Behavior Intervention Plan in Connecticut: What It Must Include and How to Evaluate One

The school developed a behavior intervention plan for your child. Or they said they would develop one and you're waiting. Or there's a BIP on paper but the behavioral incidents are continuing and you're not sure whether the plan is even being implemented. Here is what a Connecticut BIP is supposed to contain, how to evaluate whether the one you've been given is adequate, and what to do when it isn't working.

What a BIP Is and What It Isn't

A Behavior Intervention Plan is a written plan developed from a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) that outlines specific, evidence-based strategies for addressing a student's behavioral challenges. The key word is "from" — a BIP that is not grounded in FBA findings is essentially a guess about what will work.

A BIP is not a punishment schedule. It is not a list of consequences. It is a comprehensive support plan that focuses on:

1. Preventing the behavior from occurring — by changing the environment, schedule, or triggers (antecedent strategies)
2. Teaching a replacement behavior — giving the student an alternative behavior that serves the same function as the problematic behavior
3. Responding consistently when the behavior occurs — with strategies that reduce reinforcement of the problematic behavior without making things worse

Consequence-only plans are consistently identified in the research as ineffective. If the BIP you receive consists primarily of "if behavior X occurs, student will go to the office / lose recess / call home," that is not a research-based behavior intervention plan. It is a discipline flowchart.

What the FBA Must Show Before the BIP Is Written

Before reviewing the BIP itself, review the FBA that it's based on. A BIP that says the student's behavior functions as "attention-seeking" should have antecedent strategies that reduce the situations where attention is unavailable, a replacement behavior that provides appropriate attention, and response strategies that reduce inadvertent reinforcement of the problematic behavior through attention.

If the BIP doesn't logically connect to the FBA's identified function, ask the team at the PPT meeting: "How does each component of this plan address the identified function of the behavior?" If they can't answer that, the plan needs revision.

The Required Components of a Connecticut BIP

Connecticut does not have a separate state regulation specifying BIP content beyond what IDEA requires, but a legally adequate BIP should include all of the following:

Behavioral definition: A clear, observable description of the target behavior — specific enough that two different people would independently agree whether the behavior occurred. "Aggression" is not sufficient. "Hitting or kicking directed at peers or adults, using enough force to cause contact, as counted by direct observation" is sufficient.

Baseline data: How often, how long, or how intensely does the behavior currently occur? Without a baseline, you cannot measure whether the plan is working.

Identified function: What is the student getting from or escaping through the behavior? The BIP must name this explicitly.

Antecedent strategies: What will be changed about the environment, schedule, task demands, or adult behavior to prevent the behavior from occurring? Examples: modifying task difficulty, pre-teaching transition warnings, providing sensory supports before a known trigger, adjusting seating.

Replacement behavior: What specific alternative behavior will the student be taught? The replacement behavior must serve the same function. If the behavior functions as escape, the replacement is a taught skill for requesting a break appropriately. If it functions as attention-seeking, the replacement is a taught skill for requesting attention appropriately.

Teaching strategy: How will the replacement behavior be explicitly taught? Who is responsible for that instruction, and in what setting?

Response strategies: What happens when the target behavior occurs? And what happens when the replacement behavior occurs? Consistent responses across all adults who interact with the student are critical.

Data collection method: How will behavior data be collected, by whom, and how often? Weekly frequency counts, daily incident logs, interval recording — the method should match the behavior.

Review schedule: When will the team reconvene to review whether the BIP is working? A BIP with no review schedule is a plan with no accountability.

Staff responsibilities: Who is responsible for each component? A BIP that doesn't name specific roles leaves implementation ambiguous.

Who Is Required to Know About and Implement the BIP

This is one of the most common BIP failures in Connecticut schools: the BIP exists in the IEP and in CT-SEDS, but the paraprofessional who works with the student every day has never read it, and the general education teacher in fourth period doesn't know it exists.

All staff who interact regularly with the student must be informed of the BIP and trained on their specific responsibilities. This is not optional. The IEP — and therefore the BIP — represents the district's legal commitment to your child. A teacher who says "I didn't know about the plan" is evidence of an implementation failure at the district level.

Ask directly at the PPT meeting: "How will all staff who work with [child] be notified of the BIP and trained on their roles?" If the answer is vague, ask for it in writing as part of the meeting documentation.

What to Do When the BIP Isn't Working

If the BIP has been in place for 6-8 weeks and the target behavior has not decreased, there are three possible explanations: the function was misidentified, the plan is not being implemented consistently, or the plan is poorly designed.

First, verify implementation. Ask for the behavior data that has been collected since the plan was implemented. If data collection hasn't been happening, the plan is not being monitored. If data shows the plan is being implemented but behavior isn't changing, the plan may need revision.

Second, request a PPT meeting to review the BIP. You can request an IEP review meeting at any time. Bring the data you've observed at home or collected from teacher communications and compare it to the school's data.

Third, consider whether the FBA needs to be redone. If the behavior has changed character, if new antecedents have been identified, or if the original FBA was conducted without sufficient depth, a more thorough assessment may reveal what the first one missed.

Finally, if the BIP is not being implemented — not occasionally but systematically — that is an IEP implementation failure. Document the pattern with specific dates and examples. An IEP implementation failure can support a state complaint and, if it has resulted in educational harm, a claim for compensatory services.

The Connecticut IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a BIP evaluation checklist, an FBA-to-BIP alignment review guide, and a template for requesting a BIP implementation review at the PPT level.

See more United States homeschool guides →