The document discusses systematic supervision of common areas in schools. It outlines the key features of an effective common area supervision program, including establishing clear rules and expectations, actively supervising areas through movement and scanning, providing positive contact and reinforcement to students, and responding appropriately to both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. It emphasizes the importance of a team-based approach to implementing and maintaining the supervision program.

1. Systematic Supervision of Common
Areas
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 1

3. Objectives
• Learn the need for common area supervision
• Review the critical features of an effective common
area supervision program:
– Positive rules and expectations.
– High rates of positive interactions with students.
– Positive reward system.
– Effective methods for responding to appropriate and
inappropriate behaviors.
– Team-based planning and implementation.
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4. What is Systematic Supervision?
A method of student behavior support and
management involving three types of activity
by supervisors:
• Active supervision.
• Responding to appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
• Team-based approach to implementing and maintaining the
program.
(Colvin et al., 1997; Smith and Sugai, 1998; Smith and Sprague, 2003)
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 4

5. Active supervision strategies and methods
work well in the following environments:
• Large areas.
• High student population areas.
• Lightly staffed (1 or 2 adults for every 80+ students) areas.
• Unstructured activities (student-directed activities) areas
such as playgrounds, cafeterias, and hallways.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 5
Design

6. The Features of Systematic
Supervision
1. Movement.
2. Scanning.
3. Positive Contact.
4. Positive Reinforcement.
5. Instructional Responses.
6. Immediate and Contingent Delivery of Aversive Consequences
(Punishers).
7. Team Directed Data-based Decision Making and Intervention
Implementation.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 6

7. Rules and Expectations
Common area supervision staff need to:
1. Help determine, develop, and know the rules and expectations.
2. Be able to effectively and efficiently teach them to students and
staff.
3. Be able to effectively and efficiently establish them in the target
area(s).
4. Consistently provide a high rate of reinforcement for students
following them.
5. Engage in ongoing monitoring of both appropriate and inappropriate
behavior.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 7

8. Establishing Rules and
Expectations
• Determine important rules and expectations.
• Teach them regularly.
• Present expectations on the first day of school.
• Reinforce instances of expected behavior throughout the school
year – this is critical.
• Post rules and expectations in the common areas.
• Be specific.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 8

9. Rules and Expectations
Common Areas
• Rules should be stated in
positive and observable
terms.
• Common areas rules should
be taught directly to students.
• Rules should be taught and
reviewed in the specific area
at least 2-3 times per year.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 9

10. Movement: why it is
important
1) Greater visibility of supervisors.
2) Direct observation by the supervisor across students, areas, and activities.
3) Increased proximity to students.
4) Increased opportunity for positive, proactive, supervisor/student contact.
5) Increased opportunity for positive reinforcement.
6) Increased likelihood of encountering covert inappropriate behaviors such as
bullying and harassment.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 10

11. Efficient and Effective
Movement Strategies
1. Constant.
2. Occur at a high rate.
3. Patterns appear randomized and unpredictable, yet are planned and
deliberate.
4. Strategies specifically target known problem areas, activities, and
individuals.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 11

12. Scanning
Developing the ability to visually scan more
distant parts of an area and recognize signs
or sounds that may indicate problem
behavior is invaluable to effective common
area supervision.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 12

13. Scanning methods and
techniques
Train yourself to:
•Maintain constant visual movement.
•Identify and attend to behaviors that are typically associated with problem
behaviors.
•Look at the students’ behavior(s), not just the student(s).
•Look at the Big Picture.
•Listen for behavior.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 13

14. Scanning methods and
techniques
• Train yourself to:
– focus on as many different areas as you can.
– recognize potential trouble spots and scan them often.
– recognize situations that may precede problem behavior.
• Maximize both movement and scanning opportunities by
minimizing time spent dealing with student behavior (the “2-
Minute Rule”).
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15. Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 15
Note the
importance
of having several
staff
members present
to see around the
corners
marked in red.

