Behavior

Overview

Highly effective school environments prioritize the academic achievement and social skills of all students. The Office of Special Education has identified research-based strategies and practices that support positive behavioral outcomes for all students. Implementation of effective strategies and best practices within a variety of host settings, improves school climate and student outcomes. This site provides multiple links to rules, guidelines, assessment tools, and research-based strategies to promote social competence and support positive behavioral interventions.

Professional Learning

8 Week Online Course: Introduction to Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans

This 8 week online course, offered in both fall and spring semesters, is intended for school and district-level teams.  The purpose of the course is to support the team in developing a functional behavioral Assessment (FBA) that accurately identifies a student’s function of behavior in order to develop more effective Behavior Intervention Plans. Team-based approaches to complete such activities are always best practice and in the best interest of the student, school, and family. By the end of the course, participating teams will be able to successfully complete Basic Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP). The course provides a foundation for understanding FBAs and provides opportunity for practice in the completion of FBAs and BIPs. Support from instructors will be given in the form of discussion board with no face-to-face opportunities provided.

Requirements:

• Each team member must complete an individual registration form, and list 2 to 5 school- or district-level team members, including a special education teacher and a mental health staff. ALL team members must register individually.
• Have access to students in a school setting, and approval from administrators to complete a FBA/BIP case study on students.
• Commit to completing weekly reading, assignments, online discussions, as well as a case study in a school setting.

Visit the Social/Emotional/Behavioral Professional Development Page to register

8-week Advanced FBA and BIP Course

This online course will present an in-depth look into Advanced Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) building skills to work with complex and serious student needs.  This course focuses on training a “team lead” and contains information on how to complete each portion of the process. This course utilizes the current Colorado Department of Education Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plan format to guide the process. If your school district or administrative unit does not utilize this format, then the information given should help you in your understanding of leading the FBA and BIP process. The course provides an opportunity for participants to practice completion of FBAs and BIPs.

The goal of the FBA is to determine the function of the problem behavior to develop more effective interventions and Behavior Intervention Plans.  Individuals taking this course are expected to work with a school-based team even though the team is not enrolled in this course. Team-based approaches to completing such activities are always best practice and in the best interest of the student, school, and family.  This course is intended to give each participant practical information, applied knowledge, and real experiences at all stages of the FBA and BIP development, including data collection, and behavior support planning so that each participant can learn the necessary skills to function both independently and as an effective member of a team. Therefore, the minimal requirement for this course is that each participant be assigned to a school site, so they have access to staff and students to practice these learned skills

Visit the Social/Emotional/Behavioral Professional Development Page to register

Serious Emotional Disability (SED) Task Force/Affective Needs Committee

The SED Task Force/Affective Needs Committee is comprised of teachers, administrators, and related service personnel, professors from Institutions of Higher Education, and parent advocates from throughout Colorado. This group advises the Colorado Department of Education on the statewide needs of this population and those who serve them. Their expertise is utilized for workgroups to develop trainings and products to assist educational teams in meeting the needs of this very diverse population.

CDE Topic Links

• Technical Assistance
• Dropout Prevention and Student Re-Engagement
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS):
  • Colorado PBIS

Forms & Tools

• CDE Behavior Tools Wiki
• Competing Pathways Tool
• FBA Summary Report (Word)
• How to Write a FBA (PDF)
• FBA Summary Report (PDF)
• How to Write a BIP (PDF)
• Behavior Intervention Plan, English (PDF)
• Behavior Intervention Plan, Spanish (Word)
• Functional Assessment Checklist for Teachers (FACTS) - Part A
• FACTS Quick Reference Guide
• Technical Assistance: Functional Behavioral Assistance (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP)
• Ten Positive Behavior Support Strategies to Support Families at Home (PDF) This Positive Behavior TIPS for Parents at home was created by Kiki McGough. Kiki is on the Board of Directors for the Peak Parent Center and serves as a FSCP Rep for Association of Positive Behavior Support (APBS).