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Preschool Inclusion

We are excited to share an ongoing professional development opportunity with you! The Early Childhood Center (ECC) created a free four-part webinar series, What it Takes to Implement Effective Preschool Inclusive Services, open to all early education providers and administrators. It addresses evidence-based practices proven to effectively include children who are at risk or have disabilities in early education settings.

At the end of each recorded webinar a link to a survey is provided. When the survey is completed a certificate for Professional Growth Points will be emailed.

What It Takes to Implement Effective Inclusive Preschool Services

Part 1 - By Dr. Michael Conn-Powers

Description of the video:

Hi, welcome to our initial webinar as part of our Early Childhood Center webinar series. What it takes to implement effective, inclusive preschool services. What do we mean by effective and inclusive services? When we have four criteria. For the preschoolers with disabilities, we want those services, special education-related services, to be provided within the regular early childhood classroom settings and routines. There isn't pull out. Services aren't being delivered elsewhere. They are embedded within the regular preschool setting. Second, we want children receive the level and intensity of services and supports that match their individual learning needs. Just because we're looking at including kids with disabilities and regular classrooms. We also want to make sure that they receive the intensity of supports and services that we provide in special education. Third, we want to make sure that those regular education settings provide all the social and learning opportunities that are available for all children. We want children to be fully included as members of that classroom. And then finally, we want children to learn. It's important for them to be a part of the mainstream and have the opportunity to be fully included. And we want to ensure that they are also demonstrating substantial growth in their learning and development. Why are we talking about this? Some of you may have seen this before. It's called a scatter plot. And this is based on Indiana's data in which we chart the percentage of children receiving inclusive services. This is preschool-aged children. That's along the bottom axis, and along with the percentage of children who make substantial progress according to the federal outcomes that are state measures. Now, each dot in this scatter plot represents a school district here in Indiana. And when you look at this, you can see that many of our school districts provide services to well under half of all preschool-aged children with disabilities. This is a problem. When we look at how well our state does in comparison to other states. We are substantially behind and educate very few of our preschoolers with disabilities in regular education settings. Hi, I'm Michael Conn Powers. I'm director of the Early Childhood Center at the Indiana institute on disability and community at Indiana University. And I'm the first presenter in our series and I'll be talking about how we can go about adopting high-quality inclusive service models. And talk about some of the starting points to get new efforts underway. Before I start, just a little bit of background information. As you may know, the Early Childhood Center is one of seven centers at the Indiana institute on Disability and Community. The institute covers a lifespan for people of all ages with disabilities. We happened to attend to the beginning of that lifespan. A big emphasis at our center and in fact at all centers at the Institute is this notion of promoting research to practice. How can we take what we're learning and research and translate that into better practices and better services for all individuals with disabilities. I have three distinct goals over the next four weeks. One, I want us to imagine special education services and supports that not only foster the kinds of skills that we typically include in our IEPs, but also to think about the skills and opportunities that support children's membership and engagement, in home and community and regular early childhood settings. It requires a different skill set and it requires us to rethink how we provide services to give children the opportunities to develop those skills that support membership and engagement. Second, I'm going to introduce you to the field of implementation science that looks at how programs and districts make changes and adopt new practices and service models. And finally, using that implementation science framework, I'll make you aware of the initial steps you can take to begin to implement, and effect change in your local district. Now we also tried to reference our work with the Division for Early Childhood's Recommended Practices. And I've identified three practices there that get at the importance of leadership and advocating for policies and resources that reflect best practices in early childhood special education. And specifically with a focus on those policies and practices that support more inclusive services. Okay. So, we're going to think of this as a journey. And I want to share what our agenda will be for the next three weeks, with the fourth week being an opportunity for you to join us in a live forum and talk about some of the content I'm sharing today. And over the next couple of weeks after that. First, we need to think about our destination. We're looking at a journey. And in this designing of inclusive and high-quality and effective inclusive service models, we need to think about what that looks like and what that means. And so, I want to talk about that today as well as introduce that roadmap for change. Then in the next session, I'm going to talk about how we can prepare for that journey. What are the initial steps we need to take if we are serious about effecting change within our own school district and community. Then finally, I want to talk about how we can begin to design and implement a plan for change. It's not an easy effort to move from a program in which the majority of preschoolers with disabilities are served in segregated environments to one that's more inclusive. It takes a lot of work. Okay, let's get started. So, I want us to think about or maybe even rethink what our destination is, what is it that we want to create? Taking time at the beginning to really think through what is it that we want to accomplish? What is it that we want our program to look like as it relates to providing high-quality educational services for preschoolers with disabilities. Now the rethinking comes from the fact that when we look at what we've done over the past several years, well, you know what? We've been doing the same thing over the past. Well, I think I only show six years here, but it's probably closer to ten or fifteen years. Reality is that most of our preschoolers with disabilities are served in segregated preschool classrooms. Only about 30%, three out of ten children, have the opportunity to receive special education and related services within a regular early childhood program or classroom, or family daycare home. When I've shared this scatter plot in the past, I've had some educators and therapists say, wait a minute. There's quite a few of us that are making an incredible impact on these preschoolers with disabilities. Yeah, who were providing services that are in segregated, self-contained preschool classrooms, but they're making great gains. Is that's so bad? Well, first, there are important skills that children are not learning when they're served primarily on a segregated or self-contained preschool classroom. One, children aren't learning how to generalize the skills that we're teaching and them in the self-contained classrooms. To be able to use those skills out in regular everyday life, out in the community, or in a very busy and hectic classroom with 20 other preschoolers. And we know that generalization can be a challenge for many children with disabilities. And when we restrict and control the setting in which children are learning those new skills, makes it very hard for them to successfully generalize the skills that we've taught. Another thing, children not learning or not learning how to attend and learn and engage in a classroom with 20 other children. Many of our preschool self-contained classrooms have small class sizes. We do that for the good intention of being able to provide more individualized instruction. But the reality is, we're not preparing children to be able to learn and cope and manage themselves in a very busy and hectic kindergarten classroom of 20 to 25 other children. We're not giving them that opportunity to learn those skills. They are not learning how to function in a large group setting without them being always told what to do. They're not provided the opportunity to learn skills about how to follow directions during large group time with 25 other children. The opportunity to learn how to appropriately wait turns and share materials and make choices when there isn't the level of adult direction and supervision that they're going to get in a regular preschool or kindergarten setting. Also, there are several important opportunities that children miss out on. They miss out on the opportunity to develop friendships. Have the opportunity to develop friendships with children that they might accompany throughout all their school years. We restrict that. I don't know if you're familiar, but having friends is a very powerful intervention in and of itself. Research shows that when students with disabilities have good friendships, it helps contribute to long-term outcomes. Better academic skills, better high-school graduation rates, better adult employment status, greater chance for independent living, and so on. This opportunity for friendships and a membership gives them the time to be able to be a part of something that will help carry and support them throughout life. Finally, we might have unintended negative impact on families. Think about the messages that families might be receiving. When we meet with them during those case conferences, are brand new families coming into the system and their children are needing special education services. And they're asking about services occurring within the child's childcare or preschool