Tressa Ports

SPED 741
Behavior Intervention Plan

Behavior Intervention Plan

Tressa Ports
Towson University

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SPED 741
Behavior Intervention Plan
Student Background and Definition of Specific Behavior

Charles frequently uses electronic devices like his smartphone to

search the Internet and read various articles that are unrelated to the
academic environment when independent student work time is allotted
in the classroom. During these times in class, Charles will either refuse
to begin his work, or rush through his work without putting effort into
completion. When reminded to put his devices away, Charles will
become upset and argumentative with the teacher. His avoidance
behavior has caused him to have multiple Staff Incident Reports (SIRs),
referrals, and detentions to be issued. While Charles is rarely removed
from the classroom, his avoidance of independent student work time
has negatively impacted his academic progress. Charles has several
behavior goals on his IEP related to his off-task behaviors, as well as
appropriate social interactions. Charles is categorized as a student on
the Autism Spectrum according to his IEP and has specific
interventions described.
Literature Review

How Teacher Positioning in the Classroom Affects the On-Task Behavior

of Students (Myers & Anderson, 2010)

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This article identified the relationship between teacher
positioning in the classroom and demonstrated student on-task
behavior. The authors claim that the efficacy of a teacher is related to
his proximity to the students to ensure motivation is maintained and
content is learned. The authors described four specific settings and
instructional situations in the classroom and displayed their data in a
table showing the number of students off-task, the location of the
teacher, whether the teacher changed her position in the classroom
and if so, where she positioned herself, and whether off-task behavior
decreased after repositioning. It was found that if the teacher
circulated in the classroom, keeping in proximity of the students, ontask behavior increased and removal of students from the learning
environment decreased.

Evaluation of a Second-Tier Classroom-Based Assignment Completion

Strategy for Middle School Students in a Resource Context (Ness,
Sohlberg, & Albin, 2011)

This article evaluated the relationship between cognitive barriers

and motivation to complete independent work (both homework and
classwork). The study identified a relationship between both variables
in two of the three students mentioned in the study and the authors

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determined that an organizational model should be implemented in a
resource room setting for the three students, all of whom identified
with learning disabilities. It was found that the students struggled with
remaining on task in class because they lacked specific skills to
complete the independent work. An organizational strategy was
already in place in the school but the three students in the study were
provided a supplemental strategy which involved modeling the
assignment calendar in place on a display board in the classroom,
creating assignment tickets to promote choice, and actually posting
new assignments on the board, with a student volunteer writing the
assignment on the board. The research conducted determined an
improvement in assignment completion for those students who had
been identified as having a relationship between beginning an
assignment and organization strategies. The third student, whom had
no relationship between initiation of assignments and organization, did
not show any significant results after participating in the study.

Promote Student Success During Independent Seatwork (Rock &

Thead, 2009)

This article provided 20 ways to promote on-task behavior while

completing

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classwork in the classroom. The authors divide the strategies into
three main categories: Implement Positive Behavior Supports,
Engineer Environmental Supports, and Provide Instructional Supports.
The authors identify a holistic approach to classwork completion;
identifying that all three categories should be utilized in order to
maintain a positive work environment for academic success. The
strategies could be used in all academic environments, both selfcontained and inclusion. Most of the strategies are ones considered to
be best practice in the classroom; for example, providing concise
instructions and providing engaging materials are mentioned, as well
as making real world connections to motivate students to complete
assignments.

Academic Choice for Included Students with Emotional and Behavioral

Disorders (Skerbetz & Kostewicz, 2013)
This article discussed the importance of providing choice for
students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders when in the inclusion
classroom. The choice could be provided in multiple aspects of
instruction, ranging from choice in materials to complete assignments,
the type of assignment to complete, or a reward after successfully
completing an assignment. Five students were identified as
appropriate test subjects and baseline data was collected by teacher

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observation. After providing the intervention in the form of studentchoice, the researchers identified a significant increase in student
completion of assignments. When the support was taken away, the
students returned to assignment completion similar to preintervention, and a follow up implementation showed an increase in
completion for most students. Further research should be conducted
to identify relationships between student choice and student
preference and omitting the preferred assignment to identify whether
assignment choice is truly effective when working with students with
Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

Implementation of a Self-monitoring Application to Improve On-Task

Behavior: A High-School Pilot Study (Wills & Mason, 2014)

This journal article discusses the use of a self-monitoring

application as a high-tech tool to help students with learning
disabilities monitor their own behaviors in the classroom, as a means
to enable the student to recognize undesirable behaviors and to
encourage self-awareness, a skill many adolescents, especially those
with learning disabilities are lacking. The authors asked the two
students to identify their behaviors every two minutes in 15-minute
increments to establish a baseline. After implementing the program,

