Developing Meaningful Behavior Improvement Plans

1. Developing Meaningful Behavior Improvement Plans Michelle Jacques, Special Education Coordinator Dr. Carolyn Sires, Special Education Coordinator

2. Mission and Vision Mission: Dorchester School District Two leading the way, every student, every day, through relationships, rigor, and relevance. Vision: Dorchester School District Two desires to be recognized as a “World Class” school district, expecting each student to achieve at his/her optimum level in all areas, and providing all members of our district family with an environment that permits them to do their personal best.

3. Goals for Today • Provision of universals • Identification of students in need • Collection of data • Development of behavior plan • Monitoring of behavior plan to determine effectiveness

4. Reflect on your own experience • Make a t-chart and label one side “Effective BIPs” and the other “Ineffective BIPs” • What are the characteristics of effective BIPs you have written? • What are the characteristics of ineffective BIPs you have written? • List these characteristics on your t-chart

5. Remember, these concepts are based upon the following beliefs... • Pro-social skills can be taught and reinforced • Problem behaviors can be reduced by removingantecedent triggers. • Desired behavior can be increased by adding the antecedent triggers of context appropriate social skills. • You must remove the consequences that maintain/reinforce the problem behaviors. • You must add consequences that maintain/reinforce pro-social behaviors.

6. Ensure universals • Teach, acknowledge, respond consistently • Recognize pro-social behavior • Re-teach as necessary • Ensure that this occurs across all settings

7. Effective Classroom Practices • Maximize structure and predictability • Post, teach, review, monitor and reinforce a small number of positively stated expectations • Actively engage students • Acknowledge appropriate behavior • Consistently respond to inappropriate behavior

8. Systematic identification of students in need • Use of existing data • Referrals • ISS • OSS • Absences • Tardies • Other?

9. Collection of data Once a student is in need of an FBA, pertinent information must be gathered in order to determine the function of the behavior.

10. Why is the Functional Behavior Assessment so Important? • It will help us determine the function of the behavior • It will help us determine whether the target behavior is a skills deficit or a performance deficit • Skills Deficit: The student does not possess the necessary skills needed to demonstrate pro-social behavior • Performance Deficit: The student is not motivated to demonstrate pro-social behavior

11. Remember, behavior only serves 2 basic functions.... Obtain/Get Something Escape/Avoid Something Stimulation/ Sensory Social Tangible/ Activity Adult Peer

12. Why is Function so important? Activity Compare and contrast the following examples.

13. Scenario One • Bill often says he hates math. One morning he refused to open his math book or get out his notebook and just sat there. The teacher went to him and quietly asked him to get ready to work. He said he hated math and folded his arms. The teacher approached him and said that he needed to get ready for math or he would have to do it during the break. He then pushed the math book on the floor and said he was not going to do any “****” math. The teacher sent him to the office for noncompliance and disrespect.

14. Scenario Two Another student, Ann, was having a bad day. Before school, three girls had ignored Ann’s attempts to join in a conversation. During first period, she did not get out her materials and mumbled that she never got any help. The teacher came over to help her get ready to work. The teacher talked with her and asked her to get out her science book. Ann got out the book while the teacher was by her. As soon as the teacher walked away, Ann slammed the book shut and shoved it back under her desk. The teacher went back to her and Ann got out her book.

15. Conclusions What was the same? • Each situation resulted in some level of non-compliance and escalation. What was different? • Each student had different needs, different functions and therefore different interventions would need to be developed.

16. What information needs to be collected? Functional Behavior Assessment - Checklist.docx

17. Specific data needed • Target behavior • Medical information • Discipline record • Testing Data • Grades/School History • Parent/Teacher/Student Information • Observations • Other Pertinent Information

18. TARGET BEHAVIOR • The target behavior must be clear and measurable/observable Examples: tardy to class, out of seat behavior, walks away from teacher when given a directive, leaves the classroom during math instruction Non-examples: disrespectful/rude, does not get along with peers, disruptive in class, bad attitude

19. Medical Information • Does the student have any medical diagnoses (Asthma, Diabetes, ADHD)? • Does the student take any medication? If so, have medications been changed recently?

20. Discipline record • Are there patterns of behavior? • Who are the referring teachers? • Are the problems occurring at a certain time of day/location in the building? • Are other individuals involved? • Does the problem behavior occur in certain classes? • What typically happens after the problem behavior is exhibited (ISS, suspension, detention)?

21. Testing data • What were the student’s PASS results? • Did the student take/pass the HSAP? • Has the student received a psychological evaluation? When was it completed? What were the results? • What are the student’s AIMSweb/SRI/SMI/benchmark scores? Are these results consistent with same age peers?

22. Grades/school history • What are the student’s current grades? 1st, 2nd, 3rd 9 Weeks grades? • What were the student’s grades last year? • Has the student struggled in one or more subjects during his or her school career? • When did the student enroll in his or her current school? • Has the student attended multiple schools?

