Discussion 3.1

[Ashley Lyons]

Directions: STEP 1- Consider how we can document behaviors either qualitatively or quantitatively. Provide an example of a situation where measuring qualitatively would seem to be the best approach, as well as an example of a situation where measuring quantitatively would seem to be the best approach. Be sure to explain your reasoning. STEP 2- Respond to at least one colleague’s posting.

[Dawn Fagenstrom]

An example of a qualitative behavior goal could be “John will keep his hands within his designated space (as defined by visual prompt such as placemat) throughout the lunch dining period. ”

I feel that this is the best approach to this goal as it is clear that John’s hands should stay within his space as it is socially unacceptable to be in others dining space or food and a period of time within the lunch period or a number of times a week would not meet the social requirements for group dining. Using a qualitative goals allows the team to use words to define how long the behavior should continue because as adults we understand that the time it takes to eat varies from day to day and the minute component varies. However, the behavior while eating is expected to be consistent throughout the experience,

An example of a quantitative behavior goal could be…”Joan will sit in a chair for two minutes during math seat work time.

I feel that this is an appropriate goal for Joan who struggles with sitting in a chair for any period of time. This indicates a set number of minutes for Joan to work up to sitting in a chair then be allowed to move from the seated position.

[Daniel Kaasa]

Module 3.1: Respond to a colleague’s posting

Hi Olena,

I think you were very clear with your distinction between a qualitative and quantitative goal. The challenge can be in making sure data collection provides an adequate level of detail to measure progress. From my observations of you, you are quality teacher from whom I’d expect quality data sheets. But I have seen teachers just record a check or a minus for each day with some goals, and then the quarterly reports are pretty vague in documenting progress. I was glad to have the encouragement from our extra reading, “Performance Monitoring within a Tiered Instructional Model, ” for their holistic approach to gathering both qualitative and quantitative information.

[Rebecca Sedor]

The examples you’ve written are clear, seem attainable in one years time, and are accurate for the situations.

[OLENA KYSELOVA]

The following example, I believe meets the qualitative documentation criteria:
Given a group teacher directed-activity, Tommy will stay with group for the duration of the activity without exhibiting challenging behaviors or attempting to elope from the area.

Being able to stay with group is an important behavior that promotes student’s safety and does not disrupt Tommy’s learning. The duration of activities may vary based on activities or student skills. It also may be different in different school settings (i.e., classroom setting, speech therapy, OT therapy, gym, etc.). That is why using qualitative approach is appropriate in this case. In general, I believe that the qualitative documentation can be also used in the situations when student skills are inconsistent, varies in the mornings or afternoons, or the length of activities changes depending on classroom schedule and school programs. I think that this approach is also beneficial in situations when a student has just transferred from a different school or school district, or came to his current school with an expired IEP and no baseline available, and the teacher needs more time to know the student.

The following example can be described as a qualitative documentation of behavior:
Throughout the preschool day, Johnny will watch, listen, or participate for up to 5 minutes of a structured activity directed by an adult with no more than 2 cues on 4 out of 5 opportunities over 5 days.

I think that measuring Johnny’s participation qualitatively in this situation makes it easier to document his progress, analyze it by looking at numbers, and present data to parents visually (i.e., graphs, histograms). If Johnny’s skills to attend and participate in the activity improves, the change of time is justified, and the IEP goal should be amended.

[Dawn Fagenstrom]

Hi Olena,

I also like your qualitative goal for behavior. The behaviors expected are very clear and sets a period of time that your student is to attend to the task at hand. I also like that you have supported his behaviors by prompting his behaviors back to the expectation with your cues. I agree that this goal is easily able to document and then monitor for progress allowing the team to make an amendment when appropriate.

[OLENA KYSELOVA]

Hi Dawn,

I like your example of qualitative documentation of behavior. I agree with you that it helps team to use more words to describe and specify the prosocial behavior “keeping hands within his space”. Some students are not aware of personal boundaries and space and do not know what “keeping hands within the space” means. They need to be taught this behavior by using simple words and clear steps.

[Daniel Kaasa]

Assignment 3.1

I believe writing goals based on qualitative or quantitative approaches are equally acceptable as long as the product IEP worthy, as well as clearly understood and measurable. My samples:

Qualitative: During structured academic activities involving independent work on familiar math skills, John will stay at his desk, working each school day as long as expected by others, up to 15 minutes, based on the observation of the special education staff person supervising him.

