OOE POLICY # 33
ATTACHMENT 2
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES
The Office of Education’s Behavior Management Guidelines and Best Practices were
researched and prepared by a group of diligent volunteers representing many
disciplines. The principles in these guidelines are intended to help the schools refine
their programs in regard to managing student behaviors and creating a safe and
effective school environment and should be incorporated, as applicable, into each
school’s daily routine.
OVERSIGHT
Competent oversight is basic to a successful educational program. Oversight involves
constant vigilance, including internal and external evaluation of the direction,
implementation and effectiveness of all aspects of your school’s program. The purpose
of oversight is to promote and support the development of a flexible program that can
meet the evolving needs of its students in an effective, skilled, constructive manner.
Some areas requiring competent, thoughtful oversight are:
Effective Curriculum
The OOE Curriculum, based on the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and
supportive materials, provides a well researched, flexible resource to address a variety
of students’ academic, vocational and social skills development needs. Your
program’s curriculum must meet your students’ individual academic, vocational and
social skills needs via their Individualized Education Programs or Individualized
Program Plans. Throughout, this curriculum includes the amelioration of deficits where
possible, as well as the continued strengthening of students’ learning preferences, skill
levels and interests. Your school’s positive program supports are needed to facilitate
the implementation of this curriculum.
Safety
Your students experience a physically and psychologically safe school
environment when: the building(s) and campus are well maintained and esthetically
pleasing; codes of conduct are communicated clearly and enforced consistently; the
social climate provides an atmosphere of mutual respect; students are comfortable
utilizing your program’s support services; and your staff members review incident
reports regularly and endeavor to decrease the probability of recurrence.
Staff Training
The staff training component of your program is meeting staffs’ needs when:
your administrators provide staff with professional development opportunities to
enhance their skills in the areas of leadership, technology, classroom management and
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special content areas at easily accessible locations and during convenient time frames;
the Education Supervisor conducts classroom observations in an atmosphere of mutual
respect and incorporates a system of peer support; your staff participate in overall
program evaluation and assessment activities; staff develop and support ideas and
plans for individual and program improvement; and supervisors are responsive to staffs’
identified needs for individual, group or program development and provide the
resources to meet those needs.
Professional Learning Community
The Professional Learning Community is established through a series of actions
which include the assessment of the professional development needs for instructional
and support staff, the formation of the Local Professional Development Plan in each
school, engagement in activities that enrich content knowledge, the enhancement of
instructional strategies, the dissemination of knowledge from educational research, the
sharing of promising practices and using collaborative strategies to meet the needs and
facilitate the achievement of all students. These activities are in alignment with the
Professional Development Standards in N.J.A.C. 6A:9-15.2(d) and the Professional
Standards for Teachers found in N.J.A.C. 6A:9-3.3. Appropriate in-service workshops
and mandatory trainings further support the growth and development of all staff.
Crisis Intervention
Your program has a written, compliant Crisis Intervention Plan that is consistent
with the Department of Children and Families’ and OOE’s directives when: staff
demonstrate an understanding of the plan and implement the plan’s continuum of
intervention strategies; the continuum ranges from preventive measures, through a
scale of less to more restrictive measures, using removal from class and most restrictive
measures as last resorts; and your program implements a review process for incidents
requiring physical control or removal from the classroom.
THE TOTAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
The school’s physical environment and social climate support the student’s sense of
mutual respect and develop his/her understanding of the value of each learner. The
positive messages of a supportive, nurturing environment strengthen a student’s selfesteem.
Some of the components of a school’s environment that directly affect a student’s
performance and behavior are:
Physical Environment
 Comfortable temperature and adequate ventilation;
 Pleasing décor within the school and on the school grounds;
 Appropriate auditory levels within the classroom and the school building;
 Comfortable seating options and opportunities for movement within the
classroom and the school building;
 Facility and equipment in good repair;
 Facility and equipment properly cleaned and maintained;
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A variety of locations to display students’ work; and
Individual, personal space for each student, e.g. desk, locker, cubby.
Social Environment
 A “Code of Student Conduct,” with clear behavioral expectations, which is posted
and reviewed regularly with students;
 A “school climate” for staff and students which emphasizes mutual respect and
courteous communication;
 Dress code for staff and students;
 Effective communication between school and home;
 Effective communication between school and community;
 School-wide social activities; and
 Students are able to demonstrate their feelings of safety and security.
Additionally, emergency preparedness plans for fire, medical, natural and terroristic
circumstances are critical elements in the preparation of a supportive school
environment. The “Manual of Regional Schools Safety Plans” serves as a resource
guide for addressing emergency situations. School security drills are rehearsed, as
required, on a monthly basis. All staff fully understand their respective roles for crisis
and emergency situations.
