The Effects of Check, Connect, and Expect on Behavioral and Academic Growth

Check, Connect, and Expect (CCE) is a secondary tier behavioral intervention that provides students with levels of support including a dedicated "coach" for check-in and check-out procedures, and social skills instruction. Elementary students (n = 22) in an alternative education school setting received CCE for 13 weeks following 4 weeks of baseline data collection. Measures included (a) daily progress reports (DPR), (b) direct observation of academic engagement, and (c) curriculum-based measures of academic growth (math calculation and oral reading fluency). These measures were used to examine the relationship between CCE and student outcomes using an interrupted time series design and multilevel growth curve modeling. This quasi-experimental within-subjects design compared the slopes and intercepts of baseline student data with intervention student data. Results demonstrate that students displayed statistically significant improvement on DPRs at the onset of CCE and demonstrated positive behavioral growth during CCE. There was also a statistically significant improvement of academic engagement at the onset of CCE. There was no statistically significant change in academic performance. A description of potential moderating variables, future research directions, and practical significance is presented.