BTAM practice has grown significantly since data began in 2015–2016
the practice of BTAM has experienced significant growth at schools around the country since data on the topic first became available for the 2015–2016 school year
NCIER®
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Timing analysis focuses on roughly 1,600 schools with official or BTAM-like team
we focus on the subset of roughly 1,600 schools in our survey sample that reported having an official BTAM team or a BTAM-like team.
Implementation analysis limited to principals present for initial implementation
We then focus in on what implementation looked like among the subset of principals who were around for the initial implementation of their school’s official BTAM program.
Principals asked in January 2025 when their BTAM or similar team was formed
We asked principals in January 2025 when their school’s BTAM team (or alternative school-based team that functions similarly to a BTAM team) was formed.
Mid-year asking makes team-duration responses slightly difficult to interpret
Note that we asked principals this question midway through the 2024–2025 school year, making it slightly difficult to interpret principals’ responses about how long their BTAM team had been in place.
A minority of principals reported teams formed five to eight years ago or earlier
As shown in Figure 3.1, a minority of principals reported having BTAM teams that were formed five to eight years ago, or even earlier.
53 percent of principals reported teams formed in the past two to four school years
Sample (N = 1505) · Schools with BTAM team, excluding principals who did not know how long the team had been in place
Most principals (53 percent) reported that their BTAM teams were formed in the past two to four school years.
Timing corresponds with post-COVID behavior spikes and high-profile school shootings
This timing corresponds with at least two notable trends: (1) the return to in-person schooling after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated spikes in student behavior problems, such as minor classroom disruptions and student fights (NCES, 2022; Peetz, 2025); and (2) high-profile school shootings throughout the country, which spurred renewed attention to behavioral threat assessment in schools and led directly to changes in state policy (WFTS Webteam, 2018; Higgins, 2025).
Principal-recalled start dates largely align with federal trend data in Figure 1.1
results from our nationally representative sample of principals who were asked to recall when their BTAM programs began largely to align with federal trend data presented in Figure 1.1.
Both data sources suggest a significant increase in BTAM implementation in the past five years
Specifically, both data sources suggest a significant increase in BTAM implementation in approximately the past five years.
Figure 3.1 displays timing of BTAM team formation at all public schools
Nevertheless, Figure 3.1 uses principals’ responses to this question to display a representation of the timing of the formation of BTAM teams at all public schools across the country.
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