Project Activities
Over the course of 3 years, the researchers will develop the data-based instruction protocol including a manual to document teacher knowledge and skills related to DBI, their instructional decisions, and implementation fidelity. They will develop and use tools for measuring the feasibility of the DBI-TLC intervention to determine whether it is accessible, meets teacher needs, and is cost effective. Finally, the team will assess the promise of DBI-TLC to improve teachers' knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy related to DBI and early writing practices, teachers' use of DBI, and students' early writing outcomes.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This research will take place in public school districts in Minnesota and Missouri.
Sample
Participants will include approximately 80 school district leaders, special education teachers, and other support personnel, and approximately 70-80 students in grades 1-3 who are at risk for or identified by their schools as having learning disabilities.
Intervention
The intervention is a professional development system that incorporates tools for early writing (e.g., progress monitoring and graphing, intervention, and fidelity tools), learning modules that provide interactive instruction and practice, and collaborative support among teachers using data-based instruction in their classrooms.
Research design and methods
The project will use an iterative curriculum development process aimed at improving the feasibility and potential impact of the professional development writing intervention. During the third-year pilot study, the team will assess changes in teacher knowledge and skills, fidelity of implementation, and student writing outcomes.
Control condition
There is no control condition.
Key measures
The research will use a variety of sources and measures to inform the development of the professional development intervention. These sources include quantitative ratings and written feedback from content experts and school partners on intervention components; feasibility data including observations, surveys, and focus groups; and outcome data including teacher knowledge and skills, fidelity of DBI use, and student writing outcomes using curriculum-based measures and standardized assessments (i.e., Test of Early Written Language).
Data analytic strategy
Descriptive analyses will be conducted to inform development and feasibility of the intervention. Qualitative and quantitative data will be organized to identify themes in the feedback from participants and to inform ongoing revisions of intervention materials. Analysis of variance will be used to examine pre- to post-test changes on outcome measures from the pilot study in the final year of the project, and regression analyses will be conducted to examine relations between teacher knowledge and skills, fidelity of implementation, and student outcomes.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project will include a fully developed professional development program designed to improve teachers' early writing instruction and data-based instruction for students with or at risk for learning disabilities, tools for measuring intervention fidelity, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
McMaster, K. L., Kunkel, A., Shin, J., Jung, P., and Lembke, L. (2017). Early Writing Intervention: A Best-Evidence Synthesis. Journal of Learning Disabilities. doi:10.1177/0022219417708169
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Erica Lembke (University of Missouri-Columbia)
The purpose of this project is to develop a professional development system to support teachers' use of data-based instruction (DBI) with students with or at risk for disabilities that affect early writing development. The professional development system is called DBI-TLC, representing the tools, learning modules, and collaborative support that it provides.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
