Behavior Intervention Plan

A strong behavior plan helps a student learn skills, reduces barriers, and gives adults a clear and consistent way to provide support.

A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is a written, individualized plan for supporting a student’s behavior. It should be positive, proactive, instructional, and based on information about why the behavior is happening.

A BIP usually builds on a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). The FBA uses observations, interviews, records, and other data to identify patterns and develop a best explanation, or hypothesis, about the behavior’s function. The BIP then connects that information to prevention strategies, skills to teach, ways adults will respond, and methods for checking progress.

A BIP should not be a list of punishments. Its purpose is to improve access to learning by helping the student develop effective communication, regulation, social, or other skills.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports when a student’s behavior interferes with their learning or the learning of others. This does not mean every student automatically needs a formal BIP. The team must consider the student’s individual needs and decide what supports belong in the IEP.

An FBA and BIP may also be required in certain school-discipline situations involving a student with a disability. Even when not specifically required, a function-based plan can be helpful for any student with persistent or intensive behavioral needs.

Families are important members of the team. You can share what the behavior may communicate, situations that affect it, strategies that have helped, health or sensory information, and your child’s strengths and preferences. Student input should also be included in a way that fits the student’s age and communication needs.

• A clear description of the behavior in observable and measurable terms
• The team’s best understanding of why the behavior is happening
• Changes to the environment that may prevent the behavior
• Positive replacement skills the student will be taught
• How and when adults will teach, prompt, and reinforce those skills
• Consistent adult responses when the behavior occurs
• Supports across relevant classes, settings, and activities
• Who is responsible for each part of the plan
• A safe response plan if there is a risk of harm
• How data will be collected and how often the team will review it
• How the student and family will participate and receive updates

Strategies should match the reason for the behavior. For example, if a student uses behavior to escape work that feels overwhelming, the plan might teach the student how to request help or a short break while also adjusting the task and building skills.

• The plan should be written and individualized.
• The student and family should help develop it.
• Strategies should be linked to FBA data.
• Prevention and skill-building should come first.
• The plan should identify who will do what.

• Staff who implement the plan need training and support.
• The plan should be used consistently across relevant settings.
• Progress should be measured with data.
• The team should review the plan on an agreed schedule.
• The plan should change when data show it is not working.

Behavior change takes time, but the team should not continue an ineffective or unsafe plan without review. The BIP should state what data will be collected, how often the team will look at it, and what progress should be expected.

Ask for regular updates and copies of relevant progress data. If behavior is increasing, new concerns appear, staff are not following the plan, or the student is not making meaningful progress, request a team meeting. The team may need to review implementation, gather more information, revise the FBA, change strategies, add services, or provide staff training.

When the BIP is part of an IEP, the supports and services in the plan must be implemented. The team should also make sure the plan protects the student’s dignity, uses the least restrictive effective strategies, and avoids approaches that may cause harm.

2025 Utah LRBI Technical Assistance Manual

Utah’s current guidance on positive behavior supports, FBAs, BIPs, discipline, crisis prevention, and emergency safety interventions.

USBE Behavior Support Resources

Current Utah State Board of Education materials and implementation resources for schools and families.

Center on PBIS: Function-Based Support

Current federal technical-assistance resources about FBAs, behavior support plans, family engagement, and function-based support for students with and without disabilities.

PACER: Positive Behavior Intervention Plans

A current family-friendly overview of BIPs, positive strategies, student needs, and IEP team participation.

PACER: Functional Behavioral Assessment

An updated overview for families explaining how an FBA is used to understand behavior and guide support.

Center for Parent Information and Resources: FBA and BIP Collection

A collection of family resources, training materials, and examples reviewed by Parent Center professionals.

You do not have to work through behavior concerns alone. Utah Parent Center parent consultants provide free, individualized support to families across Utah. We can help you prepare for an IEP meeting, understand an FBA or BIP, and organize questions for your child’s school team.

5296 S Commerce Dr., Suite 302, Salt Lake City, UT 84107
Phone: 801.272.1051
Toll-Free in Utah: 1.800.468.1160
Email: info@utahparentcenter.org

This page was funded by a grant from Interagency Outreach Training Initiative at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.