Behavior Systems that WORK for Special Education Classroom

Behavior Systems that WORK for Special Education Classroom 

First, Why Clip Charts Don’t Work in Special Education Classrooms... I used clip charts. I loved clip charts. I was consistent with clip charts. My school district used them, required them, and for a long time, they worked—or at least it looked like they did. But not for everyone. And in special education, everyone matters.

When Clip Charts Miss the Mark

For many students, clip charts reinforced positive behavior. They liked the recognition. They worked for it. They earned glitter clips and showed them off proudly. They basked. Honestly—it was kind of fun.

But for some students—especially those with emotional dysregulation and autism—clip charts didn’t motivate. They triggered.

• Public movement down the chart often led to:
• Escalation instead of reflection
• Shame instead of growth
• Behavior increases, not decreases

So instinctively, I stopped using clip charts with those students.

Not because I had a research article in hand—but because it didn’t work. And in special education, if something doesn’t work, you stop doing it.

What Those Students Actually Needed

The students who weren’t meeting expectations were missing something essential:

• They didn’t fully understand the expectations
• They didn’t understand why the expectations existed
• They didn’t yet know how to meet them
• Or they didn’t feel heard, safe, or valued enough to try

No behavior system fixes that.

So instead, I leaned into:

• Direct instruction of expected behaviors
• Active listening
• Empathy
• Explicit teaching of how to be successful

We talked about expectations. We practiced them. We explained the reasons behind them. We slowed things down. And most importantly—students felt heard.

The Real Problem With Clip Charts

The goal of a clip chart is wrong. Classrooms don’t need public behavior rankings.

They need community expectations.

Being part of a group—knowing how to exist in a shared space—is a human expectation that extends into adulthood. It’s not automatic. It’s a skill. And not all students have acquired it yet.

Rules outline expectations.

Skills teach students how to meet them. Clip charts were meant to measure behavior. But behavior isn’t a score—it’s communication.

What I Changed Instead

Here’s the truth: I was already using clip charts primarily for positive reinforcement.

I moved students up.

I celebrated effort.

I used live, specific praise.

So I kept that part.

For students who responded well to recognition, I continued to give it—publicly, positively, and enthusiastically. But for students who needed something different, I shifted the focus:

• Private reflection instead of public consequence
• Self-regulation instead of compliance
• Understanding instead of punishment
• I didn’t create five different behavior plans.
• I created one system that worked more often than it didn’t.

The Tool That Matched What I Was Actually Doing

Eventually, I formalized the process into something that aligned with my teaching—not against it.

This is one way I changed my procedure:

Behavior Tracker for Students – Classroom Behavior Management & Self-Regulation

It focuses on:

• Teaching expectations
• Encouraging reflection
• Supporting self-regulation
• Reinforcing effort and growth

Not shame.

Not comparison.

Not public failure.

What All My Teaching Comes Back To

All of my TpT resources are built around one core belief:

Students need to be taught how to succeed—academically, socially, emotionally, and as members of a community. When behavior systems work, it’s not because they control students. It’s because they teach skills.

And when something doesn’t work—especially in special education—we don’t double down.

We adjust.

We listen.

We do better.

Because our students deserve systems that help them grow, not just systems that look good on the wall.