FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT, BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION PLANS, AND POSITIVE INTERVENTION AND SUPPORTS

The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), contains various provisions that relate to the academic performance and classroom conduct of students with disabilities. These legislative provisions will have a significant impact on the roles and responsibilities of most school personnel. In response to this legislation, the Virginia Department of Education formed committees to examine various aspects of IDEA. Our committee was charged with addressing those provisions of IDEA that relate to student behavior that impedes the teaching/learning process. The information below grew out of a series of discussions on emerging effective practices for dealing with student behavior problems and is intended to emphasize information already available. Committee members included parents, school administrators, psychologists, general and special education classroom teachers representing the public and private sectors, university researchers and teacher educators, and mental health and other community agency personnel.