Over the past two years, The Ability Challenge (ABC) collaborated with AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School - Parklands Campus and Yu Ying Public Charter School to enhance outcomes for students with disabilities. Supported by D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s SOAR grant, the project resulted in case studies showcasing valuable insights.
Much like the majority of schools across the nation, disruptive student behavior is an ongoing challenge across both schools - with more frequent disruptive classroom behavior, teachers find themselves with less time to spend on instruction and learning.
While both schools came to ABC with similar challenges, the contexts of each school required different interventions to bring about change. The AppleTree team sought to enhance their individual capacity to respond to the most disruptive behaviors, as the early childhood setting requires a discrete focus on teaching children how to navigate school for the first time. As such, they set out to implement new behavior intervention strategies aimed at increasing student learning time and improving student outcomes. Yu Ying, on the other hand, looked to address behavior-related hurdles that were most acutely seen during instructional transitions, as a way to ensure that students were ready to learn, rather than spending unnecessary time managing disruption between activities.
Partnering closely with each school, ABC conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in alignment with the THRIVE Framework for Quality Special Education and built the processes necessary to support cycles of continuous improvement. At AppleTree, the three improvement cycles aimed to provide teachers with a solid foundational grasp of behavior functions and effective responses, collecting data along the way to deepen and refine teachers’ understanding of and response to disruptive behaviors. At Yu Ying, the three cycles focused on helping teachers improve their classroom transitions to decrease misbehavior and time spent on redirection rather than on lessons. Through the three cycles and data assessment and reflections along the way, Yu Ying uncovered consistent transition practices which they codified into the “ACERS Transition Framework.”
While there is still ongoing work ahead, both schools have made remarkable improvements, as shown by quantitative and qualitative measures. At AppleTree, empowering teachers with an understanding of functions of behavior and effective interventions led to a 25% increase in student engagement over a year. This success can be attributed to heightened teacher knowledge and focus, driving improvements in instructional quality, and real-time management of behavior. Notably, there was also a 3.5% boost in teacher self-efficacy, the belief in their ability to impact student learning and development, which is a factor tied to improved student outcomes. At Yu Ying, students have become more engaged and attentive during classroom transitions, evidenced by a rise in the proportion of intervals where over 90% of students stayed on task. Teachers at Yu Ying experienced a 4.4% increase in self-efficacy, particularly related to their ability to influence engagement and learning through classroom management and instructional strategies.
Dealing with disruptive student behavior is a common challenge for schools, educators, and leaders. The path to improvement varies for each institution, but clarity on the right intervention significantly accelerates progress. This is why ABC advocates starting with a needs assessment. Even without a full assessment, there are actionable insights from these case studies that all educators can apply immediately:
| Clear verbal directions before and during transitions | Return time if transitions are completed early |
| Positive narration during transitions | Employ visuals |
| Signal tasks using songs | Utilize class jobs |
| Use timers | |
The ACERS Transition Framework is also a universal process for all teachers seeking improved transitions.