16. Behavioral Elements of
Systematic Supervision
Two important behavioral features of an effective supervision
program:
• Positive contact.
• Positive reinforcement.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 16

17. Positive Contact
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 17

18. Friendly, helpful, open
demeanor
Staff engaged in positive contact with students:
Actively project a friendly, helpful, open demeanor, especially when
in close proximity to students who are appropriately engaged and
exhibiting expected behavior.
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19. Proactive, non-contingent
Simple Positive Contacts are non-contingent rather than based on, a
specific student behavior – as long as their behavior at the time is
appropriate.
Avoid inadvertently rewarding inappropriate behavior.
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20. High rate of delivery
Maintain at least a 4 to 1 ratio of positive compared to all other
types of contacts (e.g., corrective, aversive, or other negative
contacts).
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 20

21. Positive Contact – A Positive
School Climate
Positive contacts:
- Establish attention for appropriate behaviors.
- Should be available and attainable by ALL students.
- Can provide opportunities to pre-correct students.
concerning appropriate vs. inappropriate behavior.
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22. Positive Reinforcement
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23. Components of Positive
Reinforcement
Immediate
For best effect, deliver the reinforcement as close to the
occurrence of the target behavior as you can.
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24. Components of Positive
Reinforcement
Contingent on Behavior
Consequences must be directly linked to the specific target
behavior. The student must associate the consequence with the
target behavior for effective reinforcement to take place.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 24

25. Components of Positive
Reinforcement
Consistent
• Reinforcement should be as consistent with behavior and across
staff as possible.
• Be careful not to reinforce a behavior one time and punish or
inadvertently punish it the next time.
High Rate
• High rates of positive reinforcement have been shown to be very
effective in increasing the target behaviors.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 25

26. Instructional Strategy for
Teaching or Correcting
Behavior
• Define: Specifically tell the students what you expect.
• Model: Demonstrate to students exactly how the behavior
looks.
• Practice: Have students correctly practice the new skills.
• Reward: Students for successful practice.
• Re-teach: To refresh the desired skills and to prevent the
wrong ones.
• Test: Observe the correct use of the new skills among
students in a variety of settings.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 26

27. Correcting Student Behavior
When correcting student problem behavior:
1. Be calm, business-like, and respectful in your approach.
2. Have the facts straight and a plan on how you intend to deal
with the behavior before you address the student.
3. Review what you saw with the student(s).
4. Define the problem behavior and establish a clear focus on the
appropriate behavior.
5. Don't argue and don't be drawn into an argument.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 27

28. Correcting Student Behavior
6. Correct or provide consequences for problem behavior privately
when possible and never embarrass the student in front of
others if you can avoid it.
7. Give the student choices on how to correct the problem
behavior.
8. Tell the student what the school prescribed consequence for the
particular behavior is – use the least aversive consequences
indicated for the behavior.
9. Apply the consequence immediately or as soon as practical.
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29. The 2–Minute Rule
• If a supervisor can’t successfully correct a problem behavior
within two minutes, that problem should be referred to an
alternate setting/staff member for processing.
• If a student is compliant when confronted with a correction or
consequence, the process should take no more than a couple of
minutes to complete.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 29

30. The 2–Minute Rule
If a student presents defiant, disrespectful, or non-compliant
behavior in response to a correction or consequence, then the
chances of that particular supervisor being able to successfully get
the student back on track in a reasonable time without using
threats or intimidation (never recommended) are probably slim to
none.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 30

31. Problem Occurs
Supervisor defines problem and gives the student a
direction, a correction and/or a warning about a consequence
Student is compliant
Student is non-compliant
Supervisor acknowledges
cooperation (thanks, praise,
reward)
Supervisor redirects and gives
student choices for compliance and
time and space to comply
Supervisor refers student or problem to
prearranged alternate support setting
Student is again non-compliant or escalates

32. Playground Reward System
1. Actively attend to behavior you want.
2. Pick your battles.
3. Be Consistent!
4. Use rewards that students want.
5. Increase reinforcement before difficult times.
6. Initiate re-teaching of expected behaviors if inappropriate behavior is
increasing.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 32

33. Team Based Implementation
The final feature of an effective systematic supervision program is
the team-based element. Team-based interventions are considered
more stable over time and team-driven activities are more
sustainable and consistent over time.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 33

34. Team Functions
1. The team serves as the basis for behavioral data collection and
analysis.
2. The team decides on, develops, and implements intervention
plans and activities based on specific behavioral data.
3. The team disseminates information about behavior and
interventions to the rest of the school community.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 34

35. Five critical features of an
effective supervisor team
1. Administrative buy-in and support.
2. Regular weekly meetings.
3. Intervention and behavior data collection and analysis.
4. Inter-staff participation and communication.
5. Part of a school-wide behavior support program.
Systematic Supervision of Common Areas 35