A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND THE DISRUPTIVE CLASSROOM-BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIORAL-DISORDERS

This study examined the effects of three types of in-school suspension programs on disruptive classroom behavior as well as the impact of cl assroom management techniques on assignment to in-school suspension. T he participants were 36 students (ages 12-17) with behavioral or emoti onal disorders who were enrolled in a residential school for adolescen ts. There were four intervention phases. In the Timeout(1) interventio n, students (n = 17) served a 15-minute timeout. In the Timeout Plus A cademic Task intervention, students (n = 19) served a timeout and comp leted an academic assignment. In the Problem-Solving intervention, stu dents (n = 10) completed a problem-solving task pertaining to their in -school suspension assignment. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed no reliable differences in the in-school suspension rate or disruptive classroom behavior across the four phases. However, teachers' disappr oval of student off-task behavior predicted assignment to in-school su spension. These results are discussed in terms of classroom management and teachers' use of aversive stimuli.