The relationship of intervention acceptability and integrity in general classroom interventions

Increasing emphasis is being placed on providing educational interventions for children with learning and behavioral problems in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This results in greater pressure on teachers, who have often had little or no specialized training in classroom management and individualized educational needs. Efforts to assist teachers working with students having difficulty usually involve teachers using a problem-solving process to develop individualized interventions. However, little applied research has been conducted to confirm the critical factors important in developing and implementing interventions to achieve positive student outcomes in school settings;Several factors suggested as important in intervention implementation include intervention acceptability, integrity, and effectiveness. Both intervention acceptability and integrity are hypothesized to influence intervention implementation and effectiveness. Most school-based intervention plans do not include assessment of these factors. Little research has been completed to examine interventions in applied settings to determine if the hypothesized relationship between the components exists;The overall purpose of this project was to assess the relationships between intervention acceptability, intervention integrity, and the effectiveness of classroom interventions using two studies. The first study involved observing interventions as they were implemented in elementary classroom settings. The second study used a survey to ask elementary teachers in 11 states about their experiences and perceptions of interventions they have implemented for students;Findings from both studies indicated that teachers tended to receive assistance when developing the interventions, but then implemented the interventions alone. In general, individualized interventions plans did not describe the specific steps to be completed as part of the intervention. In both studies, most teachers rated the interventions that they implemented from moderate to very acceptable. Implementation integrity was found to be high in the observation study. Teachers in the survey indicated more use of formal efforts to maintain intervention integrity than did teachers in the observation study. Further findings and implications are also discussed

Convergent Validity of Infant/Toddler Developmental Progress Monitoring Tools

Background Using progress monitoring data to make effective and timely decisions in early intervention (EI) requires high quality assessment. Infant/toddler individual growth and development indicators (I/T IGDIs) have been developed to be brief, reliable and engaging progress monitoring tools that are sensitive to change over short time periods (Greenwood et al. in J Early Interv 33:254–267, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815111428467). Objective The current study examined the convergent validity of IGDIs in three developmental areas: the early communication indicator, early problem solving indicator (EPSI), and the early movement indicator (EMI), with standardized criterion measures. In addition, growth patterns in the current study of children receiving EI services were examined. Method One hundred twenty-three children along with their service provider practitioners (N = 50) participated in the study. Practitioners administered IGDIs with children on their regular caseloads; data were examined for comparison with criterion measures and growth patterns. Results Significant relationships were found between I/T IGDIs and corresponding domains on the Battelle Developmental Inventory-2nd edition and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2nd edition. Linear and quadratic growth trajectory patterns from the current study resembled those of comparable samples from prior studies, where available. Conclusions Results supported the convergent validity of these I/T IGDIs with established criterion measures. Growth trajectory patterns for key skills and total scores were similar to those in prior studies, where available, with a few exceptions. Growth trajectory patterns for the EPSI and EMI with children from EI programs were demonstrated for the first time and supported hypothesized patterns

Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children with Disability Risks Identified Early

This study examined school readiness at kindergarten entry for low-income children whose disability indicators were identified before age 3. Data were collected as part of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-up study. Children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services had lower preacademic skill scores at kindergarten entry than those who had no disability indicators. In contrast, the preacademic skills at age 5 of children who received Part C services did not differ from those who had no disability indicators. A large proportion of children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services by age 3 received Part B services later. Results highlight the importance of early intervention for low-income children who have suspected developmental delays to enhance their school readiness skills

Identification of Disabilities and Service Receipt Among Preschool Children Living in Poverty

This study examined the prevalence of indicators of disability or potential disability among preschool-aged children enrolled in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up. Three categories of indicators were established: received Part B services, developmental risk, and biological risk. The majority of participating children (62%) were classified into at least one category. Children living in poverty from birth through preschool and of minority status were among those most likely to be classified; these children were likely to have received a variety of services. The majority of children who received Part C services (79.8%) received Part B services as preschoolers, but 33% of the children with a developmental risk identified before age 3 continued to have a developmental risk during preschool yet did not receive specialized services. Results highlight the importance of understanding the relations among child and family characteristics and service receipt to inform policy and practice

Low-Income Parents’ Warmth and Parent–Child Activities for Children with Disabilities, Suspected Delays and Biological Risks

Warm and responsive parenting is optimal for child development, but this style of parenting may be difficult for some parents to achieve. This study examines how parents’ observed warmth and their reported frequency of parent–child activities were related to children’s classifications as having biological risks or a range of disability indicators. Children were low-income prekindergarteners who participated in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project Longitudinal Follow-up. Data from parent, early care and education staff reports, and direct child assessments were used to classify children into the following groups: disabilities, suspected delays, biological risks, disabilities and biological risk, suspected delays and biological risk, and no disability indicator. Socioeconomic status (ethnicity, maternal education and poverty level) and maternal depression were controlled in the analyses. The parents of children with disabilities and suspected delays evidenced significantly lower levels of warmth and less frequent parent–child activities compared with other parents. The parents of children with biological risk factors who did not also have disabilities or suspected delays did not exhibit decreased warmth and less frequent parent– child activities

Predicting School Readiness for Low-Income Children With Disability Risks Identified Early.

