Abstract:
The Behavioral Characteristics Progression in Spanish (Progresion de Caracteristicas de Conducta) is a translation from the English form of the test and is neither standardized nor criterion referenced. It is meant for use with special education students as a way of measuring which behavioral skills the student has mastered, and which are yet to be mastered. Unmastered skills can be selected as instructional goals, and the instrument can serve as a record of a student's abilities for the purpose of developing an Individual Plan of Instruction. The BCP lists 2400 behavioral traits which are grouped into 59 domains such as Hygiene Habits, Articulation, Inter-Personal Relations, Writing, Mobility, etc. Within each domain, the traits pertaining to it are listed in ascending order of complexity in a series of boxes. The teacher marks the box that describes the most complex skill possessed by the student. The 50 traits listed under "Eating", for example, begin with 1) Opens his mouth when the person who is feeding him pushes at his mouth with a fork, and 2) Opens his mouth voluntarily when he sees food coming. The last two traits are 49) Serves himself in a cafeteria, and 50) Can eat all kinds of foods without a problem. After identifying the student's current abilities and choosing more complex abilities as behavioral goals, educators can consult the handbook for the English version of the test for suggestions on instructional methods and activities.