The Daily Report Card (DRC)

The Daily Report Card allows the student’s team (and the
student) to take aim at specific behaviors that interfere
with success and/or behaviors that support success. A
Daily Report Card is tangible; most often it is a piece of
paper with a system for recording performance and making
comments. The form can be a daily form (just used that
day) or it could compile ratings over an entire week.
Students carry the DRC through their day, handing it over
to each teacher they have. In some cases, the DRC is sent
home daily for parents to sign and discuss with their child.

From: http://popsmin.tripod.com/homerepcrd.html

Specific Behaviors Are Targeted: The student’s team identifies specific

behaviors to be monitored on the DRC. A good rule of thumb is to
choose 3 to 5 to focus on. The student is taught what those specific
behaviors look like and how the DRC works. The student must be
taught alternative behaviors to replace the interfering behaviors being
targeted.

Once the student is aware of what the expectations are, he is ready to

use the DRC. Each teacher monitors the student’s behavior and
records the feedback on the sheet.

The teacher also holds a brief (about a minute) conference with the
From: https://tinyurl.com/y9plru25
student at the end of the period to share the feedback. When the
student reaches a predetermined level of success, he receives a
reward for improved behavior. To see a teacher providing feedback to
a student, you can go to this link.

A Rating System Is Determined: For ease in filling out the DRC, there are ratings so
that the teacher simply has to circle or check off how the student performed. Often,
at the bottom of the form, there is a place for comments. Students can also use a
DRC to self-monitor their behavior. Sometimes both the teacher and the student
use the same form together.

When a student is self-monitoring, he may not assess his behavior accurately, either
assigning too high a rating or too low a rating. Rather than telling the student he is
“wrong” in his assessment, the teacher can share how she would assess the
behavior and why. Praise the student when he is more accurate in his assessment
of his behavior. Remember that metacognition (an executive function that helps a From:
person stand outside themselves to see how they are performing) is a skill that http://www.jimwrightonline.com/pdfdo
cs/tbrc/tbrcmanual.pdf
takes a long time to develop.
 Success Is Quantified: The student will be rewarded for meeting expectations so the ratings have
to summarized in some way to determine whether the student has met expectations. If, for
example, the ratings are on a scale of 1-3, the ratings can be added up and compared to a pre-
determined number that must be attained in order to consider that day/period a “success.” In the
example below, the number of “yes” and “no” responses are added up to create a percentage. In
this instance, if the student achieves over 80%, he is considered to have achieved success. He
would earn a reward.

From: Vujnovic, Rebecca & Fabiano, Gregory

& E. Pariseau, Meaghan & Naylor, Justin.
(2013). Parameters of Adherence to a
Yearlong Daily Report Card Intervention for
Students With Attention-
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of
Educational and Psychological Consultation.
23. . 10.1080/10474412.2013.785182.

Examples of school rewards

Rewards Are identified: Determine what kinds of rewards can
be made available for the student. The reward doesn’t have to
be large; it needs to be just enough to motivate the student.
Sometimes, the student can earn a “token” that is accumulated
and traded after multiple successful days. The student may be
able to identify rewards that would be motivating to him;
however, the team makes the decision about what choices will
be on the menu. Once the reward choices are identified by the
team, the student can make choices within that menu.
From:
https://ccf.fiu.edu/_assets/pdfs/how_to_estab
lish_a_school_drc.pdf

DRC examples
From:
http://allkidscanflourish.blogspo
t.com/2009/11/daily-self-
reflection-building-self.html

From: http://specialed.about.com
From:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/2
53397916511416906/
From: http://www.educationandbehavior.com/research-
based-interventions-for-adhd/
 Troubleshooting the DRC
Issue
Student forgets the target
behaviors
Student is not improving
Student “loses” the DRC during
the day
Student scoffs at the reward (“I
didn’t want it anyway”)
Student gets upset with poor
feedback and has behavior issues
Actions to Try
-You may reduce the number of targets or use visual supports to help him remember
what he is targeting.
-The student may not yet have replacement skills to use in place of the targeted
behaviors. Flip the DRC to monitor for his attempts to use the replacement skills
rather than monitoring the behaviors you are trying to replace.
-The student may not understand what the criteria is for getting the highest rating. If
the criteria is obscure (keeps hands to himself 80% of the time), it may be unclear.
More clear could be “touches other kids’ stuff more than one time.”
-Are the rewards being delivered reliably? If the student has some kind of terrible
episode unrelated to the DRC but makes his goal on the DRC, he is still eligible for the
DRC reward. If this happens frequently, modify the DRC.
-The targeted behaviors might be too hard right now. Make the criteria easier and
then build up from there.
-The student might lack some skills needed to meet the goals. For example, his poor
organizational skills may prevent his being able to get his work completed and handed
in. He may need support with organization before the work expectations are realistic.
If the losing is tied to getting a poor evaluation in a class, give more support to help the
DRC get to the next place. Help the student understand that one bad mark doesn’t
mean the day is shot. Add a section to recognize and reward his “turning around a
difficult moment and getting back on track.” This won’t mean he will earn the reward
but it is a way to recognize that he got back on track.
-This may be his way of saving face. Don’t get into a power struggle about this.
-Change reward choices occasionally.
-Ask him (at a different time) what should go on the reward menu.
-Create a neutral script to use when the student doesn’t get a good rating. “You did
very well with X and Y. But for Z, you had some difficulties so I’m rating you down. I’m
sure you can turn it around tomorrow.”
-Develop a social narrative to help the student understand that one poor rating is not
the end of the world.