Quantitative: When given practice counting tasks involving up to 10 objects, Mary will be able to successfully count and tell staff the number of objects in 8 out of 10 attempts over 3 recording opportunities per week.

I feel the Qualitative goal, in this case, would be most appropriate as it is intended to measure John’s on-task behavior as compared to that of his peers. The Quantitative goal is the best approach for that stated skill as it measures Mary’s ability to do a specific task with a specific level of accuracy. In my own practice, I tend to use the Quantitative approach more often with IEP goals. I think it allows data collected to be more specific and then I am able to show progress more clearly. I can then offer details of that progress using a qualitative method by adding my observations from anecdotal record keeping.

[Naomi Buck]

Hi Daniel,
I agree with you that qualitative and quantitative data are equally acceptable, but I also find myself using quantitative data more frequently for the same reasons that you mentioned. You have a clear distinction between your qualitative and quantitative goals. Though I did not actually provide sample goals, I feel that yours encompass much of what I discussed the examples that I discussed.

[Melinda Jones]

Qualitative measure of behavior:
John has a very difficult time transitioning away from preferred activities of outdoor play and child choice play. He has recently been expressing his frustration through loud yelling, crying, knocking over toys or small furniture, or running from teaching staff. These transitions occur 4 times a day in his head start day, twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. John has just begun to show response to the increased relationship building activities, consistent expectations, and “I love you” rituals that teachers and paraprofessionals are using with him. He is beginning to express trust in his caregivers that they understand his big feelings and are there to help him and support him through the times of day that are difficult. Since these are powerfully important “soft skills”, using qualitative measures makes sense in measuring John’s progress toward this goal. An example of this type of qualitative goal would be:

During transitions away from preferred activities John will recognizably overcome his disappointment by staying calm and participating as he moves to the next routine of the day with gentle reminders throughout his preschool day.

Quantitative measure of behavior:
John has a short attention span for teacher directed learning activities in his preschool classroom. During table time activities that are teacher directed and less preferred for John, he may rush through a task which limits his practice and performance. Examples of this are guided art activities, and letter/number activities that have been planned to meet the interest and skill levels of the majority of learners in his class. These tasks are also integrated into children’s choice time rather than as a stand-alone small group time. This makes it even more difficult for teachers to have John spend any time at the task as it is not really his “choice” but is his teacher’s choice. The teachers are trying to use a “first/then” strategy to get John to participate in these activities so that they can meet the expectations of their teacher director’s mandate that all children participate in and complete these activities at least 1x per day. As the teachers need a measure of John’s participation it makes sense to use a quantitative measure to track how often he is participating and how long he is participating each day in these activities. (Note – John is already demonstrating pre-academic skills involving letters, numbers, and placement of materials [art “activities”] that are age appropriate for his age and for kindergarten entry. Participation in activities that he is not interested in or that are present to provide opportunities for him to maintain his skills, hold little interest for John. John’s teachers need to work together as a team and with the children to find what is interesting to them and then build on that interest as they embed the activities into those interest areas). An example of a quantitative goal for John might be:

Upon teacher request, John will stop his play, transition to a table activity, and demonstrate focused participation in a small group activity, once a day for 15 minutes with prompts/supports (first/then, timer).

I would like to say that I did struggle with this quantitative goal for the reason that I had a difficult time determining whether this was for the benefit of the child or the teacher. I came to terms with my dilemma by deciding that this is a need for this head start program, but also a benefit to John who will be attending kindergarten next year and will be expected to participate in these types of activities for much longer periods of time than the goal is written for. It is my hope to plant the seed of meaningful participation so that when he is in Kindy it will not be such a difficult concept for him to grasp! But can I just say – I still don’t like it. If anyone has a good idea how to handle this type of dilemma I would appreciate any input!

[Rebecca Jones]

Hi Melinda,
I appreciated your honesty and desire to learn! I feel the same way. I kind of wish people would read all my goals and objectives and give me feedback 🙂 I have struggled with the same struggle feeling like it is not fair to not prepare the kids for kindergarten when the expectations are SO different but my program has firmly stayed with the idea that we are in preschool and allow the kids to be in preschool while they still can and the kindergarten team can write goals to help the child work on those skills. After saying that, I don’t believe it would be harmful to the child to learn these skills though and 15 minutes at a time seems reasonable especially if followed by reinforcers. So I would say that would be something your team should decide as a philosophy if you would like to prepare for kinder or allow time to be in preschool 🙂

[Melinda Jones]

Hello Daniel –

I really appreciated your distinction between using a qualitative goal as a measure compared to peers and a quantitative goal as a measure compared to a specific level of skill on a specific task. I am going to put this on one of my reminders as it simplifies the choice for me. I think I tend to complicate things in my own thinking as I am very much NOT a behaviorist and my district is all about “ABA everything” . . . so that in reaction I go to far to the other side! I like your balanced approach – thank you!!!