CURRICULUM DELIVERY
A quality curriculum is infused with character education, positive social decision-making,
and other functional life and social skills instruction, as well as transitional/career
planning. These components will encourage the student to display socially appropriate
and satisfying behaviors in the school, community and home environments.
Some of the specific curriculum areas that focus on life and social skills include the
following:
Values Clarification
Values Clarification instruction permits students to express their daily concerns, values
and needs, while providing guidance with morals that are conducive to current social
norms.
Communication
The school venue can help students understand the need for effective and appropriate
communication skills, as well as provide opportunities to teach and encourage those
skills.
Peer Leadership
This program provides opportunities to encourage and instruct students in the art and
advantage of being a leader among one’s peers.
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Citizenship
This curriculum component offers students a view of the world as a whole and an
understanding of their civic responsibility within it.
Anti-Bullying
Provide proactive instruction and activities to reduce/deter/prevent/eliminate acts of
bullying, harassment and intimidation. Additional supporting information can be found in
OOE Policy # 53,”Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying of Students”.
Gang Prevention
Resources for students to understand ways to avoid participation in gangs is provided
through various programs, strategies and the use of the Phoenix Curriculum. The
Phoenix Curriculum guides students to develop self-efficacy in identifying and
addressing the highest risk factors for substance abuse, violence, bullying, gang
involvement and other crimes and also links students to the available “protective factors
and assets”.
Conflict Resolution
This portion of the curriculum provides students with the skills to manage conflict
situations with appropriate, nonviolent, win/win solutions with their peers.
Transition/Career Planning
This on-going process develops the student’s awareness of various career options and
his/her specific career interests. Additionally, the student is taught to develop a viable
plan of action to pursue those interests while in school and upon graduation.
Community Experiences
Community activities allow students to participate in diversified experiences among a
variety of cultures and environments through employment opportunities, structured
learning experiences (SLE), community-based instruction and academic field trips.
Stress/Anger Management
Students are taught to identify, interpret and develop positive strategies to manage the
many life stresses that can elicit an array of negative emotional and physical
manifestations.
Substance Abuse Prevention
This information teaches students to recognize, avoid, and, if needed, overcome
substance abuse.
Character Building
This portion of the curriculum helps students to identify, describe, understand and
develop character traits that are appropriate and effective in today’s society.
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CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
Classroom instruction is the next component of the Behavior Management Guidelines
and Best Practices for educational program staff to address. Effective instructional
strategies and techniques promote student success and contribute to a positive
classroom environment. As you review the effectiveness of your program’s instructional
strategies and techniques, consider the following:
Classroom Organization
Adjusting the physical organization of the classroom according to the students’ needs
results in a lessening of negative behavioral challenges that occur due to avoidable
disruptive influences. Effective classrooms are organized to facilitate small group
activity; encourage positive peer interaction; allow students access to supportive adults;
and support a variety of learning preferences.
Scheduling
Posting daily schedules consistently in an area within the classroom and/or school
building makes the students more comfortable with daily routines. They’re able to
predict and plan for the activities in which they’ll be involved. Good instructional
scheduling balances high and low demand activities, lessening the possibility of
frustration for teachers and students. Teachers who take the time to develop clear
onset and closure points in lessons help students focus attention on the tasks at hand
as well as participate in organized breaks within the school day. Students who
participate in the development of their schedules, whenever possible, learn to predict
and organize their world. Knowing when students’ energy levels are high and when
attention begins to wander enables the teacher to organize lessons accordingly. As
teachers and students become aware of one another’s frustration tolerance levels, they
can learn to self-monitor and identify potential negative behavioral challenges before
they become full blown.
Learning Preferences
Teachers can involve students in understanding the importance of learning preferences.
Students are able to take ownership of their particular learning preferences and can
develop greater control of their learning. Teachers are able to group students more
compatibly and can enlist their students’ assistance in developing meaningful learning
activities for groups and individuals. Successful learning experiences will build
student’s self-confidence and will increase positive student behaviors.
Instructional and Assistive Technology
Efficient, effective use of technology supports students’ learning, by allowing an
alternate means of access to the curriculum and instructional materials. Utilizing both
lower-level technologies and state-of-the-art technologies can increase students’
involvement in curricular activities. Technologies provide additional opportunities for a
student to increase knowledge of basic concepts as well as improve frustration
tolerance. Use of the “distance-learning/videoconferencing” equipment is an excellent
opportunity to further enhance student learning in a high-interest format and also
enables shared instructional experiences between schools.
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Prompting Styles
A thorough knowledge of the proper mode and delivery of prompts or cues facilitates
students’ participation, interaction and learning. Aligning the intensity and duration of
prompts to meet the instructor’s goals and the student’s needs contributes to a positive
learning atmosphere. Knowing when to fade prompts and teach natural cues will
enhance student participation.
