BOSS User`s Guide - Clinical Assessment
Contents
1. Pearson Executive Office 5601 Green Valley Drive Bloomington MN 55437 Copyright 2013 NCS Pearson Inc All rights reserved Warning This manual is protected by copyright and permissions should be obtained from the copyright owner prior to any prohibited reproduction storage in a retrieval system or transmission in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or likewise Pearson hereby grants permission to print these pages in part or in whole or download to the user s computer for instructional purposes only and not for resale For information regarding permission s contact Pearson s Rights and Permissions department Pearson and the BOSS logo are trademarks in the U S and or other countries of Pearson Education Inc or its affiliate s Portions of the user s manual were adapted from Academic Skills Problems Fourth Edition Workbook by Edward S Shapiro Copyright 2011 by The Guilford Press 72 Spring Street New York NY 10012 www guilford com PEARSON About BOSS systematically observing students in classrooms Is an essential part in the assessment of the academic environment This is true whether the referral problem is not completing assignments having difficulty in reading or being unable to add quickly and accurately Behavioral Observation of Students in Schools BOSS software enables users to observe students in a school environment and record students behaviors in real2. 2013 Template Default Interpretation of BOSS Data Interpretation of the BOSS data can involve analysis of several aspects of classroom behavior 1 The BOSS shows the levels of academic engagement and nonengagement for the targeted student in the particular setting of observation e By comparing the combined percentages of AET and PET against those of the three OFT categories the observer can establish the amounts of a student s on and off task behavior 14 e These data can provide the observer with information about the extent to which the target student is effectively engaged in the learning process 2 Observations across multiple settings make it possible to determine relative differences among the target student s levels of academic engagement in different instructional environments For example it may be found that a student has much higher levels of on task behavior when he she is in a teacher led setting than when he she is involved in independent seatwork 3 By examining the relative differences between AET and PET the observer can determine whether the opportunities to respond AET level for a student is high enough to provide clear evidence of academic progress Students who are struggling in school are often found to have relatively low levels of AET even when they are on task 4 The observer can compare the performance of the target student against that of the student s peers e Use of this type of loca
3. Touching any of the fields allows the user to input the relevant information by either typing it in on a new screen or selecting it from a pull down menu that appears selecting Previous Observations opens a listing of all observations already completed and saved Selecting New Template takes the user to a series of screens to label the template and buttons associated with that A defining their names and indicating whether they are momentary left side of screen or partial right side of screen Entering Observation Information On the New Observation screen BOSS provides a list of fields to describe the observation The user selects a given field by touching it which opens a new window to either select the relevant information for a pull down menu or define the information by typing it into a field For devices using Android platforms after a selection is made or an entry saved the software auto advances to the next field For devices using iOS platforms the user selects Done to save and close the window Observer Student and School When the user touches these fields a new window in BOSS opens allowing the user to type in the relevant information for each field Grade Duration and Interval When the user touches these fields a pull down window appears offering the user options for selecting the student s grade level the total anticipated duration of the observation session and the number of s
4. off by muting the sound on the device The occurrence of the behavior at that moment is recorded by tapping the appropriate button on the observation screen Recording Behaviors Momentary Active Engaged Time AET Active engaged time AET is defined as those times when the student is actively attending to the assigned work Examples of AET include e Writing Reading aloud Raising a hand Talking to the teacher about the assigned material Talking to a peer about the assigned material Looking up a word in a dictionary AET should not be scored if the student is e Talking about nonacademic material verbal off task e Walking to the worksheet bin motor off task e Calling out verbal off task unless it is considered an appropriate response style for that classroom e Aijimlessly flipping the pages of a book motor off task e Engaging in any other form of off task behavior Passive Engaged Time PET Passive engaged time PET is defined as those times when the student is passively attending to assigned work Examples of PET include e Listening to a lecture Looking at an academic worksheet Silently reading assigned material Looking at the blackboard during teacher instruction Listening to a peer respond to a question PET should not be scored if the student is e Aimlessly looking around the classroom passive off task e Silently reading unassigned material passive off task e Engaging in any other form of off task behavior At
5. time This method for recording behaviors is efficient and eliminates the need for hand calculations of behavioral statistics The BOSS software uses interactive customizable buttons labeled to a particular behavior for the observer to press while observing a student during a given duration The software keeps track of the intervals within which a behavioral button is selected during an observation The statistics percentage of intervals in which the behavior occurred are then calculated and displayed at the end of the observation This recorded information can be viewed in the app or shared via e mail in both csv and pdf formats Before Getting Started e Before observing in a classroom the observer will need to become familiar with the daily schedule class routine and physical layout of the classroom e The observer should meet briefly with the teacher before the observation to learn about classroom rules or procedures that may be in effect during the observation e The observer should ask the teacher where the best place to sit or stand is to directly observe the target student e The observer needs to have a clear view of the student but should not be too obtrusive nor be in major traffic areas for other students e During the observation the teacher should teach as he she normally does e The observer should minimize any interactions with students or the teacher during the observation period e The teacher should not introdu