[Rebecca Sedor]

Qualitative: With adult support, during structured activities (small group, circle), Fran will attend to (may look like observing, active listening, or participation) most of group the activity.
Fran typically chooses to play on her own, and doesn’t engage with other children or group activities. This gentle support can entice her to engage or participate in what others around her are doing.

Quantitative:
During structured activities, Joy will answer basic questions (what, who, where, yes/no) about stories, events, or procedures in 3 of 5 opportunities provided. Joy doesn’t typically respond to questions, but will ignore, grab, or walk away.

[Andrea Colvin]

Rebecca,

I like both of your examples of quantitative and qualitative data. Your qualitative data is based on a group circle and you are looking for a certain behavior, it sounds like the circle time is a variable length, so you chose to have “most of” be your factor. For your quantitative data, you can measure how correct Joy is in answering questions.

[Andrea Colvin]

Qualitatively-One example that I have been using qualitative data for recently is having a student come in each morning and use the bathroom and brush her teeth. Using qualitative data is the best approach for this because it is something that needs to happen every morning. It is not something based on the number of times she does it, it is purely just a thing that needs to be done every morning and it only happens once a day during that particular time.

Quantitatively-An example of of a quantitative behavior goal that I have for a student is for him to work on a task for 5 consecutive minutes. He currently works in about 2 minute periods and then needs a break. I would like to measure quantitative data for this goal because I am wanting to increase his stamina for minutes of work. I can only know if he is making progress by timing how long he works for a consecutive amount of time.

[Mark Dinelt]

Module 3 – Lesson 1: What Will Convince You
Directions: STEP 1- Consider how we can document behaviors either qualitatively or quantitatively. Provide an example of a situation where measuring qualitatively would seem to be the best approach, as well as an example of a situation where measuring quantitatively would seem to be the best approach. Be sure to explain your reasoning. STEP 2- Respond to at least one colleague’s posting.

I chose these 2 Goals/Objectives because they are actually ones I am currently using with a student. I am working with older students who are, mostly, more academically oriented. These 2 related reading skills demonstrate the interconnectedness of Quality vs. Quantity. In the first one, increasing the number of words the student recognizes and can read is obviously about increasing the quantity of words he can effectively use for reading. At the same time, I have included “quality” criteria for success, as I was taught to do when I first went to college (so many years ago).
The second one, is designed to improve fluency of reading and is most concerned with the quality of the skill. However, quantity is also specified (35 short passages) to ensure the consistency of the skill. I pair these skills because, together, they will help most students to improve their comprehension of material read, which is actually the third part of this goal.
These goals were written with the idea of providing a sharp focus on what was being counted. It does make it look like the skills are being taught in isolation, which can certainly be part of teaching strategy but, for the sake of generalizing the skill, obviously cannot be the only strategy used. After going through the first few less, I would probably add some more details to make it clear that these skills can be monitored and taught in a variety of locations and classes, such as, English/Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math.
Quantity: Student will improve basic reading skills, as demonstrated by the following objectives 3.FS.3] read 200 new words, 10 at a time, within 30 seconds, 100% accuracy

Quality: Student will improve basic reading skills, as demonstrated by the following objectives 3.FS.3] read at least 35 short passages (1/2 to 1 page) at 3rd grade level, 1 at a time, within 1 minute, with 3 or fewer errors