This is the publisher's version, also found here: http://cec.metapress.com/content/v63130ux17623148/?p=2ad55b44ec3e4a3d8e66dcb0b3680616&pi=3This study examined school readiness at kindergarten entry for low-income children whose disability indicators were identified before age 3. Data were collected as part ofthe Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Longitudinal Follow-Up study. Children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services had lower preacademic skill scores at kindergarten entry than those who had no disability indicators. In contrast, the preacademic skills at age 5 of children who received Part C services did not differ from those who had no disability indicators. A large proportion of children who had suspected developmental delays and did not receive Part C services by age 3 received Part B services later. Results highlight the importance of early intervention for low-income children who have suspected developmental delays to enhance their school readiness skills

The relationship of intervention acceptability and integrity in general classroom interventions

Increasing emphasis is being placed on providing educational interventions for children with learning and behavioral problems in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This results in greater pressure on teachers, who have often had little or no specialized training in classroom management and individualized educational needs. Efforts to assist teachers working with students having difficulty usually involve teachers using a problem-solving process to develop individualized interventions. However, little applied research has been conducted to confirm the critical factors important in developing and implementing interventions to achieve positive student outcomes in school settings;Several factors suggested as important in intervention implementation include intervention acceptability, integrity, and effectiveness. Both intervention acceptability and integrity are hypothesized to influence intervention implementation and effectiveness. Most school-based intervention plans do not include assessment of these factors. Little research has been completed to examine interventions in applied settings to determine if the hypothesized relationship between the components exists;The overall purpose of this project was to assess the relationships between intervention acceptability, intervention integrity, and the effectiveness of classroom interventions using two studies. The first study involved observing interventions as they were implemented in elementary classroom settings. The second study used a survey to ask elementary teachers in 11 states about their experiences and perceptions of interventions they have implemented for students;Findings from both studies indicated that teachers tended to receive assistance when developing the interventions, but then implemented the interventions alone. In general, individualized interventions plans did not describe the specific steps to be completed as part of the intervention. In both studies, most teachers rated the interventions that they implemented from moderate to very acceptable. Implementation integrity was found to be high in the observation study. Teachers in the survey indicated more use of formal efforts to maintain intervention integrity than did teachers in the observation study. Further findings and implications are also discussed.</p

Convergent Validity of Infant/Toddler Developmental Progress Monitoring Tools

Background Using progress monitoring data to make effective and timely decisions in early intervention (EI) requires high quality assessment. Infant/toddler individual growth and development indicators (I/T IGDIs) have been developed to be brief, reliable and engaging progress monitoring tools that are sensitive to change over short time periods (Greenwood et al. in J Early Interv 33:254–267, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815111428467). Objective The current study examined the convergent validity of IGDIs in three developmental areas: the early communication indicator, early problem solving indicator (EPSI), and the early movement indicator (EMI), with standardized criterion measures. In addition, growth patterns in the current study of children receiving EI services were examined. Method One hundred twenty-three children along with their service provider practitioners (N = 50) participated in the study. Practitioners administered IGDIs with children on their regular caseloads; data were examined for comparison with criterion measures and growth patterns. Results Significant relationships were found between I/T IGDIs and corresponding domains on the Battelle Developmental Inventory-2nd edition and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2nd edition. Linear and quadratic growth trajectory patterns from the current study resembled those of comparable samples from prior studies, where available. Conclusions Results supported the convergent validity of these I/T IGDIs with established criterion measures. Growth trajectory patterns for key skills and total scores were similar to those in prior studies, where available, with a few exceptions. Growth trajectory patterns for the EPSI and EMI with children from EI programs were demonstrated for the first time and supported hypothesized patterns.This accepted article is published as Hughes-Belding, K., Luze, G.J. & Choi, JY.Convergent Validity of Infant/Toddler Developmental Progress Monitoring Tools.Child Youth Care Forum (2019). Doi:10.1007/s10566-019-09491-y Posted with permission.</p

Associations Between Parental Involvement and School Readiness for Children Enrolled in Head Start and Other Early Education Programs

This study investigates the relations among low-income parents’ perceptions of their child’s teacher, parental school involvement, and children’s pre-academic skills and aggressive behaviors by program type: Head Start or other early childhood education programs (ECE). The data were collected at two Midwestern sites as a part of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Pre-Kindergarten Follow-up Study. Findings indicate that when Head Start parents attended more school activities, their child scored higher on early literacy skills and lower in aggressive behavior. When Head Start parents perceived their child’s teacher as responsive, their child scored higher on early math skills. For children enrolled in other ECE programs, however, these relationships were not found. This study suggests that parents’ perceptions of their child’s teacher and their level of school involvement may be linked differentially to pre-academic skills and aggressive behaviors depending on program type. These findings call for research to further elucidate these links and suggest the need for additional support for low-income families and more professional development for early childhood teachers regarding ways to promote children’s school readiness through enhancing home-school connections.This accepted article is published Jeon, H.J., Peterson, C.A., Luze, G., Carta, J.J., Langill, C.C. Associations Between Parental Involvement and School Readiness for Children Enrolled in Head Start and Other Early Education Programs. Children and Youth Services Review. August 2020 (105353); DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105353. Posted with permission. </p

Milieu Language Strategies for Children Learning English

This research to practice paper summarizes a study on milieu language strategies implemented by Head Start teachers during center time, a time when children could choose what learning center to be at, such as dramatic play, reading books, sand table. The milieu strategies were effective at increasing verbal interactions between the child learning English (ELL) and the teacher