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the authors noted a significant increase in on-task behavior based on
student reflection. After removing the program, data was collected
and on-task behavior was noted as decreased. Finally, an intervention
period was implemented, resulting in an increase in on-task behavior.
The authors identified that technology for self-monitoring is only in its
infancy and additional research should be conducted to identify its
efficacy in the classroom.
Data Collection:
I am currently a self-contained special education teacher at
Lansdowne High School. I co-teach an inclusion Environmental Science
class, and I teach one section of self-contained Environmental Science,
one section of self-contained Keyboarding and Career Strategies, and
two sections of Content Mastery Lab, an elective credit for special
education students who are in inclusion classrooms for their core
academic classes. Content Mastery Lab is designed to be an ideal
classroom for students with IEPs to have their extended time
accommodations and complete homework, as well as learn relevant
study and organizational skills necessary in the classroom. Charles is a
10th grader in one of my sections of Content Mastery Lab. I was aware
that he frequently struggled with remaining on-task, especially in
Content Mastery Lab in his freshman year, and there was some
hesitation to place him in the class this school year as a result.

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My first observation of Charles was in Content Mastery Lab and I
was also able to observe him in his Biology class during my planning
period. Since I am his case manager, this observation served two
purposes; to identify frequency of off-task behavior and data collection
for an upcoming IEP team. I created a spreadsheet on my computer to
monitor his behaviors during class so as not to attract any undue
attention (I am frequently seen observing classes with my computer,
so this is not unusual). The spreadsheet identified the activity being
done in class, whether or not Charles was engaged in the activity,
presence of electronic device, and any consequences of his behavior. I
observed Charles for two 45 minute time periods (partial periods), once
in Content Mastery Lab and once in Biology.
Upon reviewing Charles file, I was able to identify that he earned
seven credits during his freshman year, although his final grades
consisted of three Cs and four Ds. Last year, he received 32 SIRs for
Technology Violations and so far this school year he has received five.
All of the SIRs were considered minor violations and no major
disciplinary action occurred as a result of his infractions.
The behaviors I looked for during my observations were:
1. Charles engagement in the task at hand (whether he was
following teacher instructions)
2. Usage of electronic devices during unauthorized times in class
3. Completion of independent classwork

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Student: Charles
Observer: Tressa Ports

Date: 9/28/15
Class/Time: Biology/7:30-8:15

Activity
Drill

Electonics?
Yes

Engagement?
No

Consequences
Teacher asked
Charles to put
device away.

Notes on

Yes

No

Content
Independent

Partially

After 5 minutes

Teacher asked

Seatwork

Charles worked

of work

Charles to

for about 5

review his work,

minutes before

then asked him

the device

to put device

came out
Class Discussion No

Yes

away.
Teacher stood
by Charles desk
to encourage
him to put
device away
non-verbally

Pre-lab Activity

Yes

No

Student: Charles
Observer: Tressa Ports

Date: 9/30/15
Class/Time: CML/10:30-11:15

Activity
Drill

Electonics?
Yes

Engagement?
YesCharles

Consequences
Teacher

completed drill

checked drill

quickly then

and asked

pulled out

Charles to share

device.

his response.

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Discussion of

No

Yes

Teacher asked

writing

Charles to put

assignment
Main Idea

device away.
Teacher asked

No

Yes

Writing

Charles to put

Assignment

device away
and complete
assignment.
Charles became
argumentative
with teacher,
stated the class
wasnt real
anyway, and
told the teacher
he hated
people like her.
Administrator
called to room
to ask Charles
to refrain from
using the

Class Discussion No

No

device.
Charles put his
head down and
shut down.

Hypothesis of Functional Intention

The functional intention of Charles behavior is a combination of
avoidance of work and attention, specifically attention from the

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teacher. Charles seems to have a variety of interests that could be
very easily related to his classes and other academia; however, his
interests are very specific, a characteristic of people on the Autism
Spectrum. These specific interests, compounded with years of off-task
behavior in the classroom, have resulted in deficiencies in his core
content areas. Charles may begin class with an interest in the topic
but when the teacher branches off in a direction in which he has no
interest, he pulls out his device to research what he wants, thereby
avoiding his classwork. When the teacher approaches Charles, he
obtains the attention he desires and he attempts to monopolize the
teachers attention by engaging in conversation or by becoming
confrontational. Charles classmates have come to expect these
behaviors and an audible groan is typically heard when he starts to
misbehave.

