Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are essential tools for supporting students, but let’s be honest, they do not always work the way we hope. Even the best plans can sit on a shelf or get partially implemented if the school team runs into roadblocks.
The good news is that most of these barriers are fixable once you know what they are and how to address them.
Common Barriers Schools Face
- Limited Training on the Plan
We have all seen it: a plan gets written, handed to teachers or paraprofessionals, and then nothing happens. Without hands-on training, staff might misinterpret strategies, skip steps, or decide the plan is not working. Consistency suffers, and so does student progress. - Time Constraints
Comprehensive FBAs and BIPs can take weeks to complete, especially when they require a school psychologist or behavior specialist. In the meantime, students still need immediate support, leaving teachers to improvise. Even once a plan is in place, limited time and resources can make it difficult to consistently monitor and implement every component. - Staff Turnover and Experience Gaps
Schools are busy and ever changing. Staff come and go, and experience levels vary widely. Even the best-written plan can fall apart if new team members are not trained or if the strategies depend too heavily on one person’s expertise. - Technical or Clinical Jargon
Behavior experts can easily slip into their own language. While the terms make sense to a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), or other clinician, they can leave teachers or paras confused. If the plan is not written in clear and practical language, it will not be carried out with fidelity. - Factors Outside of School
Behavior does not happen in a vacuum. Family stress, lack of sleep, or community challenges can all affect how a student shows up at school. Educators cannot control these outside factors, but they do add complexity to the implementation process.
While not exhaustive, these are the challenges that come up most often when schools tackle implementation. The good news is that with the right tools and teamwork, most of them can be resolved within your team.
Our Simple FBA and Simple BIP forms make evidence-based practices easier to implement every day. Explore these tools—and more free resources to support your team—here.
How Schools Can Solve These Challenges
Collaborative Development and Training
Bring teachers, paras, specialists, and administrators into the process of writing the plan. When everyone has a voice, buy-in grows. Pair this with clear training and demonstrations so staff feel confident. Implementation checklists can double as training tools and fidelity checks.
Flexible Planning Options
Not every student needs a full scale FBA+BIP. Sometimes a quick Tier 2 behavior plan, point sheet, or targeted strategy based on existing information is enough to provide immediate support. This approach helps schools shift from putting out fires to proactive coaching.
Continuity Systems
Turnover happens. Build systems that make it easy for new staff to step in without missing a beat. Step-by-step guides, coaching, and checklists help ensure consistency even when teams change.
Practical and Clear Language
Skip the jargon. Translate strategies into clear everyday actions that make sense in real school settings such as the classroom, cafeteria, or playground. Staff are far more likely to follow through when instructions feel doable and relevant.
Strong Team Based Support
External factors cannot always be controlled, but schools can control the support around the student. When the full team of teachers, paras, administrators, specialists, and families works together, consistency grows and plans stick.
Download our free Behavior Advantage Implementation Checklist
Making Implementation Work
Writing the plan is only half the battle. The real success comes during implementation. Too often, plans are handed off with little conversation, leaving staff uncertain and frustrated.
That is where an implementation checklist comes in. Instead of relying on memory, the checklist breaks the plan into practical and easy-to-follow steps. It can also be used in many different ways:
- ✅ As a training tool so new team members or substitutes can get up to speed quickly
- ✅ As a self-assessment tool so staff can reflect on their own consistency
- ✅ As a fidelity monitoring tool so coaches or administrators can confirm strategies are being carried out as written
- ✅ As a refresher tool so staff can revisit the plan when they need clarity
- ✅ To monitor effectiveness so the team can track whether the plan is being followed and whether it is working to improve student behavior
For example: a school might use the checklist during weekly PLC or student support meetings. Teachers and paras can review which strategies were used consistently, note what worked well, and highlight areas that need coaching. Administrators can use the same checklist during observations to provide feedback. This creates a cycle of review, reflection, and refinement that makes sure plans are more than just words on paper.
If staying organized is on your mind, don’t miss our Behavior Plan Presentation Checklist—a quick tool to keep everything on track.
Putting It Into Practice
Behavior plans do not have to be overwhelming. When schools shift from simply writing a BIP to actively supporting its implementation, the impact is powerful. With collaboration, clarity, and tools like implementation checklists, teams can feel confident that plans are not just created but consistently carried out.
This is where Behavior Advantage makes a real impact. The platform gives schools a practical way to design, manage, and monitor behavior plans within a system that aligns with both MTSS and IEP processes. By supporting Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 interventions, teams have a single structure for addressing student needs across the full continuum of support.
Need support with effective and efficient MTSS meetings? Check out our blog: How to Run Effective MTSS Meetings in 10 Steps
Every plan written in Behavior Advantage generates a custom implementation checklist. These checklists go beyond reminders. They:
- Clarify day-to-day responsibilities
- Provide aligned professional development so every team member knows and understands their role
- Reduce the risk of plans falling apart during transitions or staffing changes
By combining a team-based approach with fidelity tools and aligned training, the platform helps schools move beyond paper plans and into real, sustainable action. Instead of relying on scattered documents or one expert, every team member can contribute, track progress, and feel confident in the plan.
This Implementation checklist is a great tool to partner with our free BIP Template.
At the end of the day, it comes down to this: plans only matter if they are put into action. When they are, students gain consistency, staff feel supported, and schools move closer to creating the environments where every learner can thrive.
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