You have 26 students, a pacing guide, and a plan for one of them with six strategies and a data sheet. Helpful teachers still ask, quite reasonably, "what exactly am I supposed to do?"
This page answers that, with what the rules say, what the plan should tell you, and ways to make it manageable.
What IDEA says about your role
Section 300.321 lists the IEP team, and one member is not less than one regular education teacher of the child, if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment. So the general education teacher is part of the decisions, not only the recipient.
Section 300.323(d) says each agency must ensure that the IEP is accessible to each regular education teacher, special education teacher, related services provider, and other provider responsible for implementation, and that each is informed of their specific responsibilities, including the accommodations, modifications, and supports they must provide. That is your right: to see the plan and to be told what is yours to do.
What you should expect from the plan
A good plan gives you, in writing: what the student is working on, why the team thinks the behavior happens, what you do before it starts, what you do when the student uses the new skill, what you do if the behavior occurs, what to record, and who to call. Colorado's guide recommends explaining the hypothesized function to staff, because staff sometimes do not use strategies they do not understand. See sharing a BIP with all staff.
If the plan you received is vague, ask for a one-page summary and for the steps of each strategy written out.
Your daily steps
| Plan section | What it might look like in your room |
|---|---|
| Prevention | A two-minute warning before transitions, a shorter first page, a seat near you |
| Teaching | Prompt the break card when the worksheet is handed out |
| Response to the skill | Say "yes, two minutes" at once when the card is shown |
| Response to the behavior | Calm, brief redirect, with no extra attention to the behavior |
| Data | A tally during reading, on an index card |
| Communication | A line in the home-school log at the end of the day |
The IES guide says to start small. For a busy teacher it recommends concentrating on one strategic change in one setting, assessing its benefit, and then moving on to others. If the plan lists six strategies, ask which two matter most to start with.
Data for a class of 20 or more
The IES guide acknowledges that general education teachers attend to more than 20 students, so adding data collection can seem impractical. It recommends keeping methods very simple: for behavior that occurs several times a day, record occurrences over a few days, with a chart of the daily schedule where you put a tally under the time of day and activity. See scatterplot data for behavior. For behavior that is less frequent, a brief entry at a transition or the end of the day. Ask the special educator to supply the sheet and to take samples when they can.
Prevention you may already be doing
Many antecedent strategies are good practice for everyone, and the IES guide rates its recommendation on modifying the classroom environment as strongly supported. Clear expectations, warnings before transitions, choices, a reasonable pace, and a seating plan help the whole class. See antecedent strategies in the classroom. A plan asks you to make a few of those more deliberate for one student.
Communication with the special educator
Agree on a routine: a five-minute check each week, a way to flag a concern the same day, and a shared place to see the data. Ask for the graph. Teachers keep recording when they see the data used. If you are in doubt about a response, ask before an incident, not during.
Communication with the family
Share what you see, in facts, and ask what the family sees. See parent communication about behavior. If your district routes family communication about the plan through the case manager, follow that, and offer to give them what you notice.
A week in your room (invented)
Take a plan with three strategies for a student, Ben. Monday: you give the two-minute warning before the math transition, as planned, and tally two call-outs on the index card. Tuesday: a substitute is in, so you leave the one-page summary at the front of the folder. Wednesday: you prompt the break card when the long worksheet goes out, and say "yes" right away when he shows it. Thursday: you write a line in the home-school log about the card. Friday: you give the case manager the tally card, and she shows you the graph: call-outs have fallen from nine a day to five.
Each step took under a minute. The plan did not ask you to change your whole class, only to do a few small things the same way every day, and to say what you saw. That is the whole job, and it is a real contribution to the team.
Questions to ask at the start
Before a plan begins, ask four things. Which two strategies matter most for me in the first two weeks? What exactly do I record, and where does it go? Who do I tell the same day if something changes? When will someone look at the data with me? Having those four answers in writing takes ten minutes and prevents most of the confusion that follows.
Getting support
Colorado recommends that training and coaching happen in the classroom: a short training, a model, a chance to practice, an observation with feedback. Ask for it. Also ask for a coach or a co-teacher to take data for a lesson, and for materials ready to use. If the plan asks more than your day allows, say so to your administrator with specifics, and ask what can be adjusted.
When the plan is not working in your room
Check whether you are using it as written, and whether the data show a pattern. Then bring the specifics to the team. See when a BIP is not working. The team may change the strategy, add training, or adjust the plan for your setting.
Common slips
- Not seeing the plan. Section 300.323(d) says you should.
- Doing half of it. The data will show a flat line, and no one will know why.
- Skipping the data. Without it, the plan cannot be reviewed.
- Changing the plan quietly. The student gets mixed messages.
- Waiting too long to ask for help. Early is easier.
Terms are in the glossary.
What your district decides
Who attends meetings, how plans are shared, and what support is available vary by district. Ask your case manager and administrator, and keep your own notes of what you try and what you see.