setting in the community. And we're making the recommendation that that's not an appropriate one. What is it that families might be hearing? What impact does that have on families own perceptions and hopes and expectations for their sons and daughters. I'm going to borrow from the work of one of my colleagues, Dr. Katie Herron. She has a research project going on right now where she's talking to a number of families of young children, very young children with disabilities, asking about the expectations they have for their children as they get older and get a sense of what influences those expectations, their hopes and their dreams for their sons and daughters. And one of the things that we're learning, and we learn from research with families of, of older children, students is that we can have a powerful influence in lessening the kinds of expectations that families have when they hear that we're recommending that self-contained classroom. Because they think that their children will learn better or they're not ready for that regular preschool setting. That this will provide a much more controlled and careful setting to provide that intensive education that their sons and daughters need. Families may begin to think about what their children are and are not capable of doing and learning. They may be picking up on the fact that we have some negative connotations associated with the child's disability. Rather than looking at the wonderful gifts and strengths that each child brings to the situation. And what we can be doing and saying can nurture much more positive and ambitious expectations for families. Katie shares this quote and I'm going to, I'm going to borrow it. It's based on research that IV has summarized. And they found that when influential people in the child's life do not believe that their children have a potential to achieve a specific outcome. It is unlikely that the outcome will be realized. So, I want you to think about the impact that you're having on families. And i know unintentionally, but what is it that families hear? So I'd like to invite you to think of an alternative that rather than repeating our past journeys. And continuing to do what we've always done, in which we do serve the overwhelming majority of preschoolers in separate, segregated services. That maybe we rethink that. Perhaps we consider more inclusive service models instead that provide children and families the opportunities to expect more and learn more. Now, to do that, we've got some important things we need to attend to. We need to be able to identify early childhood settings and determine how those services, how we will provide services within those settings. And then knowing that we're going to be partnering with our regular Early Childhood colleagues, we need to be clear about our roles and expectations. When we do this, we begin to form a more clear and defined picture of the service models and practices that we want to adopt. It's an important first step. Let's go ahead and get started. Okay. First step is, let's think about the early childhood settings that we want to partner with and placing children with disabilities and providing special education-related services. In Indiana, we've seen three options. Public school base, pre-K programs, working with community partners, including preschool and childcare and Head Start. Let's talk about each of these. Ok. For a number of our school districts. They're already providing public school base, Pre-K, pre-kindergarten, or preschool services for children without disabilities. And so right off the bat, we have a natural partner in which we can have the conversation about including our children with disabilities in those classrooms and negotiating how we provide special education and related services within those settings. So that's a, that's an excellent place to start. Another place to start if that's not an option for you, is to partner with our community preschool and childcare programs. We have a very vibrant childcare system throughout the state of Indiana. In this map, I'm making you aware of the childcare resource and referral providers and service systems that exist in our state. This is a service system that is available to families and helping families find high-quality childcare. But it's also a good resource. And helping who might be some of the preschool and childcare programs in your own community with whom you might partner. Another resource that's offered. By our state's office of early childhood and out of school learning is the childcare finder. Again, this is a resource for families and helping them to find high-quality childcare or On My Way Pre-K programs. But this is a resource that you can use, again, to find high-quality early childhood programs with whom you might partner in your community. Finally, another important partner our local Head Start programs.Head start programslocated throughout the state.And Head Start has been around for decades.They are a high-qualitypreschool program that's availablefor childrenliving with low-income families.They have a strong history andstrong investmentin providing high-quality services.And they havea long-standing mandate to includeand serve children withdisabilities in their preschool classrooms.So they are and shouldbe a strong and willing partner.Now, with Head Start andpreschool and childcare programsthat I've talked about.There are many pluses,but, but there are also some challenges.And I want to make you awareof those challenges as you go abouttrying to find regularchildhood partners to work with.One, for some of these programs,some of the teachers may not havea lot of experience and training.and the perception that they havethe skills toeffectively care for andeducate children with disabilities.They don't have the same educationand training that you've had.And so they may be leery andfeel that they won't be able todo as good of a job.And what you'll bedoing is to provide them with a level ofassurance as well assupport and knowing that they can do that.Also, many of these programs may not have,if they have had children withdisabilities in their classrooms,they may not have had childrenwith more significant disabilities.So again, as you start to meetwith and develop these relationships,you need to also conveyyour role in providing the kind of trainingand support that will enable each ofthese programs effectively carefor and educate all young children.Next, we need to talk about the models,what are special education andrelated services going tolook like in one of those settings?And from our worklooking at successful programs.Here in Indiana, we've identifiedfour primary models forhow specialeducation-related services are provided.And I want to talk about each ofthose so that you have an idea ofwhat might be a model ormodels that would workfor you in your own community.Probably by and large,this is the most common model.We talked about, Push-in services.That's a term thatI think is unique to Indiana.And the idea is that asthe special educator orspeech and language pathologist,we provide serviceswithin that regular classroom,push those services into that classroom.So depending on the activity,whether small group orfree choice time or large group,we find the opportunity totake and work withthose individual children ontheir IEP goals and objectives andprovide the intensity andtypes of services that those childrenneed to acquire the goals from their IP.Now the strengths of this model are one,the folks that have the greatest expertiseuse the special educator ortherapist, are the onethat's providing the service.You're there in the classroomworking with the childand providing the servicesbased on that child's IEP.the downside that model is ifyou're the only one that's doing that,then there's not an opportunityfor the other teachers in that classroom tolearn about what you'redoing and what they could bedoing to supportthat child's learning and development.It, it doesn't buildthe capacity ofthe classroom teacher to take onsome of those responsibilities andlearn some ofthe intervention strategies and techniques.And so we run the risk of children beinga guest in that classroomrather than a full member.That the classroom teacheris responsible for.Another model that we see.And some districts around the state asthis itinerant or consultativeservices model.Here the focus is on providingtraining and technical assistance andsupport to the classroom teacher or teachers and giving them the know-how to be able toappropriate care foran educate children with disabilities.You're coming in as a consultant.You have expertise,you're familiar with the child,the child's IEP, and you're usingthat to share that informationwith the classroom teacher.So the focus now shifts.It is around buildingthe capacity of the classroom teacher toeffectively educate all ofthe kids in his or her classroom.Rather than on a push-in modelwhere you're takingthat responsibility now you're,you're sharing that responsibility.Plus what's nice about this model.Another strength is it provides sort of a,a relationship, aproblem-solving relationship.The classroom teacher knowsthat he or she is not alone,and then as questions or challenges arise.They know they have a partnerthat they can meet with to problem-solve.Now there are downside.There are downsides to this model also.One, it's not easy.This takes and requires a good dealof organization and interpersonal skills.You have to know how to bea good collaborative partner.You have to know how to consultwithout being bossy and directive.You have to look at this asa mutual relationship inwhich two brains are comingtogether to plot out the best strategy.Not you as the special educator,a therapist always in this role of,of telling them what to do and how to do it.And, and that takes a great deal of skill.Another downside or possible weakness.If this is your only Soul Strategy,there may be timeswhen an extra pair of hands oran extra pair of skilled handsare needed in that classroom.Both to model the interventionsthat are needed as well asto provide that support.So if you rely totally ona consultative or itinerant model,there may be times wherechildren on your caseloadare going to need a little bit more.A third model is co-teaching.In this model, your co-teaching there,both of you in the classroom who haveresponsibilities toward delivering education.It could be that your co-teaching,like in this picture