This guide is a set of strategies and key practices with the ultimate goal of supporting students with the most intensive behavioral needs, their families, and educators in their transitions back to school during and following the global pandemic in a manner that prioritizes their health and safety, social and emotional needs, and behavioral and academic growth.

The purpose of this document is to provide content-specific examples of how to structure educator-level and/or systems-level coaching as a mechanism to ensure ongoing professional learning to support tiered intervention. This document provides examples of coaching supports, models, and functions within the context of tiered intervention (e.g., RtI, PBIS, MTSS) and data-based decision making (e.g., data-based individualization [DBI]) for educators who already have foundational knowledge and/or experience with coaching.

The facilitating ongoing data team meeting documents can assist teams in ensuring that ongoing meetings for students receiving intensive intervention run smoothly. These tools are intended to support teams as they review student progress monitoring data after the initial intervention plan has been put in place and determine whether the student is making progress at an acceptable rate or if adaptations to the intervention plan are necessary. This suite of tools includes a sample agenda, facilitator guide, participant guide, and note taking template.  

The initial data team meeting documents can assist teams in facilitating an efficient and effective process for analyzing data and designing intensive intervention plans for students.

Before a student is referred for intensive intervention, it is important that the team get a holistic sense of the student, including relevant background information, current performance, current supports and previously attempted intervention(s), and other relevant data. These data meeting tools focused on preparing for the meeting ensure that team members are prepared to discuss students.

For children with the most severe and persistent academic and/or behavioral challenges, parent and family involvement is vital. School teams can use this guide to better understand intensive intervention and how to engage parents and families with the process.

Teams are a vital part of an effective multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) across both academics and behavior as well as special education. Making connections across the across the various teams used in MTSS and special education can be challenging. This resource from NCII and the PBIS Center, provides information about how DBI can support IEP implementation and provides a table with key considerations for teams working across the MTSS system.

This training module, includes four sections that (a) provide an overview of administering common general outcome measures for progress monitoring in reading and mathematics, (b) review graphed progress monitoring data, and (c) provide guidance on identifying what type of skills the intervention should target to be most effective in reading and mathematics.

This module serves as an introduction to important concepts and processes for implementing functional behavior assessment (FBA), including behavior basics such as reinforcement and punishment. Throughout this module, participants will discuss both real world and school based examples to become familiar with the FBA process and develop a deeper understanding and awareness of the functions of the behavior. Key topics include (a) defining FBAs in the context of DBI; (b) basic concepts in behavior, including antecedents, behaviors, and consequences; (c) levels of FBAs; and (d) considerations and procedures for conducting FBAs.

This updated training module provides a rationale for intensive intervention and an overview of data-based individualization (DBI), NCII’s approach to providing intensive intervention. DBI is a research-based process for individualizing validated interventions through the systematic use of assessment data to determine when and how to intensify intervention.  Two case studies, one academic and one behavioral, are used to illustrate the process and highlight considerations for implementation.