District-Level Administrators’ Perspectives on the Implementation of Functional Behavior Assessment in Schools:

Disciplinary provisions outlined in the Individuals With Disabilities Act Amendments (IDEA; 1997, 2004; Yell, Shriner, & Katsiyannis, 2006) include specific techniques, such as functional behavioral assessment (FBA), implementation guidelines for manifestation determination hearings, and specific criteria for governing placements in interim alternative education settings (IAES). In fact, IDEA (1997, 2004) outlines specific disciplinary actions that trigger the need for an FBA or the review of an FBA or behavioral intervention plan (BIP) if they are already in place (for BIP-related legal and practice considerations, see Maag & Katsiyannis, 2006). Specifically, IDEA (2004) amendments and related regulations require that school districts provide educational services when seeking a change in a students' placement that would exceed 10 school days for violations of the school code or placement in an appropriate interim alternative educational setting for not more than 45 school days in conjunction with misconduct involving weapons, illegal drugs, or inflection of serious bodily injury (20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(1) (C), (D), and (G)). In these instances, the student regardless of whether the behavior is determined to be a manifestation of his or her disability - will continue to receive educational services and, "as appropriate, a functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention services and modifications that are designed to address the behavior violation so that it does not reoccur" (20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(1)(D)). If a student's behavior is determined to be a manifestation of his or her disability, the individualized education plan (IEP) team is required to conduct an FBA and implement a BIP for the student unless one exists (because of school code violations or in connection with misconduct involving weapons or illegal drugs or inflection of serious bodily injury; 20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(1)(F)(i) and (M)). Also, under the section titled "Consideration of Special Factors" related to the development of an IEP, IDEA (2004) states that the "IEP Team shall in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child's learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior" (§1414 (d)(3)(B) (i)). Certainly, the use of FBA should be an important component of designing these positive behavioral interventions.Beginning with IDEA (1997), the use of FBA has become common practice in school districts across the nation. In the research literature, FBA has been described as a process for identifying the environmental factors that motivate students to engage in problem behaviors (O'Neill et al., 1997). Most often, this process includes four phases. First, a descriptive assessment phase is conducted that typically includes the following steps: (a) operationally defining the target problem behavior; (b) administration of indirect assessments (e.g., teacher, student, or parent interviews; rating scales) to identify potential setting events, antecedents, and consequences surrounding the target behavior; and (c) direct observation of the target behavior during naturally occurring activities. During the second phase, the results of the descriptive assessment phase are reviewed and hypotheses are developed that target potential setting events, antecedents, and consequences that may be contributing to or maintaining the target problem behavior. In the third phase, an experimental analysis is conducted, manipulating targeted antecedents and consequences and validating or confirming the hypotheses. In the fourth and final phase, interventions are developed, implemented, and evaluated aimed at manipulating antecedents and consequences that will decrease problem behaviors while increasing appropriate, replacement behaviors.Initially, FBA was investigated as a tool for use in clinical settings to determine the functions of aberrant behaviors of individuals with severe developmental disabilities (Conroy, Alter, & Scott, in press; Fox, Conroy, & Heckaman, 1998; Sasso, Conroy, Stichter, & Fox, 2001). …