whereit's team teaching,you're both leading a large group activity.And you're there either leading the activityor supporting the classroom teacherwho's leading the activity.Or maybe during free choice time,you take one of the centers.And that's the opportunity for you toprovide education or therapy.And you're doing that in the contextof the regular routines of class.And other children may be involved too.And in fact, maybe you'reenlisting the support of peersbecause peers can bea powerful interventionist also.So the strengths there,it provides a wonderful opportunityfor you to do push-in.But it's not just you takingthe individual child tothe corner and working just with them.You're working with a child.In the context of the overall classroom.You provide the opportunity to modelgood special education and related services,strategies and techniques foreverybody to see and learn.Children are getting the kindsof intervention and support that they need.And it's a great way toimprove the overall quality of the classroom.We have a lot we can offeras good educators and of ourselves.The weaknesses to this model, the downsides.Again, it can be difficult to implement.It does require a good deal ofcollaboration in a classroom.Teacher needs to feel comfortablewith you being a member ofher classroom and sharingsome of those responsibilities.And it does requiresome advance planning coordination.You can't just show up and kind of wing it.You need to have an ideawhat the lesson plan involves and,and what your role is going to be and, and,and the classroom teachersrole is going to bein order for this to be executed well.Finally, the, the last modelwhen we don't see this one very often,we've seen it ina couple of school districts.And, and it's whereschool districts tooka very strong leadershiprole and they decided,we're not going tohave special ed classrooms.We're not going to have regulared classrooms per se.We are going to have preschool classrooms.And those preschool classrooms arestaffed withearly childhood special educators.And the makeup of the classroom, again,less than half of the childrenor children with disabilities.And they're usually 20,there's usually 20 kids in that classroom.So it's a regularpreschool classroom in whichchildren with disabilities aremembers of that classroomand there's only one teacher,and that teacher is the teacher ofrecord andproviding special education services.And they are teaching all the children.In fact, they're wearing both hats,both the regular early childhoodeducator hat as well asthe special educator hat.Or major strengths of this model.It almost provides an ideal visionof how we might want early education to looklike and start to tear downthese artificial boundaries betweenregular education and special education.That is, we're creatingclassrooms that are universally designed.They work and striveto work for all children.And we put people inthose classrooms that havegood early childhood curriculum skillsas well as good special education skills.And so that children,regardless of if they'reidentified and on an IEP or not,have someone in that classroomthat has skill toprovide those multiple tiersof intervention and technical support.The challenges to that.It's it can be inexpensive model.It you know, it requiresdistricts to be very creativeabout how they fund it.And recognize that they're goingto be blending or braidingdifferent levels of fundingto support those classrooms.And what those days look like.So I think it's a,it's a great model.And one seriously look at.But you need to know thereare challenges that come with it.Once you've defined where andthe service models aremodels that you're looking at.You need to spend just a little bit of time.Especially you're using thefirst three of the four modelsfor providing services.You need to think about what your role is asthe special educator therapistsand with classroom teachersrole and spend some timein conversations with the classroom teacherto negotiate and make sure there'sa mutual and sharedunderstanding of those roles.Because now we're starting tolook at more collaborative service models.And while it sounds great,it's something that's hard.It takes a good deal of skilland it takes time to havethose conversations to meetand plan outside of class timeso that both ofyou have a clear sense of who's doing what.And what each canexpect of each other when,when you're in that classroom.So again,if you're talking about push-in services,you're going to probably be the primary teacherfor those children with disabilities.But it begs the question,what is it that youwant the classroom teacherto take responsibility?I mean, they areproviding a regular classroom experience,but are they going to be involved in that inthat child's education and helping themreach their IEP goals and objectives.If you're using a more consultative model,well, it's recognizing thatboth of you are consultants.In fact, you need to be thinking ofthe regular classroom teacheras a consultant toyou because one of the things thatshe has that you probablydon't have is an understanding of whata regular early childhoodclassroom should looklike and how childrenshould behave and function ina group of 20 childrenand what are typical expectations?Okay? And, you know,she's the primary teacher.And so again, within a consultative model,you need to be negotiatingthose roles and again,respecting what each otherbrings to this consultativepartnership and relationship. In a co-teaching,well now you're both primary teachers.And so there than the skill is that advanceplanning and preparation where you negotiate.You know, am I my leadingthe circle time andyou're supporting or is it vice versa?During free choice, where am I and who,am working with and whereare you and who you're working with?And so it takes a great dealof coordination and planning.And then, you know,if it's a one teacher modelwhere you are boththe regular education classroom teacherand the special educator.Well then some of these issues aremoot and you're the end all,you do it all.Okay, we've talked about thinkingabout our destination at this step.Thinking about where are yougoing to provide services?Who are you going to partner with?What the service model is going to look like?Negotiating roles,starting to think those through.Is going to be really important.In essence, you're startingto think about, alright,what are the programs and service models thatwe might want toadopt in our school district.And spending some time in thinkingthat through and starting toget into the nitty gritty is goingto help in bringingthe rest of the people on board andstarting to look at and explore change.I want to talk about andintroduce a roadmap for that change.And we'll spend more time talkingabout this roadmap in the next two sessions.But I want to, I want tojust touch on it here.So this roadmapinvolves stages of implementation.We, we borrow from a science calledimplementation science that looksat how well districts,agencies and programs adoptnew service models and adopt new practices.And they find that there'sa science for how that can happen.Very, very well.Now we borrow,this is not something we've created our shop.But we've borrowed a lot fromthe National Implementation Research Networklocated at the Frank Porter Graham Instituteatthe University of North Carolinaand Chapel Hill.And they have a wonderful website withlots of helpful materials and in fact,even some learning hubsthat talk about an implement,implementation scienceand bringing about change.And one of the projects that's been aroundfor a long time is there sits up model.And in that project they've lookedat the state implementation and scaling up.They work with states who areinterested in taking ona particular service modeland how a state can support change throughoutthe state and in supporting districtsto adopt new practices and models.And so these are the folks that,that we look to kind of help usunderstand how we cantranslate what they're learning.To perhaps look atour own changes here in Indiana.So here's the roadmap.I'm just going to give youa high-level overview andthen we'll get into more next week.It really looks atthe stages of implementation.You know that it's a,it's a long-term multi-year process.And, and the important,the first step is probably the mostimportant and I'll spend timetalking about it next week.And that's exploration.That's bringing all theright people together.You know, you've got a great idea.You've really started to spendtime thinking about andimplementing an inclusiveservice model that provideshigh quality education andrelated servicesto preschoolers with disabilities.But now we need to chew on it.We need to explore it.We need to bring people together and assesshow well will that model workand our school system?What is it that weare going to need to change?What is it that we're going toneed to bring into our system?Whether it's professional development,learning new strategies, orlooking at how we fund our programs.You're going to need to bring in leadership.So exploration is kindof getting our act together and,and truly looking atthe model and the practices we want to adopt.Once we've done that and wehave our eyes are wideopen where we're making informed decision.Then we need to startto work towards installation.And the idea there is,what is it that we do to begin toput the services and supports in place?Okay. Whether it's professional development,that's usually a big one.But it's all planning andinfrastructure and funding and leadership.What is it that we need to put in placeso when we start to move into implementation,we have all of our ducks in a row.In initial implementationthe idea there is,instead of doing this acrossthe district, perhaps we pilot,let's identify some initial school,buildings or preschool classrooms that wewant to try this first, let's try it out.Let's assess and let's learn from it.And then based on what welearn and the changes we make,we can look at full implementationacross the district.So I'll be talking more aboutthis over the next couple of weeks.I want to thank you all.There's my name and my email address, please.If you have any questions,you're welcome to email meand I'll be happy to respond.We will have two more sessionsand then at the end of this month,we will provide a timeto have a live discussion.And that'll be an opportunity for youto join me live andask questions or share some ofyour own stories and experiences. Thank you.

