Behavior Intervention Plan in Alaska: What It Must Include and How to Review One

The behavior intervention plan in your child's IEP is supposed to be a functional document that reduces problem behavior and teaches replacement skills. In practice, many BIPs in Alaska schools are compliance documents — they exist so the paperwork is complete, but the plan itself doesn't reflect an actual understanding of why the behavior occurs or what to do about it. Knowing what a well-written BIP should contain is how you tell the difference.

What a Behavior Intervention Plan Is

A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is a component of the IEP that describes specific, individualized strategies for addressing behavioral challenges. It must be grounded in a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) — without an FBA identifying the function of the behavior, a BIP is essentially guesswork about what strategies might reduce it.

A BIP does not exist to punish or control a student. It exists to teach. The goal of a sound BIP is always the same: identify what unmet need or communication the problem behavior serves, and teach the student a functionally equivalent replacement behavior that serves the same purpose through a more appropriate means.

When Alaska Schools Must Have a BIP

A BIP is required when:

• The IEP team determines that a student's behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others, and behavioral interventions and supports are needed
• Following a manifestation determination where the behavior is found to be a manifestation of the disability — the district must conduct or review an FBA and implement or revise a BIP
• When a student is removed to an interim alternative educational setting following certain serious offenses

Parents can also request a BIP at any IEP meeting. If your child's behavior is documented as a concern in teacher reports, previous IEPs, or disciplinary records, and there is no BIP in place, a written request is reasonable.

Components of a Compliant, Effective BIP

1. Operational definition of the target behavior. The behavior must be described specifically and observably — not "aggression" but "throws or sweeps objects from desk when presented with a writing task lasting longer than five minutes." Not "noncompliance" but "leaves assigned area without permission when adult delivers a corrective statement." Vague definitions make it impossible to measure progress or train staff consistently.

2. Baseline data. How often, how long, or how severely does the behavior occur? Without baseline data, you cannot demonstrate whether the plan is working. A BIP that has no frequency or intensity data at the start is impossible to evaluate.

3. FBA-identified function. What is the behavior doing for the student? Escape from demands? Access to attention? Sensory stimulation? The function drives every other element of the plan. A BIP that applies the same strategies regardless of function — take away privileges, add sticker charts — often makes the behavior worse because it ignores why the behavior is occurring.

4. Antecedent interventions. What changes to the environment, schedule, or demands will reduce the conditions that trigger the behavior? If a student engages in self-injurious behavior during transitions, antecedent interventions might include advance warning of transitions (5-minute warning, then 1-minute warning), a visual schedule, and a sensory break before the transition.

5. Replacement behavior. What specific behavior will the student be taught to replace the problem behavior? The replacement must be:

• Functionally equivalent (it serves the same purpose)
• More efficient than the problem behavior (it achieves the same result with less effort)
• Taught explicitly, not just assumed

If the behavior functions as escape from a difficult task, the replacement might be a "help me" card or a sign the student can use to request a break or assistance.

6. Consequence strategies. How will staff respond to the problem behavior, and how will they respond to the replacement behavior? These must be specified differently — the response to the replacement behavior should reinforce it strongly (immediate, reliable access to what the behavior is communicating), while the response to the problem behavior should not inadvertently provide the same function (no escape during tantrum if the function is escape).

7. Implementation responsibilities. Who is responsible for each component? If the plan requires a paraprofessional to deliver a consequence consistently, that paraprofessional must be trained. Alaska's 4 AAC 52.250 requires a minimum of 6 hours of annual training for paraprofessionals — but behavioral implementation quality depends on training that is specific to the plan, not just general hours.

8. Progress monitoring. How will the team know whether the plan is working? Data collection method, frequency, and decision rules for when to revise the plan should be specified.

Alaska-Specific Challenges in BIP Implementation

Paraprofessional consistency. In many rural Alaska schools, behavioral support falls primarily on paraprofessionals — the adults who are most consistently with the student. If the paraprofessional implementing the BIP turns over (which is common in remote communities with limited workforce) or is absent, the plan may go unimplemented. A BIP that is entirely paraprofessional-dependent without a backup plan or supervision structure is fragile.

Access to behavioral expertise. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) — who design evidence-based behavioral interventions — are scarce in Alaska outside urban centers. A BIP written without behavioral expertise may be technically compliant but practically ineffective. If your child's BIP was written by a team that has no behavioral specialist, and the behavioral challenges are significant, requesting a behavioral consultation as a related service is worth pursuing.

Teletherapy options. Behavioral consultation can be provided via telehealth. See Alaska itinerant services and teletherapy for how remote service delivery is structured under Alaska regulations and what to request if in-person behavioral consultation is unavailable.

What to Do When a BIP Isn't Working

If data shows that the problem behavior is not decreasing and the replacement behavior is not increasing after a reasonable implementation period, the team should reconvene to review the BIP. Red flags that a plan is not being implemented:

• No data being collected
• Different staff members responding to the behavior inconsistently
• The antecedent interventions haven't been put in place
• The team disagrees about the function of the behavior

Request a BIP review meeting in writing. Alaska is a one-party consent state under AS 42.20.310 — you can record the meeting to ensure there is a record of what was discussed and agreed upon.

The Alaska IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a BIP review checklist, a guide to understanding FBA reports, and templates for requesting behavioral services.

For a broader overview of behavior intervention plans, see our behavior intervention plan guide.

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