Ep. 59: Rethinking Fidelity — Making Behavior Support Plans Work in Real Classrooms

We continue our exploration of Tier 3 support by focusing on an important and often misunderstood part of behavior support plans: measuring fidelity. Joining us today is Rose Iovannone.• Rose is a research professor at the University of South Florida and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She also serves as director of the University of South Florida Interdisciplinary Center for Evaluation and Intervention, where she supports individuals with complex needs from early childhood through young adulthood. In addition to her research, Rose works closely with educators through training and professional development to support practical, real-world implementation of behavior support systems. In this episode, Rose helps us reframe fidelity as a way to evaluate whether a behavior support plan is actually feasible, effective, and aligned with classroom realities, rather than a measure of teacher performance. She also gives us actionable ideas for how teams can build buy-in, start small, and integrate fidelity into their ongoing problem-solving process.For more information about the resources shared in this episode, check out the following links:• Expert Instruction Ep. 58: Tier 3 Supports in General Education Classrooms• Teach by Design: The Fit Check Your Behavior Plan Needs• Prevent–Teach–Reinforce (PTR) Model• Technical Adequacy Tool for Evaluation (TATE)