Behavior Plans, Explained

about students' behavior . The teacher wanted it fixed , your admin wanted it documented and somehow all of that landed squarely on your plate and you want to help . But the last time somebody said , come up with a behavior plan , you weren't given a single data point .

The students' needs weren't really even taken into consideration and the plan became your full-time job . Does that sound familiar ? In this episode we're going to break down what behavior intervention plans are really about , what works , what doesn't work and how you can support the process without being steamrolled by it .

I'm going to walk you through the entire behavior planning process , step by step , and show you where you fit in as a school counselor , where you don't , and what to do when you're the only one showing up with a plan that actually makes any sense . Let's talk behavior without the burnout . Hey there , welcome

back to the School for School Counselors podcast . Yes , it is me . I'm a little raspy and a little hoarse this week , but bound and determined to bring you another podcast episode . I'm Steph Johnson , licensed professional counselor , veteran educator of almost 30 years and a full-time school counselor . Just like you .

The past few episodes have really centered on bullying , behavior intervention and ADHD , the who , the what , the when , the where or the why , all the things , why we shouldn't be the only ones handling these and how to address them . If we're considered the default behavior interventionist on our campus , all the things right .

In this episode , I'm going to shift gears just a little bit and I want to talk about behavior intervention plans .

Now let me say up front , I am not a board-certified behavior analyst , I am not a school psychologist , but I do want to kind of walk you through the general framework as I understand it , so you can get a clearer picture of what's involved , because I think sometimes we assume that if we just label the behavior or we come up with one thing to try in

addressing the behavior , then boom , our job is done and everything should be resolved . But , as you probably know already , that's not how behavior change typically works .

So , based on one of my all-time most popular podcast episodes back in 2023 , we're going to revisit the process of developing a behavior plan , or an official BIP , which stands for Behavior Intervention Plan , just as a heads up before we get started .

Different campuses and different districts might have their own procedures or protocols for this , so don't worry if I describe doesn't exactly match what you've seen in your setting . Our goal here really is to understand the general process and how we fit into it . Okay , so , first up , the initial assessment and observation .

This is where we try to get a baseline on what's really going on , not just what people think is going on . This step should involve lots

of people who are normally in the student's environment throughout their day . That could include classroom teachers , paraprofessionals , even you as the school counselor , depending on the situation .

But the goal is to keep things as organic as possible , because we know , if we put a new person in a classroom with a struggling student , sometimes they act completely differently . Right , it's like it's showtime and they put on their best and we're sitting in the background saying no , no , no , this is not real life , right ?

We want a real representative snapshot of their behavior and not a performance . We're going to be looking to document three things the antecedents , which is what happens before . The behavior . The behavior itself , exactly what happens . And then the consequences of that behavior , what happened exactly after .

And , as I say consequences , I don't mean punitive consequences in the classroom . That's not what I'm talking about . I'm not talking about breaking a rule and getting a penalty for it . I'm talking about the fallout . What did the student get out of the behavior ? This process is sometimes called the ABC data antecedent , behavior , consequence .

Get it , and it's a great tool for understanding what might be reinforcing the student's behavior . We need to make sure that these observations happen across different settings and different times of the day , and it's not enough to do this once or twice .

Chandler and Dahlquist 2015 recommend collecting at least 10 to 15 data points across various settings , with a full week of observation at minimum . I'm going to be honest with you and I know this is going to frustrate you to hear how many data points need to be involved .

It's also going to frustrate some of the folks you work with , because what they often want is to make you aware of the behavior and have you swoop in and fix it .

But to create a meaningful plan , we need authentic and consistent data , and that means we've got to get the teachers invested in the collection process , and y'all if you've worked on a school campus for any amount of time , you know sometimes

that is easier said than done . You may run into resistance . Some teachers may feel like it's not their job that data collection should fall on your shoulders . Other people may just say I don't have the time and honestly , y'all they're not wrong . Educators are maxed out and adding one more thing to their day can feel insurmountable .

That's where our solution-focused skills come in . We have to be able to gently shift the narrative from one more thing on your plate to here's a small step that will actually make things easier in the long run . Even getting teachers started with the super simple one-page tracker can help . Let them know it doesn't have to be perfect .

It doesn't even have to be a certain piece of paper . Sticky notes , tally marks , check boxes on the margins of a worksheet it all counts . The goal is progress and it is not perfection . If we walk up to these folks and expect expert-looking , clean , color-coded graphs , y'all , we are going to lose them before we even get started .

Help your staff feel successful from the get-go . Guide them in understanding that their input is vital , no matter how it is presented . So after we've collected that initial observation data data , we may be looking at a formal functional behavior assessment . Typically you're going to see these done by a behavior specialist or a school psychologist .

Less often you can see school counselors do them . It's not ideal , but sometimes that's just the way things have to roll . According to ASCA's ethical standards , our primary role is to support and not replace specialists like behavior analysts or school psychs when it comes to evaluations .

But that being said , you know and I know we don't often attain the ideal on our campuses , so we're going to do the best we can . Really , the whole point of the functional behavior assessment is just to determine the function or the purpose of the behavior . So think back to your grad school days . See if you can remember your four functions of behavior .