Replacement Behavior
1. What should the student be doing?
Charles should be refraining from electronic device use, unless
the teacher authorizes it. Additionally, he should be able to
initiate classwork at the teachers request within two minutes
and continue working for at least 15 minutes without stopping. If
Charles does not perform the replacement behavior, then the

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teacher will provide a non-verbal cue, such as moving to a closer
proximity, to remind Charles to remain on-task.
2. How will the teacher teach the behavior?
The teacher will teach the replacement behavior by rewarding
Charles with brief breaks throughout the class. For every 15
minutes of on-task behavior, Charles will be permitted to do an
activity of his choice for two minutes. Given the length of the
classes (approximately 85 minutes), this is a reasonable
exchange.
3. When will you teach the behavior?
I will teach the replacement behaviors during Content Mastery
Lab each A day. Additionally, I will ask his other teachers to
adhere to a similar replacement behavior plan, as I am Charles
case manager.
Positive Behavior Support
To help Charles remain focused on what he has to do, I plan
to use a modified version of the calendar described by Ness,
Sohlberg, and Albin (2011). I will ask each teacher to provide me
the classwork assigned in class each day, and create a calendar
template for Charles to complete. At the beginning of each
class, I will put the calendar on Charles desk, and we will
compare what I have been given to what he has written in his
agenda book. This way, Charles will remain organized, a skill
with which many children with disabilities struggle. As Charles

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does struggle to initiate assignments, and his IEP does include
organization goals, there appears to be a correlation between the
behaviors, which makes it seem as though this additional
organizational strategy will help Charles remain on-task. The
study also includes providing student choice for assignments,
which is another tactic that is described below.
I plan to provide Charles choice in assignment completion
in Content Mastery Lab, following the examples described by
Skerbetz and Kostewicz, (2013). Given the nature of the class,
Charles will be able to choose from a specific list of assignments
to complete, therefore allowing him to do his favorite or least
favorite activities in the order he prefers. I will ask each of his
teachers to provide a list of missing assignments or assignments
that need to be edited on his Content Mastery Lab class days to
help him clearly identify what needs to be done.
Finally, I will implement the strategy described by Myers
and Anderson (2010). By strategically positioning myself near
Charles during the class, it will encourage him to stay on task.
As I am the only teacher in the classroom, I should never be in a
position that leaving the classroom should be necessary.
Additionally, by positioning myself near Charles, I will be able to

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monitor how long he remains focused on his behavior, making
his free time reward easier to implement.

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Data Collection and Visual Representation

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Thu
Thursda
rsd
y/November
ay
Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Wednesday

Thursday02

Thursday03

Thursday

Friday

Thursday04

Biology
Characteristi
cs of Life
Geometry
Translations

Biology
Characteristi
cs of Life

CRD
Workbook

Biology
Characteristi
cs of Life

CRD
Workbook

Saturday

Thursday12

Sunday

Thursday23

Thursday34

10

11

CRD
Workbook
English
Cinderella

Biology
Characteristi
cs of Life

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Behavior Intervention Plan
Geometry
Translations

English
French
Cinderlla

12

Geometry
Translations

13

14

CRD
Workbook

Biology
Strawberry
Lab

CRD
Workbook

English
Chinese
Cinderella

Geometry
Reflections

English
Chinese
Cinderella

19

20

CRD
Workbook

Biology
DNA
Molecules

EnglishWYO
Cinderella

Geometry

25253126

26263127

English
French
Cinderella

Geometry
Quiz

15

16

17

18

23

24

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30303131

131313129

BiologyLab
Write up
Geometry
Reflections

21

22

CRD
Workbook

Biology
DNA
Molecules

CRD
Workbook

EnglishWYO
Cinderella

Geometry

EnglishWYO
Cinderella

27273128

28283129

29293130

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Behavior Intervention Plan
Biology
Review
Packet
Geometry

CRD
Workbook
English PBA
0293130

CRD
Workbook

Biology
Review
Packet

CRD
Workbook

EnglishMake
Up Work

Geometry

EnglishMake
Up Work

03031313

Biology
Vocab
Nutrition
Geometry

Biology--Test

CRD
Workbook
EnglishPBA

Geometry

Biology
Enzymes
Nutrition
Geometry

CRD
Workbook
EnglishPBA

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Behavior Intervention Plan

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On-Task Time
60

45

Time (in minutes)

30

15

ON-TASK TIME

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Day

On-Task Time

30

45

30

60

60

45

60

60

60

10

60

11

45

12

60

13

60

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Data Summary and Interpretation
Based on the data collected, it is evident that the initial data
collection appears to be successful in the classroom. The behavior
intervention plan was designed to encourage Charles to refrain from
using his electronic devices during class except during teacherauthorized times. Instead, Charles was to initiate tasks within two
minutes and remain on-task for at least 15 minutes. If Charles was
able to remain on task for 15 minutes, then he could be rewarded with
a brief brain-break to do something he chose to do. Charles was
provided a calendar daily with the classroom assignments. He could
access it from the computer; the teacher uploaded it to Engrade, the
online resource for students.
Prior to beginning the assignment, the teacher explained to
Charles that he would need to begin his daily routine by checking
Engrade and printing off his calendar and comparing it to his agenda
book to ensure he had the correct information. Charles agreed to
complete this task every day. On the first day of observation, Charles
went to the computer, printed his calendar and then returned to his
seat and pulled his phone out. The teacher used proximity control and
reminded Charles to put his phone away and he sighed, and eventually
got his worksheets out but chose to work only seven minutes. After
Charles was reminded of the agreement between he and the teacher,