6. times it may be difficult to determine immediately whether a child is passively engaged or daydreaming at the first moment of an interval In this case it is appropriate to code PET if it becomes apparent later during that interval that the student was indeed passively engaged Coding Nonengagement When a student is not engaged in academic behavior three possible categories of off task behavior are coded These behaviors are recorded by means of a partial interval observation method if any of the three behaviors occurs at any point during the interval tap the appropriate button on the observation screen Multiple occurrences of the same behavior within a single interval are noted only once Recording Behaviors Partial Off Task Motor OF T M Off task motor behaviors OF T M are defined as any instance of motor activity that are not directly associated with an assigned academic task Examples of OFT M include e Engaging in any out of seat behavior defined as buttocks not in contact with the seat e Aimlessly flipping the pages of a book Manipulating objects not related to the academic task e g playing with a paper clip throwing paper twirling a pencil folding paper Physically touching another student when not related to an academic task Bending or reaching such as picking up a pencil on the floor Drawing or writing not related to an assigned academic activity Turning around in seat oriented away from the classroom instructi
7. PET Onang a New Observation Session Momentary interval 1 40 Momentary Momentary Partial OFT M Partial starting the Observation The following example uses the default BOSS template When the user touches Start the buttons for recording behaviors are displayed along with the interval and a running time All buttons are toggled as on and off switches within the intervals The name of the target student is displayed at the top and the buttons are positioned as Momentary or Partial on each side of the screen As an example during the first interval of an observation session Sally L was observed writing in her journal so AET is selected to indicate that Active Engaged Time AET was evident at the start of the interval During the remainder of Interval 1 Sally L was also observed calling out to a peer Off Task Verbal and then leaving her seat to speak to that peer Off Task Motor At the end of the interval three behaviors are recorded by BOSS as having occurred AET OFT M and OF T V During an interval if the user feels he or she made an error touching the button again will return it to an unselected state At the end of each interval BOSS records buttons that are selected The buttons then reset to an unselected state Momentary Partial OFT M At Interval 4 40 Sally L was observed to be reading silently so her score is Passive Engaged Time PET at the s
8. and indicate whether they are momentary left side of screen or partial right side of screen One important limitation is that button labels are limited to 6 characters The user receives an error message if button names exceed this limit and are directed to change the label to no more than 6 characters Users can add an infinite number of behaviors It is recommended however that no more than four user defined behaviors be identified If more than four momentary or partial sampling behaviors are added users will need to scroll through the observation screen to see the additional behaviors listed When a user defined template is selected for an observation session the buttons that have been defined for the new template will be displayed when the session begins Aug 27 2013 Observer Student School Grade K gt Task None Setting None Duration 2 minutes Interval 15 seconds Template Default TDI On YES Use TDI Button C setting the Date iOS only BOSS uses the current date as the default date for the observation Tap the date field in order to change the date Once the date has been entered touch Done to save the date and return to the home screen Touching New Observation will return the user to the home screen without saving changes to the date There is not an option for changing the date in Android platforms the default is the current date TDI On Off Option iOS only The Teach
9. at the start of the fifth interval Sally L s peer was observed answering a teacher s question and recorded as AET During the remainder of the fifth interval the peer remained on task so no other off task behaviors were recorded Coding Teacher Directed Instruction Teacher Directed Instruction TDI is coded every fifth interval along with the peer observation again by means of a partial interval observation method The purpose of these observations Is to provide a sampling of time in which the teacher is actively engaged in directed instruction of the classroom TDI is defined as those times when the teacher is directly instructing the class or individuals within the class Some examples of TDI include times when the e Instructing the whole class or group e Demonstrating academic material at the board e Individually assisting a student with a task TDI should not be scored if the teacher is e Scolding the class or an individual student for misbehavior e Giving instructions for an academic activity e Sitting at his her desk grading papers e Speaking to an individual student or the class about nonacademic issues The teacher in Sally L s classroom was observed asking questions of the group so Teacher Directed Instruction TDI was recorded In this case AET and TDI are recorded by BOSS at the end of the fifth interval At the start of the sixth interval the observation screen returns to the targeted student 11 Pa