Webinar Survey Link for Certificate

Part 2 - By Dr. Michael Conn-Powers

Description of the video:

Hi, welcome back tothe Early Childhood Centerwebinar series on what it takesto implement effective,inclusive preschool services.I'm Michael Conn-Powers,Director of the Early Childhood Center.And I'm hosting the first month of the seriesfocusing on adopting high-quality,inclusive service models.Starting points:And this is part two.Last week, I recorded part one.The goals for this seriesand particularly forthe February webinars are listed here.Last week, I encouragedyou to rethink your Service DeliverySystem and think aboutmore inclusive service modelsthat support membership,test patient engagement.This week, I'm going to touch on elementsof implementation science, a 'laour proposed roadmap and sharemore specifically initial points.And then finally, I wantto make you aware of all ofthe steps it takes to effect changein adopting moreinclusive service delivery models.We also cross-reference what we're doing withthe Division forEarly Childhood Recommended Practices.And I've identified a coupleof leadership recommendedpractices that this series targets.The agenda for the series:Last week we talked aboutthinking about our destination.And this week we're going to talkabout preparing for that journey.What does that mean? Last week,I introduced this roadmap.And this is a roadmap for makingchanges within your programor school district,specifically in adopting new service models andcurricular best practices.We borrowed from the fieldof implementation science,which has shown that there arefour distinct and important stagesin bringing about effective change.This week, we're going to focuson the first stage and that's exploration.We borrow heavily from the work ofthe National ImplementationScience Research Networkat the University ofNorth Carolina, Chapel Hill.And there they published numerous documentsand one of them is this notionof stages of implementation.And they provide their own roadmapfor how to bringabout systemic change within programs,school districts, and states as a whole.This week, as I mentioned earlier,we're going to focus on exploration.And in exploration, thereare key outcomes that we need to aim atif we're going to be preparedand taking this journey of adoptingnew and inclusive service modelsand evidence-based practices.We're going to focus specificallyon an initial assessmenttool that they've developedthat helps us to get a sense of the fit andfeasibility and taking on new best practices.We'll talk about the importanceof communication,both in communicating withpeople that this new adoptingthese new practices willhave an impact as wellas making it a two-waycommunication and getting feedback.And then finally, the fact that this issomething we can't take on individually,that we need to buildan implementation team thatcan help us in this journey.Probably one of the most important outcomesduring this initial stageof exploration is toget a really good handleon the implications andimpact of adoptingthese new inclusive service modelsand practices.And that involves assessing the fit andfeasibility of adopting these new practices.What does it really mean?What does it entail?How well prepared are we?Do we have the resources andthe capacity to be able to do thisand what do we need to do inorder to get ready in adopting that?And the National Implementation Scienceand Research Network puts forth this,this thing they call the hexagon tool.And there are six elementsthat make it a hexagon.Three of the elements in green are the practice.They focus specifically on the model andpractices thatwe're encouraging you to adopt.And they also look atthree blue indicators thataddress your own district orprogram and your capacity to be ableto make the changes inadopting and implementingthese service practices.So we're going to take some time andgo through each of these.Well, in many respects,the National Implementation Research Networkpairs them up so that for eachgreen or practice elementthere is the correspondingblue or program element.And so the first two,I want to talk about are evidence and need.And we talked about this in some respectsin the first webinar,specifically around evidence.We presented to you modelsand practices and a lot of our workwill delve on practices thathave a strong research basis.But if you were using this to evaluateadopting another practice orperhaps a program curriculum,there are three elements that you want tofocus on around that fall under evidence.You know, to what extentis there data that shows thatthe practice or curriculum has a data thatshows that it's effective in bringingabout your expected outcomes.Again, the link betweenthe practice end your expected outcomes.Obviously with our focuson inclusive preschool services,we're looking at outcomes not onlytraditional early childhood specialeducation outcomes that are measured,but also this notion of buildinglong-term skills around membership,participation, and engagement.And then the third elementis the clickability ofthose models and practicesfor your own setting.And some of the work that we've beendoing does just that.What are the specific modelsthat we're seeing adopted here inIndiana and how applicable isit so that we only sharepractices and service modelsthat we have found instances ofthem being implemented here inthe state of Indiana,Indiana school districts.The corresponding program is how well doesthe practice model fitin terms of program needs,the needs of your preschoolers,and the needs of your family and community.And I think that's why we really emphasizethis notion of building membership,engagement, participation,and regular early educationsettings right from the get-go,rather than pullingchildren with disabilitiesaway from their main stream, their community.We're advocating to look atservice models that arebuilt on what families tell usthey hope their goals anddreams are for their children.And looks thatstrengthening community programs,preschool programs,early childhood childcare programs,and expand on their capacity to be ableto adequatelyserve all children within their community.This piece really focuses on youtaking the time to build a strong casethat you can go to the rest ofthe members of your team andyour school district and saying whyit is we need to make the changes,especially in adoptinginclusive service models.The next two elements are fit and usability.Fit, again is the program elementand usability is lookingat the specific practices.And I'll start there.When we assess the usability of model,what we're wanting to do is tosee if there is enough information andmaterials and supporting documentationin professional development toensure that we're clear aboutwhat is involved inimplementing that model in practice.And that there's sufficient guidance.So that we implement that modelcorrectly and consistently.If it's a very complex model,then it's not easily understood,then the usability mightgo downhill a bit because it's goingto be confusing for our teachersand therapists and it mayresult in poor implementation.And we know if practicesare poorly implemented,then it's less likely that we're going toexperience the outcomes that we've targeted.So, you know, it asks, isthe service model well-defined?Is there available documentationand training that can provide usguidance. Are thereeir measures to help us inassessing fidelity or accuracyin which we're implementing that.And then the fourth piece,are there places that we cango and see it being implemented?And one of the things that we've beenworking on over the past three yearsis the inclusion directorythat identifies districts here inIndiana that are implementingsuccessful Inclusive service modelsthat are willing tomake themselves available,to be observed or tohave conversations with, you know,so we can get some clarity aboutwhat that model looks like in real life.The corresponding program elementof the hexagon assessment is fit.So that once we have a clear understandingof what this modellooks like and its usability,then we can assess the fit.How well does it fit withour current program prioritiesand goals and values?Are there other things that aregoing on in our district thatmight make it difficult to