Behavior Specialist
Department of Exceptional Education
Supporting all school personnel in implementing positive behavior supports on a school-wide, classroom-wide, and an individual level.
Behavior specialists serve as consultants to all school personnel in the capacity of:
l Coaching teachers and other school personnel in the development, implementation, and monitoring of individualized functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. These plans seek to decrease a target behavior, provide function-based interventions, and teach the student a more appropriate replacement behavior.
l Coaching teachers and other school personnel in the development, implementation, and monitoring of individualized safety plans.
l Providing district-wide professional development in the areas of classroom management, individualized behavior interventions, functional behavior assessments, school climate, and others.
How schools can access a behavior specialist:
Cluster Support Team Contacts
2010-2011
Cluster / Assistant / Phone / Behavior SpecialistAntioch / Eva (Lynn) Ratliff / 641-5410
ext.1962 / Tammy Barnett
Cane Ridge / Bezu Abedi / 687-4000
ext. 819380 / Tammy Barnett
Glencliff / Cassandra Swinney / 333-5070
ext. 250 / Jessica Pfeifer
Hillsboro / Carol Henderson / 298-8400
ext. 2013 / Joey Lee
Hillwood / Vanessa Davis / 353-2025
ext. 807361 / Casey Bateman
Hunters Lane / Dianne U. Jordan / 859-8968
ext. 300 / Ingrid Rowland
Maplewood / Erika Peters / TBA / Stephen Williams
McGavock / Shawndra Sales / 885-8850
ext 812396 / Jessica Weisenbach
& Temple Crutchfield
Overton / Rachel Sherwood / TBA / Jessica Pfeifer
Pearl-Cohn / Kimberly Eggerson / 329-8170
ext. 729341 / Jessica Jones
Stratford / Donna Boyd / 242-6730
ext. 817370 / Ingrid Rowland
Whites Creek / Chelsey Griffith / 299-5188
ext. 600 / Stephen Williams
Team Responsibilities Throughout the FBA/BIP Process
Behavior Specialist
l Conduct interviews with teacher(s), student, and parent (if possible)
l Observe student in classroom
l Draft initial intervention plan
l Provide final version of plan to teacher after getting teacher input
l Compile and graph data
l Place a copy of the FBA and attached data in the student’s cumulative file
l Assist with implementation by modeling the intervention for the teacher, coaching the teacher as needed, and providing instruction in intervention procedures to the student
l Provide follow up as needed throughout various intervention phases
Teachers and School Personnel
l Schedule support team or IEP meeting to begin behavioral support process
l Complete referral and obtain parent signature
l Collaborate with behavior specialist to complete information-gathering forms, define behaviors, and design intervention plan
l Collect data on student performance
l Implement plan throughout school settings
l Provide feedback on and modify plan
Parent/Guardian(s)
l Consent to behavior specialist services and, if necessary, FBA/BIP
l Interview with behavior specialist
l Attend meetings as necessary (Support Team, IEP, etc.)
l Provide ongoing support of interventions at home
l Support staff as we work to provide adjustments to improve student’s behavior
Student
l Interview with behavior specialist
l Participate in intervention implementation
Implementation Policies
l The services offered by the behavior specialist provide a team-based approach that is dependent on collaboration between the behavior specialist, administrators, teachers, student, and parents.
l Either the behavior specialist or the teacher may agree to discontinue services if core components of the intervention are not implemented.
Tools of the Trade
l Behavior Specialist Referral Form
All referrals must be made through the cluster support team. Referrals must be completed, signed by a parent, and a support team or IEP meeting must be scheduled.
Tools related to the functional behavior assessment (FBA) process:
l Interviews (parent, student, teacher)
l Information-gathering tools
§ Behavior rating scales (MAS, FAST)
§ ABC observations
§ Data collection forms
§ Teacher self-assessment checklist
§ Classroom Observation Checklist
l Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)/ Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
Assist with development of plans that are implemented by teacher and school personnel
l Safety Plan
l Progress Reports
To be completed on a quarterly basis to teacher and parent
Professional Development Offered
Full Day (offered via ERO):
l Overview and Awareness of Gangs
l School Climate & Building Relationships
l Management Strategies for Effective Teaching
l Writing Effective Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans Part I: The FBA/BIP Forms and Process
l Writing Effective Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans Part II: Data Collection Methods and Intervention Strategies
Presentations for schools (1-3 hours):
l De-Escalation Strategies
l Promoting a Positive School Climate
l Management Strategies for Effective Teaching
l Functional Behavior Assessments
o Module I: FBA/BIP Forms and Procedures
o Module II: Data Collection in the Classroom
l Mental Health in Schools
l The Support Team Process