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Standard Celeration Chart

Precision Teaching

Precision Teaching is an approach to instruction that uses the Standard Celeration Chart to measure learning precisely and to decide, based on the data, when and how to change teaching. It rests on clearly defined behaviors, frequent measurement, and a willingness to let the chart, rather than opinion, guide the next instructional step.

A brief history

Precision Teaching was developed by Ogden Lindsley in the 1960s. A student of B. F. Skinner, Lindsley believed the principles of behavior could be applied to everyday teaching if learning were measured directly and consistently. He created the Standard Celeration Chart so that progress could be recorded in a uniform way and compared across learners and skills.

Lindsley summed up the philosophy with the phrase the learner knows best, meaning that when a program is not working, the chart will reveal it, and the response should be to change what the teacher does rather than to blame the learner.

Pinpointing behaviors

Precision Teaching begins by pinpointing the behavior, defining a clear, observable, countable target rather than a vague goal. A pinpoint specifies exactly what the learner does, such as says sounds or writes digits, so that anyone could count it the same way.

A well-chosen pinpoint can be measured reliably and charted day after day, which is what makes the rest of the approach possible.

Daily measurement and the chart

Once a behavior is pinpointed, it is measured frequently, often daily, usually during short timed practice, and the resulting count-per-minute rate is plotted on the Standard Celeration Chart. Frequent measurement produces a quickly growing trend line, so the effects of teaching show up within days rather than weeks.

Precision Teaching also emphasizes fluency, performing accurately and quickly, not just correctly. The chart makes both accuracy and speed visible at once through the corrects and errors plotted on it.

Data-based decision making

The defining habit of Precision Teaching is using the chart to make decisions. Practitioners compare the actual celeration line against the aim and act on what they see, if progress meets the aim the program continues, and if the line falls short the program is changed promptly.

  • Pinpoint a clear, countable behavior.
  • Measure it frequently and plot the rate on the Standard Celeration Chart.
  • Compare the celeration line against the aim.
  • Change the program when the data show the aim is not being met.

Frequently asked questions

Who created Precision Teaching?
Ogden Lindsley developed Precision Teaching in the 1960s. A student of B. F. Skinner, he built the Standard Celeration Chart to measure learning in a standard, comparable way.
What does it mean to pinpoint a behavior?
Pinpointing means defining a clear, observable, countable behavior, such as words read per minute, so it can be measured the same way every time and charted reliably.
How does Precision Teaching use data?
Behavior is measured frequently and charted, then the celeration line is compared against the aim. When the data show the aim is not being met, the teaching is changed.

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