take on this tool.Now, you don't assess fit to say oh,it doesn't fit because itdoesn't match our values and priorities.But rather you use that to help inplanning how you're going toroll out this model.And the work that you might have todo ahead of time inaligning the goals andpriorities and values ofyour district toembrace more inclusive service models.This is, this is very important.I remember one school districtthat we worked with thatwas very interested intaking on more inclusive services.And we met with themand began the exploration.But it was clear from the get go that asthey brought in their preschool teachers,that provided special education servicesto the young children with disabilities.It was not a fit withtheir own values and beliefsabout how early childhoodspecial education could look like.And we didn't take the time to explore that.And think about how it mightfit and how wemight roll out the implementation.In fact, it, it diedright there because we didn't takethe time to havethat conversation about what willit take to enable this program,this district to, tofit with more inclusive service models.And then the final pair in the hexagon toollooks at the support on the practice side.What are the supports thatthese models and practices demandin order to be implementedwell and consistently and correctly?What are the costs?And then on the flip side,the program and its capacity.Does the program havethe capacity to pullit off and to pull it off well?And this isa big conversation insome of the districts thatwe've been working in.because as they become more and more informedabout what inclusive service modelscan look like in their districtthe focus of the conversationturns to capacity very, very quickly.So let's explore both ofthese elements of the hexagon assessment.So, so in assessinga certain model or practice likethe closest service modelswe talked about last week.Then we recognize that there are costs inadopting those models, there are startup costs.You knew if, if we're starting tolook at partnerships with the community,preschool programs or the local Head Start.Or in fact, in one ofthe rural areas that we're working with,they're looking at actuallycreating a regular early childhood programwithin their school district.And within that program,they would look at combiningearly childhood and specialeducation children and staff.And obviously the conversation turned to doesthe cost in starting up sucha broad Early Childhood Initiative.Another big conversation istraining and professional development.For a lot ofour early childhood specialeducation teachers who'sonly knowledge andexperience has been intheir own developmental preschool and beingthe lead teacher and havinga classroom of children with disabilities.Now we're asking them to shift focusand take on new roles and practices,such as some of the things that wetalked about last week,either as a co-teacheror as a consulting teacher.There are skills that are involvedin implementingthese inclusive service models.And we need to take stock of whattraining and professionaldevelopment might be needed.And then because they arenew skills and they take some practice,ongoing coaching,That's an expense that takes time.And you need to know thatif there are resourcesavailable to providethe training and coaching.And then finally aroundleadership and guidance on policies.As we take on this new service model,what are the implications ofsupports at leadership level and frompolicies that will supportmore inclusive service models and get usaway from a history andtradition of moresegregated service delivery models.So as we start to look atthe individual models andpractices were wanting to adopt,there are supports thatThat adoption is going todemand that we're gonnaneed to have in place.So that the flip side,we start to look at the capacity.Can we afford to do this?Do we have the resources?Do we have the staffing?Do we have the time to investin the training and professional development?Those are some of the things as we've beenworking with school districts that we see.So they they know that thattheir folks are going to need training.And so we start to planout a calendar of training andongoing coaching that's going totake place over the course of the year.And making sure that we haverelease time or substitutes or we findtimes at the beginningor the end of the school year,or early summer forthat professional development to take place.If we're looking at role changes and bringingon a regular early childhoodor Head Start partners.Well, there are implications thereboth on both sides of both programs.And there may be need to bechanges in our policies and procedures.And do we have the capacity andthe leadership to make those changes?And there may be structural changes.I mean, again, we're talking about movingfrom self-contained classroom service models toservice model wherethe early childhood special educator doesn'tnecessarily have their classroomand they're an itinerant.They are floating across classrooms andembedding special education serviceswithin that classroom,either through co-teaching or taking onactivities for teaching withinroutines of the classroom.So again, there are structural changesthat need to be in place.And part of the hexagon,part of this initial assessmentof fit and feasibility,is looking at capacity.I wanted to startwith the hexagon assessment.Assessing the fit and feasibility ofadopting includes service models first, but,but probably the very first step inthe exploration stage ispulling together an implementation team,doing that assessment andall of the other work and inthe roadmap and and going fromstart to finish and implementing,adopting and implementing new practices.You're not gonna do it alone.You have to have a teamand this implementation teambecomes sort of the focus groupin helping to design and implement andsustain inclusive services thatare going to getstarted within your district.It's the group that helpsto follow and shepherdthe district along and followingthis journey, alongthe roadmap that we provide,it helps the district and carrying outall of the required stepssuch as the hexagonassessment we just talked about.So in our experience andworking with some districts here in Indiana,we reallyencourage people to pull togetheran implementation team; that's usuallythe first conversation we have.When a director, administrator,or someone approaches usabout expressing some interest.And we encourage these teamsto be somewhat small,so they can be nimble andmake decisions relatively quickly.So we, we usuallyrecommend that there areno more than ten people.And in our experiencethere are usually five to ten people.Sometimes there are more,and sometimes there may be fewer.But we, we kind ofencourage small and nimble team.And there are some key roles tothink about who should be on that team.So obviously the first one thatyou see is central administration.You have to have leadership.And that leadership needsto be someone that canauthorize or very quicklyget with the powers thatbe, your superintendent,for example, to be able toauthorize the activities andthe resources that are going to be neededin undergoing this, this, this endeavor.They're the ones thatprovide the interface withthe policies and proceduresand resources of your district.And definitely are going to becentral in helping you inassessing the fit andthe capacity and resourceneeds in adopting these new models.So their key andsometimes we'll have more than one.You know, that a lot of times weencouraged the special education director,in some of the larger districts,there may be a preschoolcoordinator administrator ofthe early childhood specialeducation programsand obviously that person is key.And then for districtswhere the preschool programsare spread acrossmultiple elementary school buildings,we might also includea building principle aspart of the administration.Who else should be involved?I mentioned early childhoodspecial education program coordinator.More often than not,they're going to be, ifyou if your district has one,they're going to be the interfacewith staff andbuildings and central administrationand making all this hum.And then finally, we need to havedirect service providers that are, you know,one or two early