These lessons were developed as part of a National Center on Intensive Intervention Community of Practice with educators focused on implementing intervention virtually during Spring 2020 in response to COVID-19. Participating educators represented Colorado, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. These activities were developed by practitioners and are intended to showcase example strategies that educators have used to deliver intervention in a virtual environment during the pandemic.

The purpose of this training is to gain foundational knowledge of how all behavior serves a purpose or function. This foundational knowledge is core to understanding behavior, supporting students with challenging behavior, and diagnosing the function of behavior and developing effective behavioral interventions. This module introduces function of behavior and provides suggestions for how you can use this understanding within the context of a data-based individualization (DBI) process. While this module briefly mentions the role of a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), this is not the focus of this module.

Getting along with others, paying attention, following directions, making responsible decisions, and managing emotions are challenges for many students who require intensive intervention, and may be linked to difficulties with executive functioning, communication, behavior, and academic learning. In this webinar, presenters Mara Schanfield and Zach Weingarten shared an overview of how social emotional learning (SEL) relates to intensive intervention and offer sample strategies and resources for building social and emotional competencies for students in need of intensive learning, social, emotional, or behavioral supports.  

NCII developed this resource to help educators better understand the purpose of and considerations surrounding behavior screening in schools. Educators can use the information on this resource in conjunction with the Behavior Screening Tools Chart to (a) design a screening process for their school and (b) select or evaluate screening tools.

This four-part webinar series is focused on the Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity. This series provides an overview of the dimensions of the Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity and case applications showing how the taxonomy can be used to guide the intensification of reading, mathematics, and behavior interventions.  

The purpose of this module, Behavior Basics: Understanding Principles of Behavior, is to gain foundational knowledge of what behavior is, how behavior is defined, and what environmental factors influence behavior. This foundational knowledge is core to understanding behavior, supporting students with challenging behavior, and later, diagnosing function of behavior and developing effective behavioral interventions.

The National Center on Intensive Intervention and the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports have partnered to present a webinar series focused on providing educators with tools to support secondary students during virtual learning and the return to in-person learning. This series is intended for educators at the state and local level who work with students with intensive behavioral needs in secondary school settings. Webinar 1: Check and Connect: Implementation and Adaptation in a Virtual Environment At the core of Check & Connect is a trusting relationship between the student and a caring, trained mentor who both advocates for and challenges the student to keep education salient. Relationships are more important than ever given that current status of education and ongoing virtual learning.

This training module introduces the Taxonomy of Intervention Intensity and describes how it supports the DBI process by helping provide explicit guidance on how to select and evaluate validated behavior intervention programs to best meet students’ needs and intensify or adapt those interventions when students or groups of students do not adequately respond.

During distance learning, weekly check-ins can help teachers develop relationships with their students and stay connected. For students, check-ins can increase their emotional awareness, as well as their abilities to represent and express thoughts and feelings. Check-ins can also give students opportunities to advocate for themselves because they are asked what they need to be successful. For teachers, weekly check-ins provide insight on how students are feeling and what support they may need for academic and social-emotional skills. This resource was developed by Kerry Hayes Trotta, Etmi Lopes Martins, Kendra Haggerty, Maryann Reilly, Michelle Silvia, and Amy Burns, educators, and administrators at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. It includes a tip sheet and an example weekly check-in form.

This activity was developed by Etmi Lopes Martins, school psychologist at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. This lesson includes a tip sheet and a video tutorial that demonstrates how to create and implement the 5-point scale in a virtual setting. A 5-point scale is a simple social and emotional learning tool that can help students with self-management. To learn more about self-management and the 5-point scale, visit NCII’s behavioral strategy guide.