UC Riverside

Function-based behavior supports are effective at decreasing student problem behaviors and increasing positive behaviors. Behavior intervention plans (BIPs) written in schools are often of low quality and not based on a functional behavior assessment (FBA). This study evaluated the quality of BIPs developed in southern California school districts using two tools: the Behavior Intervention Plan Quality Evaluation Tool, 2nd edition (BIP-QE II; Browing-Wright, Mayer, & Saren, 2013), and the Technical Adequacy Tool for Evaluation (TATE; Iovannone & Romer, 2017). BIPs with a corresponding FBA scored higher than BIPs with no FBA, but overall BIPs were of poor quality. Common problems were lack of a functionally equivalent replacement behavior, lack of plan for fidelity and communication among stakeholders, and the lack of an FBA.