Free Discrete Trial Data Sheet
A free printable discrete trial data sheet for DTT programs. Score each trial and its prompt level, or type into the fillable PDF, then export to Excel to average accuracy across sessions.
- Trial-By-Trial Accuracy
- Default criterion: 8 of 10 trials correct
- Free printable PDF
- Fillable in browser
A discrete trial data sheet records one row per trial, so a teaching session becomes a clean sequence of correct and incorrect responses with the prompt level beside each. Write the SD or target, mark whether the response was correct, and note how much prompting it took. This discrete trial data sheet keeps ten trials per page, which matches the common practice of running blocks of ten and reading accuracy as a percent.
Recording the prompt level is what separates useful trial data from a bare score. A correct response at full independence means something very different from a correct response that needed a full physical prompt, and only the prompt column captures that. Use a short prompt key the whole team shares, and score the response and the prompt as you saw them rather than as you hoped.
Ten trials give a percent that is easy to read and chart, and the trend across sessions shows whether the learner is moving toward independence. The default criterion here is eight of ten trials correct, a familiar mastery rule, though the goal in the IEP sets the real number. Export to Excel to average accuracy across sessions or to fade prompts on a schedule the data supports.
When to use it
Use trial-by-trial data for structured teaching where you present a target, the learner responds, and you score the result, as in discrete trial instruction. It fits BCBAs and instructional staff running acquisition programs and gives per-trial detail a summary score cannot.
Customization tips
- Add a prompt-level key at the top so plus and minus and the prompt codes read the same for everyone.
- Run blocks of ten trials so the accuracy percent falls out without extra math.
- Use the fillable PDF for a typed record, keeping the trial and prompt columns identical.
- Export to Excel to average accuracy across sessions and watch for a mastery trend.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a discrete trial data sheet?
- It is a sheet with one row per teaching trial, scoring each response correct or incorrect along with the prompt level used. Running a block of trials gives an accuracy percent for the session. It is the standard record for discrete trial instruction.
- Why record the prompt level?
- Because a correct response is only meaningful next to how much help it took. Tracking prompt level shows whether the learner is moving from prompted to independent responding, which is the real goal, and it guides when to fade prompts.
- How many trials should I run per session?
- Blocks of ten are common because they turn directly into a percent, but the number depends on the program and the learner's stamina. Consistency helps: running the same block size each session keeps the accuracy scores comparable.
- What mastery criterion is typical?
- A common rule is eight of ten trials correct across several sessions, which is the default here. The right target belongs in the IEP goal, so treat the default as a placeholder and set the real criterion with the team.
- How do I fade prompts using this data?
- Watch the prompt-level column across sessions. When the learner is consistently correct at a given level, plan the next, less intrusive prompt. Fading on the data rather than a hunch reduces the odds of moving too fast or too slow.