Common BIP Mistakes That Make Classroom Implementation Harder
Written by Jordan Husa, MS
Before stepping into my current role as a Behavior Interventionist, I spent six years as a third-grade teacher. During that time, I often received Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Some gave me a clear roadmap for supporting a student, while others left me thinking, Okay...but what am I actually supposed to do?
Looking back, I can recognize times when I probably didn't implement a BIP as consistently as I should have. At the time, I did not always understand why. I was trying to follow a plan while teaching a classroom full of students, managing behavior, and making what felt like a million decisions while constantly hearing my name be said all at once.
I once heard someone describe a BIP in a way that changed how I think. A BIP is mostly a plan for the adults who are implementing it. Yes, we're trying to improve student outcomes, but much of the plan identifies what we are going to do differently, how we'll change the environment, teach new skills, reinforce those skills, and respond to behavior.
That made me wonder: if a BIP requires adults to change what they're doing, why did I so often feel like I was handed one and essentially told, “You got this!” without much discussion, modeling, or coaching?
Now that I have my degree in behavior analysis and work on the behavior side of education, I see BIPs through a very different lens. Here are the five common mistakes that I have seen in the last month that can make classroom implementation, and ultimately student success, much harder.
1. The BIP is Not Based on the Function of the Behavior
As a classroom teacher, I knew plenty of behavior strategies: token boards, breaks, choices, visual schedules, reinforcement systems, and so much more. I also received BIPs where a formal FBA had not been completed in order to quickly create a plan for the student. At the time, I did not think anything of it; I just focused on implementing the strategies I was given to the best of my ability.
What I understand much better now is that a “good” strategy is not automatically the right strategy. If a student leaves the classroom to escape a demand, the intervention should look different from one designed for behavior that results in peer attention.
A strong BIP should be grounded in assessment data and an understanding of the behavior's likely function. When an FBA is conducted, it helps explain why the behavior is occurring, and the BIP tells us what we're going to do about it.
“A “good” strategy is not automatically the right strategy. If a student leaves the classroom to escape a demand, the intervention should look different from one designed for behavior that results in peer attention.”
2. The Behavior or Goal Is Too Vague
“Defiant.” “Disrespectful.” “Noncompliant.” Those words tell us something is going wrong, but do they tell every adult exactly what the behavior does and does not look like?
Creating a BIP without first talking with the teacher and other staff who regularly see the behavior can make this even harder. We need to understand what staff are actually seeing before we can turn those concerns into observable and measurable descriptions.
Goals can be too broad, too. A goal like “The student will demonstrate the replacement behavior 80% of the day” may sound measurable, but what exactly are we measuring? When is the student expected to use the replacement behavior, and how will staff know when it occurs?
A teacher should be able to read both the behavior statement and the goal and confidently determine whether it counts.
3. The Plan Says What to Stop, But Not What to Teach
Reducing challenging behavior is not enough. We have to teach the student what to do instead. “Stop yelling,” “stay in the classroom,” or “complete work” may describe what we ultimately want, but they don't necessarily give the student a new skill or replacement behavior.
If a student leaves when work becomes difficult, they may need to learn to request help, appropriately ask for a break, or request that the assignment be broken into smaller parts. Importantly, that replacement behavior should address the same need the challenging behavior was meeting, which brings us back to the importance of completing an FBA to determine the why behind the behavior. A strong BIP shouldn't just answer “What do we want the student to stop doing?” It should also answer, “What are we going to teach the student to do instead? How are we going to teach it?”
“Reducing challenging behavior is not enough. We have to teach the student what to do instead.”
4. The Plan Doesn't Fit the Reality of the Classroom
This one may ruffle a few feathers, BUT hear me out. It is exciting to see more BCBAs and behavior specialists moving into schools. But being an expert in behavior doesn't automatically mean understanding the realities of a classroom, and school-based ABA doesn't always look the same as “traditional" ABA.
A strategy can be behaviorally sound and still be unrealistic in a classroom. I once had a BIP that asked me to tally every 30 seconds when a student was on task. After 10 tallies, the student earned a “gold Ferrari car,” which signaled that he earned a five-minute break. In a classroom full of third graders, consistently watching one student's behavior and recording data every 30 seconds was nearly impossible while also teaching and supporting everyone else.
We also have to remember that many teachers are implementing these plans without a paraprofessional or classroom aide, whether because the student doesn't qualify for that level of support or because of staffing shortages. A BIP cannot be written as though additional adult support is available when it is not.
Whether or not the person writing the BIP has ever had a classroom of their own, they need to understand the classroom where the plan will actually live. A strong BIP shouldn't just be behaviorally sound. It has to be realistic enough for staff to actually implement.
5. The BIP Is Handed to Staff Without Training or Support
There is a big difference between receiving a BIP and being prepared to implement one. If a BIP asks adults to change what they're doing, handing them the document cannot be the end of the process.
As a classroom teacher, I sometimes felt like the process was, “Here's the BIP. Read it. You got this”! But...did I? Did someone model the strategies, practice likely scenarios with me, or observe implementation and provide feedback? Support doesn't have to mean weeks of coaching. It can be a walkthrough of the plan, modeling, practice, feedback, or simply a check-in.
We need to consider not only students' skill gaps, but also teacher and staff gaps that could make implementing components of a BIP difficult or inconsistent. Instead of only asking, “Why is the teacher not following the BIP?” we should also ask, “Did we teach and support them well enough to implement it?” “Did we create a plan that can be sustained?”
At the end of the day, a BIP is only as useful as it is usable. The goal is not just to write a great BIP. It's to create a plan that adults can actually implement consistently and with fidelity to help a student succeed.
“At the end of the day, a BIP is only as useful as it is usable. The goal is not just to write a great BIP. It’s to create a plan that adults can actually implement consistently and with fidelity to help a student succeed.”