•
Andrea Colvin – Participant

• Qualitatively-One example that I have been using qualitative data for recently is having a student come in each morning and use the bathroom and brush her teeth. Using qualitative data is the best approach for this because it is something that needs to happen every morning. It is not something based on the number of times she does it, it is purely just a thing that needs to be done every morning and it only happens once a day during that particular time.
• I have had considerable experience with these 2 skills and quality is the obvious focus here. I would urge consideration of Indepence for toileting, however, in addition to having particular times to use the bathroom. These 2 skills can work together nicely by providing an appropriate time to go to the bathroom (to brush teeth after breakfast, snack, lunch) which put an “untrained” student in proximity to the toilet very naturally. To be sure, we want to help students stay dry at school as the changing of clothes and cleaning up can take up a lot of productive time. Then again, if that is where the student is at, having difficulty mastering toileting, it also provides great teaching moments with natural consequences. I have had students who were well “trip trained” at school but had accidents at home or when out in the community. So, definitely a skill to monitor and talk to family about to be sure the skill is effectively used consistently, outside of school.
• As for brushing teeth, it is true, it only, usually, happens a few times a day. It is certainly worth arranging for it to happen at school, depending on the length of the students day at least once, and possible up to 4 times (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack). I usually include additional quality standards with some quantity criteria when I teach this skill. These would include brush: left side, front, right side, top, bottom, backs of teeth and tongue (so often overlooked) and brushing each section a certain length of time or number of brushes.
Quantitatively-An example of of a quantitative behavior goal that I have for a student is for him to work on a task for 5 consecutive minutes. He currently works in about 2 minute periods and then needs a break. I would like to measure quantitative data for this goal because I am wanting to increase his stamina for minutes of work. I can only know if he is making progress by timing how long he works for a consecutive amount of time.
This sounds so familiar. I have had many students whose attention spans are so short, especially for “productive tasks”. Here it is important to consider a variety of activities that they can do and perhaps pair less favored or even “unpleasant task” with desired tasks, like playing with a particular toy or person. Variety is helpful because it helps prevent “burn-out” and gives the student positive feedback for doing things they like paired with less favored activities.

[Naomi Buck]

STEP 1:
Determining when to gather qualitative or quantitative data depends on how the goal is written.

It would be appropriate to gather qualitative data for goals such as speech articulation (where the observer determines intelligibility), or for behavior goals where the expectation might be remain with the group and participate in a socially acceptable manner throughout its duration of an activity, to regain composure within a reasonable amount of time, or to perform a task with a determined level of independence. I prefer to use qualitative data when some measure of the expected behavior is variable or dependent on another factor, or if the skills measured are somewhat subjective (though they may be easily defined/recognized by team members) but documented by a single observer. I tend to gather qualitative data more frequently for younger children when the goals are more often written for functional skills.

I often find it more effective to monitor progress towards specific academic skills using quantitative data. For example when working towards reading fluency, progress can be monitored using a simple measure of words read per minute.
I have found that quantitative data can also be used to measure more subjective skills. But to make this effective, an appropriate monitoring tool must be developed that defines and rates each level of skill development. For example, if the goal is to reduce the number and intensity of meltdowns, I would create a data tool that included a rating scale. (For example: 0= no disruption, student participated appropriately; 1=minor disruption but student regained control within 2-3 minutes and participated in activity; 3= student melted down and needed to be removed from setting, regained control and resumed activity within 10 minutes; etc.) I find that this can be the most effective way to measure progress if the data is subjective and the student works with multiple paraprofessionals throughout the day. The data-tracking tool can easily be handed off between adults, it helps to keep everyone on the same page, and it results in a more reliable measure of progress.

[Beth Craig]

Qualitative: During adult-led structured activities, with adult support, RJ will attend to (by observing, active listening, and joint participation) 3 or more minutes of the activity 2 times per day for 4 consecutive data days.
RJ typically chooses to play on his own and is not yet engaging with other children during group activities. This gentle support can entice him to engage and participate in what others around him are doing.

Quantitative:
During structured activities, RJ will reply to a question asked by a peer in 3 of 5 opportunities provided. RJ doesn’t typically respond to questions or peer interactions.

[Kaleigh Ryno]

Peer response: Dawn
I like your qualitative goal for John and how you pointed out that using this goal allows the team to use words to define how long the behavior should continue because we do not know how long it is going to take John to eat lunch that day. The goal you wrote has a clear expectation of behavior and follows the criteria provided.
For your quantitative behavior goal for Joan, what amount of support is needed? I’m assuming none since it wasn’t listed.

[LuEmma Rowland]

Behavior documented Qualitatively:

An example of a qualitative goal is as follows: Given a small group activity, Emily will stay with the group (sit in her chair, stay in the designated area, bottom on a carpet square, etc.) without expressing displeasure (crying, kicking, screaming, running, etc.) for the duration of the activity for 4 out of 5 opportunities.

Emily can work on this goal in a variety of ways, fine motor activities, handwriting, small groups, speech groups, and so forth. Each of these activities take a different amount of time and a specific level of attention. The data can vary from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. The goal can also grow with Emily has her skills continue to progress.

