken, PhD
University of Utah
Carrie Akins & Lisa Alford
North Point High School
Waldorf, MD

2. Objectives Describe ways to modify CICO to improve its effectiveness
Learn answers to frequently asked questions regarding CICO implementation
Learn effective ways to implement CICO in a high school setting

3. Student Recommended for BEP/CICO BEP-CICO Implementation Process
BEP/CICO Implemented
CICO Coordinator
Summarizes Data
For Decision Making
Morning
Check-in/DPR
Pick-up
Parent
Feedback
Regular Teacher
Feedback
Bi-weekly CICO Meeting
to Assess Student
Progress
Student recommended for BEP by Teacher, parent, other school personnel?
Prior to BEP implementation- meeting with Counselor, parent and student
Go over expectations for each party (parent, school, and student)
Set goal
Sometimes contract is signed (I don’t know if you this was ever used Kelly)
3) BEP Implemented
4) Morning check-in
What did you check for? Pencil, binder, agenda, BEP form from day before
Gave students supplies if they did not have them to help them be successful
BEP Daily progress report given (can flip to next slide to show)
Teacher Feedback
Student carries card to teachers
Teachers have been trained to provide some sort of positive interaction upon receiving the card
-Teachers have also been trained not to use the system as punishment- no nagging
Afternoon check-out
BEP coordinator checks for goal
Reinforcement for checking out (High 5)
Bigger reinforcement for checking out and meeting goal (snack)
Parent Feedback
Send home- student gets feedback from parent
Student brings back form signed the next day
BEP Coordinator Summarizes Data for Decision Making
Using Quattro pro Spread sheet program- graphs data
Weekly BEP Meeting
½ hour to assess progress
who attends meeting
decisions made in meeting
Afternoon
Check-out
Revise
Program
Exit
Program

4. Trouble Shooting/FAQs

5. Referrals to CICO CICO should not be your only Tier 2 intervention
10-15% of population x 900 kids in school = 90 –135 kids who may need intervention.
How much assessment/meeting time per referral?
FBA or No FBA prior to student receiving CICO?
Academic Data
Mild problem behavior throughout the day
Classroom-based intervention
Not dangerous or aggressive behavior

9. How much assessment/meeting time per referral?
Need to ensure students access intervention quickly (e.g., less than a week if possible)
Lengthy assessment should be saved for Tier 3/tertiary level support
Need to balance number of students who receive intervention with capacity
Maximum # of kids that can be served- Guideline
15-20 per coordinator –elementary school level
20-30 per coordinator – secondary school level

10. Collecting Baseline Data
Give teacher a packet of 5 baseline DPR forms (colored paper- Not on NCR)
Have teacher rate student on the DPR but NOT GIVE STUDENT FEEDBACK
During baseline – student does not check-in or check-out
Parental consent is being obtained during baseline

11. Goal line

12. Goal line

13. Check-in Quick – not a counseling session
Can be conducted by multiple coordinators
Need a data manager using this option
Positive – not rote/repetitious
Private location
What to do if students don’t check-in

14. Teacher Feedback Phrasing “I’m going to give you” v. “you earned.”
Each marking period is a teaching moment
Examples & non-examples of expected behavior
DPR on teacher’s desk vs. student’s desk
Training on providing corrective feedback

15. Check-out Scheduling Increasing efficiency of check-out
After school v. last 10 minutes of day?
Increasing efficiency of check-out
Have students calculate total points
Use goal calculator
If possible- stagger students check-out
What to do if student does not check out?
Lottery tickets
Is coordinator reinforcing?

16. CICO Goal Calculator My Total Points Today My Score Today 50 100% 49
98% 48
96% 47
94% 46
92% 45
90% 44
88% 43
86% 42
84% 41
82% 40
80% 39
78% 38
76% 37
74% 36
72% 35
70% 34
68% 33
66% 32
64% 31
62% 30
60% 29
58% 28
56% 27
54% 26
52% 25
50% 24
48%

17. Manual on how to Implement the BEP/CICO
Crone, Horner, & Hawken (2010). Responding to Problem Behavior in Schools: The Behavior Education Program (2nd ed). New York, NY: Guilford Press