23. Parent interview • What are your thoughts about why your son/daughter is exhibiting this behavior? • Do you see the same behavior at home? If so, what works to prevent the problem or to get your son/daughter to stop the behavior? Also, is there anything that makes it worse that we should avoid doing? • What are some good ways to get your son/daughter to calm down when he/she is upset?

24. Teacher interview • Please describe the problem behavior. Tell me exactly what happens. • When does the behavior occur? • Please tell me more about any events outside the setting that seem to increase the likelihood that the problem behavior will occur. • What seems to happen immediately before the problem behavior?

25. Student interview • How are things going for you? • Do you like school? • What would you change about school if you could? • What do you like to do in your free time? • What would you do if you won a million dollars?

26. observations • You should conduct 3 – 4 brief (15 – 20 minutes) observations in various settings. • Remember: You are looking for ABC’s: • Antecedent • (Target) Behavior • Consequences

27. Other pertinent information • Student Interest Inventory (For example, Dunn Rankin). • Adult/Peer Approval • Tangibles • Competition • Independence

28. Analyzing the data • Look for patterns and trends • Is the problem behavior exhibited across all settings or one/two setting(s)? • Does the student have excessive absences or tardies? • Does the student demonstrate academic deficits that impact his/her behavior?

29. Analyze the data continued • Identify the consequences that occur right after the problem behavior • Identify the consequences that maintain the problem behavior • Ask, “Would the problem behavior continue even if the consequence did not occur?” • Examine adult/peer response to determine whether student is attempting to obtain/avoid something

30. Development of BIP • The team should meet to discuss the results of the FBA. It is important for the team to: • Look at all data collected and determine the function of the behavior? Why is the student doing what he or she is doing? • Look at all the data collected and determine whether the target behavior is a skills deficit or a performance deficit?

31. Completing the fba in excent Functional Behavior Assessment Guide.docx

32. What Components Should be Included in the BIP? • Present Levels of Performance • Behavioral Goal • Prevention • Instruction • Crisis Plan (if necessary)

33. Present levels of performance • Be sure to include the antecedent and setting (when possible), problem behavior, and get/avoid consequence. For example: When Janie is in her math class and the teacher presents a test, she makes negative self-statements and writes profanity on her test in an effort to avoid feeling embarrassed.

34. Behavioral goal • What do we want the student to do instead? Remember, you cannot attempt to decrease a problem behavior without giving the individual an alternative, replacement behavior! For example: When Janie is in her math class and the teacher presents a test, she will complete the items she knows in order to avoid feeling embarrassed.

35. Prevention • What changes could be made in the environment to reduce the likelihood that the problem behavior will occur(FBA) • Be sure to document who will implement the changes and how will progress be monitored. For example: When given a test, Janie’s teacher will check to see if Janie has questions regarding the directions.

36. Instruction • Describe the replacement behavior to be taught (make sure that it’s measurable/observable) For example: Janie will raise her hand and ask for teacher assistance. • Document the following: • Who will teach the replacement behavior? • How often will and where will instruction be given? • What are the opportunities for practice? • How will progress be monitored (how often and by whom?) • Describe the acknowledgements to be used when desired behavior is displayed.

37. Other examples • Curriculum that addresses skill deficit (making friends, anger management) • Use of examples and non-examples • Modeling

38. Remember… The instruction must be explicit! Just remember, pro-social skills are learned the same way as reading or math. Pro-social skills must be taught and the student must have opportunities to practice.

39. Rule of thumb • If the problem is a skills deficit, the behavior plan must be instructional • If the problem is a performance deficit, the behavior plan must be motivational

40. Crisis plan • Only needed if the student’s behavior is a danger to the student or others • It may not be necessary

41. Effective behavior plans are… • Explicit (fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied) All persons involved should know exactly what to do and when to do it!

42. Monitoring the plan • Communicate the plan to all teachers and parents • Collect data • Meet to review the effectiveness of the plan. • Revise the plan as needed

43. Questions?

44. acknowledgements • Missouri Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support (http://pbismissouri.org/) • Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project (http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu/)

45. Session EvaluationParticipants are asked to complete a session evaluation for each session attended. Credit (attendance, renewal, and/or technology) will be added following evaluation completion. For each question, use 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree. Your responses will assist us in planning future professional development in Dorchester School District Two. • The instructor was well prepared for the workshop. • The materials for the workshop were appropriate. • The concepts presented were appropriate to my job. • I will benefit from attending this session. • I would recommend this training to others.

46. Contact Information Michelle Jacques Special Education Coordinator mjacques@dorchester2.k12.sc.us 875-4161 Carolyn Sires Special Education Coordinator csires@dorchester2.k12.sc.us 875-4161