RETURNING TO SCHOOL: CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL NEEDS - A Guide to Supporting Students With Disabilities, Their Families, and Educators During the 2020–21 School Year

Oct 15, 2026

A strategies-and-practices guide for restarting classrooms and schools during the 2020–21 school year, focused on students with the most intensive behavioral needs, including students with disabilities. It helps educators and families enhance or adapt school and classroom action plans by integrating academic and social-emotional behavioral content. The document defines intensive intervention as a data-driven, iterative Tier 3 process that intensifies and individualizes instruction and supports for severe, persistent difficulties, and clarifies its role within MTSS implementation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose

Context

Leadership Teams and Support Staff

Outcome

Back to Basics: Implement Well a Small Number of Intensive Intervention Practices

Additional Considerations

Additional Resources

Conclusion

| | | | | --- | --- | --- | | RETURNING TO
SCHOOL: CONSIDERATIONS
FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST
INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL NEEDS
A Guide to Supporting Students With Disabilities, Their Families, and Educators During the 2020–21 School Year
NATIONAL CENTER ON INTENSIVE INTERVENTION
CENTER ON POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS
INTEGRATED MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT RESEARCH NETWORK
September 2020 | | | RETURNING TO SCHOOL: CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH THE MOST INTENSIVE BEHAVIORAL NEEDS A Guide to Supporting Students With Disabilities, Their Families, and Educators During the 2020–21 School Year Authors National Center on Intensive Intervention Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Research Network Purpose and Context for the Guide This document is a set of strategies and key practices to restart classrooms and schools in a manner that students, their families, and educators can use effectively, efficiently, and relevantly in the current climate. These considerations are intended to help educators and families enhance or adapt school and classroom action plans to support students with the most intensive behavioral needs in the current context. Often, our most vulnerable students have greater needs across academics and behavior and also have the most difficulty with disruptions and generalizing across settings and contexts or learning content. It is critically important to look for and act upon opportunities to integrate across areas of academic and socialemotional-behavioral content. This document was developed as a companion to the recently published Center on PBIS’s guide Returning to School During and After Crisis and therefore does not focus on foundational Tier 1 systems or practices. We have a unique opportunity to reconsider how we design education that supports students with intensive needs, including students with disabilities. September 2020 | 2 Table of Contents Purpose ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Context ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Leadership Teams and Support Staff .............................................................................................. 5 Outcome ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Back to Basics: Implement Well a Small Number of Intensive Intervention Practices .................. 5 Additional Considerations............................................................................................................. 12 Additional Resources .................................................................................................................... 13 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Purpose The National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII), Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and the Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (IMTSS) Research Network collaborated to create this document, which is twofold in its purpose. First, we see this document as a set of strategies and key practices to restart classrooms and schools in a manner that students, their families, and educators can use effectively, efficiently, and relevantly in the current climate. These considerations are intended to help educators and families enhance or adapt school and classroom action plans to support students with the most intensive behavioral needs in the current context. NCII defines intensive intervention asa data-driven, iterative process to intensifying and individualizing academic instruction and behavio

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this guide for the 2020–21 school year?

It provides strategies and key practices to restart classrooms and schools in a way that educators, families, and students can use effectively and relevantly during the current climate.

How does the guide define intensive intervention?

Intensive intervention is described as a data-driven, iterative process that intensifies and individualizes academic instruction and behavioral supports, positioned as part of Tier 3 within MTSS implementation.

Does the guide focus on Tier 1 systems and practices?

No. It is developed as a companion to a PBIS guide and does not focus on foundational Tier 1 systems or practices.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair