The Red Light-Green Light System is a classwide behavior management system designed for students who need immediate consequences for their behavior. Red Light-Green Light has been implemented successfully for many years in Pennsylvania and California. It has been shown to be an effective system for maintaining control while a productive learning environment is maintained in the classroom.
Implementation of Red Light-Green Light involves four steps: development of classroom rules, development of classroom expectations, teaching students to give positive peer comments and helpful hints, and daily monitoring and implementing of Red Light-Green Light. This system provides opportunities for students to become involved in classroom management, gives students frequent, specific feedback for their behaviors, and allows students to have a fresh start each day.
Classroom rules are developed by teachers and students together. Rules should be kept to a maximum of five and should be stated positively. Examples of classroom rules might be: "Raise hand for teacher attention." "Ignore off-task behavior." These rules should be displayed in the classroom and students should be taught to recognize rule following and rule breaking behavior.
Classroom expectations further describe classroom rules as they relate to specific activities. For example, if the rule states, "Speak quietly," the expectations may be silent working during teacher directed lessons or while in line, or asking a friend for help in a soft voice during group work. The expectations for the same classroom rule during different activities may vary greatly. Three or four expectations are developed and posted for the major activities occurring throughout the school day. The expectations are to be read before activities begin. If students are non-readers, expectations should be represented by pictures.
Peers give positives and helpful hints throughout the day. "Positives are comments made to individual peers, the group, or the teacher referring to a specific academic or social behavior performed well" (e.g. "Billy, you did a good job being quiet in line today.") Helpful hints are suggestions or advice given to individual peers or the group (e.g. "Steve, I have a helpful hint for you. Put your head down if you are going to get silly.") Giving positives and helpful hints allows students to be involved in classroom management. Teachers will need to provide training for these skills. Teachers should model and prompt these behaviors. Role playing and providing feedback are also encouraged. Teachers will need to decide if positives and hints are to be given spontaneously or within structured intervals.
Red Light-Green Light involves points being earned or lost by students according to the classroom rules or expectations. The example given was for students to be allowed to earn 7 points per half hour block of time throughout the day with 9 extra points for homework. Therefore, 100 points would be possible during the day. Points 7,6,5 are in the green zone, point 4 is in the yellow zone and points 3,2, and 1 are in the red zone. These designations are printed on a point sheet which the student keeps on his desk. Also on the sheet is a column for marking total points, light level, and bonus points. Students can earn bonus points according to teacher judgment. It is important to allow the students to earn bonus points so that students do not end up in the "red" by losing all their points.
If a student breaks a rule, he is to cross out one point on his point sheet. He would start with the 7 and work his way down. Usually infractions cost one point. Stiffer penalties should be charged, however, for greater infractions such as stealing or physical aggression. Students should participate in making decisions about loss of points.
At the end of each 30 minute period, the teacher will total the number of points earned and fill in with a green, yellow, or red marker, the level of privileges earned. Different levels carry different privileges. Privileges may vary from room to room but red zone privileges are much more restricted than yellow or green privileges. For example, students with green privileges may run errands for the teacher, choose hot lunch or salad bar, or have a special class job. Yellow privileges may include help the teacher within the room, eat hot lunch, or go to assemblies. Red privileges may include eating in the classroom, having quiet time at your desk, or not being a teacher helper. Because individuals will differ as to reinforcement preferences, it is imperative that students give input when deciding which privileges will be given at appropriate levels. Also, these privileges may change throughout the school year as preferences change. Points earned by students can be graphed and kept posted on a bulletin board in the room. Students or teachers can do the plotting. Teachers may ask that students bring the sheets home for parents or guardians to sign and return them.
Suggestions are provided for modifying the system so that your needs can be met. Students could earn classroom "money" for the points earned which could be used to buy pencils, paper, privileges, etc. Green lights could be turned in for movie time and the student who earns the amount of designated green lights first chooses the movie, so long as it can be shown in school. A preset amount of green lights can be designated for a free homework pass. Green lights could be used like lottery tickets so that for each green light, the student's name goes into a hat for a drawing at the end of the week.
If a student loses all his points during the block of time, other approaches will need to be in place such as time out or a phone call home. Restrictions should not be imposed on the following day, however, so that each day the student begins with a clean slate. The teacher may need to individualize the Red Light-Green Light sheet if a student is always ending up on red and is failing in the class. He may be given more points on the yellow and green privileges before he goes to red so that he can experience success. Teachers may still need to set up individual contracts for students having difficulties.
This system is adaptable for a variety of teaching situations but carries the universal appeal of the green, yellow and red light icons. The system is also student-friendly because students are involved in designing and implementing the system.