Assisting Districts in Assessing & Planning for Tier 3 Supports

1. Assisting Districts in Assessing & Planning for Tier 3 Supports Rose Iovannone, Ph.D., BCBA-D University of South Florida iovannone@usf.edu

2. Objectives • Participants will: • Identify enhancers and inhibitors to Tier 3 systemic implementation • List essential components for Tier 3 process • Describe sample district action planning process

3. Advanced Organizer • Overview/rationale • Development of evaluation tool • Preliminary outcomes • Case study • Practice time • Questions

4. Current Status of FBA/BIP Implementation in Schools • No federal guidelines despite federal mandate • No guidance on key components • In response, schools have “implemented a variety of inexact practices and procedures that have been loosely labeled as FBA, the majority of which are not tied to any solid evidence base.” (Scott, Anderson, & Spaulding, 2006) • Van Acker, Boreson, MS. Gable, & Potterton (2005); Cook et al., 2007

5. Tier 3 Implementation in Multi-tiered Supports • Districts not readily embracing Tier 3 • Possible reasons: • Philosophy • Degree of change required • Skillsets necessary for effectiveness • Resources • FBA/BIP procedures already present

7. Tier 3: Individual • Infrastructure in place: (a) Tiers 1 and 2 implemented with fidelity, & (b) system for conducting quality reviews of Tier 3 processes and procedures • Collaborative consultation facilitation: (a) multidisciplinary school-based team; (b) 3 levels of knowledge represented including knowledge of behavioral science, the child & the behavior, & campus/classroom context. • FBA process based on behavioral science principles that includes: (a) Operational definitions of behaviors; (b) direct observation of student and student perceptions of his/her behavior; (c) hypothesis based on FBA data that identifies antecedents, setting events, behavior, and function; (d) multi-component support plan linked to hypothesis with strategies to prevent problem behavior, teach replacement behaviors, and consequences to reinforce new skills and discontinue reinforcement of problem behaviors • Data-based decision-making approach used throughout process that includes: (a) training of teacher to implement interventions and follow-up support; (b) measures of implementation fidelity; (c) meaningful data

8. Providing Technical Assistance to Districts to Improve Tier 3 Behavior

9. Process Steps • District forms Tier 3 Level Team • District team completes Tier 3 Process Interview • District team provides 10 randomly selected FBAs/BIPs completed in last school year • Baseline score calculated • Strengths and weaknesses used to develop • Long-term and short-term goals • Action planning steps

10. Interview

11. Interview • Questions asked about processes not easily captured in a products • Looks at both district and campus levels • Scoring summary provided • Areas include: • Fidelity—process and interventions • Data tracking • Screening/identifying students • Timeliness of providing behavioral support • Team composition • Team processes • Consistency of conducting Tier 3 evaluations and supports • Wrap-around

12. FBA/BIP Technical Adequacy

13. Technical adequacy of FBA/BIP Evaluation of current processes and products. Provides district with baseline and targets for action planning

14. The Evaluation Tool • Originally developed for grant proposal to train school personnel to do PTR • Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) • Randomized Controlled Trial • Tier 3 behavior interventions compared to services as usual • Outcomes of RCT showed significant improvement for PTR group • Cross-over treatment group replicated outcomes of RCT • Teachers rank social validity high • Most teachers implemented with .80 fidelity Iovannone et al., 2009

15. Purpose of Evaluation • Determine the technical adequacy of FBA/BIPs • District • Campus/School • Individual • First step in requesting Tier 3 technical assistance from Florida PBS/RTI:B Project • First step in working with other states/districts

16. Evaluation Tool • Review of literature to identify essential components for adequate FBA/BIPs • Original measure included 24 items (FBA/BIP) • Edited to 20 items • Sent out to three national experts (Terry Scott, Cindy Anderson, Glen Dunlap) to review • Is the item essential? • Is the item worded clearly? • Final tool contains 18 items (9 FBA/9 BIP) • Scores range from 0-2 for each item.

17. Report • Complete report includes data from other tools • Interview about Tier 3 process • Report provides description of strengths and areas of improvement • Graphs developed • Goal lines can be set • Action plan developed

18. Sample Reports

19. Overall Outcomes of Technical Adequacy • Consistent with other similar studies: • FBA • Behaviors not operationalized • Strange functions (e.g., revenge/payback; anxiety; control) • Antecedents, consequences not identified • Hypothesis not linked with FBA information

20. Overall Outcomes • BIP • Interventions/strategies not linked with FBA • Most often include menu list of many strategies/recommendations • Many do not identify a replacement skill • Functional equivalence missing • Limited descriptions of follow-up • Supporting teacher • Data plan • Fidelity measures

21. Action Planning Process • Structured process to ensure input from all team members

22. Action Plan Step 1: Long Term Goal Long-Term Goal:(3-5 years from today) It is 20__ and (insert name of District) has a high quality, effective process for all students requiring Tier 3 supports. What would you observe throughout the schools in the district in this ‘ideal’ world? Think about areas of strength and growth (FBA/BIP data) Pink Index Card Write a sentence or phrase to describe what you would see Examples: Evidence-based supports provided to all students Staff trained in developing high quality FBAs/BIPs Efficient method of tracking student progress Pass in your card to the facilitator

