The Simple Way I Track Behavior in My Class... Digitally!


I am always looking for ways to streamline data collection.  In the past, I was only tracking the behavior of students if it was related to an IEP goal, or if we were beginning to notice a spike in behavior.  And while this worked, it isn't always enough.  This year I found a way to track all of my students' behavior in less than one minute a day... AND I don't even need to pick up a pen!

To make this happen, I use two things: Google Forms (check below for the FREEBIE!) and an Amazon Fire tablet.  While you don't need the tablet to use Google Forms, it does make it more convenient for staff to document behavior without having to access the computer.  Google Forms is free and easy to use.  It is basically a survey that gathers and analyzes any type of information.

I will be honest, I have always been a bit resistant to using a tablet for data collection for a couple of reasons.

1. I give all of my tech to my students.
2. TECH IS EXPENSIVE! (or so I thought...)

The Amazon Fire tablet is actually pretty inexpensive.  You can typically find them for less than $50, which is a killer deal. Now that I have the tablet I find that I use it for far more than just data collection, but that's a topic for another post!


Now that you know what I use, here is how you can make it for yourself!

First, download a copy of the Google Forms Digital Classroom Behavior Log.  Open the file and click on the link.  You will be prompted to save a copy of the Google Forms template.

Next, type all of your students' names in the left column.  You can also change titles for each behavior rating to meet the needs of your classroom.  And... that's it!  Your form is all set up!  Pretty easy, right!?!
Now it is time to give it a test run and view your responses.  Don't worry, you can delete your responses later.  Click on the preview icon in the upper right corner.  This will bring you to the actual form that you will fill out to track behavior.
Select one of the behavior options for each student and add a note at the bottom to detail any incidents that happened during the day.  Then hit the submit button to record your information. 
Click "submit another response" to head back to the form.

Are you ready to take a look at your responses? Click on the orange pencil in the upper right corner to get into editing mode.
Next, click on the responses tab.  This will give you a your data in a bar graph.  Hover over each bar to get more detailed information.  You can also download the responses in a Google Sheets file.  This is a great option if you need to find information from a specific date or time period.
Now that you have had a chance to play around with the form, you may want to delete the information that you submitted so that you can start fresh with your students.  Just click on the 3 dots in the upper right corner and select "delete all responses."
This Google Form is easy to access from anywhere with an internet connection.  All you need to do is access the URL.  This can be done by creating a bookmark, or saving the link to your desktop.

Would you like to see a video of these steps in action?  Click on the video below and I will walk you through of the entire process. 


Are you ready to give it a try?  I would love to hear how it goes for you!
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  I only link to products that I personally use and find beneficial.  Please click HERE for more information.) 

14 comments

  1. Love this idea, I’m totally going to use it this coming school year! In the back of my mind I was always trying to find a simpler way to track progress/lack of progress/behavior/goals/ect, but having to do it via paper was a little overwhelming to me.

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  2. I tried doing a Google sheet, but this would be much easier to read. Do you have to make a new copy of the form each day? Also, I'm an art teacher with 18 classes/430 students - a different class every 30 minutes. Any ideas you think would help would be great!

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    1. Nope! You can reuse the same form each day. Just bookmark or save the link so it is easy to find. There is an automatic time stamp each time you submit the form. My best advice would be to set up a separate form for each class. Save the link to each form in a place that is easy to access (maybe a folder on your desktop). It may be a bit time consuming to set up all of the forms in the beginning, but it makes life so much easier later on.

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    2. I’m also a specials teacher. What I did was make one for each class, 1a, 1b, 1c, and so on, then sent them to myself and saved them on my iPad. On my iPad I then made a folder for each day of the week and put all of my classes for the day in each folder.
      Hope this helps.

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  3. I too would like to know if you need to make a new copy of the form each day.

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    Replies
    1. Nope! You can reuse the same form each day. Just bookmark or save the link so it is easy to find. There is an automatic time stamp each time you submit the form. You have a fresh form after each submission.

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  4. Do you use the fire tablet with any of your students? I don't get 1:1 tech for my students and being that these are rather inexpensive I wondered if you've found good apps on them for your students? Love to hear from you about this. :)

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    1. I don't use them with my students, but I am sure you could! It would be great for reading digital books. It doesn't have guided access, like the iPad, but it does have a program called FreeTime which is a parental control app that gives the kids access to tons of games and activities. However, I think there is a monthly charge for this feature.

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  5. I would love to use something like this but real time with each student and their targeted behavior. Instead of just clicking on one of the targets once, is there a way to do it multiple times in a day like if I wanted to track talk-outs throughout the day>

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  6. Love this idea, I’m totally going to use it this coming school year! In the back of my mind I was always trying to find a simpler way to track progress/lack of progress/behavior/goals/ect, but having to do it via paper was a little overwhelming to me. private special education schools nyc

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  7. Hi Autumm , im so sorry but when i download the link its a PDF and there is no link to click on : ( help!

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  8. Can you change the settings so you can pick more than 1 behavior for each student?

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  9. This is brilliant and so simple! THANK YOU!! I've already created my forms and I'm ready to go. So much better than what I learned in PD. Better than what I was doing previously too. Can't wait to populate my spreadsheets and see the data!!

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