Engagement behaviors are crucial for school success and are often targeted for improvement in school-based interventions. It may be helpful for both researchers and school-based practitioners to understand the likely impacts of interventions on engagement behaviors (e.g., to understand the extent to which engagement behaviors might change with…

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a teacher-implemented professional development program to increase the fidelity with which paraeducators use evidence-based practices (EBPs) in instruction for children with autism. Employing a modified multiple-probe design, investigators implemented the Autism Focused Intervention…

In the U.S. education system, students of color experience multiple forms of marginalization at the intersection of markers of difference. These injustices manifest in multiple forms, such as higher rates of inappropriate referrals to special education, misidentification, conferring stigmatizing labels, and subsequently placing students of color…

Assessing implementation of comprehensive treatment programs is a multifaceted process that should extend beyond measuring solely treatment fidelity. The purpose of this article is to describe and demonstrate a thorough process for assessing implementation and receipt of a comprehensive treatment program for students with autism spectrum disorders…

School leaders react to inappropriate behaviors by excluding students, despite research suggesting an association with poor student outcomes. Students with disabilities are frequently subjected to these practices. One framework that has been proposed to reduce the reliance on reactive discipline procedures is schoolwide positive behavior…

Project START (Students and Teachers Actively Reading Together) is an adaptive shared reading intervention designed to address the varied learning needs of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This report summarizes procedures and results of the developmental year of the project, which focused primarily on evaluating…

Classroom pivotal response teaching (CPRT) is an evidence-based practice (EBP) adapted for classroom use. A recent effectiveness trial of CPRT involved training 98 special education classrooms in Southern California. The Exploration, Planning, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) conceptual framework illustrates the impact of inner- and…

Although peer support arrangements are a promising strategy to promote inclusion in general education classrooms, previous studies have not addressed how paraprofessionals might implement this strategy under typical circumstances without extensive researcher involvement. In this single-case design study, four special education teachers trained and…

Optimal levels of treatment fidelity, a critical moderator of intervention effectiveness, are often difficult to sustain in applied settings. It is unknown whether performance feedback, a widely researched method for increasing educators' treatment fidelity, is an evidence-based practice. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the current…

Treatment fidelity, or the application of an intervention as it is designed, is a critical issue for the successful implementation of evidence-based practices. Typically it is assumed that evidence-based practices implemented with high fidelity will result in improved outcomes, whereas low fidelity will lead to poorer outcomes. These assumptions…

Evidence-based programs will be useful to the extent they produce benefits to individuals on a socially significant scale. It appears the combination of effective programs and effective implementation methods is required to assure consistent uses of programs and reliable benefits to children and families. To date, focus has been placed primarily…

This article discusses the strategic scaling up of evidence-based practices. The authors draw from the scholarly work of fellow special education researchers and from the field of learning sciences. The article defines scaling up as the process by which researchers or educators initially implement interventions on a small scale, validate them, and…

This article examined the efficacy of a primary-level, standard-protocol behavior intervention for students with externalizing behavioral disorders. Elementary schools were randomly assigned to treatment (behavior intervention) or control (business as usual) conditions, and K-3 students were screened for externalizing behavior risk status. The…

The implementation of a preferral model is described and data are presented on consultation, referral, testing, and placement rates before, during, and after implementation. Issues in implementation, including school system variables and barriers to implementing a consultation model, are also discussed. (Author/CL)

This 2-year qualitative case study examined factors influencing implementation and sustainability of collaborative problem-solving programs. One selected elementary school served as the focus site. Using a participant-observer field-based approach, data were collected via observations, interviews, mute evidence, and field notes. During Year 1 of…