I'll give you a minute . Are they

coming to you ? Okay , here they are , I'll help you out . Escape , attention , tangible items , sensory needs . So escape might look like a student deciding they need to go to the nurse every day when math starts . Attention might be the student that is calling out in class for laughs or they're looking for a teacher .

Reaction Tangible could be a tantrum when they're denied access to a preferred object . Sensory might be humming or tapping or rocking as a way to self-soothe . We have to figure out what the purpose of the behavior is that the student is showing us in the classroom . What are they trying to gain from it ?

And we're going to collect additional data to try to identify the triggers for that , maybe some possible patterns . We're probably going to be talking with teachers and parents , and sometimes even the student if it's appropriate , just to gather some more information and develop a full picture of what the situation really is .

So that's the second step in this process , after we've done our initial observation . Then we've tried to determine the function of the behavior . The function of the behavior . The next thing that we do is set clear goals and objectives , and y'all this needs to be a team approach . We have to have our teachers on board .

If we have behavior specialists , we need to have them on board . Parents need to be involved and we need to establish goals for one specific component of behavior . You remember your SMART goals , right ? Specific , measurable , achievable , relevant and time-bound . So as a group , collectively , we're going to determine what the desired behavior change is .

Keep in mind , this is where things fly off the rails so often . We cannot change all the problem behaviors at once . We cannot start with . Student will not explode in the classroom . That's not going to help . Instead , we've got to really hone in and fine-tune those goals .

Student will request a break using a card or gesture and four out of five opportunities across two consecutive days . That's something we can track .

We've got to pinpoint and really identify on a super granular level which behavior we want to change first , and then we want to make sure that those goals are something that we can measure so that we can determine if we're making progress or not .

I'll be real I think a lot of people just try to throw any intervention they can think of at the student wait a couple of days and then , if they don't see the kind of movement they wanted to see , they say , oh , that didn't work and they go on to the next thing and they're not really getting a true picture of the intervention or the behavior needs .

So be very , very careful about that , okay . So then , after we've set those goals and objectives , then we're going to plan the intervention . After we've set those goals and objectives , then we're going to plan the intervention . We're going to look toward evidence-based interventions and we're going to tailor those to the students' needs and goals .

This is not the time for your teachers pay teachers printables . While those may be quick fixes and you feel they're very convenient , they rarely address the root causes of behavior . Instead , we want to use interventions that are grounded in data and in peer-reviewed studies . You're probably getting tired of hearing that from me , aren't you ?

But this is not the time for those . We need substantially evidence-based interventions . There are several resources online that you can go to to start gathering some of those . One of my favorites is the what Works Clearinghouse .

It is not a pretty website but , man , it is effective and we need to make sure that whatever evidence-based interventions we select match the function of the behavior . If we have someone who is attention seeking , how can we provide that attention in a better way ?

How can we provide more consistent , positive reinforcement for that student so that they're not looking for negative attention in another situation ? But far and away . Again , I'm going to say the most important part of this is that whatever strategies you select , they need to be supported by research and best practice .

So you select those strategies and you create a plan that outlines how those interventions are going to be implemented in different settings . For instance , we've identified these strategies we want to work with with regard to this student . In the math classroom , it might look like this .

In the English classroom it looks like this , and in the physical education classroom it needs to look like this . We can even encourage parents to buy in and try some of these things at home .

Highly collaborative , right ? Because everywhere the student goes , we want them getting the same consistent message . So again , you see why the school counselor should not be the lone behavior intervention person on campus . It's just not going to work .

Then , after we've done all of that , we've done our observation and collected our data points , we've made an educated guess about the function or the purpose of the behavior , we've determined exactly what the desired behavior change is and we've identified evidence-based interventions . To get us there , then we're going to implement them .

To get us there , then we're going to implement them . This is going to involve everyone Teachers , parents , support staff , pretty much anybody on campus that has contact with this student .

We're going to put the intervention plan that you all collectively wrote into action and then we , as the school counselor , can help monitor and encourage so that these interventions are implemented consistently . In my opinion , this is where we most often drop the ball in schools .

We really have to make sure that we're being consistent with this and that everyone who's supposed to be providing that intervention is actually doing it . Again , that's often a sticking point . You have one or two people that say I'm not doing that , that's not my job . If they need that , they should be somewhere else .

You ever heard anybody say something like that ? Yeah , so you're really going to have to work hard to get some of these folks to buy in . You have to paint a picture for them about how their life is going to be easier if they're willing to do these things .

You're really going to have to almost campaign to get this thing to move and act like a cheerleader in the background . We can help provide clear instructions to everybody about how to apply these interventions . We can check in to make sure they're not having any questions or concerns through the process , and we can help continuously monitor the student's progress .

We can identify changes in behavior , not only positive changes . We may also see some negative changes as well . One negative change you might see is something called an extinction burst .

You might have heard that term before , but just in case you haven't , an extinction burst is when a behavior actually gets worse before it gets better and yes , this is a real thing . This is not a sign that your plan is failing . It's a behavioral indicator that your plan is failing . It's a behavioral indicator .

