Nibblin ’ Away in the Northeast: Spreading EBP in P-12 Schools & Teacher Education

1. Nibblin’ Away in the Northeast: Spreading EBP in P-12 Schools & Teacher Education Larry Maheady, Ph. D. Exceptional Education Department SUNY Buffalo State maheadlj@buffalostate.edu April 25, 2014 A Presentation at the Annual Salon of the Wing Institute, Berkeley, California

2. It’s Been A Long Winter

3. It’s Been a Buffalo Winter!

4. Would the ocean be a lot deeper if sponges didn’t live there?

5. Trying to Make a Difference • Collect practice-based evidence in local school systems • Use summer “academies” to prepare teachers to use EBP • Follow-up with “instructional coaching” • Conduct research-to-practice studies in select classrooms • Use outcome data for teacher evaluation purposes (i.e., observation rubrics & growth in pupil learning) • Created data-based case studies to use with GE pre-service teachers to improve instructional decision-making skills • 5 case studies created from research-to-practice studies • target 5 important educational outcomes (e.g., work completion and accuracy, active student engagement, and reduction of disruptive behavior) • used 5 different practices with empirical support (e.g., response cards, Class Wide Peer Tutoring, and group contingencies with randomized components) • Use a Jigsaw approach

6. Case Study Components • Case study scenario • Description of students, teachers, settings, & difficulties • Description of baseline conditions using relevant descriptors outlined by Lane et al • Description of intervention conditions • Fidelity checklists • When, where, and how intervention was used • Case study data sets • Excel data sheets on whole class and individual pupil performance • Presented in four phases & accompanied by data-related questions • Students select two target students, graph data, answer “visual inspection” questions and meet in “expert groups” to discuss findings

8. Are homework completion and accuracy important pupil outcomes? Why or why not? Are 80% completion and 62% accuracy acceptable outcomes? What else can you say about class performance? (see visual inspection rules) What will performance be like next weekor month, if same practices are used?

9. In what ways did completion and accuracy change when MM Game started? (see VI rules) Was the amount of change educationally important? Why or why not? What decision(s) would you make about the use of intervention?

10. What happened to work completion & accuracy rates when MM Game was removed? What decision(s) would you make regarding the use of the intervention?

11. What happened when intervention was put back? What would you do next instructionally?

12. Still Nibbling Away • B. F. Skinner was asked, how behavioral educators could best promote and advocate for better teaching practice in our schools • He paused momentarily and said, “Well I guess we just keep nibbling.” • Work in our small ways to promote good things we see • Compliment teachers and school leaders for using effective practice • Recognize educators and psychologists who work effectively with parents, teacher unions, and communities agencies • Advertise the success of professionals who use scientific evidence to improve their decision-making