Coverage when an observer can’t make it
When the scheduled observer is out, the session can be covered by another adult on the team instead of quietly dropping off the calendar.
Direct Observations
Observations that happen when the plan says they should.
Schedule the session, tap to score, and let the intervals take care of themselves. No stopwatch, no grid.
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Team & OrganizationIncluded in the Team and Organization plans.
On the calendar
Sessions on the calendar, one student, goal and time each.
A plan says “observe twice a week in science lab.” BrighterBalance puts those sessions on the calendar, each with one student, one goal and one time, so the observation the plan promised actually happens.
What to watch for
Each session opens with the goal’s target behavior and replacement behavior on screen, so any observer scores the same thing the same way.
- 0′Quiet
- 2′Skill use
- 4′Quiet
- 6′Hard moment
- 8′Skill use
- 10′Missed
- 12′Quiet
- 14′Skill use
- 16′Quiet
- 18′Skill use
- Skill use
- Hard moment
- Quiet
- Missed
Tap to score
Tap for each skill use and each hard moment.
The observer taps once for a skill use or a hard moment, adds intensity and prompt level, and keeps watching the student, not a stopwatch.
Every behavior is recorded as a timestamped event. Interval scoring is done for you, with 1, 2 or 5 minute intervals: interval length is a setting.
- Scoring parameters lock to the behavior goal after baseline, so data stays comparable over time
- A missed interval is recorded as missed, not left blank
- A quiet interval counts as data too
From the research behind BrighterBalance
Why every behavior is a timestamped event.
Studies comparing recording methods found that whole-interval recording underestimates, and partial-interval recording overestimates, how long a behavior lasts. So observations record every behavior as a timestamped event, and interval views are never presented as estimates of duration.
Source: Murphy & Goodall (1980); Gardenier et al. (2004), as reviewed in The Research Behind BrighterBalance.
Sessions that actually happen
Plans call for observations. Now you can show they happened.
A quiet session counts
A session with no hard moments is good news, and it is data. It is recorded, not skipped.
Sessions held, as a percent
The team sees the percent of scheduled sessions that were held, so gaps in the plan show up before the review, not at it.
Two different jobs
Observations are scheduled. Moment logs are not.
The facts
At a glance
- Who uses it
- BCBAs, behavior specialists and special educators who run the observations a plan calls for.
- What gets captured
- Each skill use and hard moment as a timestamped event, with intensity and prompt level, scored into intervals.
- Where the data comes from
- Scheduled sessions, one student, one goal and one time each. Separate from everyday moment logs.
- What the team keeps
- Comparable data. Parameters lock to the goal after baseline, and missed intervals stay on the record as missed.
Same student record
Where this connects
Every feature reads from and writes to the same student record, so nothing is entered twice.
All plans
Goal Progress
Each behavior goal tracked from everyday logs.
See Goal Progress: Goal ProgressTeam & Organization
Behavior Plans
Write a stronger BIP from real data, then track every goal in it.
See Behavior Plans: Behavior PlansAll plans
Student Profile
Every log from every adult, with the pattern surfaced.
See Student Profile: Student ProfileAll plans
Logging Without a Form
No form to fill out. Log the way you already work.
See Logging Without a Form: Logging Without a FormFAQ
Questions teams ask
What interval lengths can we use?
Interval length is a setting: 1, 2 or 5 minutes. Scoring parameters lock to the behavior goal after baseline, so data stays comparable over time.
What happens if an interval is not scored?
A missed interval is recorded as missed, not left blank, so the record never makes a gap look like a calm stretch.
Do interval views show how long a behavior lasted?
No. Every behavior is recorded as a timestamped event, and interval views are never presented as duration estimates.
Do teachers have to count behaviors in their logs?
No. Scheduled observations are separate from everyday moment logging. Teachers are never asked to count in a moment log.
Which plans include Direct Observations?
Direct Observations are part of the Team and Organization plans.
See the behavior. Understand the student.
For districts and special education teams
Documentation your district can stand behind.
See how BrighterBalance fits your MTSS workflow, your rostering and the platform you already own. Most districts start with a team of five.
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