Behavior Response and Intervention Navigation and Its Effects on a Selection of Middle School Students: A Program Evaluation

Abstract

Effective school-based tier 3 behavior intervention programs focus on behavior monitoring and self-management techniques with reinforcement, teaching replacement behaviors, establishing individual student goals, and offering a parental component in order to improve student behaviors. Very few individual studies link the improvement of student behaviors to the impact on student success in school environments. The Behavior Response and Intervention Navigation (BRAIN) program is a school-based Tier 3 program. The purpose of this outcomes-based evaluation research study was to describe the impact the BRAIN program had on the overall quality of the educational experience for the four students who voluntarily participated in the BRAIN program. Extant data were collected on behavioral and academic indicators for the participants within the program to determine the impact of the BRAIN program. Data were collected for an additional year following students’ involvement in the program to determine if students were able to generalize their behavioral and academic progress beyond the intervention years. The BRAIN participants attended school on a more regular basis, lowered their number of office referrals, and displayed growth on math and reading objectives on the state mandated assessments during the intervention. Post-intervention data indicated mixed results for generalization of skills with the participants. The study concludes with possible implications and ideas for future studies.