School Facts

Location: Chicago, IL
9-12 Enrollment: 329
Staff: Not Noted
Certified: Not Noted
Administrators: Not Noted
Facilities/Buildings: 1

Demographics: 95.1% of students in the school reported being Hispanic, 2.1% Black, and 1.2% White. 39.2% reported being English Language Learners (ELL). 94.5% of students reported being economically disadvantaged.

School uses positive behavior reinforcement to decrease tardiness by 86%.

The Challenge

Facing tight budgets and located in a community enduring the hardships of  violence and gang activity, Aspira Early College High School wanted to find a way to reduce student disciplinary issues and focus on building a positive and welcoming school climate. Staff set out to start a positive behavior reinforcement program and needed a way to implement and manage it.

The Results (Data Points):

0%
Decrease in Tardiness
0%
Decrease in Minor Disciplinary Issues
0%
Decrease in Out of School Suspensions the First Year

  • Encouraged student participation by reinforcing simple behaviors at first, such as arriving to class early and following the school dress code, so rewards appeared attainable.

  • Evolved the incentives over time to meet student needs and promote equity, such as allowing points to be used to reserve a scientific calculator for a week or purchase needed school supplies.

  • Promoted consistency and objectivity compared to previous programs, which used handwritten passes and inconsistent consequences, to eliminate any imagined or actual bias in discipline practices.

  • Increased valuable in-class instruction time by reducing tardiness and out-of-school suspensions.

The Solution

  1. Implement an online behavior management platform to manage data and promote positive school climate.
  2. Establish clear, consistent, and attainable behavior expectations and reinforce those behaviors with an attractive incentive program tailored to students wants and needs.
  3. Manage and monitor student data in real-time to identify students that require intervention or further supports.
  4. Expand and update the program to meet changing needs and maximize the impact for both staff and students.