Behavioral Disabilities Profile

This descriptive information is for Newark Public School’s staff guidance only and does not modify or supercede legislative and regulatory statutes and guidance

STUDENT:

In order to be placed into a Behavior Disabilities Program the student must:

• Be classified for special education and related services under one or more of the 14 disabling conditions delineated in New Jersey’s Administrative Code of Special Education. 
• Be determined to be unable to demonstrate satisfactory educational benefit and progress in the general education classroom, as it exists or with the use of supplementary aids and services, based on interventions and/or other considerations;
• Demonstrate physically and/or verbally aggressive and/or defiant behaviors over a significant amount of time with increased intensity and frequency. Behavioral examples may include, but are not limited to:
  • Physical aggression - fighting, throwing objects, damages property, physically hurts others, using weapons, bullying
  • Verbal aggression - cursing, screaming, making threatening remarks
  • Defiant – Disrespectful of school authorities, refuses to follow rules and/or consequences of his/her behavior
• Exhibit behaviors that violate the:
  • School’s discipline policy and by having engaged in a level II to level IV of misconduct in the Newark Public School’s Discipline and Response Guide.
  • Established classroom rules and are such that they interfere with the student’s learning and/or the learning of others.
• Must have an IEP that contains a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) that was developed to target challenging behaviors, which minimally utilized a Functional Behavioral Assessment. (See “Challenging Behavior” in special education training modules).   

Staff    

All assigned staff should be:

• Certified and licensed, according to district, state and federal requirements, preferably an interest and/or experience in working with this student population
• Engaged in ongoing professional development corresponding to their professional roles to:
  • Prevent and/or diminish aggressive and defiant behavior, such as demonstrably effective strategies for:
    • Classroom management, such as “withitness”, “emotional objectivity”, effective implementation of class room rules and procedures, physical arrangement of the class room, etc. – (see “classroom management” within “challenging behavior” of special education training modules.)  
    • Developing and implementing behavioral intervention plans (BIP) (see BIP/PBS within “challenging behavior” of special education training modules)
    • Counseling
    • Consultation and/or collaboration
  • Promote student access to the general curriculum and achieve IEP goals and objectives with supplementary aids and services (see “Research Supported Strategies” within “Special Education Programs and Services” in special education training modules)  
  • Fully integrate assigned teacher aides into program ( see “Effective Use of Teacher Aides” within “Special Education Programs and Services” in special education training modules)  
  • Effectively collaborate and work with families to enhance student performance (see “Parental Support” within “Special Education Programs and Services” in special education training modules)  

THE PROGRAM:

The following description provides general guidance for Newark’s “Behavioral Disabilities” Program. However, the specifics of each student’s program are noted in his/her IEP:

• Limits the instructional group size for both elementary and secondary behavioral disabilities programs to nine (9) students without a classroom aide and twelve (12) students with a classroom aide.

• Serves students who have similar intensive educational, behavioral and other needs related to their disabilities in accordance with their individualized education programs.

• Focuses on:
  • Decreasing aggressive and defiant behavior and increasing pro social corresponding behavior (see “Challenging Behavior” in special education training modules) utilizing demonstrably effective strategies, like the following:
    • Each student’s Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP), which should, in part, be based on a functional behavioral assessment (FBA), should be implemented, evaluated and revised to ensure it decreases aggressive and defiant behavior (see BIP/PBS and FBA within “challenging behavior” of special education training modules)
    • Effective classroom management strategies – (see “classroom management” within “challenging behavior” of special education training modules), which may include the following: 
      • An established behavioral point/token system
      • Behavioral contracts to increase pro-social behavior while decreasing inappropriate behaviors
    • Counseling and/or other IEP mandated related services, as well as integrated therapies, where teacher and related service providers meet regularly and coordinate their activities
    • Appropriate interpersonal, communication, cooperative, pro social and conflict resolution skills

    • The social/emotional cumulative progress indicators (CPIs), as well as the corresponding framework activities, vignettes, and district curriculum (see the “cumulative progress indicators – social/emotional CPIs within the “Summary of Resources” in the Special Education Training Modules)

     

• Utilizes ongoing monitoring and feedback to facilitate and measure each student’s progress and achievement of  IEP goals and objectives, such as:

  • Parental/Teacher communication logs (see Parents within “Stakeholder Involvement” of special education training modules 
  • Student involvement in developing and monitoring goals and objectives
  • Quarterly Warning Notices/Progress Reports

  • Quarterly Report Cards

   

• Consultation services may be provided on behalf of the student by a related services provider, a teacher of students with disabilities or a child study team member to the general education teacher and/or the teacher aide, which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • The development and demonstration of techniques and strategies;
  • Data collection on the effectiveness of the techniques and strategies; and

  • Development of positive behavioral supports.

   

• Integrated therapies may be provided - Teachers and related service providers meet on a regular basis to problem solve, plan, integrate services, and implement strategies to ensure that each student is able to participate in the general education curriculum. By ensuring that all providers communicate with one another and integrate their services, these coordinated services will enhance and facilitate the student’s access to the general education curriculum.

   

• Increasing each student’s participation and progress in the general curriculum, as well as achieving IEP goals and objectives, utilizing:
  • Stakeholder involvement (see “Stakeholder Involvement” in special education training modules)
  • Effective teaching and learning strategies (see Research Supported Strategies within “Special Education Programs and Services of special education training modules)
  • IEP specified supplementary aids and services (see supplementary aids and services, within “Steps in Developing IEPs” of special education training modules)

MOVEMENT TO A LESS RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

The IEP Team will review each student’s progress at least once a year, including his/her participation in the general education curriculum/program, and explore movement to a less restrictive environment. This consideration will be based on the student’s decrease in his/her aggressive and defiant behavior, as well as his/her ability to achieve educational benefit in a regular education classroom with supplementary aids and services (see Supplementary Aids and Services within “Steps in Developing an IEP in special education training modules).