Behavior documented Quantitatively:

As example of a quantitative goal is as follows: Emily will sit in her chair for 5 minutes during circle time with no more than 1 visual prompt for 4 out of 5 opportunities.

This goal is best documented quantitatively because it’s time related… she needs to sit in her chair for 5 minutes at circle time. So, as data is being kept, we should see an increase of time from 1 minute to 2 minutes to 3 minutes and so forth. The goal is to get Emily to be able to sit and attend without fleeing the area for a certain amount of time.

[LuEmma Rowland]

Peer Response to Beth:

I like both of your goals for qualitative and quantitative! The first goal is very clear and the data is easy to take… I like that you have it 2 times per day instead of just 1. As RJ becomes more comfortable in the classroom, he will easier be able to interact and engage with his peers. He may be willing to participate in circle time during a nursery rhyme or interactive story. During play time, he may be willing to build a tower with a teacher or peer or zoom cars back and forth. I like that it can be incorporated throughout different times of the preschool typical day!

[Diane George]

STEP 1- Consider how we can document behaviors either qualitatively or quantitatively. Provide an example of a situation where measuring qualitatively would seem to be the best approach, as well as an example of a situation where measuring quantitatively would seem to be the best approach. Be sure to explain your reasoning.

Measuring Qualitatively: An example of a situation where measuring qualitatively is the best approach might be when trying to increase the desired behavior, such as social interactions within the school day. Counting a student’s social interactions throughout the day is very labor-intensive for busy teaching staff. By saying something to the effect of John will increase the number of positive social interactions he engages in each day by either responding to or initiating an interaction with minimal teacher prompting through the majority of the school day. Staff can observe and make notes at the end of the day or mid-way through the day and again at the end of the day, instead of feeling compelled to tally each positive interaction.

Measuring Quantitatively: An example of a situation where measuring quantitatively is the best approach might be when trying to increase a behavior during a specific time frame. For instance: John will sit during morning circle time for 2 consecutive minutes, without wandering away from the group for 5 consecutive days. The amount of time is specific and the time period is specific which makes this easier to measure quantitatively.

[Diane George]

Peer Response: Naomi

I like your description of under what circumstances you might use qualitative vs quantitative measurement. I agree that academic skills can be much easier to measure quantitatively. I think of reading a certain number of sight words or naming a certain number of letters, numbers, etc. It seems to me that when we are observing and measuring behavior, especially when we want the behavior to occur over a lengthy period of time qualitative measurement makes more sense.

[Jesse Riesenberger]

When working with preschool aged students I find that many of my goals are based more on qualitatively than quantitatively. I think this may be because the class is set up in a play-based way, so many of our activities are child led and it would be difficult to gather data in a quantitive way.

Measured qualitatively-
Dane will respond to peer requests with an appropriate response without ignoring or escalating in behavior during play with no more than one additional prompt from adult.

Measure quantitatively-
Dan will engage in 5 circles of communication with peer on topic of play 4 times during school day.

[Jesse Riesenberger]

Peer response to Danielle,
I like the examples you gave. I agree that the quantitive goals can be easier to report on for progress, especially when it involves multiple team members or environments that the student may be working in.

[Sandra Diaz Cross]

An example of a situation where quantitative measurement is the best approach is timing how long a student can stand on one leg. We are measuring a student’s stamina and endurance to be able to do an activity for a certain amount of time. Example objective: Johnny will be able to stand on one leg (left and right), with eyes closed, for 2 minutes. The length of time Johnny can stand on one leg is measured. This objective can be monitored, documented, and analyzed to determine if progress has been made and to revise instruction if needed.

An example of qualitative measurement is when the goal we are measuring is the student’s ability to be able to participate in class activity without a meltdown during most of the activity or lesson. Example goal: During class activities or lessons, Johnny will participate by staying in the area, engaging in the activity and interacting with the teacher and peers, without exhibiting challenging behaviors or attempting to elope from the area, during most of the activity or lesson. The data collected is not in numerical form but descriptive of how the student participated in an activity. This goal can be monitored and documented regularly to determine if progress has been made.

[Sandra Diaz Cross]

Peer response to Diane George:

Hi Diane. I agree that measuring behavior or social interactions can be time consuming when done quantitatively. Observing how a behavior has progressed over time is a more practical way to monitor progress.

[Christine Kleinhenz]

Consider how we can document behaviors either qualitatively or quantitatively. Provide an example of a situation where measuring qualitatively would seem to be the best approach, as well as an example of a situation where measuring quantitatively would seem to be the best approach. Be sure to explain your reasoning.