23. Action Plan Step 2:Short-Term Goals • Short-Term/One-Year Goals: • To achieve your district’s long-term goal, short-term goals must be developed. • Yellow Index Card • Refer to the long-term goal just developed by your team • Write the first or most important action step (short phrase) you think your district will need to do to reach the long-term goal. • Write your second, third and/or fourth action steps on additional index cards • Pass in each card to the facilitator

24. Prioritize Categories • Green Index Card: • Review each category • Make sure all the items ‘fit together’ • Determine an appropriate title for each category based on its contents • Rank order the top (3) categories you think your district should address this year. • Pass your completed card to the facilitator

25. Step 3: Develop Action Plan Steps(link to action plan template to complete the following steps) Top-Ranked Categories: Develop a short-term goal statement for each category How you will know you’ve reached the goal? Determine outcomes Outline the tasks your team will need to accomplish in the next 3 months to reach each short-term goal Task analyze all the activities Who will take the lead in each activity Who will be involved in completing each activity Tentative timelines for completion

26. Next Steps • Schedule next district tier 3 meeting • Team only • Team and PBS Contact • Technical assistance • Determine needs

27. Sample Areas of Focus

28. PBS Team Structure • Goals: • Teams to support all students (general ed. and ESE) throughout tiered (levels) continuum of support • System for monitoring outcomes at all levels • Access to technical assistance • Link between all three tiers of behavior support • Link between school, home, community

29. PBS Team Structure in a School • SWPBS team—for all students (gen. ed. & ESE) • Monitor implementation of universal intervention • Monitor school-wide data • Guide implementation of new initiatives, braid with SWPBS • Tier 3 PBS team—“Standing team”—for all students (gen. ed. & ESE) • Progress monitor students in targeted and intensive interventions • Guide intervention selection for students selected for IPBS • Student-focused teams—“Ad hoc” for all students (gen. ed. & ESE) • Conduct FBAs and build support plans

30. Tier 3 Behavior Support in a School: Team Option • “Ad-hoc” team—student focused (both gen. ed. & ESE) • Responsibilities of team (problem solving process) • Conduct FBA • Build function-based support plan • Provide coaching/support to teacher to implement interventions • Collect and review fidelity and student outcome data • Make decisions based on data • Membership—Three levels of knowledge represented • Someone with expertise in FBA and function-based intervention plans (school psychologists, CABAs, BCBAs, behavior specialists, counselors, social workers……) • Someone with knowledge of the student and his or her behaviors (Teacher(s), aides, parents, students) • Someone with knowledge of the context in which the support plan will be implemented (administrators or designees)

31. RtI Leadership Team Tier 1 Behavior Tasks Academic & Behavior Issues Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 1 Academic Tasks Tier 2 Behavior Tasks Tier 2 Academic Tasks Tier 3 Academic Tasks Tier 3 Behavior Tasks Multiple Teams: Academic and Behavior

32. Advanced Tiers Tier 1 Academic Tier 1 Behavior Tiers 2 & 3 Behavior and Academics

33. Advanced Tier Option

34. Identifying and prioritizing students • Universal screener • Teacher nomination (Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorder :SBD Gate 1) • SSBD Gate 2 • Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS)

35. Multiple Levels of Tier 3 (FBA) • Brief FBA • FBA/BIP developed in one meeting (60 minutes or less) • Best used for high frequency/low intensity behaviors (e.g., noncompliance, minor disruptions, etc.) • Example: Brief PTR, ERASE • Comprehensive FBA • More complex FBA/BIP procedure • May take 2 or more meetings or one lengthy meeting (>1 hour) • Best used for chronic, durable, intense behaviors • Example: PTR

36. Multiple Levels of Tier 3 • Wraparound • Involves multiple agencies • Support plan includes practices that may go beyond scope of school • Best used for students with mental health issues and/or complex life events • PTR Efficient Version • Modified processes/forms • Suggested steps • Goal setting • Fidelity (plan assessment)

38. Data Tracking—Tier 3 • Systemic Data Tracking Examples • Florida School Districts • Monroe • Martin • University of Oregon

39. Collaborative consultation • Shifting from expert to facilitator (coach) • Consultant behaviors • Alliance scale • Social Validity

42. Sample Action Plans and Products

43. Case Study

44. District • County school district located in Central Florida • In PBIS network • Requested support to address Tier 3 • Leadership team includes representatives from general ed. RtIand special ed. • Positions of team—central office administrators, school psychologists, behavior specialists, social workers, guidance counseling

45. Baseline • Report • Graphs

46. Action Plan • Random District Action Plan

47. Current Status of Random County • Process • Sample Level 1 (Brief/efficient) FBA • Developing training plan for this summer