Dr Tim Shahan has done a lot of work on this and he explains that when we stop reinforcing a behavior , let's say that when a student throws a fit , we no longer remove them from the classroom . Their brain isn't just going to give up right away , it's going to tell them well , this used to work , maybe I just need to try harder .

And so the behavior is going to ramp up before it dies down . So if you see that kind of extinction burst , it doesn't mean that the interventions you selected aren't working . In fact , a lot of the times it's a sign that the behavior is losing power and the student is still trying it to see if they can get the same result .

So if you see that spike in behavior after a new plan is put in place , hold steady , be consistent , assure your coworkers is put in place . Hold steady , be consistent , assure your co-workers . The escalation may be part of the process and not a reason to throw the whole thing out .

We need to commit to these interventions for at least four weeks , which is what the literature recommends , and then , as we're implementing these interventions , we're collecting the data , we're progress monitoring .

We need to have some sort of a data system so that we can see the changes in the targeted behavior , looking at it regularly and then adjusting the plan as needed . Again , it does not have to be pretty , it could be tally marks .

On a sticky note , it really doesn't matter , as long as we have a system for aggregating that later and nothing gets lost in the shuffle . And then , as we see , new needs emerge , if we see needs intensify , whatever happens we need to be sure that we're not jumping to the next thing too quickly . Then we can review and adjust .

We can talk with teachers , our behavior personnel , parents , admin , maybe the student , depending on their age , to assess how effective the plan has been . Do we need to adjust anything ? Does anything need to change ? Did it work ? Did it not work ? Do we need more time ?

And then we need to schedule some regular meetings to continue reviewing the data and discussing the progress and then , if the plan seems to be working well , we're seeing that consistent positive progress we want then as a committee not just you on your own , but as a committee it's time to think about reducing the intensity of the interventions .

We can start weaning the student off the supports . This is really important because the goal is not to have these supports in place forever . Right , the goal is to help the student build enough skills and independence to not need us as much over time . But weaning supports does not mean pulling the rug out from underneath them all at once .

It has to be gradual and strategic . We could start by fading how often the student checks in with an adult , for instance . Maybe they were checking in every class period . Then they weanan down to once in the morning and once in the afternoon , then to once a day . Or we might reduce how frequently the reinforcement is delivered .

We might deliver reinforcement every time we see the desired behavior to start , but then we wean it down to every third or fifth time . This process sometimes is called fading or thinning the intervention . So if you hear some of your folks talking about that , that's what they're talking about . We can also look at increasing the student's ownership .

So instead of the teacher saying , hey , friend , looks like you may need a break , the student begins to develop the ability and capacity to self-monitor and request the break themselves . Now keep in mind , as we're looking at thinning these interventions , this part of the plan needs just as much monitoring as the original intervention did .

We want to make sure that the progress sticks as the supports are being pulled back and if we start to see signs of regression , we adjust and we ramp things back up where needed and then we try again .

And then , just as an aside I think this goes without saying , but it's worth talking about we need to be making sure that we're providing ongoing support and communication . I've alluded to this , but this is another place that I think we drop the ball a lot at schools .

I don't think it's done intentionally , it just kind of happens because everybody on the school campus is running a million miles an hour . Amen . We all have hundreds of things to do and not everybody can keep everything at the forefront of their mind all the time .

Sometimes certain situations just fall through the cracks , and so we need to make sure that , as school counselors and members of this behavior team , that we're maintaining consistent communication with teachers and parents and support staff .

We can be the glue that keeps everybody informed about the student's progress , suggesting resources or identifying ways that teachers can get trained for more support , and sometimes it's just us giving some encouragement right and letting the teacher know . I see you , this is hard and I get it , but I believe in you and this is going to pay off .

So I hope that kind of gives you a better idea of what's involved with behavior assessments and drafting behavior plans . It's certainly nothing that we are not qualified to provide in school counseling , but then again it's really not something that we should be expected to provide not independently .

School counselors can serve as a beautiful addition to the behavior intervention team . We have a lot to contribute .

We are great at collaborating and communicating across campus , but we do not want to be the default behavior interventionist if we can help it , but just in case you are called to be one , because sometimes there's just not anyone to do this kind of stuff on our campuses .

Hopefully this has helped clarify for you what's involved in a behavior assessment and developing a behavior plan . And I will say , if this conversation didn't quite check all the boxes for you , because there is so much involved in this , remember we always have our School for School Counselors Mastermind open and ready to welcome you .

You can find out more about that at schoolforschoolcounselorscom . Slash mastermind , where we meet each and every week for support and consultation , including behavior intervention strategies and building behavior plans . I also want you to know that inside the Mastermind we have our Behavior Intervention Playbook ready to go .

It is a checklist style one , two , three , four , five of determining next steps for behavior that's available exclusively to our Mastermind members and is such a great help when you're looking to build these plans , for giving you a starting point and next steps . All right , I'm going to end this episode here .

Thank you for pushing through this froggy , croaky voice that I have this week . I can't wait to get back with you for the next episode , where hopefully , I'll be a little easier to understand and am going to have some additional insights for you about building behavior plans and what happens next .

So keep listening , but in the meantime , I hope you have the best week . Take care .