Self-Monitoring Step-by-Step Procedures

  1. Identify the specific problematic behaviors the student will self-monitor. Examples include reducing talk-outs or reducing out of seat behaviors. Although there might be many behaviors that need to change, it is best to limit the self-monitoring goals to 3 or fewer. For younger students, you may want to consider only focusing on 1 self-monitoring goal.
  1. Select a self-monitoring form to be used by the student. There are 3 sample forms available in this toolkit- one for lower elementary grades, one for upper elementary, and a third for middle/high school students. The elementary age forms are designed so that a new form is used daily whereas the middle/high school form can be used weekly. These forms were created to be used in conjunction with an incentive system (please see step 8 for more information on incentives).
  1. Meet with the student privately to discuss the problem behaviors and the need for an intervention. Have the student positively practice the appropriate behaviors and what the appropriate behaviors look like and sound like. For example, if the target behavior is talking-out, discuss with the student what they should be doing instead, such as raising their hand to speak.
  1. Inform the student you would like him/her to participate in a program where he/she will monitor/evaluate his/her own behavior and keep a record of this. Let the student know you will also be keeping track of his/her behaviors.
  1. Decide on a system so the student will have access to their self-monitoring forms on a daily basis. You may want to pass out and collect the forms daily or the student could keep a folder in their desk with copies of the form.
  1. Define the time period you want the student to self-monitor each day based on when and where the problem behaviors are occurring. For example, if your student only has problematic behaviors during math class, it is not necessary to have him/her self-monitor for the entire day. For lower elementary students it is recommended they only self-monitor for brief intervals. Middle/high school students can be asked to evaluate their performance during an entire class period.
  1. Have the student begin the self-monitoring progress. As the student’s teacher, you will also be monitoring the student’s behavior and may wish to do so using a copy of the student’s own form. The student’s recordings should generally match yours, but an exact match is not required. If you are noticing that the student is consistently rating him/herself too high or low, have a conversation with the student about this.
  1. Consider tying the self-monitoring program to an incentive system (please see additional resources in this tool-kit on incentive systems). Each sample form included in this tool-kit allows the student to circle the number of points they received during each self-monitoring interval. Decide with the student ahead of time how many points they need in order to receive a daily or weekly reward. You may also want to specify how close in points you and the student need to match in order for the student to receive the incentive. For younger students, it is important that rewards are earned frequently in order to help ensure student success.
  1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the program every couple of weeks. Make modifications or adjustments as appropriate. As the student becomes more successful, you may want to increase the number of points required to earn an incentive. Consult with your PBS External Coach or members of the PBS team if you have further questions.