NCJ Number
97248
Date Published
1982
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes a program for disruptive students implemented during the 1972-73 school year by Stemmers Run, a crowded junior high school on the urban edge of a large east coast city.
Abstract
Selection of students for the program is described, and the program structure -essentially a contingency management system operating within a regular junior high school -- is characterized. Program staff for each grade level are identified, and the division of the school day into morning and afternoon sessions is reported. The use of the contingency management system during the four morning instructional periods to motivate task-appropriate behaviors and to decrease disruptive behaviors is examined. The assignment of academic tasks on an individual basis is discussed, as are the weekly individual curriculum expectations for each student. Responses to misconduct are explored, and the need to supervise the student participants in the cafeteria is emphasized. The tallying of the points awarded by the teachers during the morning classes for the afternoon is described, and two reinforcers, early release and use of the reinforcement room, are addressed. Additionally, the practice of weekly auctions is discussed, participation in the program by the student's parents is considered, and methods for preparing students to return to regular school routines are delineated. Finally, relationships between program and school are analyzed, and the importance of obtaining and maintaining staff involvement in the program is highlighted. Nine references and four figures are included. For a report on the results and followup of the program, see NCJ 97249.