10. ce the observer to the class when he she arrives but should be instructed to tell the students prior to the observer s arrival that someone is coming to observe what goes on in the classroom e lf the assessment will include working individually with the target student it is recommended that the direct observations be conducted first e The observer s entrance into the classroom should be as naturalistic as possible It can help if he she enters the classroom during a natural break in the instructional routine Using the BOSS Software When the BOSS icon is touched on your device it will open the home screen iOS Home Screen The home screen provides a list of fields associated with a new observation Touching any Observation Details Observer Name EdS of the fields allows the user to input the relevant Rene ican Sally L information by either typing it in on a new screen or selecting it from the pull down menu that appears school Central Grade 2 The home screen also provides access to Taek Reading Previous observations and information About the BOSS software via buttons along the bottom of Setting ISW TPsnt the screen Duration 02 00 Interval Length 15 sec Target Stats Android Home Screen The home screen offers three options New Observation Previous Observations and New Template Selecting New Observation will open a new window that provides a list of fields associated with a new observation
11. econds between each observation The duration menu ranges from 2 minutes to 60 minutes with 10 minutes selected as the default Users should select a duration that is likely to be longer than the planned observation Stopping the observation short of the full planned duration will provide calculations of observed intervals based on what was actually collected Otherwise BOSS will calculate the percentages based on the full duration once it has been attained The interval menu ranges from 2 seconds to 60 seconds with the default set to 15 seconds At 2 seconds users are close to observing the number of times a behavior actually occurs and at 60 seconds users would be examining behaviors that are fairly high frequency Task Setting Template selecting the Task field opens the screen for selecting or defining the task being observed Language Arts Mathematics Reading and Writing are already listed as tasks These tasks cannot be changed by the user and represent the most common tasks that occur when an observation of academic skill is conducted The default task is Reading Selecting the Setting field opens a menu with four basic observational settings Specifically these are ISW Tpsnt Target student engaged in individual seatwork the teacher is present and circulating around the room ISW TpSmGp Target student engaged in individual seatwork the teacher is working with a small group of which the student is not a part SmGp Tpsn
12. er Directed Instruction TDI field offers the user the opportunity to select the Use TDI Button which appears on every fifth interval when a peer is observed The default is YES The user can change this to No by selecting the field and turning TDI off For Android platforms turning TDI off is not an option it will appear at every fifth interval Coding Academic Engagement The BOSS template divides academic engagement into two subcategories active AET or passive engaged time PET In either case the student is considered to be on task Each of these behaviors is recorded as a momentary time sample At the beginning of each cued interval the observer looks at the targeted student determines whether the student is on task and if so whether the on task behavior constitutes an active or passive form of engagement as defined below At the start of each interval the BOSS makes a soft click sound and vibrates lightly cueing the user to record the momentary behavior evident by touching either AET or PET Touching the button turns the button blue If the user feels they made an error retouching the button within the interval returns the button to a white background The user can only record either AET or PET at the start of the interval These buttons work as either one or the other If neither AET nor PET is present at the start of the interval neither button should be touched The clicking or tone sound can be turned
13. etting ISW TPsnt School Central Grade 2 Duration 02 00 Interval Length 15 sec Target Stats 12 Target Stats PET OFT M OFT V OFT P Peer Stats AET PET Peer Stats AET PET OFT M OFT V OFT P Teacher Stats TDI New Obaerralion 42 86 57 14 11 43 100 00 71 43 100 00 0 00 100 00 50 00 50 00 20 00 100 00 0 00 100 00 scrolling down to the second subsection provides the percentages for the observed student Target Stats scrolling further to the third subsection shows the Peer Stats These are the aggregated data across peers that were observed every fifth interval 13 Emailing Results of Observation Sessions zi IOS Platforms Touching the button in the upper right corner of the screen initiates an e mail with attachments of Student Name say both a csv file and pdf file Vicasue Feb 19 2013 G Observer Name School Carnell Grade 3 Task Reading Setting ISW Tpsnt Duration 06 14 Interval Length 15 sec Android Platforms Users are given three options when viewing a observation s report Home Delete and E mail School Home returns you to the home screen Delete Grade deletes the observation and the pdf file generated Subject I by the report and E mail opens the e mail interface and includes the pdf file as an attachment Setting m Date Aug 23
14. l normative data is crucial in understanding the degree to which the levels of behavior obtained for the target student differ from the expected performance of the student s classmates At times a student who appears to have a very low level of on task behavior may be found to have a level equivalent to those of his her peers suggesting that the student s behavior may not be beyond the expectations set by the classroom teacher On the other hand a student appearing to have a very high level of on task behavioral performance may be viewed as not meeting classroom expectations When comparisons are made to the student s peers it may become evident that although the student s level is high it is significantly lower than the levels of his her peers 15
