Praising and incentivizing instances of good behavior is far more effective than calling out instances of bad behavior and/or shaming the offender.

The latter is what behavior charts do. They also reinforce who the 'bad kids' are, both to the offender and the rest of the class.

That they would use them at a school that goes out of its way to bill itself as inclusive is disappointing.

Anonymous wrote:What is the rational CMI gives for the behavior chart? Is that for special needs kids primarily? It seems negative for all kids. But CMI seems to have issues deciding what their philosophy is to serve kids.

Not at CMI, but my admittedly anecdotal observation--most kids are fine with behavior charts, but 10% are moderately or very bothered by them, and some of this is due to perfectionistic/anxious tendencies which manifest as fear of getting in trouble. I do agree there are better strategies out there for behavior management (responsive classroom, etc.).

What is the rational CMI gives for the behavior chart? Is that for special needs kids primarily? It seems negative for all kids. But CMI seems to have issues deciding what their philosophy is to serve kids.

Unfortunately, most of your child's experience is going to be based on the teacher for any given year, and we have good ones and bad ones in DCPS. All DCPS schools have assessments (PARCC) and you're not going to get around that unless you go private. So, there will be a mandated focus on certain academics over whole-child development. But with a good teacher (and hopefully teachers aid) and a cohort of students at about the same level there should be room for both.

color charts are such bs and I'm surprised to hear that CMI uses them. They are anxiety-producing for some kids and shaming for others (including those whose disabilities make self-control and holding still difficult). Here's a nice set of posts by a kindergarten teacher on the topic: http://missnightmutters.com/2012/08/too-high-a-price.html