Speight, R., Kucharczyk, S., & Whitby, P. (2022). Journal of Behavioral Education. 31, 751–770. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09428-9.
Reviewed: February 2023
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT).
To view more detailed information about the study findings from this review, please see Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) Intervention Report (289 KB)
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
| Other or unknown | 36% | |
| White | 64% |
| Other or unknown | 100% |
| Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) | 14% | |
| No FRPL | 86% |
The study took place in one English language arts class in a public high school in the southern United States.
Participants included three focal students in one grade 9 classroom that was co-taught by one general education teacher and one special education teacher. Separate class-level findings were also presented for the 14 students in the classroom. All three focal students were identified by the special education teacher as at risk for externalizing or internalizing behavior. Two of the focal students (67%) received individualized education program services under the autism spectrum disorder category. Two of the focal students (67%) were English learners. The authors did not provide race or ethnicity information about the three focal students. Across the whole class, nine students (64%) were White and five students (36%) were described as ethnically diverse, but no specific race or ethnicity was identified in the manuscript. Two students (14%) received free or reduced-price lunch.
Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a classroom management system designed to improve student behavior. The program includes establishing classroom rules and appropriate behaviors, playing a team-based game to reinforce appropriate behaviors, minimizing social attention to inappropriate behaviors, and providing self-management tools to individual students who need extra support. In this study, teachers taught students to be respectful by providing concrete examples of the skill on a poster, asking students to discuss the importance of this skill, and working with students to model the expected behaviors. After the skill was introduced, the teachers described the CW-FIT game and the rewards students could earn and organized students into teams. During each session, teachers scanned the classroom every 3 to 5 minutes and provided praise and points to teams demonstrating the target behavior. Teachers provided reminders to students and teams that were not demonstrating respectful behavior. Across each session, teams had approximately 16 opportunities to earn points. At the end of each session, teachers provided rewards, such as phone time or snacks, to the teams that met an established point criterion. Each session lasted approximately 80 minutes and took place during English language arts instruction, small-group work, or individual student work, immediately following silent reading assignments.
There is no comparison group in single case designs. In the baseline and withdrawal phases of the single case designs, the teachers instructed their classroom in the typical manner and managed behavior using business-as-usual practices such as reprimanding students, prompting students to complete tasks, and removing students from the classroom when necessary. Sessions took place during English language arts lessons, after students completed their silent reading assignments.
The researcher provided a 45-minute training to the teachers, which included a description of the CW-FIT intervention and procedures. Teachers also reviewed videos of CW-FIT implementation and received a fidelity tool and script with instructions. When implementing the intervention, the researcher provided follow-up coaching if fidelity levels dropped below 80%.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).
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