Sherburne & N. Wright Special Education Cooperative
Directions: Interval Recording (Time On-Task) Observation
Interval recording will is a good observation technique if you would like to look at how much time a
student is engaged in learning tasks. For this observation you record the percentage of intervals the
target behavior was exhibited.
Guidelines to Consider:
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When the target behavior is student engagement in a learning activity (time on-task),
observations should be recorded during classroom time. Remember to clearly define on and
off-task behavior, and that you are using the same definition for all the observations for specific
student. This will allow you to be sure that all observers are observing and documenting the
same behavior.
You will need to make sure that you select a time to observe that allows you to clearly define
on-task behavior. For example, it may be difficult to determine if a student is on-task during silent
reading.
To select the comparison peer, it is suggested that a same-sex, “average” student be used as a
comparison. Each observation should use a different comparison peer.
Procedures:
Before the Observation:
 Enter the student’s name, date of your observation, observer’s name, school, grade level, class
period observed and the observation start and end time on the observation form.
 Document the behavior that you will be looking for and its definition (e.g. seated in chair,
completing written task, looking at teacher during instruction, etc.).
 Document how long you will be observing: Total Observation Time (20 minutes is recommended)
 Determine the length of intervals (10 seconds is recommended)
o All intervals need to be the same length: Intervals can be from a few seconds long up to
a few minutes long.
Note: Total observation time and length of intervals should be the same each time that
you observe this student
During the Observation:
 Make sure that you have your timing instrument available prior to beginning your observation
 Keep an eye on your timing instrument to keep track of the intervals
At the end of each time interval:
o Look to see if the targeted student is displaying the behavior AND at the same time look
to see if the random same-sex peer is displaying the behavior at that particular moment
– Not before, not after
o If the behavior is occurring by either the target student or the same-sex peer at that
moment, place a plus (+) for that interval
o If the behavior did not occur at that moment by either student, place a minus (-) for that
interval
 At the end of your observation time, total the number of +’s and divide by the total number of
intervals and multiply by 100, this will provide you with a percentage of time the target behavior
occurred (+’s/# of intervals x 100=percentage the behavior was observed to occur).
Example:
Behavior definition: Looking at teacher when the teacher is talking, or completing written work.
Total Observation Time: 20 minutes
Length of each interval: 10 seconds
(The following example only provides you with a 3 minute and 20 second example…)
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Observation Form: Interval Recording (Time-On-Task); Page 1 of 4
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August 2012
Sherburne & N. Wright Special Education Cooperative
Student
Peer
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Describe the Activity/Activities that were Observed: Observation began with the teacher lecturing, the students
engaged in discussion, and then worked at their desks independently on their assignment.
Observer’s Overall Impressions/Comments regarding the Observation: The Student was talking to his peers during the
majority of the teacher’s lecture. He was on-task for most of the independent work time.
Classroom Teacher’s Report:
Was this observation reflective of this student’s Typical Behavior?
Yes or No
The teacher reports that this observation was reflective of the student’s typical classroom behavior. Lecture time
is reportedly most difficult for the student.
Observation Form: Interval Recording (Time-On-Task); Page 2 of 4
August 2012
Sherburne & N. Wright Special Education Cooperative
Observation Form: Interval Recording (Time On-Task)
Student’s Name:___________________________
Date of
Observation:_______________________________
Grade:____________________________________
Observer’s
Name:__________________________________
School: ___________________________________
Class:_____________________________________
Observation Start Time:__________ End
Time:_______
Target Behavior (description of behavior for observation):
_________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Student
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Studen
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___________________ x __________________ = ______________%
( +’s / # of intervals x 100 = percentage the behavior was observed to occur)
Describe the activity/activities that were observed (i.e. teacher directed, independent work, lecture,
discussion…etc):
Observation Form: Interval Recording (Time-On-Task); Page 3 of 4
August 2012
Sherburne & N. Wright Special Education Cooperative
Observer’s overall impressions/comments regarding the observation:
Classroom Teacher’s Report:
Was this observation reflective of this student’s Typical Behavior?
Explain:
Observation Form: Interval Recording (Time-On-Task); Page 4 of 4
Yes
or
No
August 2012