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he began to work and worked for 15 minutes, completing his Engrade
check sheet, a requirement for all students in the Content Mastery Lab.
After that was submitted, he planned for an upcoming English
assignment for 15 minutes, was rewarded with a break, and then
worked for an additional 10 minutes, packing up stating, I ran out of
things to do. The second day, Charles worked consistently for three
15-minute increments and was rewarded with a brain-break by the
teacher. The last 15-minute increment was unsuccessful, with Charles
repeating, I ran out of work. At the end of the second day, the
teacher identified that running out of work may be a common trend,
and she met with Charles to identify things he could do besides
packing up his things when he thought he was done. Charles decided
that he would ask the teacher to help him review his agenda book at
the end of class if he did not have enough work.
On day three, Charles began the day very negatively. He
appeared to be moody and sullen, and refused to work for the first 30
minutes of class, telling the teacher leave him alone and he expressed
his dislike for the new agreement. However, the fourth day Charles
was in a much better mood and worked for 60 minutes, earning his
brain-breaks and a V-Buck the PBIS strategy used at Lansdowne High
School. Although Charles hasnt outwardly responded to the PBIS
strategy in the past, the teacher felt it would be appropriate to adhere

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to the school-wide initiative, especially since other students are
rewarded for on-task behavior with V-Bucks. Day six marked ten 15minute increments and going to the library and getting a free-reading
book to keep in the CML classroom so he always had a preferred
activity for his brain-breaks rewarded Charles. He spent the last 15
minutes reading because he didnt have any additional work to
complete.
From day seven on, Charles seemed to demonstrate much
more on-task behavior, as indicated by 16 consecutive on-task
increments. This indicates a moderate level of efficacy. On day 11,
Charles came in the classroom and did not begin working; he had
taken a test in his previous class and indicated to the teacher that he
was tired and needed a break. Afterwards, worked for 45 minutes,
earning breaks at the 15-minute increments.
During the implementation period, it should be noted that
Charles began to identify things that helped him to remain on task
during class. He also identified the classes he needed additional
assistance in, frequently asking the teacher for assistance in Biology
course work. Additionally, since official observation periods have
stopped, Charles has still been exhibiting the desired on-task behaviors
in class, rarely taking his electronic devices unless he asks first.

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In conclusion, the evidence indicates that the behavior
intervention plan was indeed successful for Charles. It should be noted
that to determine true efficacy, additional observation periods should
be conducted. Given that Charles was given a reward (the brain
break), a period of time should probably be observed when Charles is
not allowed to have the break to see if the desired behavior continues.
Additionally, the intervention plan should be shared with his other
teachers to truly see if the intervention plan works in all of his classes.

Reflection
In completing this assignment, I believe that I have grown
significantly as a teacher. I have learned to work with students in
designing a plan that is best for their academic success, as well as
additional ways to customize and personalize classroom instruction.
Given the nature of Charles disability, strategies I have used with
other students in the past were not having the desired effect. By
getting to know Charles, I was able to identify organizational deficits he

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has, as well as specific avoidance behaviors he exhibits during
classroom instruction.
I realized that Charles enjoys reading while observing him;
when he was using electronics, he was not texting or playing games,
rather he was reading about topics he found interesting. To encourage
his replacement on-task behavior, I allowed him to go to the library one
day to get a free reading book. I also took time to talk with him about
the books he read, and shared some of my favorite authors with him to
help solidify my relationship with him.
To maintain his current behaviors in my classroom, I have
agreed to allow Charles to go to the library one time a week to choose
a new book to read, as long as he doesnt have any missing
assignments in his classes. Additionally, Charles continues to get the
brain breaks after working for 15 minutes. It should be noted that he
chooses to read his books rather than using his electronic device.
If I were to implement this behavior plan again in my
classroom, I would probably choose to choose an alternative strategy
besides the calendar. While it was effective for Charles, I have found it
difficult to collaborate with all of the teachers. Some teachers dont
check their email as often as others which makes getting an idea of
completed classroom activities difficult. Additionally, some teachers

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prefer to speak face-to-face and it is difficult to arrange face-to-face
meetings due to conflicting schedules.