Project Activities
Early childhood classrooms in Florida and Virginia will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the intervention condition or a business-as-usual comparison condition. Children screened to be at elevated risk for emotional and behavioral disorders within each classroom will participate. The BEST in CLASS intervention is comprised of seven intervention modules, which include instructional strategies (e.g., home-school communication, setting rules, expectations, and routines) designed to promote engagement and learning. Multiple measures will be used to assess quality of teacher-child interactions, student behavior, and pre-academic outcomes. Teacher self-efficacy and teacher-child relationships will be examined as potential mediators of intervention outcomes.
Structured Abstract
Setting
Two hundred and forty early childhood classrooms across urban cities in Florida and Virginia will be included in this study.
Sample
Approximately 720 children (approximately 3 students at elevated risk for emotional and behavioral disorders per classroom) will participate. The Early Screening Project will be used to identify children. Children who demonstrate cognitive developmental delays will be excluded.
BEST in CLASS is a strengths-based, manualized intervention model that targets the prevention and amelioration of problem behaviors demonstrated by young children at risk for or with emotional/behavioral disorders in early childhood classrooms. This intervention combines evidence-based behavioral strategies with a coaching model designed to optimize implementation by teachers of preschool-age children. BEST in CLASS increases teachers' use and quality of specific behavioral and instructional strategies, provision of positive attention, general classroom management skills, and sense of self-efficacy to enhance the quality of teacher-child relationships and the classroom environment.
Research design and methods
This study will utilize a multi-site, four-cohort cluster randomized trial in which classrooms serve as the unit of randomization (approximately 60 classrooms per cohort). Classrooms will be randomly assigned to the BEST in CLASS intervention or to a business-as-usual comparison condition. The immediate and short-term (i.e., one month following participation) effects of BEST in CLASS will be evaluated.
Control condition
Teachers in the comparison group will provide instruction as typically provided in their classrooms.
Key measures
Measures include the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales, the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form, and the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-3: Receptive to assess student academic and behavioral outcomes. The Teacher-Child Interactions Direct Observational System will be used to examine the occurrence of teacher behavior and focal children's adaptive and problem behaviors. The Classroom Assessment Scoring System, Pre-K will examine classroom atmosphere and inClass: Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System will be use as a standardized measure of individual child-teacher interactions. Treatment fidelity will include measurement of both adherence and quality of implementation. Teacher self-efficacy, measured with the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale and the Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs Scale, and teacher-child relationships, measured via the Student Teacher Relationship Scale, will be examined as potential mediators.
Data analytic strategy
The researchers will use hierarchical linear modeling to test the general impact of the intervention as well as mediating effects.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project include evidence of the efficacy of the BEST in CLASS intervention, published reports, and presentations.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Conroy, M.A., Sutherland, K.S., Algina, J., Wilson, R., Martinez, J., and Whalon, K. (2014). Measuring Teacher Implementation of the BEST in CLASS Intervention Program and Corollary Child Outcomes. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. doi:10.1177/1063426614532949
Conroy, M.A., Sutherland, K.S., Vo, A., Carr, S.E., and Ogston, P. (2014). Early Childhood Teachers' Use of Effective Instructional Practices and the Collateral Effects on Young Children's Behavior. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 16(2): 81-92. doi:10.1177/1098300713478666
Sutherland, K.S., Conroy, M.A., Vo, A., Abrams, L.M., and Ogston, P. (2013). An Initial Evaluation of the Teacher-Child Interaction Direct Observation System: Measuring Teacher-Child Interaction Behaviors in Classroom Settings. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 39(1): 12-23. doi:10.1177/1534508412463814
Sutherland, K.S., Conroy, M.A., Vo, A., and Ladwig, C. (2015). Implementation Integrity of Practice-Based Coaching: Preliminary Results From the BEST in CLASS Efficacy Trial. School Mental Health, 7(1): 21-33. doi:10.1007/s12310-014-9134-8
Sutherland, K.S., McLeod, B.D., Conroy, M.A., Abrams, L.M., and Smith, M.M. (2013). Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the BEST in CLASS Adherence and Competence Scale. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. doi:10.1177/1063426613497258
Sutherland, K.S., McLeod, B.D., Conroy, M.A., and Cox, J.R. (2013). Measuring Treatment Integrity in the Implementation of Evidence-Based Programs in Early Childhood Settings: Conceptual Issues and Recommendations. Journal of Early Intervention, 35(2): 129-149. doi:10.1177/1053815113515025
Vo, A., Sutherland, K.S., and Conroy, M.A. (2012). Best in Class: A Classroom-Based Model for Ameliorating Problem Behavior in Early Childhood Settings. Psychology in the Schools, 49(5): 402-415. doi:10.1002/pits.21609
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Supplemental information
Intervention components include seven teacher learning modules and a coaching model. Each teacher learning module includes key definitions, principles for effective usage, steps and strategies for implementation, examples (written and video), and application exercises (a case story and knowledge check). The modules include: (1) Basics of Behavior and Development; (2) Home-School Communication; (3) Rules, Expectations, and Routines; (4) Behavior Specific Praise; (5) Precorrection and Active Supervision; (6) Opportunities to Respond and Instructional Pacing; and (7) Teacher Feedback. The BEST in CLASS coaching model provides comprehensive instructions for coaches to support and enhance teachers' acquisition, implementation, and maintenance of the BEST in CLASS strategies. Weekly coaching sessions include classroom-based direct observational data collection and coaches provide feedback to teachers through in-vivo coaching during ongoing instruction and coaching meetings that occur outside of classroom instruction. Participating teachers receive a 1-day overview training followed by 14 weeks of classroom-based coaching.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
