Stratton Discipline Jeopardy (AVID STOIC CHAMPS)

Disobedience

100

REFERRAL SCENARIO

A student is told several times to sit down and begin an assignment. The student refuses and continues talking to nearby students. The teacher eventually sends the student out and completes a referral.

Question:

Before writing the referral, identify a proactive STOIC/CHAMPS strategies the adult could have used.

What is...

• Give a brief, private redirection. re-stating the expected behavior.
• Reteach the CHAMPS expectation.
• Use proximity.
• Provide a choice.
• Check whether the student understands the direction.
• Positively acknowledge students who are following the expectation.
• Follow the established classroom correction procedure.
  
  Key lesson:
  A direction is not automatically an intervention. Structure + teaching + observation + interaction should precede escalation whenever circumstances permit.

200

A student is given a direction and responds:

“No. I'm not doing that, and rolled their eyes when they said it!”

Question:

What should the adult do next?

What is...

• Remain calm.
• Avoid arguing.
• Restate the expectation briefly.
• Give the student a reasonable opportunity to comply.
• Use a private correction when possible.
• Provide a choice or consequence consistent with the school's established system.
• Document the behavior if the student continues to refuse.

Do NOT:

• Engage in a public power struggle.
• Lecture the student.
• Trade insults.
• Make threats.
• Turn the interaction into a contest of wills.

Relational Capacity Connection:

The goal is compliance without damaging the relationship.

300

A student has refused directions in the same class three times during the week. Each time, the teacher immediately writes a referral.

Question:

What responsibility shifts to the adult when a behavior becomes a recurring pattern?

What is...

The response should move beyond repeatedly documenting the same behavior.

The adult should examine:

• When does the behavior occur?
• What happens immediately before it?
• What is the student being asked to do?
• Does the student understand the expectation?
• Has the expectation been explicitly taught?
• Are CHAMPS structures clear?
• Is the correction consistent?
• Has the student received positive feedback for appropriate behavior?
• Has a relationship-building conversation occurred?
• What supports have already been attempted?

Key principle:

Repeated referrals are data. They should trigger problem-solving, not simply more referrals.

400

A student refuses to follow a direction. The teacher repeatedly tells the student, in front of the class:

“I already told you what to do.”

The student responds:

“And I said I'm not doing it!”

The exchange continues for several minutes.

Question:

Identify the point where the adult could have changed the trajectory of the incident. What should the adult have done?

What is...

The adult should have de-escalated rather than continued the public exchange.

Possible response:

“I'm not going to argue with you. The expectation is ____. You have a choice: ____ or ____. I'll give you a minute to decide.”

Then disengage when appropriate and follow the established procedure.

Adult responsibility:

Do not allow a student refusal to become an adult-student competition.

500

A referral says:

“Student was disrespectful and refused to listen.”

Question:

What information is missing that would make this referral substantially more useful?

What is...

The referral should describe observable behavior, not simply conclusions.

Staff should be able to identify:

• What direction was given?
• What exactly did the student say/do?
• How many times was the direction given?
• What happened before the behavior?
• What proactive strategies were attempted?
• What correction was provided?
• How did the student respond?
• What happened afterward?
• Who was affected?
• What immediate safety concerns existed?

Key lesson:

“Disrespectful” is an interpretation. “Student said, ‘_____’ after being directed to _____” is evidence.

Disruptive Behavior

100

Several students are talking while the teacher is giving directions.

Question:

What is the first proactive response?

What is...

Re-establish the structure.

Examples:

• Stop.
• Get attention.
• Restate the CHAMPS expectation.
• Model what compliance looks like.
• Have students practice if necessary.
• Positively acknowledge students who demonstrate the expectation.

STOIC connection:

Structure → Teach → Observe → Interact Positively → Correct Fluently

200

One student continually calls out, makes jokes, and gets classmates laughing.

Question:

What is the danger of repeatedly correcting the student publicly?

What is...

The adult may unintentionally provide the student with:

• Attention
• An audience
• Status
• Peer reinforcement
• A predictable interaction

Instead:

• Use proximity.
• Correct briefly.
• Minimize the audience.
• Reinforce appropriate participation.
• Consider a private conversation about the pattern.

