The Effects of Behavioral Monitoring Programs on Reading Acquisition of Elementary Students with or At-Risk for Emotional or Behavioral Disorder

Abstract

The Behavior Education Program was implemented with four students at a large sub-urban elementary school in central Texas. The elementary school has a diverse population of 750 students and was implementing Tier 1 interventions with 81% fidelity as measured by the School-wide Evaluation Tool. The BEP was implemented in a multiple-baseline design. All students’ behavioral improvement was measured through daily behavior rating scales, office discipline referrals and time sampling data. Academic engagement was measured through direct observation, DIBELS progress-monitoring and nine-week grades. Progress on BEP goals was then compared to direct observation data of on-task behavior and DIBELS data. All three students’ improvement on BEP goals correlated with an improvement in academic engagement and increased scoring on DIBELS progress monitoring indicating that progress in the area of behavior is linked to academic achievement.