The Right Support at the Right Time: Using MTSS to Guide Decision-Making
Written by Special Guest, Amanda Borosh, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBS-1
Morgan is a school-based Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who provides behavior support to five elementary schools. In the hall, the case manager stops him and says, "Let's open consent for a functional behavior assessment (FBA) for Sarah. Her behavior is distracting the rest of the class, and Ms. King is running out of ideas." Morgan pops into Ms. King's third-grade classroom during math instruction. Sarah is out of her seat at the pencil sharpener, loudly grinding her pencil down to a nub. Most students are passively off-task with their heads on their desks or fidgeting with erasers. Three students in the front are giggling about the faces another student is making across the room. Ms. King asks, "And what is 6 times 7?" A student shouts, "She said 6-7!" and the entire class erupts in laughter.
This scenario is familiar to anyone who has served in a behavior support role in schools. A request is made for an FBA for one student, despite the student's behavior not being significantly discrepant from the rest of the class.
What is an FBA?
A functional behavior assessment identifies environmental factors that set the stage for problematic behavior and the events that occur afterward that make it more likely in the future. A high-quality FBA in schools should include a records review to identify behavior patterns and strategies already attempted; indirect assessments, such as interviews or questionnaires with the student's family, teachers, and the student themself; direct observation of what happens before and after the problematic behavior; and baseline data on the frequency, duration, or intensity of the problematic behavior. When there are qualified professionals available, high-quality FBAs also include a functional analysis, which is an experimental assessment in which the assessor purposefully arranges situations that might trigger and reinforce the target behavior to identify its reason, or function.
Why conduct an FBA?
The results of the FBA provide valuable information about the situations that occasion and reinforce the problematic behavior, which is then used to inform function-based interventions. Function-based interventions are strategies designed to alter the environment so that problematic behavior is less likely to occur. Research shows that function-based interventions based on the results of an FBA are highly effective at reducing problematic behavior and are much more effective than interventions selected at random. Despite the effectiveness of FBA-informed strategies, an FBA can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, and is not always necessary.
“Despite the effectiveness of FBA-informed strategies, an FBA can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, and is not always necessary.”
Multi-tiered Systems of Support
In schools, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (or MTSS) provide a structure for applying a framework of supports based on student need. At the core of MTSS is the concept of universal prevention, also referred to as Tier 1. At the Tier 1 level, all teachers apply research-backed interventions with all students across every school setting. Some examples of research-supported Tier 1 behavioral interventions include establishing and explicitly teaching expected behavior, using proactive reminders of expectations, providing frequent opportunities to respond, acknowledging expected behavior using behavior-specific praise, and implementing group-wide games, also called group contingencies.
For students who need additional support beyond Tier 1, targeted interventions, or Tier 2 interventions, may be appropriate. Tier 2 behavioral interventions involve strategies like intensifying Tier 1 practices, such as repeated teaching of expectations, or increased use of behavior-specific praise. Tier 2 interventions might also include small-group explicit instruction in social engagement with peers, mentoring, self-monitoring, and/or standardized points-based systems like Check-in/Check-out.
When students do not respond to Tier 1 or Tier 2, or when students engage in chronic or dangerous behavior, Tier 3 interventions may be appropriate. Tier 3 behavioral interventions are highly individualized and should be based on the results of an FBA. When Tier 1 and Tier 2 are implemented well, few students should require Tier 3-level assessment and intervention. Tier 3 can be beneficial for students who engage in problematic behavior that is significantly different from their same-age peers and impacts their access to instruction, social opportunities, or educational environments.
“When Tier 1 and Tier 2 are implemented well, few students should require Tier 3-level assessment and intervention. ”
For students with IEPs, an FBA may be appropriate because of special education decision-making or disciplinary protections. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), when a student receiving special education services engages in behavior that interferes with learning, the individualized education program (IEP) team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports to address the behavior. Additionally, under IDEA, the "10-day rule" may trigger the need to consider an FBA. A suspension of more than 10 consecutive school days, or shorter suspensions that total more than 10 school days, may count as a disciplinary change of placement. When that happens, the team must hold a manifestation determination review to determine whether the behavior was related to the student's identified needs or resulted from the school's failure to implement the IEP. If so, the team must conduct an FBA and implement a BIP, or review and update an existing plan. Still, many FBA requests arise before these legal thresholds are reached, which is why MTSS can help teams decide where to start.
How do we prioritize which students should receive a full FBA when resources are limited? When resources are limited, school teams can prioritize full FBAs by asking which students most clearly need individualized, function-based assessment and intervention. In general, full FBAs should be prioritized for students who have had access to strong Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports and continue to engage in behavior that interferes with learning, students who engage in chronic or dangerous behavior, and students with additional needs whose behavior may affect access to instruction, services, or placement. This does not mean other behavior concerns should be ignored. Instead, teams should consider whether improving classroom-wide or school-wide supports could benefit many students before dedicating limited assessment time to one student. For a school-based BCBA like Morgan, who is spread across five schools, limited FBA resources are often best reserved for students with the most individualized or intensive needs.
“For a school-based BCBA who may be spread across several schools, limited FBA resources are often best reserved for students with the most individualized or intensive needs.”
With this prioritization framework in mind, Morgan evaluated how well Tier 1 behavior strategies were being implemented in Ms. King's class. Although Sarah's incessant pencil-sharpening was distracting, it was not significantly different from the behavior of several other students, suggesting that Sarah might not yet need an individualized FBA. Morgan met with the case manager and teacher to learn more about their concerns. Ms. King shared that her whole class felt "out of hand" this year, helping Morgan see that coaching and support for Tier 1 behavior strategies might be the best place to start. By strengthening classroom-wide practices first, Morgan could help Ms. King address multiple behavior concerns while reserving full FBA resources for students with more individualized, intensive, or urgent needs.
For readers interested in resources for developing referral processes for FBAs or providing professional development to school teams on research-backed Tier 1 behavioral practices, check out continuing education and related resources here.
***Financial Disclosure: Amanda is not being compensated for writing this blog post. However, this post includes links to resources she created and sells, and she may financially benefit from purchases made through those links.