Peer-Tutoring Techniques
Peer-tutor programs provide valuable supports to students. A thorough understanding
of the concept and the process is required prior to implementation. An appropriate
peer-tutoring program will produce opportunities for increased learning, skill
reinforcement and self-confidence. Both the tutor and the learner will benefit from the
opportunity to interact with one another.
MOTIVATIONAL SYSTEM
A motivational system establishes a consistent set of expectations and responsibilities
that teach self-control and pro-social behavior. Frequently our students have not
encountered these important factors in their daily lives. Educational and support staff
are the role models responsible for the quality of a motivational system. It is
difficult to remain consistent day after day as students test the system and those
implementing it, looking for an individual who will “cut them a break.” Basically, a quality
behavior management system is: (1) designed to meet the unique needs of a specific
student population; (2) positive, not punitive; (3) easily understood; and (4) reasonable
in it expectations. Staff must keep in mind that a complicated system and/or goals that
are too difficult to attain will cause more problems than solutions. Of equal importance
is the development and implementation of an effective, quick and easy method to
document and evaluate the system.
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Your motivational system should not be taken lightly.
Ample time must be provided to develop and test the system prior to its
implementation.
Whenever feasible, student representatives should be included in both the
development and testing phases.
Students and staff should continue to be asked for their input as you refine your
system.
Program Supports
Program supports can be of inestimable value in addressing students’ behavioral
issues. Any person or agency providing a student service has an influence on the
student and should be considered a potential program support. Identifying and creating
program supports are the first steps. Including these supports in a team process is the
final step. Supports will vary from program to program, based on the student
population. Some examples follow:
The Department of Children and Families Division of Youth and Family Services
(DYFS), Division of Child Behavioral Health Services (DCBHS), and Division of
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Prevention and Community Partnerships (DPCP) and, the Department of Human
Services Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).
These State agencies are the referral source for most services not provided by the
school. Agency representatives and/or case managers are familiar with the student’s
social and community history including his/her family members, therapists and
involvement with other service provider agencies. The representatives can provide
eligibility information for most services in the community.
Within the DCBHS, the following entities provide services as indicated:
 Care Management Organizations (CMO’s) are agencies that provide a full range
of treatment and support services to children with the most complex needs. They
work with child-family teams to develop individualized service plans.
 Youth Case Management (YCM) offers services for moderate risk children and
youth who don’t meet the intensive care requirements of CMOs. Services
include assessing, monitoring and coordinating services to enable children to
stay in their communities.
 Unified Care Management (UCM) means a community-based entity under
contract with DCBHS that combines advocacy, service planning and delivery,
and care coordination into a single, integrated, cross-system process in order to
assess, design, implement, and manage individualized service plans for youth
whose needs require either intensive or moderate care management techniques
that cross multiple service systems. UCMs provide the level of care coordination
that is provided separately by CMOs and YCMs in other areas of the state.
 Family Support Organizations (FSO’s) are family-run, county-based
organizations that provide direct family-to-family peer support, education,
advocacy and other services to family members of children with emotional and
behavioral problems.
Parents and Family
Some of our students’ families are very involved in their child’s education and treatment.
They are strong advocates for their child and can be considered valuable team
members when planning for the educational services that will benefit the student.
However, due to the history, nature and needs of some of the students we serve, we
cannot always consider the parents as viable resources. In certain circumstances, a
legal guardian can be asked to participate in the educational planning for the child.
Educational Surrogate Parents
Some students who do not have a legal guardian to represent them during educational
planning, may be eligible for representation by an (educational) surrogate parent. A
surrogate should be considered when: (1) the parent cannot be identified; (2) the
parent cannot be located after reasonable efforts; and (3) an agency of the State of New
Jersey has legal guardianship of the student. The surrogate, a trained community
volunteer, represents and advocates for his/her assigned students. Surrogate parents
can be very helpful, especially in assisting to expedite the initiation of a new educational
program for the student.
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School District of Residence
A school district is responsible for the student’s permanent educational record and for
granting the student a high school diploma. Frequently the school system has had a
long history with the student, and individuals within the system have a vested interest in
the student. District representative should be involved in determining the student’s
grade level, educational program and graduation requirements. Additionally, the
representatives can share relevant information, such as what educational
strategies/programs have or have not worked for the child.
Child Study Team (CST)
Students eligible for special education and related services will be assigned a CST case
manager. The case manager will be familiar with the student’s educational records and
background as well as his/her social history. This support person is responsible for the
development and coordination of the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
The case manager may be asked to consult with the student’s classroom teacher(s) as
well as the student, when appropriate. Additionally, this person may participate in
referral for additional services and/or newly identified service needs.
