Teaching · Related Services

Time the start,
note the prompt, see the pattern.

Each time the student is asked to begin something, note the time, the seconds until they actually start and the prompt it took. Record whether the conditions were typical. The form works out the median and average time to start and how often no prompt was needed, so the team sees a pattern, not an impression.

Add an observationWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Related Services toolkit, $99 for 96 items.

Observations

The worked example is made up: four starts in a sixth-grade math class with a median of 67.5 seconds and half needing a prompt, and a science class the week before. Records save on this device only and use student codes.

Loading the observation form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Teaching · Related Services$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per observation with student code, date, class, task type, how directions were given and the observer; five conditions marked typical or not; each start with time, seconds to start, prompt and whether the student began; median and average time to start and the share without a prompt; flags for too few starts, a median over a minute, fewer than half unprompted and conditions that were not typical.
Who it is for
School psychologists, special education teachers, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, counselors and general education teachers gathering evidence for a team.
Format
Browser form with a saved record per observation. Prints an observation for the evaluation file, every observation as a table or a blank paper form for the classroom; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Related Services toolkit ($99) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Related Services space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick a typical day and a class where starting is hard.
  2. Note the conditions, and mark anything that was not typical.
  3. For each direction, time the seconds to the first real step and note any prompt.
  4. Observe again on another day or in another class.
  5. Bring the records, not a single number, to the team.

Add an observation

Latency and prompts

What one start looks likeDirectionLatency: time to startOn taskprompt, if one was neededStart the clockwhen the direction endsStop the clockat the first real stepRead the data as a patternSeveral starts, on more than one dayCompared with how classmates startNext to what helped: written steps, a closer adultWhat one start looks likeLatency: time to startprompt, if one was neededStart the clockwhen the direction endsStop the clockat the first real stepRead the data as a patternSeveral starts, on more than one dayCompared with how classmates startNext to what helped: written steps, a closer adult
Latency and prompt level together show both how long a start takes and what support makes it happen.

What this measures

Task initiation is the step from knowing what to do to starting it. Latency, the time from the end of a direction to the first real step, and the level of prompt needed are simple, repeatable measures. They are most useful compared across days, classes and conditions, and next to what classmates do with the same direction.

Evidence, not a label

A slow start can come from many things: not understanding the task, missing materials, anxiety, attention, motor demands or a task above the student’s level. This form records what happened; it does not explain why and it is not a diagnosis. Evaluation teams combine observations like these with other information.

Sources

  1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 34 CFR 300.304 and 300.310: evaluations use a variety of tools, including observation in the classroom.
  2. National Association of School Psychologists. Best practice guidance on systematic direct observation (nasponline.org).
  3. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., and Heward, W. L. Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed., 2020): latency as a measure of behavior.
  4. Dawson, P., and Guare, R. Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents (3rd ed., 2018): task initiation in school.

The worked example is made up. One observation is one piece of evidence; it is not a diagnosis. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.