G. Roy Mayer

Exploring the Link Among Behavior Intervention Plans, Treatment Integrity, and Student Outcomes Under Natural Educational Conditions:

Several researchers have argued that the functional behavior assessment (FBA) and behavior intervention plan (BIP) mandates in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004 have gone beyond the current research base. For instance, although BIPs have been shown to improve student outcomes when implemented with strict control and oversight by researchers, it is unclear whether these relationships hold true when implemented under real educational conditions. The purpose of this research was to conduct an initial study evaluating the relationship among the evidence-based quality of federally mandated BIPs, treatment integrity, and student outcomes under real-world educational conditions free from the help of researchers. Results indicated that the evidence-based quality of BIPs was significantly related to positive student outcomes. Results also supported the role of treatment integrity as a mediator of the relationship between the evidence-based quality of BIPs and student outcomes. The implications and limitations of this research as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Behavioral Strategies To Reduce School Violence.

Public schools that use punitive approaches toward student discipline can unwittingly promote violence and other antisocial behavior. This article reviews constructive and preventive methods to reduce school violence and vandalism. Various strategies are presented and discussed.

Effects of Training on the Use of the Behavior Support Plan Quality Evaluation Guide with Autism Educators: A Preliminary Investigation Examining Positive Behavior Support Plans.

Positive behavior support (PBS) plans are required practice for students whose behaviors impede their learning or that of others. Educators of children and youth with autism and other developmental disorders represent a subgroup of special educators who are frequently involved in the development of PBS plans. The goal of this research was to assess the effect of a specific, brief training delivered to improve the substantive, evidence-based quality of PBS plans developed by autism educators in a graduate-level university program. Intra-individual tests of significance revealed that the training significantly improved the quality of PBS plans. The plan components with the highest ratings were predictors of problem behavior and behavioral definition, whereas the components with the lowest ratings were behavioral goals/objectives and team communication. The implications for delivering brief trainings to improve evidence-based practice, as well as limitations and future directions, are discussed.

Why Must Behavior Intervention Plans Be Based on Functional Assessments

Functional assessments, how they are conducted, and their relevance to selecting effective interventions are discussed. Functional assessments can help the school psychologist determine the purpose of the student’s behavior. Once the purpose is determined, more relevant and effective reinforcement approaches to behavior change can be selected than when interventions are arbitrarily chosen. When functional assessments are used, the emphasis changes from what can be done to the student to stop the problem behavior to what changes can be made in the school and/or home environments to enable students to achieve their potential.

A Search for the Elusive Setting Events of School Vandalism

“Crime and violence threaten the viability of our public schools,” said United States Attorney General William French Smith (Nicholson, 1981). Speaking during June, 1981, Smith called for a crackdown on violence and vandalism in the schools, stating that more than 250,000 students and 5,000 teachers are physically assaulted in a typical month. In addition, the National School Resource Network and the California Safety Center (Nicholson, 1981) report that more than

Preventing School Vandalism and Improving Discipline

600 million is spent annually on school property repair, security devices, insurance, and guards.

PREVENTING ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN THE SCHOOLS

School vandalism, a complex problem area of extreme social importance, is increasing in magnitude. Nationwide, over 5,000 assaults on teachers are reported each month, and over

A Preventive Approach to School Violence and Vandalism: An Experimental Study.

500 million is spent each year to repair damage done by school-aged vandals (National Institute of Education, 1978). It was reported in a recent Los Angeles County School Attendance and Welfare Bulletin (Note 1) that in school districts throughout Los Angeles County the average vandalism costs were in excess of

A Dropout Prevention Program for At-Risk High School Students: Emphasizing Consulting to Promote Positive Classroom Climates.

8.5 million for the 1978–1979 school year, a 56% increase over the 1977–1978 school year. Additional indirect expenses are incurred by school districts for insurance, security guards, and other presumed deterrents to vandalism. These expenses appear to exceed the cost of repairing the effects of vandalism. The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Security Section, for example, had a budget of about

Antisocial behavior: its causes and prevention within our schools

10 million for personnel salaries alone, an increase of nearly