A comparative analysis of the CABAS® model of education at the Fred S. Keller School: A twenty-year review.

Abstract

The Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling, or CABAS[R], model of education has been in existence for almost three decades. CABAS[R] is a data-driven, researchbased system that takes into account the interdependent relationship between teachers, students and their parents, and school supervisory personnel, whose primary function is to train and mentor teachers to continually apply the principles and tactics of the science of behavior to ensure student success. A university graduate training program ensures that the training incorporates the latest scientific findings and consultation to board certified schools by CABAS[R] Professional Advisory Board members, who are themselves senior behavior analysts and research scientists, ensures the accurate implementation of all components of the CABAS[R] model. Students are at the center of the system and it is continuous measurement of their behaviors that provides evidence of the effectiveness of the system. CABAS[R] also includes a behavioral parent education program (please refer to Greer, 2002 or Greer, Keohane, & Healy, 2002) for a full description of these CABAS[R] components). All those involved are responsive to student data, at the level of the individual child, classroom, or school as a whole. CABAS[R] is a cybernetic system, at the heart of which lie the students. Our students' achievement is directly tied to their teachers' expertise (Greer, 2002; Greer, et al, 2002). Students learn only as fast as their teachers can teach them. The amount of instruction received (measured in learn units, described later in this paper) and the number of objectives achieved by students is a direct measure of teacher behavior. And, those objectives are tied directly to state standards, so our teachers are accountable at all levels for the achievement of their students. Our model is designed such that, just as teachers are responsible for their students' achievement, teacher mentors and behavior analyst supervisors are responsible for the performance of their teachers. And beyond that, CABAS[R] consultants and university faculty are responsible for the performance of teacher mentors and behavior analysts. CABAS[R] meets the criteria set forth by the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB), including: 1) accountability for results, as evidenced by a set of measures reflecting both teacher and student performance across the entire school year, 2) scientifically-based instruction, as evidenced by the use of tactics from the research literature of the science of behavior, 3) highly qualified teachers and teaching assistants, accomplished through a three-tiered personalized system of instruction that includes a teacher training and observation component as well as other outcome-based measures of teacher expertise, and 4) assessment of individualized student progress, including the use of criterion-referenced assessments and curricula tied to state standards. The CABAS[R] model also contains components which meet the definition of a Response to Instruction Model (RTI) (Vaughn & Fuchs, 2003) in that 1) all students are assessed for repertoires and capabilities, 2) responses to instruction are monitored, 3) data are analyzed and a course of action is determined, 4) all decisions regarding interventions are individualized to the specific student and 5) the integrity of the implementation of tactics is closely monitored. Interventions in an RTI model are multi-tiered, with students who are not responding to intervention moving to a more rigorous or simply different tier of intervention. Our decision analysis protocol, described later in this paper, was designed to analyze learning problems within the context of the instructional setting and, in response, implement appropriate tactics based on where the learning problem existed (e.g., lack of prerequisite skills; motivation, instructional history, conditioned reinforcement). In summary, the CABAS[R] model of education employs a science of pedagogy to all aspects of teaching and learning. …