Related Services – Occupational/Physical/Speech Therapists (OT/PT/Speech) and
Counseling
As the student receives the related services enumerated in his/her IEP, positive
movement toward goal achievement will enhance his/her self-esteem. Additionally, the
related services therapists who work closely with the student are likely to be important,
trusted people in the student’s life. They can assist others in providing a positive,
supportive environment for the student.
Technology for Life and Learning Center (TLLC)
The TLLC offers both assistive and educational technology services to our students.
Assistive technology devices and services are offered to students with disabilities so
that they may have equal access to curriculum and learning. Assessment and
implementation services (i.e., training, plan for implementation, ongoing support and
monitoring) are offered to these students and their educators in the areas of
communication, learning, and access to the educational environment. Educational
technology tools and services are provided to facilitate academic achievement for all
students and to support 21st century learning. Workshops and in-class support in
assistive and educational technology are routinely provided to educators to foster a
progressive learning environment.
Residential Staff
Students residing in DCBHS, DYFS and/or DDD residential and contracted facilities are
served by residential staff who work with the students before and after school as well as
on weekends and holidays. Residential staff play an important role in the students’ lives
and can contribute relevant and helpful information concerning a student’s behavior in
the residence as well as in community situations. These staff members have first-hand
knowledge of the student’s growth and development over time. Their participation in
educational team meetings can be very helpful.
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Nursing Staff
School nursing staff interact with our students on a daily basis. They see students
frequently during the school day both formally and informally. A nurse’s knowledge
concerning a student’s medications and how they impact the student’s behavior and
general development provide important information and insights as teams discuss
educational plans for students.
Kitchen, Secretarial, Custodial and Transportation Staff
A variety of “non-educational” staff working within the school environment can have a
positive impact on our students. These staff members usually interact with the students
on an informal basis and can be viewed as “real world” role models. Some of these
individuals can serve as mentors, teaching the students about the required skills,
responsibilities and rewards of their particular jobs. Appropriate, supportive studentadult relationships can flourish between these staff members and students.
FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS/INDIVIDUALIZED BEHAVIORAL PLANS
A functional behavioral analysis refers to a process that attempts to understand the
relationship between an individual student’s challenging behavior and his/her
environment. The results of a functional analysis establish a basis for the development
of a behavior plan. This plan is designed to meet the student’s specific behavioral
needs in the most appropriate manner possible. The following questions are posed:
1) Where is the behavior most likely and/or least likely to occur?; 2) When is the
behavior most likely and/or least likely to occur?; 3) Why does the behavior occur?;
and 4) What are the consequences that sustain or diminish the behavior? Thorough,
specific answers to these questions will provide the information required to design and
implement strategies to address and ameliorate the student’s problem behaviors.
ALTERNATE ENVIRONMENT
An alternate environment is a temporary location in which a child may seek support in a
calm environment to avoid a crisis situation. The teacher needs to be aware of the
student’s needs, using this location as a means of prevention, not punishment. This
concept is most effective when:
 The student has access to the area without admonition or censure when he/she
recognizes his/her inability to manage his/her behavior in the classroom
environment.
 The teacher recognizes that the student is becoming adversely stimulated within
the general classroom environment and directs the student to the alternate
environment in a positive manner.
CRISIS INTERVENTION
A crisis intervention plan addresses the strategies to be employed when a student is at
imminent risk of harming him/herself or others. Upon occasion, when the student is a
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danger to himself/herself or others in the school community, brief physical controls may
be required to prevent injury. In these instances, specific criteria must be met:
 Staff using physical control must be routinely trained in approved physical
intervention techniques;
 The physical control requires immediate, formal documentation; and
 Immediate administrative review of the documentation determines the need for
programmatic and/or administrative action.
A Crisis Intervention Area (CIA) should be available when a student must be removed
temporarily from the classroom environment. The student should remain in this area
until he/she is able to return to the classroom in a calm, controlled manner. Staff should
make every effort to ensure that the student’s stay is as brief as possible. Criteria for
the CIA should include, but need not be limited to the following:
 The area must be safe and free of potential hazards;
 The area must be located in a room which has no separate enclosures such as
free-standing dividers, walls or doors;
 There must be continuous adult supervision within the room;
 The area is an adequate size, has minimal, appropriate furnishings and has
carpet or padding on the floor;
 The student’s stay shall be documented on a log which shall be available for
administrative review;
 Criteria for a student’s return to the classroom must be clearly stated verbally to
the student and appear in writing within the CIA;
 There is a video camera surveillance system in continuous use which is able to
monitor the student at all times;
 Time parameters must be reasonable; and
 Only one student must occupy the area at any given time.
Revised: 4/2011
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