Evidence-based Practices: A Technical Assistance Perspective

1. Evidence-based Practices:A Technical Assistance Perspective Lou Danielson, Chair Brian Cobb, Susan Sanchez, Kathleen Lane, Rob Horner www.pbis.org

2. What is School-wide Positive Behavior Support? • School-wide PBS is: • A systems approach for establishing the social culture and behavioral supports needed for a school to be an effective learning environment for all students. • Evidence-based features of SW-PBS • Prevention • Define and teach positive social expectations • Acknowledge positive behavior • Arrange consistent consequences for problem behavior • On-going collection and use of data for decision-making • Continuum of intensive, individual intervention supports. • Implementation of the systems that support effective practices

3. Current Status • Implementation of School-wide PBS as of July 1, 2007 : 6073 Schools across 38 states

4. Technical Assistance Approach • 2 Year model of TA, with emphasis on local capacity building (coaching, training) • “Readiness” criteria (school, district, state) • Curriculum (process): pbismanual.uoecs.org (manual) • Process measures • Research Quality (SET); Self-Assessment (TIC) • Outcome measures • Office discipline referrals (ODR) • Literacy and academic scores (DIBELS, State Tests)

5. Lessons Learned in Providing Technical Assistance • Practices • Systems • Implementation Process • Sustainability

6. Defining a “Practice” • A “practice” is a procedure, or set of procedures, designed for use in a specific context, by individuals with certain skills/features, to produce specific outcomes for specific individuals. • Operationally defined procedures • Target population/ Context • Implementer Characteristics • Defined outcomes

7. Are these “practices?” • Whole Language Reading Instruction • Positive reinforcement • Inclusion • IDEA • Discrete trial training • Generalization • Positive behavior support • Functional analysis • Applied behavior analysis

8. Are these “practices?” • Whole Language Reading Instruction • Positive reinforcement • Inclusion • IDEA • Discrete trial training • Generalization • Positive behavior support • Functional analysis • Applied behavior analysis

9. Disseminating Evidence-based Practices • Evidence-based is not enough • In addition to the features of the practice: define what outcomes, when/where used, by whom, with what target populations, at what fidelity? • The innovative practice needs to not only be evidence-based, but dramatically easier and better than what is already being used. • The practice should be defined conceptually as well as procedurally, to allow guidance for adaptation.

10. Systems • Implementing practices without sustaining systems is ineffective and inefficient. • What are “readiness” criteria needed for successful implementation? • What are policies, personnel requirements, timelines, funding, data systems needed? • Importance of focusing on systems at the beginning of TA process.

11. Implementation Process • Never stop doing what already works. • Implement the smallest change that produces the largest effect (in multiple iterations). • Never introduce something new without indicating what you will stop doing to free up the time/resources for the new innovation • Design implementation to encourage local adaptation • Formalize the assessment and development of “contextual fit”

12. Implementation Process • Build implementation processes at multiple levels • School, district, and state level… • Depth of implementation (primary, secondary, tertiary) • Adjust implementation process as scale of implementation increases.

13. Systems Practices

14. School District State

15. Implementation Process • Use “process” measures AND “outcome” measures. • Make the measures both of research-quality… AND have self-assessment measures that are easy/inexpensive. • Provide direct support at the site of student involvement • Coaches at school

16. Sustainability • TA should start with emphasis on sustainability • Don’t invest in TA of practices/systems that will last less than 10 years. • Continuous regeneration • Implement  Evaluate  Adapt • Using Data for Active Decision-making