18. DVD on how to Implement the BEP
Hawken, Pettersson, Mootz, & Anderson (2005). The Behavior Education Program: A Check-in, Check-out Intervention for Students at Risk. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

19. Carrie Akins & Lisa Alford North Point High School Waldorf, MD
Not Just for Elementary Students! A Comprehensive Model for High School Level Implementation of Check-in/Check-out
Carrie Akins & Lisa Alford
North Point High School
Waldorf, MD

20. About North Point High School
Suburban community, 30 miles Southeast of Wash. DC
Offer Science, Technology, and Industry programs; half to 65% of our population is “zoned”; the others apply for STI programs and are bussed from home areas. Not all students at NPHS are in “STI” programs.
Alternating Block Schedule; (A day/B day, most classes meet every other day) each class period 84 minutes.
Currently in our 3rd year of our “one hour lunch” initiative.
One hour lunch allows for students to both eat as well as participate in clubs, tutoring, and activities during the school day.

21. Student Demographics Approximately 2250 students:
African American = 56%
Caucasian = 34%
Asian = 6%
Hispanic = 3%
Other = Less than 1%
Male = 52%
Female = 48%

22. Tiered Supports History
School opened grades 7 through 9 in 2006 – Implemented PBIS at opening.
Added Check-in/Check-out (CICO) program in school year.
In , began participating in the MDS3 (Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools) grant which added additional Tier 2 supports and fostered the creation of our “Tier 2 Team” structure.
In , the Tier 2 Team structure is being fully implemented.

23. Chronological History of CICO
In School year, we added the “Check & Connect” intervention; Adding in the students participating in C&C, there were 28 students receiving Tier 2 Support. An additional 12 persons were trained to mentor in the C&C program. Currently, we are working to have all potential mentors cross-trained in the two programs.

24. Our Referral/Screening Process
Before Tier 2 Team Process
With Tier 2 Team Process
Most referrals from Student Support Team (SST)
Teachers also able to refer directly, but SST or administrators were primary source of referral
Baseline data collection
Collected over period of 2 weeks (5 class periods).
Students with baseline over 85% or under 50% not considered eligible for CICO.
Emphasis on targeting students with “attention-seeking” behaviors.
RFA (Request for Assistance) form
RFA coordinator reviews data for student and determines appropriate Tier 2 Intervention, including CICO
Baseline data collection
Teachers “estimate” percentage for each area assessed/targeted (materials, on-time, class participation, work completion, respectful behaviors)
Emphasis on targeting students with “attention-seeking” behaviors and early intervention; screening for

25. Beginning the Intervention
Contact with student and invitation to participate:
Administrator/CICO Program Lead makes first contact
Focus on “real world” concerns of teens: “Feeling better about school,” “Making parents happy,” earned rewards, graduation
Signed parent permission letter obtained.
Student is paired with a mentor.
Administrator/CICO Program Lead facilitates first meeting between mentor and student.
Student begins meeting with mentor daily.

26. Considerations for Pairing Students with Mentors
Individual mentors model (multiple “checkers”)
Eliminates stigma of being part of a “big group.”
Provides students an important relationship to build upon (sustainable even after student exits the program)
Mentors considered based on specific needs of student (such as male vs. female mentor match), “geographical” closeness and ease (location of mentor to student’s locker), or other recommendation or previous connection between mentor and student.

27. The CICO Process

28. The CICO Process: How it Works at the High School Level
Creating and maintaining buy-in:
Rewards planning
Students are actively engaged in the process of goal planning
3 Days at 75% (or 15% increase over baseline, whichever is lower)
Continue in 3 day increments of achievement until student is at 75%
5 Days at 80%
10 Days at 85%
15 Days at 85%
Allocated budget per student is $35
Success: early and often – Daily rewards (“Eagle Bucks”) just for seeing the mentor in the morning or afternoon
Focus on improvement over baseline
Involving students in their own data disaggregation

29. Exiting the Program
After 6-10 weeks of success in the program (improvement over baseline to sustained 80-85%), we “step down” from the daily regimen.
The student begins a 3-4 week “weekly check” process of meeting with the mentor.
After 3-4 weeks of successful weekly checks, the student is fully exited. Student data (grades, behavior referrals) continue to be monitored through the remainder of the school year.
If student shows signs of decrease in grades or increase in referrals, the student can be quickly restarted on the daily check process.

