18 Ways to Build Feedback Loops in your Points System

For Students

1. Create concise, clear rubrics that make behavior expectations crystal clear.
2. Engage students with reflection worksheets that challenge them to periodically examine their actions and behaviors.
3. Encourage staff to always give points along with in-class shout outs. Make sure students receive points AND audible recognition
4. Coach teachers to make time in class for students to shout each other out and nominate a number of peers who should earn points.‍
5. Go school-wide with your shout-outs! Morning announcements are great opportunities for student recognition and reminders about the behavior you celebrate.
6. Place visual reminders around the school so students are always reminded about your points system and how it works.
7. Design exciting points short-term competitions within classrooms, grade levels, or across the school. Want to go all the way? A House Points competition can add an extra layer of excitement to your system.
8. Create rewards that reflect students' passions. Many schools use free survey tools (like Google Forms) to collect student input on what they really value. 
   

For Parents

9. ‍Involve parents in the culture building process by inviting them to show up in your building and help run the rewards store, or even help organize House Point celebrations.
10. Regularly share feedback on their child’s progress via LiveSchool Paychecks or Dashboard report printouts
11. Ask teachers to regularly utilize LiveSchool’s Comment tool so parents have more detailed insight into their child’s behavior.
12. Schedule 1:1 conferences to discuss student progress and create rapport with parents. Use LiveSchool’s Dashboard report to incorporate behavior data. 
13. Regularly highlight your school’s point system in a newsletter to families. Highlight the big milestones, events, and rewards students are earning. Don’t be shy about talking up your system’s overall impact on culture.

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For Staff

14. ‍Set goals with your staff for a school-wide positive-to-negative points ratio and the ideal number of points given per day. Get everyone is on the same page.
15. Ask for teacher input on rewards – they have the most face-time with students and know what will resonate best as an incentive. Surveys work here, too!
16. Dive into LiveSchool’s Celebrating Teachers toolkit for ideas on how to show support and celebrate your staff.
17. Schedule repeat team meetings to review behavior data. Identify trends and determine what’s working within your points system and what isn’t. 
18. Invite community support for your educators by sharing your points system on social media.

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Use any combination of these ideas to create a rock-solid foundation for feedback loops at your school. Communication is key to success!

Do you have communication tips for school communities? Share it with us at @whyliveschool on twitter!