Behavior Planning and Mental Health

Behavior Support Plans

Behavior Support Plans are required when a student with an IEP or 504 plan has "behavior interfering with learning of the student or his/her peers." (See: blank form and BSP Desk Reference ) Behavior Support Plans are also "best practice" for a school team to address the needs of students with no disabilities if their behavior needs support. A behavior support plan is an action plan, delineating what a team has determined to do when problem behavior is occurring. Six key concepts are the underpinnings for this plan and all adequate plans will have embodied these six concepts (see: key concepts executive summary and key concepts full-length article). All behavior plans will require well-written goals and objectives in order to measure response to intervention (see: Evaluating Goals and Objectives and Goal Writing Guide).

If the student has made a threat to harm either self or others, a behavior support plan specifies the careful monitoring this student will receive in addition to specific referrals and services which may have been recommended following a comprehensive school safety/threat assessment. See: University of Virginia Youth Violence Project

In California, if the student's problem behavior is "serious," the IEP team must request a Behavior Intervention Case Manager be included in the team process to conduct, or supervise the conducting, of a functional analysis assessment. The PENT team has developed a Four-Section PBIP-FAA Form which meets all legal mandates for data collection, plan development and plan review during the plan's implementation. PENT members have found these forms significantly shorten the writing process, allowing for more consultation time.

Some students will require several approaches to meet their needs, from behavior support, to accommodations to mental health services. This will require accountability and coordination. See: Accommodations, Mental Health Factors, and Forms on this website.

Additional PENT website materials helpful in developing behavior support plans include:

• Behavior Plans That Work - Table of Contents
• Behavior Plan Practicum: Developing and Scoring High Quality Behavior Plans - Table of Contents
• Behavior Support Plan Quality Evaluation Scoring Guide (BSP-QE Rubric)
• BSP Desk Reference
• Shortened Day Appropriate and Inappropriate Uses Concepts Guidelines and Examples
• Summary of Behavioral Terms and Correlations in Federal and State Law - IDEA and CA Ed Code