Unit 2: Setting Up Your Classroom Economy
This onboarding page is designed to help you launch your classroom economy in a simple, manageable way. You will identify your starter behaviors, set up rewards, add students, decide how to track dollars, and learn how payroll works so you can begin using Bankability with confidence.
Everything Needed to Launch the System
Your goal is not to build the most complex system. Your goal is to create a classroom economy that is easy to start, easy to explain, and easy to maintain.
We recommend starting with a few high-impact moves:
- Review 2–3 recommended behaviors to reinforce
- Set up a simple rewards menu
- Add your students or ask your coach for help
- Decide how you will track classroom dollars
- Learn the basics of entering payroll
Start Small. Stay Consistent.
Teachers get the best results when they begin with just a few routines they can use every day.
- Start with Bankability’s built-in behaviors
- Use positive narration and consistent language
- Give students clear ways to earn
- Choose one easy tracking method
- Build confidence before adding more
Start with Bankability Behaviors
Bankability includes pre-defined behavior categories so you do not need to build your system from scratch.
We recommend starting with just a 2-3 of our built-in categories first. This makes implementation easier for teachers and clearer for students.
Recommended Starting Categories
- Participation
- Following Directions
- Being On-Task
Already Using PBIS? You’re Covered.
If your school or classroom already uses PBIS expectations, you can align those expectations directly to Bankability behavior categories.
Respectful
May align to:
Responsible
May align to:
Ready
May align to:
Need Something More Specific?
Some teachers may want to reinforce something very specific to their classroom, like arriving on time, homework completion, or classroom jobs.
For now, those teacher-selected behaviors can be added using the Bonus, Employment or Exit Ticket, categories.
Use the Bonus Category For:
- Arriving on time
- Homework completion
- Helping others
- Classroom jobs
- School-specific PBIS focus behaviors
Best Practice: Start with 2–3 Bankability behaviors and add a Bonus behavior only if needed.
Goal: Keep the system simple enough for students to learn quickly and for teachers to use consistently.
Review the Bankability behavior categories. Identify the 2–3 categories you want to focus on first, and decide whether you want to use the Bonus category for one additional classroom-specific behavior.
Set Up Your Rewards
Next, navigate to the Social Economy menu in your account and add the rewards you want students to be able to purchase.
We recommend starting with 3–5 simple rewards. Students do not need a huge menu at the beginning.
Suggested Reward Ideas
- Homework pass
- Technology time
- Free time
- Class Party (everyone buys ticket)
- Sit with a friend
- Positive note home
- Teacher Perks
- Line leader (age appropriate)
Open your Social Economy menu and add at least 5 rewards that would motivate your students.
Add Students to Your Classroom
You can add students directly to your classroom account so they are ready to participate in your classroom economy.
- Add students one by one
- Use the student setup resource for support
- Contact your coach if you have a large roster and want help
Add your students now, or make a note to send your roster to your coach for setup support.
Add a video tutorial here showing how to add students.
Decide How You’ll Track Dollars
Option 1: Paper Dollars
A great onboarding option for the beginning of implementation. Students can physically receive dollars during class.
- High engagement
- Very concrete for students
- Easy for introducing the system
Option 2: Dollar Tracker
Use a printable tracker to record classroom earnings. At the end of class or day, students can “deposit” their dollars.
- Simple and organized
- Easy to use consistently
- Good bridge to payroll
Option 3: Assign a Tracker
Hire a student banker or classroom tracker, or assign another adult to support the process.
- Builds ownership
- Can simplify teacher workload
- Student job can earn extra dollars
Pick one method to start. You can always evolve your system later once students understand the basics.
Payroll Setup: How It Works
Payroll is the process students use to deposit or record the dollars they earned. Most teachers run payroll on a weekly or biweekly basis.
Simple Payroll Flow
- Students earn dollars during class
- Dollars are collected or tracked
- Teacher or assigned helper enters payroll
- Students see their earnings recorded in the system
Decide whether you want to run payroll weekly or biweekly.
Add your payroll video tutorial here.
You can also place screenshots or image steps below the video.
Step 1
Collect student earnings from class using your chosen tracking method.
Step 2
Enter those earnings during your payroll time or assign a helper to support the process.
Step 3
Review balances and prepare students for using their dollars toward rewards.
Suggested Daily Routines
Arrival Routine
- Arriving on time
- Being prepared
- Starting warm-up right away
Instruction Routine
- Participation
- Following directions
- Active listening
Work Time Routine
- Staying on task
- Independence
- Helping others
Sample Classroom Expectations
- Be respectful
- Be responsible
- Be ready to learn
These expectations can become the foundation for the earning behaviors you reinforce every day.
Keep It Simple
Award dollars a few times each class period or day. The goal is not to narrate every behavior. The goal is to reinforce enough positive actions that students quickly understand what earns.
- Start with 3–5 earning moments a day or class
- Use the same language consistently
- Build habits before adding complexity
Positive Narration and Teacher Language
As you onboard students, use clear positive narration to connect the behavior to the dollar. This helps students understand exactly what they did well.
Participation
“Nice job participating. You earned a participation dollar.”
Following Directions
“Nice work following directions right away. You earned a dollar.”
Prepared / On Time
“Thank you for being ready to learn. You earned your dollar today.”
Unit 2 Launch Checklist
Before moving on, make sure you have completed the essentials:
- Identified 2–3 Bankability behavior categories
- Decided whether to use a Bonus behavior
- Added rewards to your Economy menu
- Added students or requested coach support
- Chosen a dollar tracking method
- Reviewed how payroll works
- Identified a few daily earning routines
Once these pieces are in place, you are ready to begin running your classroom economy.
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