Cohort 9 Stepping-Up Technology Implementation

University of Washington

Project iBESTT: Integrated Behavior Support and Tablet Technology

Project iBESTT will develop, test, and refine training and implementation materials for using tablet technology to provide behavior assessment and intervention supports in elementary and middle schools. Major obstacles to successful behavior planning models are theoretical, understanding that behavior is functional, and practical, managing the forms and data. This project will support school teams in establishing a behavioral support system for students with or at risk for emotional behavioral disturbance who show challenging behavior.

Project iBESTT will work with school teams that have established models of school-wide positive behavior supports (SWPBS) for students within the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach to managing problem behavior. SWPBS is focused on (a) the development of a whole-school, positive social culture; (b) the organization of a multitiered set of behavior supports that invests first in prevention and then matches level of support with level of need; and (c) implementation of evidence-based practices that lead to both social and academic success for all students.

Products developed will include a readiness assessment for schools, awareness training and orientation tutorials, and manuals for using the iBESTT tool, staff training modules for new educators, online coaching in tool use and data collection, and web-based application for hosting and deploying electronic student support data.

Expected outcomes include (a) improved fidelity of data collection for student behavior support plans, (b) increase in data-based decisions for student behavior support plans, (c) monitoring and evaluating of tablet use by teachers and staff, (d) improved student social behavior and academic performance, and (e) social validation of the project from teachers, students, and families.