Previous Award Number: R324A170019
Previous Institution: University of Massachusetts, Boston

Co-Principal Investigator: Meeker, Kathleen

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop a tiered coaching model with a decision-making framework to guide coaches in determining the level of support teachers need. This decision-making framework was aimed at enabling instructional coaches to match their feedback to the type and amount of support that preschool teachers need during different activities, with different children, and across different points in their careers. While professional development (PD) and coaching have become a common approach in increasing teachers' fidelity in implementing evidence-based practices, there is clear evidence of differential effects based on teachers' engagement with and participation in coaching. The process of making coaching decisions (e.g., delivery, dosage) had not yet been investigated systematically in the field of early childhood special education and there was a critical need for coaching interventions that incorporate teachers' needs, experiences, satisfaction, and professional commitment into PD decisions. The research team developed and pilot tested a tiered coaching model that allows coaches to work with teachers in identifying a matched coaching approach to support teachers as they implement evidence-based practices.

Project Activities: The research team developed a data-driven decision-making framework to guide coaches in selecting and implementing PD and coaching that is matched to teacher profiles, with profiles based on such factors as teacher need, experience, job satisfaction, and professional commitment. The team used quantitative and qualitative data to develop and field test the tiered coaching model, and then used a randomized controlled trial and qualitative interview data to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and promise of efficacy of the tiered coaching model for supporting teachers in including children with disabilities in their classrooms.

Key Outcomes: The main findings of this project, as reported by the principal investigator, are as follows:

• The research team's initial analysis of classroom practice and teacher characteristics suggested possible profiles for PD consideration, based on various combinations of higher or lower levels of (a) practice quality, (b) PD experience, (c) job attitudes, and (d) disciplinary efficacy.
• The team developed the Tiered Coaching Model (TCM) with decision-making guidance that included 3 coaching tiers: self-guided coaching, small group coaching, and individual coaching.
• The results of the pilot study indicated that all teachers across coaching tiers increased their use of Pyramid Model practices while engaging in the TCM and reported overall positive experience. Teachers who participated in the TCM had more growth than average in the emotional support and classroom organization domains of the observational measure of classroom quality than the control group.
• The qualitative data revealed that TCM coaching supports allow teachers to critically examine practices they are implementing in the classroom, what the practices intend to achieve, and how they support students' needs. Through these examinations, teachers were able to be more purposeful in understanding the overall classroom and children's needs and implement strategies that improve classroom quality.
• Mixed methods data analysis revealed that specific practice domains, such as teaching children behavior expectations and promoting friendship skills in the classroom, did not improve after intervention because teacher use of these strategies require more time for teachers to plan and create necessary visuals. Teachers shared that more guidance and readily made materials (such as expectation posters) for teachers to access would be helpful.

STRUCTURED ABSTRACT

Setting: The research took place in inclusive preschool classrooms in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Sample: Teachers in inclusive preschool classrooms and preschool children (ages 3–5 years) with identified disabilities participated in this study. In Year 1, 100 inclusive preschool teachers provided data to inform the development of the PD decision-making model to create teacher coaching profiles. In Year 2, 18 teachers participated in the field tests to support the iterative development and refinement of the model. In the final years of the project, 43 inclusive preschool classroom teachers participated in the pilot study. However, due to interruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the team only collected both pre- and post-intervention data for 11 teachers. Within each classroom, there was one target child with an IEP.

Intervention: All participating teachers received a universal PD workshop on the evidence-based practices targeted for this study (Pyramid Model, a well-researched model that specifies evidence-based teaching strategies to support preschool children's social and emotional development at the universal, targeted, and individual levels). The data-driven decision-making tiered coaching model (TCM) developed consists of three tiers based on teacher profiles: Email newsletter and check-in for all teachers (Tier 1), small group coaching communities for a subset of teachers (Tier 2), and individualized intensive coaching support for those who need intensive one-on-one coaching (Tier 3). The TCM includes the data-driven decision-making process that guides coaches in determining who participates in the different tiers of coaching.

Research Design and Methods: During the first phase of the project, the investigators engaged in iterative development and refinement of the intervention. A data-driven decision-making framework related to PD and teacher coaching profiles was created using field observations in early childhood education classrooms and teacher surveys. Then the team developed and field tested the TCM using a quasi-experimental design as well as a qualitative approach using classroom observations to measure implementation of the Pyramid Model, brief teacher interviews, and a teacher focus group. In the final phase of the project, a sequential explanatory mixed methods design using randomized controlled trial and qualitative interview approaches was used to assess the feasibility and promise of the TCM for supporting teachers in including children with disabilities in their classrooms, with the goal of increasing teacher fidelity of the evidence-based practices in the Pyramid Model and improving socio-emotional skills of students. Teachers were randomized into the intervention or business as usual group. Teachers in the intervention group received the TCM intervention.

Control Condition: For the pilot study, teachers in the control group continued to implement business-as-usual instructional practices utilized in the school district. In addition, they attended a 1-day, universal PD workshop on the evidence-based practices targeted in this study (Pyramid Model), but they did not participate in coaching.

Key Measures: Teacher/classroom outcome measures in this study included the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) to measure Pyramid Model implementation and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) to measure more global classroom quality. The researcher-developed teacher coaching profile assessment, used to guide selection of PD and coaching, was comprised of three teacher-reported measures—a teacher survey of professional background and experiences, a rating scale on PD preferences and job attitude, and a rating scale of school or program characteristics (e.g., conditions and resources that promote change)—as well as the TPOT observations. Child outcome measures in this study included the Social Skills Improvement System Performance Screening Guide, Child Behavior Checklist-Preschool, direct observation of social skills and problem behavior, and child and family demographic information.

Data Analytic Strategy: Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify the coaching profiles. In the second phase, the investigators analyzed the teacher profile and TPOT scores longitudinally for overall trend. Qualitative analyses of the focus group data as well as interviews with teachers and coaches were summarized and used to guide the formative development process. To compare groups on outcome measures in the pilot study, the investigators estimated unbiased treatment effect sizes, both pre-post treatment and between groups. The follow-up interviews were analyzed thematically. Quantitative and qualitative data were then integrated.

Products and Publications

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

Project Website: https://haringcenter.org/the-tiered-coaching-model/

Additional online resources and information: https://education.uw.edu/coaches-alliance

Select Publications

Journal articles

Fettig, A., Artman-Meeker, K., Jeon, L., & Chang, H. C. (2022). Promoting a person-centered approach to strengthening early childhood practices that support social-emotional development. Early Education and Development, 33(1), 75–91.

Artman-Meeker, K., Fettig, A., Cunningham, J. E., Chang, H. C., Choi, G., & Harbin, S. (2022). Iterative design and pilot implementation of a tiered coaching model to support socio-emotional teaching practices. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 42 (2), 124–136.