childhoodspecial education teachersand or a speech language therapiststhat are intimately involved inproviding special educationand related services.They are where the rubber meets the road andtaking this on andtheir perspective is invaluable.Helping to just think about that.The hexagon assessment, we cover it,think of their knowledgeand experience and howthey can really help to guide that process,and informed that process.And so they're important.If you're going to be partnering withregular early childhood programsas you probably will be.Whether that's in the community,maybe it's a community preschoolor childcare center.Maybe it's Head Start or even if it'syour own early childhoodpre-kindergarten program within the schools.You're going to need someone that'sa classroom teacher from that program toothey're going to have a unique perspectivethat's going to helpto provide information andguidance on adopting these practices.And then finally, a family member.We haven't seen family members bevery active parts of this process to date.But you know, it's families that,in many respect havethe longer-term hopes and dreams fortheir children to grow up and have jobsand live independently andbe a member of their community.And, and that starts in preschool.And so families cangive us sort of a vested andlong-term or life-span perspective that'smissing in all the other members.Last, and then I mentionedearlier around building principles.Again in districts where you'rerolling this out across several buildings,building principals, the leadershipof that building.They're going to be critical too in providinga perspective that youmight not get anywhere else.This implementation team help to do.Again, we're, we're aiming for outcomes.We want children to learn,but we also want them to be aroundtheir same age peers andthe opportunities to bea part of the early childhood community,to develop friendships, to be a member,and learn to participate andengage and learn in those environments.Well, to pull it off,there are some key pieces thatthe implementation team helps to happen.First, it takes effective practices.If you don't have an effective practice.You know, that's again,assessing the evidence andthe usability of the practice.If we haven't donea good job implementation teamisn't assuring thatwe're not going to get to those outcomes.And we know that outcomes don'thappen unless that's present.Those are the best practices.We know that if weimplement these and we implement them well,we're going to, we're goingto see good things.But you know, it takesmore than just knowing this isthe best practice It hasto be implemented effectively.There's a lot of research and it's come fromthe implementation science world.Where, this isthis notion of the research practice gap.We know through research there arenumerous Best Practicesand effective curricula.The problem is, they're rarely implementedor they're not implementedwell, or consistently.And a roll the implementation teamin this whole roadmapand this journey and adoptingnew practices is to ensure,to help promote and ensure thatthose effective practices areimplemented consistently and effectively.And we'll talk moreabout some of the things theythat next week that helped ensure that.But even within that hexagon assessment,remember we're talking about capacity,fit, supports,and what is it that we're doing toensure the effective implementation,which brings us to the third elementand that is enabling context.This is probably oneof the very central rolesof the implementation teamThey're having the conversations.They're collecting the data.They're developing plans forimplementation that will help createcontexts that will enablethese practices to comeinto your school district.They helped provide the trainingand information that people willneed to understandthe changes that are going tobe occurring within the school district.They're providing policies,and guidance thatcommunicate that this isan important and valued changethat's coming on.And have the opportunities to haveconversations that help peopleto understand why it is we're,we're taking on these new practices.So again, whether it'sassessing fit and feasibility,developing capacity,facilitating communication,and following this roadmapto support adoption,it all falls on the implementation team.And then the final elementthat I want to emphasize that'spart of this exploration phase,is communication.And communication with our stakeholders.And our stakeholders can becentral administrationand the superintendent's office.It can be families,It can be building leadership.It can be our teachers and therapists.Everyone that has a stake in this change,we need to be sure that there'sa communication plan thathelps to support andinform everybody about what's going on.That involves taking the timeto share the initiative andthe roadmap thatthe implementation team is followingso that there's no one that'sunclearabout what's happening andwhy and a roadmapor timeline for howchange is going to happen.That's part of this communication plan.It's to engage inthat exploration and assessed buy-in.So thinking about the hexagonwe just talked about,and we're assessing the fit andfeasibility of adopting these new practices.Well, that means thatwe need to have conversationswith a lot of folks to make surethat everyone's concerns are heard,as well as the needsthat are going to arisein adopting this new model.You know, I don't know how to do this.I I've never been a consulting teacher,I've only been a classroom teacher.I don't know how.And so that weknow that for that person,they're going to need training and support.to learn new skills and practices.And when we have these two-way conversations,especially during that exploration phase,it's a wonderful strategyfor people to be heard,their concerns to be sharedand to promote by-inand this isn't something we're coming in and,And so to speak,ramming down their throats were providingthe opportunity to hearboth ideas and suggestions aswell as needs. Later,and we'll talk more about this next week whenwe start to get into implementation.It's a great way to beginto identify pilot sites.One of the things that we will recommendis you don't just jump in and,and today you know your service,0% of your preschoolersare served and inclusive environments.Everybody right now is served in moreself-contained or segregatedpreschool classrooms and,tomorrow100% of the kids and all the classrooms,we're going to moveto inclusive service model.So we're going tosuggest you might take this alittle more incrementallyand identify pilot sites.And by having these communications,you're gonna find people that are interestedand supported and more engaged andmight make for a great pilot site.And then finally, as you do startto roll out the models and the practices.Communication allowsfor two-way communicationto assess how it's going to get feedback.Okay, so in this week's webinar,we talked about exploration and preparation,and specifically this notionthat assessment for fit andfeasibility and the hexagon tool thatthe NationalImplementation Research Network has,has shared with us as a good model.We recognize that wecan't do something like this alone.It takes a team and investing in that team,making sure we have the right people onthat team is going to help tosupport the longevity and success of this.And then the third pieceis a communication plan.We need to make surethat everyone is informed,that everyone knows where we'regoing and the timelineand the roadmap for getting there.Alright, so last week wetalked about the importance ofrethinking how we provide services andthis notion of adoptinginclusive service models.Today and this week we're talking aboutwhat we can do to prepare for the journey.And then next week I'll talk a little bitmore about the later stagesof implementation science roadmapand what we might do in implementing change.Again, thank you for attending.There's my email.If you have any questions,I encourage you to reach out that'll helpme to know what's working and not working.And also on the link somewhere there isQualtrics survey that you can click.Please give us some feedback.And also that isthe strategy that you canget a certificate for attending.Thank you and take care.

