Matt Edelman, a high school English teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, needed to find a way to encourage his special education students to stay engaged, especially while they were working independently with difficult grade-level texts. He started by tracking students’ behavior with a points sheet — a typical teacher response to off-task behavior in which the teacher provides rewards or sanctions based on how many points students receive. But Edelman found this approach to be punitive and led to less engagement from his students, so he began tweaking it. Maybe there should be an end-of-the-week incentive? Or maybe points should be awarded only when tasks are completed? Maybe student reflections on their behavior would work? Edelman tried all of these adjustments, noting the impact on his