A behavior plan can be evidence-based, carefully written and still fail in the classroom it was written for. I have watched that happen from every seat: as a special education teacher, as a district specialist, as a clinical director and as a consultant. When a plan isn't working, the first question people ask is usually, "Why isn't the teacher doing it?" I think that is the wrong first question.
The best plan for you isn't always the best plan for the room
As behavior analysts, we come from research. We want to write the strongest plan we can. But the strongest plan on paper might not be the strongest plan for a classroom with 25 or 30 students, one teacher and a part-time paraprofessional. An intervention that works with a one-to-one therapist at home can fall apart when one adult is running it for a whole group.
This is an ethics question, not only a practical one. We have an obligation to use evidence-based interventions. We also have an obligation to design plans that meet the needs, context and resources of the people who will carry them out, and that are likely to hold up under real conditions. A beautifully written plan that nobody can implement is not the more ethical plan. It is just the less useful one.
What "fit" actually looks at
I built a behavioral fit tool from the research on contextual fit and performance diagnostics. It doesn't score the teacher or the student. It looks at whether the conditions around the plan will let it succeed, across four areas:
Understanding and skill. Has the educator been shown how, practiced with feedback, and can they explain why the intervention works? Most importantly, do they believe it is acceptable, doable and likely to work in their classroom?
Classroom feasibility. Is there enough staff and time? Are the materials where they're needed? Can the plan run without stopping instruction?
Supports and data. Who does the teacher go to on a Tuesday when it isn't working? Can they realistically collect the data we're asking for? Is it reviewed regularly, or only when something goes wrong?
Feedback and sustainability. Is the educator recognized for their effort? Does administration understand and back the plan? What keeps it going if a crisis hits three weeks from now?
Anything that comes back as "not in place" is a reason to redesign before implementing, not a reason to assign blame.
Prepare the soil before you plant the potatoes
My favorite way to explain this comes from The Martian. Mark Watney doesn't just throw potatoes on the ground and hope. He builds the soil first: the fertilizer, the water, the right conditions. Only then does he plant. A behavior plan works the same way. A good score on a fit tool doesn't mean the plan will work. It means the soil is ready for a good plan to grow.
What the research says about building plans together
Research studies have found that behavior plans the staff themselves selected were carried out far more often, with implementation in roughly the 70% range, while the analyst-selected plans were mostly implemented at low levels. The behavior dropped faster with the plan the staff would actually use.
Another study finds that plans written by a team alone tend to fit the classroom better but are weaker technically. Plans written by a behavior specialist alone are the strongest technically but fit the classroom less well, which means they are less likely to last. Building the plan together gets you much closer to both.
Check out the full training for more research!
What to do on Monday
Ask before you write. Involve the teacher, paraprofessionals and administrator in choosing the plan, not just receiving it.
Simplify without leaving the evidence. Ask what you need to have and what you only want to have, and keep the need-to-haves.
Name the person to call. Every teacher should know who to go to when the plan stops working.
Make the data realistic. A teacher managing a full class usually can't take frequency data. A simple rating at the end of a period often gets better follow-through.
Check back early. Plans fizzle when the next crisis arrives. Schedule follow-up before you need it, so you're the lifeguard and not the response team.
The question to ask instead
Instead of "Why isn't the teacher doing it?", try "What is getting in the way, and what can we change?" When teams ask that together, plans get simpler, teachers feel supported and students get what they need.
If your school or district has a plan that isn't working, or a plan coming in from an outside provider you aren't sure will fit, I'd be glad to help. Learn about school-based consulting or schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
Check out the free B-FIT Ed tool here!
Casey Gressmen, MBA, MEd, BCBA, LBA, is a licensed special education teacher and board certified behavior analyst and the co-founder of Phoenix Rising Behavior and Academic Consulting.
