Article Name: Improving Student Behavior in Middle Schools: Results of a Classroom

Management Intervention
Authors: Howard P. Wills, PhD, Paul Caldarella, PhD, Benjamin A. Mason, PhD, Amanda
Lappin, PhD, and Darlene H. Anderson, PhD
Publication date: July 2nd, 2019
The article “Improving Student Behavior in Middle Schools: Results of a Classroom

Management Intervention” uses Class Wide Function -related Intervention Teams, also known as

CW-FIT, to implement effective classroom management. In a tier 1 intervention, the teacher

explains expectations of the classroom and the lesson before beginning instruction. The teacher

sets intervals on a timer in which they will then give positive and corrective feedback to students

as well as score points based on the reward system. This research article investigates the

effectiveness of CW-FIT tier 1 interventions in middle school classrooms and is guided by the

following five research questions, “Can middle school teachers implement CW-FIT MS with

fidelity? How does CW-FIT MS impact teacher praise and reprimand frequencies? How does

CW-FIT MS impact students’ on task behavior at the classroom level? How does CW-FIT MS

impact the on-task behavior of individual students nominated by their teacher based on off-task

and disruptive behavior? Do teachers and students find CW-FIT MS to be a socially valid

intervention to address off-task behavior?”.

This study examined one classroom in three different middle schools with 20 to 28

students in a class and a focus on two at risk students in each class. School 1 was a 7th grade class

in a public school in an urban Western U.S. city with a total population of 845 students. A

majority of this population identified as Caucasian (54.8%) and a majority of the students

qualified for free or reduced lunch (65%). School 2 was an 8th grade class in a public school in a

urban Midwestern U.S. city with an overall population of 812 students. Among this population,

85.1% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch and a majority of students identified as
Caucasian (55.4%). School 3 was a 7th grade classroom at a public school in an urban

Midwestern U.S. city with a total population of 648 students. Within this population, 83.6% of

students qualified for free or reduced lunch and a majority of the students identified as Caucasian

(49.4%). All of the teachers in this intervention were female with over 6 years of experience and

all chose to implement the intervention in a class that was frequently off task or struggled to

focus. Teacher 1 identified as Hispanic while teacher 2 and teacher 3 identified as Caucasian.

During the baseline sessions, the teachers conducted lessons about following directions

and respect. Following these lessons, the teacher implemented the intervention by emphasizing

the messages from the previous lessons and explaining that students will be rewarded for

meeting the expectations. The intervention was implemented for the entire class period and

began with teachers reminding students of the expectations and reward system set in place.

During the class period, a timer would go off every 5 minutes in which the teacher would

provide behavior specific praise and award points. The points were tallied on a chart in the front

of the class and groups were rewarded for meeting the point goal that was set in the beginning of

class.

Among all 3 classes, the CW-FIT sessions showed an improvement

of intervals in which the class was on task. However, there is

variability among these increases as they do not show a consistent

percentage of students on task. Overall, School 3 appears to have

had the most success with CW-FIT since most of their data points

represent 80% or more of intervals on task and they had the lowest

baseline. CW-FIT allowed teachers to improve students focus and

time on task.