Documenting Behavior

Young children can present challenging behaviors in the educational setting. Staff document behavior for the purpose of sharing information with families and other relevant stakeholders, planning effective interventions, assessing staff training needs, and making decisions about the allocation of program resources.

• Staff will document classroom behavior observations in the Education Domain of Child Plus.
• Each child will receive a behavioral screening using the ASQ-SE (see Developmental and Behavior Screening [1] policy).  A copy of the ASQ-SE will be saved as an attachment in the Education Domain of Child Plus.
• Staff will use the Behavior Incident Reporting System (BIRS) to document incidents of challenging behavior.  All staff will be trained in how to use BIRS before implementation.
  • Staff will fill out one BIRS form per incident.  A single incident may include several behaviors.
  • Completed BIRS forms will be sent to Early Childhood Education Coordinator (ECEC) for data entry.
  • ECEC will keep a confidential file of completed BIRS forms to be disposed of at the end of the program year.
  • BIRs data may be shared in report form with family, teaching staff, regional manager, ECSE specialist, mental health providers, school districts, or program consultants as appropriate.
    • Data will be used to plan classroom modifications, develop and monitor behavior.  Data may also be used to document the need for additional services or supports.
  • When frequency or intensity of BIRS reports warrants the need for follow-up, staff will use the Behavior Support Log in the Events tab of the Education Domain of Child Plus.
  • Periodically during the program year, agency wide BIRS data will be analyzed to assess training needs and allocation of resources.
• Staff will use the Acuity Scale in the Education Domain of Child Plus to document children who need additional on-going support.
  • One Acuity scale is opened for each child who needs on-going support. Notes and open/closed criterion items are all tracked on one acuity scale.
  • Staff will update the Acuity scale for each child quarterly or more frequently if needed.
    • When adding a new Acuity criterion, notes will accompany each item documenting the behavior or skill level.  Quarterly updates will document progress made.
      • Once a specific criterion has been open, additional incidents or concerns regarding that specific criterion can be added to the note section.
    • When an Acuity item is no longer a concern, staff will enter an end date.
  • Acuity information may be shared with family, teaching staff, regional manager, ECSE specialist, mental health providers, school districts, or program consultants as appropriate.
    • Data may be used to develop behavior plans and strategies.  Data may also be used to document the need for additional services or supports.
  • Periodically during the program year, region and agency wide Acuity information will be analyzed to assess training needs and allocation of resources.

Policy Council approved August 2013. August 2018

This policy complies with Head Start Performance Standard 45 CFR 1304.20 (b)(1), 1304.20 (b)(3), 1304.20 (f)(1), 1304.21(a)(i), 1304.21 (c)(i), 1304.21 (2)

REVIEWED: June 2021

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