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Part 3 - By Dr. Michael Conn-Powers

Description of the video:

Welcome again to the continuation of the Early Childhood Center's webinar series, looking at what it takes to implement effective, inclusive preschool services. I am Michael Conn-Powers. I am Director of the Early Childhood Center located, at the Indian Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University. This part of the series is focusing on adopting high-quality, inclusive service models. Starting points, and this is the third webinar in that series. My agenda for the February portion of our Center's webinar series has really focused on those starting points. That includes taking the time to think about our destination. And of course, our destination or hoped destination, is to look at high-quality, inclusive preschool services for young children with disabilities. And in the first webinar, I focused specifically on that topic. Then in the second webinar, I talked about preparation, a starting point, and introduced and talked about our roadmap that borrows from implementation science and the importance of the exploration stage. In this webinar. I will continue with that roadmap and the use of implementation science principles and talk about next steps and implementing a plan for change. Specifically in moving away from segregated preschool special education services and developmental preschool programs and making the change to more inclusive service delivery models. My goals for this webinar series, are 1. to re-imagine services that are more inclusive and support membership and friendships and engagements. I wanted to introduce you to the elements of implementation science and then make you aware of the steps that you can take to begin effecting change and your own school district. Because we cross-reference our training with the Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices. I identified two leadership practices that reflect the focus of the February webinar series. Both leaders advocating for policies and resources that support DEC statements on practice and establishing the partnerships to create coordinated and inclusive services. In the earlier webinars, I introduced the tenants of implementation science. And this notion of a roadmap that covers four important stages for programs and school districts. to undergo change to be able to adopt new and best practices that we know bring about desired outcomes for children and families. And I'm borrowing heavily from the work of NIRN, the National Implementation Research Network at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. And in fact, I was in a training just last week by Karen Ward who works at Chapel Hill. And she shared this graphic and I'm, I'm borrowing, giving her credit. That shows these four stages and sort of the, the basic function of each. Last week, I talked about exploration and the importance at that stage of taking the time to examine the model and practices you wish to adopt. And assessing how well that model fits, how feasible it is and how well it addresses the needs of the children and families in your community. This week, we're going to talk about installation and installation follows exploration. And it focuses on assuring that we're ready, that we have the resources, the supports, the training in order for us to move to initial implementation. Initial implementation looks at starting and working with select pilot elementary schools or preschool classrooms. Someone that will help us to take it on first and for us to learn and to demonstrate that we can do it and do it well, before we move on to full implementation and look at generalizing across all of our program or all of our district. I also borrow from a relatively new document, implementation stages planning tool, again, offered through NIRN, the National Implementation Research Network. And you can find it on their website. And this document is very helpful in outlining the key outcomes and steps along this journey. So in this webinar, I really want to focus on the installation stage of adopting new practices. After we've done the heavy exploration work, we know we've got a model, an inclusive preschool service delivery model and practices that we know will work in our district and that we can adopt it and we can make it fit with changes and training and services. Once we've answered those questions, it's time to prepare and put pieces into place that will allow us to implement that model. And that's the installation stage. Now, I've worked for many years to help support school districts and agencies and adopt a new best practices. And the inclination is... I've got this new practice, I've got this new model. Let's just start implementing it. And we want to jump right to that. And more often than not, if it's not, if planning and preparation doesn't happen, then that initial implementation fails. Because inevitably we run into roadblocks or barriers, or finding that we don't have the skills or supports that are necessary for the successful implementation of that model. So if we want to start, if we want to, jump into implementation, there are things that we need to have in place. And so these are the outcomes of successful installation stage of work. 1. we have a successful well-functioning implementation team made up of people who have the authority to authorize and support those changes. Includes people who will help to champion and monitor and manage those changes. And it also includes teachers and therapists who are going to be the ones implementing that change so they are able to provide their perspective. And it's a team that functions well. Fidelity measures. That means that we have a clear understanding of what these new service models and practices will look like. And we've developed assessment measures so that we can ensure and assure that we are implementing what we said we'd implement and implementing. Well. There are infrastructure support, some place we know will take support and professional development and ongoing coaching. It may need required interagency agreements. If we're working with community programs. We know that people need to be trained. Very few of our practitioners have the skill and training to implement high-quality, inclusive service delivery models. And then that last component, it takes a two-way communication. We need to be sure that we're communicating with the district and at stake holders, family members, community members. And we also need to make sure that it's two-way so that we have feedback loops. So in this webinar, I want to talk about some of the activities that we can put into place to successfully install the opportunity to implement best practices that we are choosing to adopt. Okay, so first, we have an implementation team that has the capacity to support the implementation. The Implementation team is sort of the nexus for ensuring that the district is successful in adopting these new best practices around inclusive services for preschoolers with disabilities. We need to make sure that members of that team have the knowledge, the skills, the functions, and the authority to make it happen. That means you've got someone, from the superintendent or superintendent's office that can authorize the changes that are going to need to happen. That you've got people who are familiar with the models and practices. That have the knowledge that can champion and articulate that vision of moving forward. And then we have stakeholders, whether it's teachers and therapists who will be implementing these changes or principles in our elementary schools that will help to lead that change at the building level. Or family members who will be recipients of the services that can help us. Remember why we're doing this in the first place. It is a team that needs to meet regularly and have the time and the support to do its job well. And as it's setting up, it needs to have the capacity to meet on a regular basis so that they can manage and oversee the changes as they're implemented. Once we move into the initial implementation phase, they are the ones that will be the problem solvers. So once things get started, they're the ones that are going to manage and ensure that we have all the infrastructure supports in place. These are the folks that make it happen. We need to focus on this thing called Fidelity. And I'm a big believer in this maxim, what gets measured, gets done. And this focuses on the actual service models and practices that we're wanting to adopt. In the first webinar, I talked about various service models. You might have a Push-in service model, you might have a consultative service model. You might have a co-teaching service model, or you might just ought to develop a one-size-fits-all model in which a single teacher is a teacher of record and provides the special ed services. It is also the classroom teacher for all young preschoolers. Regardless of the model or models that you choose, you need to take the time to articulate and clearly define the specific practices that comprise that model. You need to have a clear understanding of what are the essential functions and practices that comprise successful push-in model, for example, what does that look like? What are the practices of successful push -in inclusive special education and related services? And then once you have a clear understanding of what those practices are, you need to have clear, measurable indicators. Because these practices, they're not rocket science, but they're not easy. You need to ensure that people have the training and are implementing these practices with fidelity or you will fail. You will have a program that's poorly implemented. So this, this focus on fidelity is to pull together assessment, both assessment measures and practices that you will use to monitor implementation of these new service models. And as well as criteria for success. That is, if it takes ten practices for special educators to successfully implement push-in practices, you know, they have they have to embed those special education