Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
A plan that describes specific strategies and supports to address challenging behaviors identified through a Functional Behavioral Assessment. It focuses on teaching replacement behaviors and preventing problem behaviors.
Federal rule: 34 CFR § 300.324 — Development, review, and revision of IEP
Where BIP shows up in your IEP
A BIP is usually an attachment rather than a page inside the IEP, often titled "Behavior Intervention Plan" and filed behind the services pages. Look for three things: the behavior described in terms a stranger could count, what adults do before it happens, and the replacement skill someone is teaching. The IEP itself should reference the plan by name.
What to ask at the meeting
- Which replacement skill are we teaching, and who teaches it each week?
- What does every adult do in the first minute, and do they all know that?
- How will we know in six weeks whether this plan is working?
Red flags
- The plan lists consequences for your child but names no skill anyone is teaching.
- The behavior is written up as defiance or attitude rather than as something countable.
- Nobody is named as responsible for the data, so the review date cannot mean much.
Example
Theo left the room about four times a day. His plan taught him to hand over a card and take a two-minute walk instead, with his aide prompting the card before the third transition. Six weeks of tallies showed exits down to roughly one a day, so the team kept the plan and folded the card into his morning routine.
Common questions
Is the school required to write a behavior plan?
The IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports whenever behavior impedes your child's learning or that of others. A written plan is the usual way that consideration turns into something staff can actually follow, and you can ask for the consideration itself to be documented.
Can the plan be changed during the year?
Yes, and a good one expects to be. If the data says a strategy is not landing, the team can amend it without waiting for the annual meeting. Ask for the revision in writing so the version in every classroom is the same one.
What if things look different at home?
Tell the team anyway. What you see at the end of a hard day is information the school cannot collect, and it often explains a pattern that looks random from the classroom side.
Related Terms
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
A process to understand why your child behaves in certain ways. It looks at what happens before and after a behavior to identify triggers and what the child gets from the behavior, so the team can develop better strategies.
Behavior Intervention
Strategies and supports designed to help your child learn appropriate behaviors and reduce challenging behaviors. These should be positive and proactive rather than punitive.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
A school-wide framework that uses positive strategies to teach and reinforce expected behaviors. It provides increasing levels of support for students who need more help with behavior.
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Check the Whole IEP — Free →This glossary is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Definitions are simplified for parent-friendly understanding and may not reflect the full legal text. Consult a qualified attorney or advocate for advice about your specific situation.