FBA and BIP: a practical guide for IEP teams

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

An FBA (functional behavior assessment) finds out why a behavior happens: what triggers it and what it gets the student. A BIP (behavior intervention plan) uses that answer to prevent the trigger, teach a safer behavior that meets the same need, and change how adults respond. The FBA comes first, the BIP follows, and the replacement skill becomes an IEP goal.

Most behavior plans fail for one reason: they were written before anyone knew what the behavior was for. A plan that adds a time-out for a student who wants to escape a task gives the student exactly what they want. The FBA prevents that mistake by finding the function first. The BIP then builds everything around it.

This guide follows one fictional student from the first referral to an IEP goal. Each stage links to a deeper guide in this cluster. The numbers in the case are illustrations, not targets.

What an FBA and a BIP are

A functional behavior assessment is a process for finding the purpose of a behavior. The team defines the behavior, gathers interviews and records, observes what comes before and after it, and writes a hypothesis about its function.

A behavior intervention plan is the plan built from that hypothesis. It has three main parts: change what happens before the behavior, teach a replacement behavior, and change what happens after.

	FBA	BIP
Question it answers	Why does the behavior happen?	What will we do about it?
Main product	A hypothesis about the function	A written plan with strategies and a goal
Who leads	School psychologist, BCBA or trained special educator	The IEP team, with the family
Data used	Interviews, ABC data, baseline counts	The FBA data, then ongoing progress data
Time	Usually 3 to 4 weeks	Reviewed every few weeks once in place

When teams use an FBA and BIP

IDEA requires the IEP team to consider positive behavioral interventions and supports when a student's behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others.^[1] The rules do not require an FBA in every such case, but an FBA is the usual way to gather the information.

The discipline rules go further. When a removal changes a student's placement and the behavior is found to be a manifestation of the disability, the team must conduct an FBA, unless one was already done, and put a behavioral intervention plan in place or review the existing one.^[2] States add their own timelines and consent rules.

In practice, teams start an FBA when classroom supports have not worked, when behavior is unsafe, or when a student is losing instruction time.

Stage 1: Referral

Amara's case. Amara is a fictional 3rd grader with an IEP for a specific learning disability in reading. In October, her teacher reports that she "crawls under the table and makes animal noises" during independent work. Adults spend a lot of time coaxing her out. She has missed most independent work time for three weeks.

The case manager calls a short team meeting with the teacher, the special educator, the school psychologist and Amara's father. They agree to do an FBA and get consent, as the district requires.

Stage 2: Define the behavior

The team writes an operational definition: "Goes under a table or desk, or makes animal sounds louder than a whisper, during instruction or work time. An episode ends when she is back in her seat and quiet for 60 seconds."

"Off task" and "silly" would not have worked, because two adults would count them differently. The guide to operational definitions of behavior shows 16 examples.

Stage 3: Gather data

The FBA uses two kinds of information.

Indirect. Interviews with the teacher, the para and Amara's father, plus a records review. All three adults say it happens most during independent work, especially when the teacher is with a reading group. At home, her father says she follows him from room to room when he is busy.

Direct. A baseline count and ABC data. Over 5 days, Amara had a median of 6 episodes per day (range 4 to 9), with episodes lasting a median of 4 minutes. The team recorded ABC data on 22 episodes over 2 weeks. The steps for that are in how to take ABC data, and the full process is in how to conduct an FBA.

Antecedent	Episodes
Teacher working with another group, no adult near Amara	17
Given a reading task	3
Transition	2

Consequence	Episodes
Adult came over and talked with her for 2 minutes or more	18
Peers laughed	3
Ignored	1

When no adult was near, the behavior showed up again and again. In 18 of 22 episodes, an adult came and talked with her.

The FBA template keeps the interviews, observations and hypothesis in one document.

Stage 4: Write the hypothesis

The team writes: "When Amara is doing independent work and no adult has interacted with her for several minutes, she goes under the table or makes animal sounds, to get adult attention."

The data rule out escape. She did not avoid work: when the adult left, she often returned to the same task. Reading tasks were the trigger in only 3 episodes. The function of behavior is attention.

To check, the teacher spent one week stopping by Amara's desk every 4 minutes for a 10-second check-in. Episodes dropped from a median of 6 per day to 2. The hypothesis held.

Function and replacement behavior

The function decides the replacement behavior. Here is the table the team used.

