This is the first step in classroom management; and the one with which kids and teachers are most familiar.  It’s progessive behavior monitoring - check marks, flags, colored cards. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, but it does matter how you use it. It works with all elementary-aged students. It’s possible to have great classroom management without individual accountability - it requires building excellent community and a very skilled leader. However, I would reccomend all new or struggling teachers to start with individual accountability.

Colored Flags
I’ll use the flag system as an example, but anything similiar will work. First, think about how you will display and manage the flags. Use a pocket chart and hang it low on the wall so the kids can reach it.  Write each student’s name on a note card and put it in the pocket chart. Next, cut out little squares of green, yellow and red construction paper. Put a set of each color behind each student’s name.  The flags should be visible so that you can glance at the chart and the current flag for every student.

Managing the Chart
Since students will be changing their own flags, the chart itself can become a mess.  Create a classroom job for managing the chart. At the start of each day, a student will reset all the flags to green.

Recording the Results
You’ll be using your chart for all kinds of incentives, so you’ll need to have a long-term record. Each month, give the students a blank calendar. At the end of each day, ask them to color in that day’s results. Make sure all the kids have green, yellow and red crayons easily accessible everyday. Walk by the students who ended up on yellow or red to make sure it’s recorded correctly.

Clue in the Parents
Parents love to have a daily record of how their child is doing. Store the flag calendars in a “Parent Notebook” that goes home with the students everyday. This means you won’t have a copy of all the calendars. Instead, you can keep your own calendar (or a note in your lesson plan book) about and red or yellow flags. It should only be a couple (or none) each day.

Additional Classroom Management Resources:
Dr. Fred Jones