Bringing research into practice to intervene with young behaviorally challenging students in public school settings: Evaluation of the behavior consultation team (BCT) project

Increasingly, schools across the nation are encountering behaviorally challenging students entering primary grade classrooms. With this project, we sought to effectively intervene with such students within a public school setting using an empirically derived team approach adapted for use in an applied setting. The Behavioral Consultation Team (BCT) was developed utilizing the following components: (1) a prereferral intervention team approach, (2) behavioral consultation including functional behavioral assessment, (3) positive behavioral interventions, (4) frequent progress monitoring, and (5) a comprehensive method of program evaluation. Results indicated some resolution of the referral problem was achieved in 75% of the completed cases, and that successful and unsuccessful cases varied on elements related to acceptability and integrity. Further, qualitative data helped to inform program revision and identify important practical considerations in the provision of interventions for challenging students. Implications and future directions are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 537–551, 2005.