30. Data Tracking
Blank tracking sheet

31. Data Tracking
This is an example of a “successful CICO” student. Baseline is established through teacher feedback before student begins the program. Rewards and tracking are matched to improvement over baseline. Emphasis to the student is placed on “we don’t expect perfection, only improvement.” This particular student shows a gap where s/he was exited and then later re-started on the daily check-in process.

32. Data Lessons
Students frequently “DIP” after two-three weeks: we have found this is a very common occurrence. We have worked to train mentors to anticipate “the dip” and work on added encouragement preemptively. Additionally, in the example given, we found with the amount of inconsistency that this particular student warranted a referral to the IEP team. In this case, the student ultimately qualified for Special Education services. The CICO data proved to be helpful in matching student to services that were critical to his success. This student is currently a senior and will graduate this school year.

33. Continued Mentor Responsibilities
Daily monitoring and encouragement
Stressed importance on “checking out” on a bad day
Parent communication
Communication with student’s teachers
Assisting students in self-advocating and improving their own behaviors
Planning for and obtaining rewards for student
Data tracking and input
Understanding of ethical aspects of mentor to student relationship
Mentoring vs. “friend” or “parent” role
Assistance with frequent fidelity checks of program

34. Frequent Fidelity Checks of Program
Monthly meetings are held in order to discuss progress of students in the program, obstacles, and ongoing issues:
Teacher training (non-implementing teachers)
Student buy-in
Parent participation
Look at both individual progress as well as aggregate progress of all students in the program.
Determination of students who need to be advanced to Tier 3 (SST/IEP) supports or referred to additional or different Tier 2 programs (such as Check & Connect)

35. Working with the Teachers
All staff members are trained in concepts of Check-in/Check-out
Stress on providing daily positive feedback to the student – the most important role of the classroom teacher
Teacher guide (handout)
Ongoing staff training
Mentor/Program Lead specifically work with teachers as needed
Admin involvement when needed

36. Snapshot of a CICO Mentor’s Experience: Lisa’s Story
With “Nicole” it started off a little rough. I had to gain her trust to where she would want to come and see me in the mornings and afternoons, even though it was only for a brief moment. At the time she started, she was in the 10th grade and was going through a dramatic experience at home. Once she realized that she could trust me, she began to come and see me on a regular basis, even at lunch time. It was clear that being part of the program helped give her attention that she was lacking and desperately seeking. Over time, “Nicole” started to enjoy the accountability that being in the program provided her. She was never very interested in the rewards – for her, it was more about the connection as well as the accountability of the check sheet. Because of the accountability she started to excel in her classes. Once she started to see for herself that she could do it and be successful, she really soared. Before long, she had obtained a quarterly GPA of 3.8. We eventually officially exited “Nicole” from the program. In the next school year, when she felt herself start to slip back to some old habits, she asked to come to be accountable again and we did.

37. Keys to Success Well-trained and willing mentors
Identifying the RIGHT students for the intervention
“Attention-seeking” students
Early identification/intervention
Creating and maintaining student buy-in
Attention to “stigma” created by being “different.”
Emphasizing student’s small successes to create intrinsic motivation
Parental Involvement
Mentors/coordinators must help to ensure that parents are participating on the home front as much as possible.
Whole staff training
Teachers must understand the mindset of our CICO students
Mentors/coordinators must monitor that teachers are providing thoughtful, accurate feedback

38. Measures of Success
In the School Year, we did a data analysis of students who were identified for participation in CICO:
22 Students were screened for CICO in SY :
6 participated for greater than 10 weeks (one marking period)
7 participated for 6-10 weeks and were moved to periodic monitoring (rather than daily monitoring).
2 were moved from CICO to a different intervention
Total of 15 students who actively, fully participated in the intervention
Of the 9 students who did not fully participate in CICO for SY :
50% pass rate of classes overall
Median number of classes failed for the year was 5 of 8 classes. 
Of the 15 who participated , the students had
78% pass rate of classes overall
Median number of classes failed for the year  was one of 8 classes. 

39. Please Contact Us for More Info
Carrie Akins, Vice Principal, Tier 2 Interventions Coordinator
Lisa Alford, CICO Program Lead
Leanne Hawken