In order for students to learn and take risks in the classroom, they have to feel safe and free of judgment by the teacher or classmates. When students in the class begin to disrupt the teaching and learning of others, interventions must be put in place to diminish the impact of the offending student's behavior. Behavior interventions are designed to be put in place to help a student coexist peacefully within the classroom setting. Behavior interventions can be formal documents, such as a 504 plan, or informal agreements, often between the teacher and student only but many times involving the parents and principal as well. However, in order for behavior interventions to be successful, the problem behavior must be clearly defined and the reinforcers used by the teacher must be timely, appropriate and consistent.
The most formal of behavior interventions is a written 504 plan. A 504 plan is similar to an IEP in that it mandates services for students with disabilities, but an IEP is much more specific in that a student must fit specific criteria to qualify. Only a small percentage of students qualify for an IEP. For students who suffer from emotional disturbances or ADHD for example, a 504 plan lists specific accommodations for that student in order for him to function appropriately in a classroom setting. Accommodations may include preferential seating in the classroom or a check-in chart for the student to self-monitor his behavior. Less formal interventions that occur on a daily basis may be movement of the student within the room or removal from the room, teacher proximity, names and checks on the board or frequent redirection. Teachers often use behavior contracts as well, where the teacher, student and parents define the problem behavior and brainstorm strategies for changing the behavior, with the student earning something after a designated time frame.
Many students struggle with classroom curriculum but do not qualify for special education services, such as an IEP, yet they still require accommodations to be successful. This is where academic interventions come into play. As with behavior interventions, students with academic needs may qualify for accommodations on a 504 plan or they may simply need additional assistance from the classroom teacher. Academic interventions serve to modify curriculum in an effort to help each individual student be successful. Academic interventions are the key to differentiated instruction.
Some academic interventions that may be included in a 504 plan are lengthening the amount of time to complete an assignment, reducing the number of problems a student may have to complete on a homework assignment, preferential seating in the classroom or possibly allowing a student to take tests in a different room to limit distractions. For students without a 504 plan the teacher may still use each of these interventions, in addition to modifying classroom work through individualized instruction, such as assigning lower-level reading text for struggling readers or providing alternative assessments. For instance, a student may be allowed to produce a slide show presentation in place of a five-paragraph essay.