Key principle:

Sometimes the behavior is being reinforced by the response to the behavior.

300

A student puts their head down and refuses to participate.

Question:

Before labeling this “defiance,” what should the adult investigate?

What is...

• Does the student understand the task?
• Is the work appropriately challenging?
• Is the student avoiding a particular task?
• Is there a pattern?
• Has the student been taught the expected behavior?
• Is there a known academic/social-emotional need?
• What happened immediately before disengagement?
• Has the teacher attempted a private check-in?

Key lesson:

Behavior is information.

400

The teacher reports:

“They won't listen. The whole class is disruptive.”

Question:

What should the adult examine before identifying 20 individual behavior problems?

What is...

Solution:

The environment.

Ask:

• Is the expectation clear?
• Is the routine established?
• Are transitions structured?
• Are students actively engaged?
• Is the CHAMPS expectation visible?
• Was the routine explicitly taught?
• Is the teacher circulating and observing?
• Are appropriate behaviors being acknowledged?
• Is correction occurring quickly and consistently?

Key principle:

Sometimes the discipline problem is actually a systems problem.

500

A teacher submits multiple referrals for the same classroom behavior over several days.

Question:

At $500, you don't simply ask, “How many referrals?” You ask what?

What is...

“What is the pattern telling us?”

Analyze:

Student → Behavior → Location → Time → Activity → Adult response → Outcome

Then determine whether the response needs:

• Reteaching
• Environmental restructuring
• Increased supervision
• Relationship-building
• Academic support
• Behavior intervention
• Family communication
• MTSS support
• Administrative intervention

Big Idea:

A referral is a data point, not a behavior-management plan.

Horseplay / Scuffling

100

Two students are pushing each other and laughing.

Question:

What should the adult do immediately?

What is...

Stop the behavior and separate the students.

Then determine:

• What happened?
• Was participation mutual?
• Was anyone injured?
• Did either student indicate they wanted the behavior to stop?
• Was there a power imbalance?
• Was this horseplay, aggression, or something else?

Key lesson:

Intent does not eliminate safety concerns.

200

A student says:

“I was just playing!”

after pushing another student.

Question:

What question should the adult ask?

What is...

“Was everyone involved willing to participate?”

Then determine whether the behavior stopped when directed.

Key principle:

Horseplay requires mutual participation.

300

Two students begin joking around. One pushes the other. The second student pushes back. The situation escalates.

Question:

What proactive structure could have prevented this from becoming a physical incident?

What is...

Possible answers:

• Clear expectations for physical space.
• Active supervision.
• Increased adult presence in predictable problem locations.
• Explicit CHAMPS expectations for movement/transitions.
• Immediate correction of the first unsafe behavior.
• Teaching students what “horseplay” is and what it is not.

Key lesson:

Intervene at Level 1 instead of waiting for Level 5.

400

A staff member observes students repeatedly engaging in physical horseplay but allows it to continue because:

“They do this all the time.”

Eventually, one student is injured.

Question:

What is the adult responsibility when an unsafe behavior is observed?

What is...

Intervene.

Staff responsibility includes:

• Stopping unsafe behavior.
• Providing clear expectations.
• Supervising known problem areas.
• Reporting significant incidents.
• Documenting accurately when required.
• Communicating patterns to appropriate personnel.

Big Idea:

“They always do that” is a reason to intervene earlier—not later.

500

A referral indicates that students were repeatedly scuffling in a location where staff knew physical horseplay occurred.

Question:

What is the leadership question, not the blame question?

What is...

“What system should have been in place to make the expected behavior more likely?”

Possible answers:

• Adult positioning
• Active supervision
• Transition procedures
• CHAMPS expectations
• Student movement expectations
• Predictable consequences
• Communication between staff
• Increased monitoring of the location

Leadership principle:

Reactive discipline addresses the incident. Proactive systems address the pattern.

Phys Conf / Staff

100

A student becomes angry and moves toward a staff member.

Question:

What is the adult's first responsibility?

What is...

Safety and de-escalation.

• Create space.
• Maintain calm.
• Use brief language.
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact.
• Call for assistance according to school procedures.
• Remove the audience when possible.

200

A student yells at a staff member:

“You can't tell me what to do!”