Function	What the student gets or avoids	Replacement behavior to teach	Prevention idea
Attention	Adult or peer interaction	Ask for attention with a signal, card or words, then wait	Scheduled check-ins before the behavior starts
Escape	Out of a task, setting or demand	Ask for a break, help or a shorter task	Chunk tasks, offer choices, pre-teach
Item or activity	A toy, device, food or more time	Ask for the item, wait, accept "later"	Warnings, timers, turn lists
Sensory	Input the behavior itself provides	Ask for or use a sensory tool	Schedule sensory input during the day

The replacement behavior has to work at least as fast and as well as the problem behavior. If raising a hand takes 10 minutes to get a response and crawling under the table takes 10 seconds, the table wins.

For worked examples under each function, see replacement behavior examples. When the student needs a way to ask for attention, a break or an item, functional communication training goals shows how to write that request as an IEP goal.

Stage 5: Build the BIP

Amara's plan has the core sections in the BIP template with examples.

Prevention. The teacher or para checks in with Amara every 4 minutes during independent work, for 10 seconds. The interval stretches to 6, then 8 minutes as the behavior drops.
Replacement behavior. Amara learns to place a "check on me" card on the corner of her desk. An adult comes within 1 minute.
Teaching. The special educator practices the card in 3 short role-plays a week for 2 weeks. Then the teacher prompts it in class.
Reinforcement. When she uses the card, an adult comes quickly and gives warm attention. When she works for a full interval, she earns a 2-minute "lunch bunch" chat point.
Response. If she goes under the table, adults keep words to a minimum, point to the card, and do not start a conversation until she is seated.
Data and review. The para counts episodes and card uses daily. The team reviews the graph at 4 weeks.

For complete plans built from each function, see the BIP examples by function.

Stage 6: Write the IEP goal

The replacement skill becomes the goal. The baseline is the number of times Amara asked for attention appropriately: 0 of 22 episodes.

Goal: "During independent work, when Amara wants adult attention, she will place her check-on-me card and wait in her seat for up to 2 minutes, in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive weeks, measured by daily opportunity data."

The team also writes a companion measure for the behavior itself: episodes drop from a median of 6 per day to 1 or fewer. For more goal wording, see the behavior IEP goal examples and the replacement behavior goal templates. Paste your draft into the goal checker to catch vague parts.

Stage 7: Measure and review

At 4 weeks, Amara's episodes are down to a median of 1 per day. She uses the card about 7 times a day. The team stretches the check-in interval to 8 minutes. At 10 weeks, the card is still working, and the team adds a second skill: asking a peer for help during group work.

If the data had stayed flat, the team would first check whether staff were following the plan. If they were, it would revisit the hypothesis.

Data sheets for FBA and BIP work

Pick the sheet that matches the behavior and the goal.

What you need to know	Method	Data sheet
How often the behavior happens	Frequency recording	Frequency data sheet
How long episodes last	Duration recording	Duration data sheet
How long until the student starts or stops	Latency recording	Latency data sheet
How much of the time a behavior is present	Interval recording	Interval recording data sheet

BIP or behavior support plan

Some districts use "behavior support plan" for lighter plans written without a full FBA. Others use it as a synonym for a BIP. The difference matters in discipline cases. The comparison of BSP vs BIP has a deciding question and three scenarios.

Every guide in this cluster

How-to guides

Templates

FBA template: interviews, observations, hypothesis

Examples

Comparisons

Behavior support plan vs behavior intervention plan

Before the FBA starts, the student's present levels should describe the behavior with numbers. The present levels examples show how. The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide on classroom behavior recommends identifying the conditions that prompt and reinforce a behavior, then teaching new skills.^[3] The IRIS Center has a free training module on FBA and behavior plans.^[4]

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an FBA and a BIP?

The FBA is the assessment that finds why a behavior happens. The BIP is the plan the team writes from that finding. The FBA comes first and produces a hypothesis; the BIP turns the hypothesis into prevention steps, a replacement skill and adult responses.

Does every student with behavior concerns need an FBA?

No. Many students respond to classroom and schoolwide supports. Teams usually start an FBA when those supports have not worked, when behavior is unsafe or keeps the student from learning, or when discipline rules require one.

Can parents request an FBA?

Yes, parents can ask the school in writing for an FBA. The school must respond under its evaluation procedures, which vary by state. A written request creates a clear record of the date.

What if the BIP is not working?

Check fidelity first: are staff doing the plan as written? Then check the data and the hypothesis. If the behavior has not changed after 4 to 6 weeks of consistent use, the function may be different, and the team should revisit the FBA.

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Sources

34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.530: Authority of school personnel, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Functional Behavioral Assessment: Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a Behavior Plan, IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.