Functional Behavior Assessment & Behavior Intervention Plans

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How is the need for an FBA/BIP determined?

Before the FBA/BIP process is begun, the following should be done to determine whether the process is the most appropriate action:

   - Contact the parents and notify them that a behavioral issue exists

   - Make the building administrator aware of the behavioral issue

   - The building administrator should then verify that the behavior is
     student-specific and not simply environmental or due to larger classroom
     management issues

   - Gather and review (if any) records of school discipline and actions that have been
     taken (these records include formal referrals as well as any other records of
     school discipline that exist)



Who is involved in an FBA/BIP?


To begin with, if the student has an IEP or 504 plan, then the case manager (special ed. teacher) is in charge of scheduling the meeting.

Invite the following:
   - The members of the IEP or 504 team
       - Administrator
       - Any necessary teachers
       - Any necessary related service providers

   - The school psychologist

   - Any other school staff member that might by familiar with the behavior issue
     (specials teachers, counselors, office staff, etc.)

If the student does not have an IEP or 504 plan, then a team that looks similar to an IEP or 504 team should be put in place (a SPED teacher is not needed).  The building administrator will need to designate a case manager for this student.



Who runs the FBA/BIP meeting?

The FBA/BIP meeting is meant to be a team effort, but for the purposes of keeping the meetings focused, the school psychologist will be in charge of running through the process of each meeting.

The case manager is in charge of ensuring that any necessary records from the process are appropriately completed and added to the student's files.



How does the process work?

Pre-Meeting

 
 - Before the meeting, the case manager should:

  • Gather and review the discipline referrals and other relevant information
  • Notify all appropriate staff members (those that work with the student - which includes both those that have observed the behavior, and those that haven't) that they should complete the FBA Questionnaire for School Staff
  • Determine who is to be invited to the FBA/BIP meeting
  • Send out invitations from IEP Online to staff and parents at least 5 days prior to the proposed meeting day (see the "Plan" tab for the formal invitation form)
  • Collect the questionnaires from the staff members at least 1 day before the meeting and provide copies to the school psychologist

FBA Meeting


   - The case manager should bring the meeting:
  • Returned FBA Questionnaires for School Staff
  • Calendar
  • Computer
  • A printed copy of the meeting invitation for parents to sign
   - All other team members should bring the following to the meeting:
  • Calendar
  • Any other relevant data
 
   - During the FBA, those in attendance should follow the FBA Meeting Agenda and:

  • Identify what the specific concerns are and how they are interfering with the student's academic progress or the progress of the student's peers
  • Brainstorm possible factors that may influence the behavior
  • Decide if enough information is available to reach a reasonable agreement on the behaviors and their factors
    • If there is enough information, then record the information on the
      FBA Record Form.  A BIP can be begun or a new meeting date can
      be set to create the BIP
    • If it is determined that more information is necessary, then decisions should be made concerning what extra information is needed and which team members will collect it.  Another meeting date should be agreed upon before ending the current one.

BIP Meeting

(This portion of the process can occur immediately after the FBA portion or be scheduled for another date if there is not enough time)

   - During the BIP, those in attendance should follow the BIP Meeting Agenda and:

  • Determine the goals for the student
  • Determine specific strategies to use to reach those goals
  • Determine when and where the plan will occur as well as who will be responsible for each of its components
  • Determine how progress will be assessed (data)

   - At the conclusion of the meeting, the facilitator should:

  • Review the proposed BIP with the team members
  • Set a review date for evaluation of the current plan

   - After the meeting, the case manager should:

  • Input the information created during the meeting into IEP Online for those students receiving special education services
  • Make copies of information to place in the student's Scholastic File for those students not receiving special education services
  • Inform all school personnel of the plan and what is expected from them

BIP Review Meeting


   - During the BIP Review meeting, those in attendance should follow the
     BIP Review Meeting Agenda and:

  • Review the data that was collected since the last BIP meeting
  • Decide upon whether the intervention is effective, or whether it could be changed to help improve the student's performance even further
  • Determine what types of changes might be able to be made to either increase the effectiveness or fidelity of the original plan
  • Set another review date, and either enter the information into IEP Online or the student's Scholastic File



This material was developed in collaboration with Harrisonburg City Public Schools