Question:

What should the adult NOT do?

What is...

Do not:

• Yell back.
• Insult the student.
• Threaten the student.
• Move aggressively toward the student.
• Argue about who is in charge.
• Attempt to “win” the interaction.

Better response:

Calmly state the expectation and allow appropriate processing time while maintaining safety.

300

A student intentionally strikes, kicks, pushes, or otherwise makes physical contact with a staff member.

Question:

What are the adult's immediate responsibilities?

What is...

1. Ensure immediate safety.
2. Seek assistance according to school procedures.
3. Attend to injuries.
4. Separate involved parties when appropriate.
5. Preserve accurate information about what occurred.
6. Follow required reporting/documentation procedures.
7. Allow administration to investigate and determine next steps.
8. After stabilization, determine appropriate follow-up and relationship repair.

Key distinction:

Relational capacity does not mean tolerating unsafe behavior.

400

The student has calmed down after physically confronting a staff member.

Question:

What is the adult's responsibility AFTER the incident?

What is...

When safe and appropriate:

• Avoid humiliation.
• Allow the student to process.
• Review what happened.
• Identify triggers.
• Clarify expectations.
• Discuss alternative responses.
• Re-establish the relationship.
• Determine what support the student needs.
• Document the incident objectively.

Key principle:

Accountability and relationship repair are not opposites.

500

A student says something extremely disrespectful to a staff member. The adult is visibly angry and begins moving toward the student.

Question:

Who is responsible for regulating the adult?

What is..

The adult.

That doesn't mean the student's behavior is acceptable.

It means professionals must recognize:

“I am responsible for my response even when the student is responsible for their behavior.”

Possible strategies:

• Pause.
• Lower voice.
• Create physical space.
• Call another adult.
• Follow the school's crisis/de-escalation procedures.
• Process the incident after everyone is safe.

Big Idea:

We cannot demand student self-regulation while modeling adult dysregulation.

Phys Conf / Student

100

Two students begin arguing.

Question:

What is the adult's first move?

What is...

Interrupt the escalation.

• Separate when appropriate.
• Use calm, brief directions.
• Avoid forcing students to explain everything while emotions are high.
• Establish immediate safety.
• Investigate after students are regulated.

200

Two students give completely different accounts of a conflict.

Question:

What should the adult investigate before determining what happened?

What is...

Identify:

• What happened immediately before the conflict?
• What did each student do?
• What did each student say?
• Who was present?
• Were there witnesses?
• Was there a pattern?
• Did either student attempt to disengage?
• Were there threats?
• Was there physical contact?
• What happened afterward?

Key principle:

Don't investigate a conflict by deciding the conclusion first.

300

Student A hits Student B.

Student B then hits Student A.

Question:

What is the important distinction staff must make?

What is...

The adult must document and investigate each student's behavior separately.

Do not simply reduce the incident to:

“They were fighting.”

Determine:

• Who did what?
• In what sequence?
• Why?
• Was there retaliation?
• Was there self-defense?
• Was there an opportunity to disengage?
• Were there witnesses?

Key lesson:

Sequence matters.

400

A student is involved in three peer conflicts in two weeks.

Question:

What should happen beyond writing the third referral?

What is...

The team should look for a pattern:

• Who is involved?
• Where does it happen?
• When does it happen?
• What precedes the conflict?
• What social dynamics are involved?
• What skills does the student need?
• What supervision changes could help?
• Does the student need additional intervention/support?
• What relationship-building intervention is needed?

Big Idea:

Three referrals may represent three incidents, or one unresolved problem occurring three times.

500

A student physically confronts another student during dismissal.

The referral begins with:

“Student punched another student.”

Question:

What happened BEFORE the punch that staff need to know?

What is...

Investigate the chain:

Trigger → Interaction → Escalation → Adult response → Physical behavior → Intervention → Outcome

Questions might include:

• What were students doing immediately beforehand?
• Was there teasing?
• Was there an argument?
• Was there social media conflict?
• Was there horseplay?
• Was there a threat?
• Was there a previous interaction?
• Did an adult observe the escalation?
• Was an opportunity to intervene missed?

Key lesson:

The punch is the incident. The escalation is the problem we need to understand.