Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.25776/3bpg-3y76

Pages

1-15 pp.

Abstract

Public educational settings are unique and complex environments that require specific knowledge and skills for the professionals that work in these environments. School-based behavior analysts can be a great asset to public schools. However, these professionals must be able to firmly understand and perform the responsibilities of a behavior analyst in collaboration with educators and service providers in a public school setting. The presence of behavior analysts in public schools is still relatively new, when compared with other specialized services. Therefore, behavior analysts, teachers, administrators, and others should focus on collaboration to promote the success for all stakeholders with an express emphasis on the students. The roles of school-based behavior analysts are still evolving and vary across schools and districts. As such, it is important to have a foundation of professional standards for school-based behavior analysts to draw upon to craft a scope of competence that allows for effective and efficient implementation of behavior analysis in the applied educational setting.

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board® (BACB®) has designed a comprehensive list of tasks in the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) Test Content Outline 6 th Edition, (2022) that forms the foundational knowledge and skills for all BCBAs. However, this content outline is not school-specific. While the content outline is designed to be used in any applied setting, including educational settings, school-based behavior analysts require additional context-driven skills and knowledge to be effective and efficient in their roles in public schools.

The Professional Standards within this document are intended to be an enhanced foundational layer for behavior analysts working specifically in the context of public school settings. The second edition of the Professional Standards have been updated and are aligned with both the BCBA Test Content Outline (6 th Edition, 2022) and the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2020). Additionally, development of these standards considered the Advanced Special Education Preparation Standards from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC; 2015), the Professional Standards of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP; 2020) and the Guidelines for the Provision of Behavior Analysis in Public Schools from the Virginia Department of Education (2021) to ensure alignment of expectations for the multi-faceted responsibilities of behavior analysts in school settings.

Rights

© 2026. This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. You are permitted to copy, share, and adapt the material for noncommercial purposes if you give appropriate credit and indicate if changes were made.

Comments

This project was also supported by the Virginia Department of Education through a grant (#876- DOE86625-H027A250107) to Old Dominion University to develop and support the Virginia Public Schools Behavior Analyst Network (VAPSBAN).

Original Publication Citation

Layden, S. J., Muise, E.N., Berlin, K. L., Gregory, S., Irwin, D., Long, K., Lorio-Barsten, D. K., O’Berry, J. L., & Riddle, H. (2026). Professional standards for school-based behavior analysts, 2nd edition. 1-15 pp. Virginia Public Schools Behavior Analyst Network, Virginia Department of Education. https://doi.org/10.25776/3bpg-3y76

ORCID

0000-0001-9111-4991 (Layden)

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