Skip to main content
In this lesson you record one short observation from start to finish. You set up a one-minute Momentary Time Sampling (MTS) observation of Off-task behavior, score four sampling moments, and read the results. Everything happens in demo mode, on the sample student Sam Sample, so nothing you do touches your own records.

​
Before you start

You need Sightline installed and open. If it isn’t, follow Install on Mac or Install on Windows. Demo mode loads a caseload of fictional students, with Sam Sample as the main case. While it is on, your own students and observations are hidden, and Results opens on every plan. Demo mode doesn’t keep new observations, so you won’t practice saving in this lesson. When you’re ready for a real one, follow Set up an observation.

​
Practice drill: turn on demo mode

  1. Select Settings in the sidebar.
  2. In General, turn on Demo mode.
  3. Close Settings. The sidebar now shows a Demo mode row with Reset and Exit.
  4. If a note appears that says “You’re looking at Sightline Pro”, select Got it.
If the sidebar offers Try the demo caseload, selecting it does the same thing.

​
Set up the observation

MTS answers one question at the end of each interval: was the behavior happening at that moment? What happened earlier in the interval doesn’t count. That makes MTS quick to score and a fit for behaviors that last a while, such as being off task. You will score four moments, 15 seconds apart. Imagine Sam during independent reading, with a worksheet to finish.

​
Practice drill: set up the observation

  1. In the caseload, select Sam Sample to open his page.
  2. Select Start Observation.
  3. Select the method card at the top left and choose Momentary Time Sampling.
  4. Type Off-task in Add behavior…. In the definition field under it, type: “Looking away from the reading or worksheet, or doing something other than the assigned task, at the moment the interval ends.” Keep this one behavior.
  5. Under Timing, type 1 in Length and set Interval to 15 seconds.
  6. Leave Peer comparison and Track activities off.
  7. Select Begin demo.
If a Last session card appears above the behaviors before you type, leave it alone. It fills setup from Sam’s earlier observations. The recorder opens with the clock stopped. Nothing is timed until you select Start, so you can read the next section first.

​
Score four sampling moments

MTS always stops the clock at the end of each interval, so there is no Pause to score each interval switch to set. Between sampling moments, the ✓/✕ control beside Off-task is dimmed. When the clock stops, it becomes active with the ✕ side shaded: that is what Continue records if you don’t touch it. Score what Sam is doing at each moment:

​
Practice drill: score four sampling moments

  1. Select Start.
  2. When the clock stops at the first moment, select ✕ beside Off-task.
  3. Select Continue, or press Return or Enter, to record the score and start the next interval.
  4. At the second moment, select ✓, then Continue.
  5. At the third moment, select ✕, then Continue.
  6. At the fourth moment, select ✓, then Continue. This was the last interval, so the observation ends.
Well done. You scored four sampling moments. If you select the wrong side at a moment, select the other side before you continue. Outside a text field, ⌘Z or Ctrl+Z undoes the last score in the current interval. Interval recording covers missed moments and ending early.

​
Open the results

The completion screen shows Session complete, the number of intervals, and the Duration. Duration runs from start to end with the pauses included, so it reads longer than one minute. Results calculates from the four 15-second intervals.

​
Practice drill: add context and open Results

  1. In Context, type “Independent reading, worksheet on desk.” Context is where you note anything that explains the numbers.
  2. Select View Results.
At the top of Results, a banner says “This was a demo, so nothing was saved. Start a real observation to keep your data.” That is expected. In demo mode the observation is gone once you leave Results.

​
Read the Summary and the Interval Record

The Summary card gives one number per behavior. For MTS it is the percentage of scored sampling moments marked ✓, with the count under it. Your observation shows Off-task at 50%, “2 of 4 scored”. That number describes the moments you sampled. It doesn’t mean Sam was off task for half of the minute. When you report it, name the method and the interval length, such as “Off-task behavior was observed at 2 of 4 momentary time samples (50%), taken at 15-second intervals.” Results explained explains each interval number. The Interval Record below it shows the observation in time order: a colored bar for each moment marked ✓ and a gray bar for each moment marked ✕.

​
Practice drill: correct a score

  1. In Interval Record, find the four bars for Off-task. The second and fourth are colored.
  2. Suppose you check the worksheet afterward and see that its last question asked students to draw the story’s setting. The drawing at moment 4 was the assigned task, which your definition doesn’t count as off task.
  3. Select the fourth bar and choose ✕ (Did not occur).
  4. Check the Summary card. It now shows 25%, “1 of 4 scored”.
Well done. You corrected a score and watched the result follow it. Correct only what your record supports. If you miss a moment entirely, Clear score leaves it out, so the percentage counts only the moments you actually scored. Clearing is not the same as marking ✕. Fix a mistake covers corrections for every method.

​
Continue to Lesson 2

You recorded, ended, and read an observation. Lesson 2, From recording to write-up, also uses Sam Sample in demo mode: you count a behavior from a script, decide a borderline case, and write one report sentence. To return to your own records now, select Exit demo in the banner or Exit in the sidebar’s Demo mode row. Your first real observation starts at Set up an observation. On Starter, Pro, or a Pro trial you open it again from the student’s Sessions. On Community you save it and export it as CSV from the home list.