6 Steps to Establish Behavior Expectations [+ Downloadable Worksheets]

Sam DeFlitch

As the school year progresses, creating positive learning environments continues to be top of mind for teachers and staff. A major part of creating engaging school environments involves promoting positive student behavior. One way to encourage students to model appropriate behaviors is by setting behavior expectations, which are guidelines for the general ways you would like students to act in your classroom.

When building the foundation of a positive classroom environment, it is important to:

Establish classroom expectations.
Explicitly teach students about those behavior expectations.
Monitor and reinforce students for following expectations.

We’re outlining six steps teachers and staff can take to establish (and teach) behavior expectations.

Establishing and Teaching Behavior Expectations

Positive, collaborative behavior expectations form the foundation of an engaging learning environment. By following these six steps, you can develop classroom expectations that promote positive student behavior. These steps can be applied to high school, middle school, and elementary school settings.

1. Get input from students

Developing expectations with input from your students gives them a sense of ownership, which motivates students to meet expectations. You can develop shared classroom rules through class discussions, student shares, or class votes.

Additionally, encourage students to create visuals for shared expectations. You can display these in your classroom so that students have a reminder of the classroom expectations they helped to develop.

2. Limit expectations to five or fewer

It’s best to keep your classroom expectations at a manageable amount so students don’t feel overwhelmed. Consider developing five behavior expectations for your classroom, with flexibility to modify them as the school year progresses and you—and your students—set new goals.

3. Keep it positive

Create behavior expectations that are phrased positively, stating what you want students to do rather than what you don’t want them to do. For example:

“We will pay attention while others are speaking.”
“We will use our quiet voices during lunch.”

4. Be simple and specific

Creating simple and specific behavior expectations is especially key for younger students. When students can easily understand what appropriate behaviors are expected of them, they are more likely to demonstrate those behaviors.

5. Apply expectations to both students and educators

Classroom expectations should apply to both you and your students. This way, you can state expectations as “We will…” or “We are...” to clearly communicate that both you and students will work to meet those expectations.

6. Teach students how to be successful

Once you’ve drafted classroom expectations, you might notice that your expectations do not explicitly describe how to demonstrate those behaviors. Teaching all students exactly how to meet these expectations is key to success.

Promoting Behavior Expectations With Behavior-Specific Praise

Once you and your students have established shared classroom expectations, the next step is to provide positive, behavior-specific praise when students adhere to those expectations. Delivering regular, consistent, and positive feedback to students is a powerful Tier 1 intervention to increase student engagement and improve school climate.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why is it important to establish behavior expectations in the classroom?
Establishing behavior expectations creates a positive and structured learning environment where students understand how to behave appropriately. Clear expectations help reduce disruptions and improve student engagement.
2. How many behavior expectations should I establish in my classroom?
It's recommended to limit behavior expectations to five or fewer to keep them manageable for students.
3. Should behavior expectations be phrased positively or negatively?
Behavior expectations should be phrased positively to focus on desired behaviors rather than prohibitions.
4. How can I ensure that behavior expectations are understood by all students?
To ensure clarity, explain each behavior expectation in detail, providing examples and rationale for why it's important. Additionally, model each expectation for students and provide opportunities for them to practice.
5. What should I do if students struggle to meet behavior expectations?
If students have difficulty meeting behavior expectations, revisit and reteach the expectations as needed. Offer additional support and reinforce positive behaviors through praise.