15. on Fidgeting in seat i e engaging in repetitive motor movements for at least 3 consecutive seconds while not on task OFT M should not be scored if the student is e Passing paper to a student as instructed by the teacher e Coloring on an assigned worksheet as instructed AET e Laughing at a joke told by another student off task verbal e Swinging feet or fidgeting while working on assigned material AET or PET Off Task Verbal OFT V Off task verbal behaviors OF T V are defined as any audible verbalizations that are not permitted and or are not related to an assigned academic task Examples of OF T V include e Making any audible sound such as whistling humming forced burping e Talking to another student about issues unrelated to an assigned academic task e Talking to another student about an assigned academic task when such talk is prohibited by the teacher e Making unauthorized comments or remarks e Calling out answers to academic problems when the teacher has not specifically asked for an answer or permitted such behavior OFT V should not be scored if the student is e Laughing at a joke told by the teacher e Talking to another student about the assigned academic work during a cooperative learning group AET e Calling out the answer to a problem when the teacher has permitted such behavior during instruction AET Off Task Passive OFT P Off task passive behaviors OFT P are defined as those times when a student is pa
16. ssively not attending to an assigned academic activity for a period of at least 3 consecutive seconds Included are those times when a student is quietly waiting after the completion of an assigned task but is not engaged in an activity authorized by the teacher Examples of OF T P behavior include e Sitting quietly in an unassigned activity e Looking around the room e Staring out the window e Passively listening to other students talk about issues unrelated to the assigned academic activity lt is important to note that the student must be passively off task for 3 consecutive seconds within an interval to be scored Should the interval end before the full 3 second period occurs OF T P is not scored for that interval and a new consecutive 3 second period is required for the next interval For instance suppose a student begins to stare out the window during the third interval of observation The observer counts only 2 seconds before the fourth interval begins The student continues to stare out the window for over 3 seconds in this interval In this case only the fourth interval should be scored for OF T P If the student stops staring out the window after 2 seconds of the fourth interval than OFT P should not be scored for either interval In addition OF T P should not be scored if the student Is e Quietly reading an assigned book PET e Passively listening to other students talk about the assigned work ina cooperative learning group
17. t Target student is part of a small group with which the teacher is working Small group is defined as a group involving less than half of the class LgGp Tpsnt Target student is part of a large group with which the teacher is working Large group is defined as a group involving half or more of the class The default selection for setting is ISW Tpsnt Selecting the Template field opens a screen for choosing the behaviors to track Momentary Partial The default BOSS template provides two momentary time samples on the left side of screen and three partial interval time samples on the right side of the screen These are Momentary Active Engaged Time AET Passive Engaged Time PET OFT M Partial Off Task Motor OF T M Off Task Verbal OFT V Off Task Passive OF T P Adding a New Task Setting or Template For each of these fields users have an option to add a new task setting or template by touching Add New instead of selecting one of the available options Add New opens a window where the user can define name the new element Once the new element has been defined it will appear in the list of options Users then have the option of selecting the newly defined task setting or template for future observations Unlike the BOSS defined elements user defined elements can also be deleted from their respective lists To add a template touch Add New to label the template and buttons define their names
18. tart of the interval During interval 4 40 Sally L was also observed starring out the window for at least 3 seconds so her score is OF T P At the end of the interval BOSS records PET and OFT P Peer Observation amp Teacher Directed Instruction TDI Fifth Interval Observing Peer Comparison Students A behavioral observation is more meaningful if the target student s behavior is compared to the same behavior displayed by peers Peer observations are conducted every fifth observation interval During each of these intervals observations are conducted on a randomly selected peer rather than the target student Before beginning the observation the observer should decide the sequence of peer comparison observations For example the observer may decide to start in the front left of the classroom and observe a different peer each fifth interval moving down the row and then from back to front In truth it does not matter in which order the peer comparison data are collected It does help however for the observer to have an observation plan in mind before beginning the observation of the target student Data from intervals in which different peers are observed are combined to derive a peer comparison score for each of the behaviors At every fifth interval the screen changes color and the TDI button appears Peer is displayed at the top of the screen instead of the target student s name 10 As an example
19. using the Observation iOS Platforms On any screen the observation can be paused by touching the pause button in the lower left corner The user has two options continue or exit Touching Continue allows the observation to continue from the point where it was paused Touching Exit ends the observation and shows the outcomes of the observation based on the number of observations observed to that point Android Platforms There are two options available the pause button and End Selecting the pause button will pause the session and timer allowing the session to resume when the play button is touched Selecting End will end the current session Results of the Observation Sessions On the Device Observation sessions are stored on the device under the Previous tab Tom Aug 25 2013 Lisa Aug 24 2013 The observation sessions are listed chronologically Mark Aug 24 2013 Sally Aug 22 2013 By default the newest observation sessions are listed at the top Tony Aug 19 2013 In the first subsection of a report the session details are provided including Observer Name Student Name school Grade Task Setting Duration and Interval Observer Name Ed 5 Le ngth Student Name Sally L Observation Details Each defined category is reported as percentage of intervals observed and is seen by swiping the screen upward to scroll down to see all the target and peer Task Reading information S
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