Abstract

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are intended to guide educators’ efforts to help struggling students succeed in school by reducing the frequency of problem behavior and teaching appropriate, pro-social responses. The impact of a BIP, however, depends on the degree to which the plan is implemented with fidelity. In practice, there are many factors that prevent teachers and other practitioners from strictly adhering to the BIP including having multiple plans to follow, inexperience with the specified intervention(s), or particularly challenging behaviors in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that contribute to the treatment integrity of BIPs implemented by general educators. To accomplish this goal, we graded plans already developed and implemented using the Behavior Intervention Plan Quality Evaluator, Second edition. The BIP evaluations were then paired with survey responses from the practitioners charged with creating and completing the BIPs. A multiple regression analysis was used to predict treatment integrity (TI) outcomes based on BIP quality, in terms of development and features of the written plan, and the coaching or training received by the primary implementer and plan developer. The purpose of this study was to determine how the qualifications, training, and coaching of the professionals involved in a plan, as well as the development of the plan, and the quality of the BIP influence treatment integrity. Although coaching ended up being an excluded factor and only BIP quality was found to possess some relation to treatment integrity, the study concluded with interesting findings. Training, BIP Quality, and Treatment Integrity were found to possess predictive qualities for student outcomes. A total of 4 school districts in the state of Utah participated in the study and a total of 51 plans were evaluated and 32 survey responses were submitted. Individual BIP practices were assessed, and with more information on the factors that influence treatment integrity, educators will be better prepared to support these factors in their schools and provide better supports and develop higher quality behavior intervention plans as they are implemented with greater integrity.

Degree

EdS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

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