Qualitative measures such as using numbers and figures work really well when collecting data on sounds in speech. You can mark accuracy of a sound say out of ten and give percentages for each sound per each practice session. It’s nice to be able to graph the progress on specific sounds as well to look for patterns around when the accuracy is best (isolation versus in sentences and paired with what sounds etc) as well as time of the day or during what activities etc. Many goals will have written into them percentages across a number of sessions to prove that the student is ready to move onto using that sound in a more difficult way.

Qualitative measures work well with language and social goals using words about a larger variety of circumstances that may arise in a classroom. For example, if in a preschool classroom during snack time, you may have a variety of students sitting at a variety of distances with a variety of quality interactions available. So, you might need to use words such as “Given the opportunity”, “Within three feet”, “For the entire snack session” (which may change depending on how fast a student eats) etc. and “Will request when prompted”. My experience with qualitative measures is that it can be easy to use words that no longer allow for measurability. I am always careful to limit my amount of qualitative use or to be specific enough so that we can still have an idea of growth over time in a skill.

[Christine Kleinhenz]

Melinda,
I liked your honesty about wondering if the goal was something that would be of value for the teacher and the child. It’s something that I think I can easily loose track of too often when thinking about expectations we want to see for the child. You sound very reflective and collaborate in your observations and approach.

[Rebecca Jones]

Provide an example of a situation where measuring qualitatively would seem to be the best approach, as well as an example of a situation where measuring quantitatively would seem to be the best approach. Be sure to explain your reasoning.

Qualitatively- I think qualitative situations revolve around something that can often be observed but not necessarily counted. I always want to be careful about being subjective with qualitiative observation and make sure to use wording that is measurable by everyone and not just subjective to the person deciding it. A situation like how extreme a behavior (an intense reaction) was and how long it lasted (it lasted a long time) are affected by someone’s expectations and can be subjective. So for me, the difference has to do with how you gain the data- through observation or through observation with a counting/number assigned to it. This is usually used best used when observing social settings and abilities. For example, a child is able to pour his own water into his glass successfully 80% of the time. You can keep track of how many times the child does it succesfully and then calculate how the percentage by the end of the time period given. Successfully could be a subjective term though, so I would want to add in something about not spilling or with minimal spills to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Quantitatively- These situations seem to revolve around academic abilities, PT abilities and speech/language abilities although they can also encompass social skills (greets someone new 3 times a day etc.) An example would be gaining data on how many words a child reads in a set amount of time. There is not as much subjectivity to worry about in this one as it is raw data usually.

[Jill Winford]

I agree that I also want to be careful about being subjective with qualitative observation. I also work to make sure to create operational definitions of behavior that are measurable. Qualitative collections of data can be problematic for those very reasons. An individual’s expectations can be subjective.

[Jill Winford]

The seven Dimensions of Behavior are as follows:
Frequency
Accuracy
Latency
Duration
Endurance
Intensity
Independence
We can document these behaviors either qualitatively or quantitatively. Quantitative and qualitative data are considered useful in making data-driven instructional decisions. Qualitative observation deals with sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. Qualitative goals are often focused more on soft skills like communicating more effectively, learning to better adapt to change, working collaboratively. A situation in which measuring a behavior qualitatively would seem to be the best approach might be one in which the dimensions of intensity or independence are being measured. These dimensions can be challenging to quantify. A situation in which measuring a behavior quantitatively would seem to be the best approach might be the dimensions of frequency, accuracy, or duration. These are behaviors which lend themselves most easily to quantification. I like the idea of using the phrase performance monitoring instead of progress monitoring.

[Erin Spooner Meyer]

Jill,
The way you broke this topc down is helpful. I appreciated the categorization of qualitative vs. quantitative. Intensity and independence seem like behaviors best measured qualitatively. I’m afraid recently I’ve swung too far to quantifying every behavioral goal. It is a good reminder to consider which type of data is most appropriate.

[Erin Spooner Meyer]

Qualitative words can be very helpful when measuring social skills. An example would be the tone of voice a student uses. Words like respectful, sarcastic, or friendly could be used. Oftentimes, the nuances of social interactions make quantitative goals more difficult.

When measuring accuracy, quantitative data is very effective. An example of this is how many correct words read in a minute. It is a clear and concise number. There are not multiple possibilities in one probe. Quantitative data seems to be the best approach when measuring accuracy.

[Author]

Posts