Precorrection for Youth with EBD in Alternative Education Settings: Implementation Suggestions

Alternative education (AE) settings include alternative schools, therapeutic day programs, residential treatment facilities, and juvenile justice facilities (Kumm et al., 2020). Youth served within AE settings include both those with and without disabilities with some youth also diagnosed with mental health issues. Although not all youth placed in an AE setting are receiving special education services, those who are on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must have the placement determination for an AE setting made in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) due to the individual youth’s needs and the setting in which the youth can best receive supports per their identified educational needs (Porowski et al., 2014). ”Youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) served in AE settings have a variety of behavioral and academic needs (Gagnon & Barber, 2015). In the context of this paper, all references to EBD include any youth in an AE setting who exhibit challenging behaviors, whether diagnosed or not. Through various interventions, strategies, and programming, youth with EBD in these settings often receive tiered supports to achieve behavioral improvements while also decreasing behaviors of concern.