Rapid Check-Ins

What are Rapid Check-Ins?

Rapid check ins (RCIs) represent a core classroom element of Personalization for Academic and Social Emotional Learning.
Teachers conduct rapid check ins with students, engaging in an intentional point of contact—a conversation—with each student in their designated class over a set amount of time.
Conversations range from short informal discussions to more exploratory, in-depth questions about a student’s academic progress and social life. Through these conversations, adults in schools show interest and caring to students while also making note of how the student is doing.

How are Schools Performing Rapid Check-Ins?

Since Rapid Check ins are intentional, deliberate and routine, teachers are assigned to a group of students over an academic year.
Some schools assign a personalization period teacher, or a homeroom or advisory teacher to a group of students.
Other schools choose a period—such as first or second period—and this academic teacher conducts the Rapid Check In.
Teachers personalize the Rapid Check In to their own personal style, however, they must make sure they check in with each student in the class over a set time period and they should use a tracking system as a form of accountability.

Below is an example of how Fall-Hamilton Elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee conducts Rapid Check-Ins with their students. How schools choose to organize and implement Rapid Check-Ins should be based on what is most applicable for their particular contexts and students.

Below is a PowerPoint to introduce students and teachers to rapid check-ins. It was created by Matthew Cordova of Everglades High School in Broward County, Florida.

Rapid Check-In Presentation

What Can Teachers Discuss With Their Students During Rapid Check-Ins?

The routine RCI is a conversation between a teacher and each student in the teacher’s class over a set period of time such as two or three weeks. The teacher can also have exploratory conversations when there are concerns raised by a student’s grades, attendance, or general behavior. Click the links for more information on Routine RCIs and Exploratory RCIs.

What Does the Research Say About Rapid Check-Ins?

Studies find that both students and adults benefit from strong adult-student relationships in schools.
When adults show interest and caring to students, they engage in practices that increase students’ non-cognitive skills including self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and development of personal agency that, in turn, increase students’ academic and behavioral outcomes (Connell & Wellborn, 1991; Kelm & Connell, 2004).
Strong relationships between a student and an adult has been repeatedly found to be central to the success of resilient children (Masten & Reed, 2002).
Students value when teachers reach out to them in effortful engagement and show caring (McHugh, Horner, Colditz, & Wallace, 2013).
Further, intentional and routine check ins have been found to improve student outcomes (Maynard, Kjellstrand & Thompson, 2014).

For more information on some of the best practices that schools are using to implement and document Rapid Check-Ins, refer to the following documents: Best Practices for Implementing & Documenting RCIs (pdf); Best Practices for Implementing & Documenting RCIs (doc)

The following tools offer examples of how educators may plan for, implement, document, and reflect on rapid check-ins with their students.

Routine Rapid Check In (RCIs) provide an opportunity for teachers to check in with students on an informal basis.

Exploratory Rapid Check Ins (RCIs) provide an opportunity for teachers to delve deeper when they see that a student might need some extra support, either from the teacher or from support services at the school.

Student data chats: Facilitate one-on-one discussions between teachers and students based on available student data (i.e. academic grades).

Rapid check in board: Create a daily classroom “Check-In” board for their students to share their feelings every day.

Connections to other PASL Components

Rapid Check Ins become even more powerful when paired with Goal Achievement activities, as this provides teachers with more information to connect with individual students.
RCIs provide Data that helps to document and track student progress.
They give teachers more information about students when they meet in Educator Teams that, in turn, helps them provide better support to students.
Rapid Check Ins are the fundamental building block for building a Culture of Personalization in the classroom and in the school.

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Additional Research

Connell, J. P., & Wellborn, J. G. (1991). Competence, autonomy, and relatedness: A motivational analysis of self-system processes. https://drjameswellborn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Connel-and-Wellborn-Chapter.pdf

Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and achievement. Journal of school health, 74(7), 262-273.

Masten, A. S., & Reed, M. G. J. (2002). Resilience in development. Handbook of positive psychology, 74, 88.

Maynard, B. R., Kjellstrand, E. K., & Thompson, A. M. (2014). Effects of Check and Connect on attendance, behavior, and academics: A randomized effectiveness trial. Research on Social Work Practice, 24(3), 296-309. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256461437_Effects_of_Check_and_Connect_on_Attendance_Behavior_and_Academics_A_Randomized_Effectiveness_Trial

McHugh, R. M., Horner, C. G., Colditz, J. B., & Wallace, T. L. (2013). Bridges and barriers: Adolescent perceptions of student–teacher relationships. Urban Education, 48(1), 9-43. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234117204_Bridges_and_Barriers_Adolescent_Perceptions_of_Student-Teacher_Relationships