A BIP is a set of instructions for adults. If it reads like a report, staff will skim it. If it reads like a recipe, they will use it. This page lists what belongs in the recipe.
The shape of the plan
Colorado's guide says the goal of a BIP is to make the target behavior irrelevant, inefficient, and ineffective. Irrelevant: change what sets the behavior off. Inefficient: teach a skill that works better. Ineffective: stop the behavior from paying off. Every part of the plan should do one of those three jobs, and each should relate to the hypothesis from the FBA.
The checklist
| Section | What it should say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths and interests | What the student does well and likes, including relationships and supports | Colorado |
| Hypothesis | The defined behavior, where it occurs, the likely function, and setting events | Colorado, Illinois (summary of FBA) |
| Prior interventions | What was tried and how it worked | Illinois |
| Goals | A behavior to increase, a behavior to decrease, with baseline and criteria | Colorado, Illinois |
| Setting event strategies | What adults do to lessen the effect of known stressors | Colorado |
| Antecedent strategies | Changes that make the behavior less likely to be triggered | Colorado |
| Replacement skills | The skills to teach, in order, and how | Colorado, Illinois |
| Response strategies | How adults reinforce the new skill and avoid reinforcing the problem | Colorado |
| Reinforcement | What will be used, how often, and how it will be faded | Colorado, Illinois |
| Data plan | What is measured, how, how often, and review dates | Colorado, Illinois |
| Contextual fit | Who carries it out, what training and resources they need | Colorado |
| Communication | How the family is kept informed, and which staff get the plan | Illinois |
| Crisis plan, if needed | Conditions and steps for safety | Colorado, Illinois |
What each section does
Strengths. Colorado says a strength-based approach helps teams set realistic goals and interventions and may build confidence. List strengths as skills, for example "uses a computer well," and interests separately.
Hypothesis. Copy the summary statement from the FBA. It keeps the plan honest. See hypothesis statement examples.
Goals. Colorado's goal formula has five parts: the learner, the skill to be demonstrated, the target behavior to decrease, the conditions, and the criteria with a timeline. Its rule of thumb is a goal that represents about an 80 percent increase or decrease from baseline. Illinois says goals should be written in specific, positive terms that focus on increasing desired behavior. See BIP vs behavior goals.
Strategies. Colorado separates setting event strategies, antecedent strategies, replacement behavior teaching, and response strategies. Each should say what staff do, when, and with what words. See antecedent strategies in the classroom and replacement behaviors examples.
Data. Say what will be counted, by whom, at what time of day, how often, and when the team will look. Colorado says analyze within three weeks. See data sheets for BIP progress.
Contextual fit
Colorado's guide asks whether the plan fits the available resources and the skills and comfort of the staff who will carry it out. It lists what to name: who will implement the plan and in what activities and routines, what training they need, what resources and environmental changes are needed, how fidelity will be measured, how the plan connects to classroom or schoolwide systems, and how it will be faded. It also recommends a task analysis for each strategy, with the steps written so a teacher can follow them. Include roles rather than names, since people come and go.
What Illinois adds
Illinois's guidance asks for a summary of previous or current interventions and their success rates, a description of the motivators and rewards, and a specific plan or method to communicate with parents or guardians and coordinate school-based and home-based work. It also asks for a list of school staff who will be informed, who will get a copy, and how the plan will be shared. The sharing step often decides whether a plan is used. See sharing a BIP with all staff.
A short plan, start to finish (invented)
To see how the sections fit, here is a compressed plan for an invented student, Ravi.
- Hypothesis: during independent writing, when a long task is given, Ravi puts his head down because the aide comes to help, so the function may be to get help or avoid the task. More likely after a rushed morning.
- Goal: Ravi will ask for help with a card in at least 8 of 10 long tasks, and head-down episodes will fall from about 6 per week to no more than 1, for six weeks.
- Prevent: break long tasks into two parts, with a check-in after the first part; greet him at the door.
- Teach: practice the help card in a calm moment, then in the lesson.
- Respond: help comes at once when the card is shown, and more slowly when he puts his head down, with a calm reminder of the card.
- Data: tally of both, 9 to 11:30, by the aide, reviewed on Fridays.
- Who: teacher, aide, and the school counselor for check-ins.
That is eight lines, and each one can be checked. If staff can read it in two minutes, they can use it on Monday.
Crisis plan, only if needed
Colorado says not all students with a BIP need a crisis plan, and describes one as part of the plan when a high level of intervention may be needed. Illinois says the BIP should describe how an emergency will be handled, that a crisis is a situation requiring immediate intervention, and that this section must be reviewed for compliance with district and state policy and carefully and frequently monitored. This site does not describe physical interventions. See crisis plan in a BIP: an overview.
Plan-writing slips
Illinois lists obstacles that weaken a plan: vague or subjective definitions, incomplete measurement criteria, strategies that do not match the FBA data, inconsistent implementation across settings and staff, failure to monitor and adjust, lack of staff training, and neglecting environment and culture. Convert that list into a checklist before you finalize.
- Does every strategy trace to the hypothesis?
- Is the definition observable?
- Is there a baseline and a review date?
- Does anyone know how to do each step?
- Has the family seen it?
A one-page cover sheet
What to check locally
Whether the plan sits inside the IEP, in an attachment, or on a district form varies. Illinois notes that behavior interventions must be documented in the IEP, and that the family is entitled to notice of changes. Ask your special education director which format applies. Terms are in the glossary.