services in typical classroom routines. And within the classroom that might be a practice. There are specific ways and delivering that special ed and related services that it happens within the flow and the curriculum or the classroom. It isn't disruptive to the classroom routine and what's going on with all the other children. It may be that it happens in the context of small group or free time and involves other children without disabilities. So you have same age peers that are helping you. It provides, you know, we look at practices around imbedded instruction and what is comprised in the evidence-based practice of embedded instruction. So and taking the time, we almost define the curriculum that will be our, our training and professional development curriculum, but also our assessment. And that means that we'll be measuring and assessing how well our practitioners implement those models. So we take the time, define what those practices are. We have those clear, measurable indicators so someone can show up in the classroom and observe and have a way of clearly assessing if those practices are taking place or not. or taking place with a sufficient quality. We defined fidelity and this is important. How do we know when we are successfully there? And this is all bundled up into a performance assessment. It's not used for evaluating teachers. It's not teacher evaluation. It is for the purpose of ensuring that we're implementing these practices successfully. Then we also need to look at an another big responsibility during this installation stage is this caring and developing infrastructure supports. Any change is going to involve big changes throughout the system. If we want to ensure that what we're doing is successfully done, we have to make sure that supports are in place. This can involve policies, procedures, and agreements. I put in the agreements there. If your model involves working with the local Head Start or community childcare preschool program, then you're probably going to have to take the time to negotiate interagency agreements for how we will work together to provide high-quality, inclusive early education services for all children. If it involves new policies and procedures that take teachers out of the classroom as a classroom teacher. And starts to redefine their role and position as a as a consultant or a co-teacher, then those policies and procedures need to take and effect change. Another big part is initial training and ongoing coaching. I alluded to this earlier. These are new practices. It requires new skills. And one of the areas that we find that sometimes districts want to rush in and do on the cheap is training and ongoing coaching. You know, we'll do some, will do a two-day training at the beginning of the school year and we'll call it done. Well, some of these practices require more than a couple of days. And what we know about adult learning is the importance of ongoing coaching. We can have the best five-day training to get people up to snuff with the knowledge and beginning skills are required for high-quality inclusive services. But if we don't follow that with ongoing coaching, as the teachers implement those new skills in their classrooms or in the regular early childhood classrooms. We know that those skills won't stick. So it means that we put together and have in place the resources and the experts to provide that ongoing training and coaching. Some of these models require ongoing resources and supports for some of the districts we've been working with that want to build on the efforts to establish pre-K programs in their district. And they're looking at those as placement for children with disabilities. There may be the need for additional resources and supports to make that happen. I mentioned training, but it may involve providing substitute release time for the regular early childhood classroom teachers to participate in some of that training. So they acquire the skills to universally design their classrooms and their curriculum and their teaching to accommodate a greater diversity of learners. There may be supports and materials that are going to be needed to make those classrooms well-equipped for all children. And so taking the time to think about the resources and supports that need to be in place is also part of this installation stage. And making sure we have the infrastructure in place to support it. And then the fourth piece is data and access to data and supports to use it. This implementation science model relies a great deal on data. It relies on data during exploration and ensuring that we've done a good job of assessing the feasibility and fit of the models we want to adopt and our capacity to implement it. And as we get ready to implement the desired models, we need to have an ongoing data collection system so we can see how well we're doing, how well we're implementing the changes and how well those changes are being made in the classrooms. So data for the implementation team to be able to monitor its progress in implementing these infrastructure supports? Are we able to provide the training and ongoing coaching? Is everybody accessing that training? What do we do to support ongoing training and coaching? And are we implementing that effectively? And then are the special educators and regular classroom teachers and therapists. Are they learning and practicing the skills based on that fidelity assessment I talked just talked about earlier. So that data helps us to chart. Are we doing what we said we would do in preparing and implementing this change? And two, is it having an impact? Are we affecting changes and in the desired service models and service practices that we've targeted. And then over time, are we having the desired impact on the children and families? So data is very important and it, it helps to inform and guide the implementation team. But also you can use it to create a culture of data informed decision-making with the classroom teachers and special education and, and, and therapists so that they can see they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. They're doing it well. And they can begin to monitor their impact and their collective impact on children's learning and development. So taking the time to secure and develop these infrastructure supports is a tremendously important part of this installation stage. We cannot take on the change began implementing that change unless we know we have all the necessary supports in place or, or we will fail. And it's, as you begin to think about this installation phase now and all that's involved, you can see where if we don't do this, then our efforts to implement the change may be doomed for failure. Okay, the next element, an important outcome of this installation stage is the plan and planning. Obviously after we've talked about making sure that our models are well-defined and we have fidelity measures. We've talked about the infrastructure supports we need to have in place that's going to take time. And that means we need to have a plan. And part of that plan is pulling those resources together. But they're also the plan for implementation. And when we start to think about moving into initial implementation, there are some key things we need to have as part of our plan. First, who's gonna go first? A big recommendation as a district or an agency move towards adoption is spending some time thinking about who will be your initial field test or pilot classrooms or buildings or sites. That's important. You're not gonna do this system-wide it. You're going to start small. You're going to test it out. You're going to make sure that the model and the practices make sense and they still have that fit feasibility. We're also going to test to make sure we do have all the infrastructure supports in place and that we can execute it. And, and so where do we start first? Instead of just jumping in across the whole district, we should pick a handful of sites to do this. And so who makes that first-cut? Who do we want to go with first? Well, that's a a conversation, that's a decision. The implementation team. Now you might choose to go with teachers and therapists who are on board and have good skills and practices and philosophically believe that this is a good practice so that you start with them. You know, you're not going to be waging the philosophical battles. And that their hearts are in the right place. And, and it's going to be a true test of the model and the infrastructure support. So you might start with folks that are on board and have good skill and knowledge at implementing this. So that might be part of the logic. You might have other criteria that guide who goes first. You know, you may be looking at buildings and that you've got leadership with the principal and the building that is strong, or that there is logic that they go first, one of the districts that we worked with that was very much a part of the decision-making. In that particular school. There was support and logic for the special education preschool classroom teachers to move away from classroom delivery and do co-teaching and push in services because of the strength of the regular early childhood classrooms in that school and the willingness for them to take it on. So there are a number of reasons why and it's just important to take some time and ask who do we want to go first and why, what's the criteria? Whether you're starting with strength and the people or maybe it's being strategic about the locations in schools or the sites that You take on first, how will we train and coach those folks? How will we make sure that they have the skills and capacity to implement these inclusive service models and practices. And who's going to be the coach? Do you have the expertise within your school district? Do you have folks like ourselves at the Early Childhood Center who you can ask and turn to provide the training. And perhaps this help with the coaching. That's part of what we've been doing over the past two or three years in working with districts to provide ongoing training and even coaching. Even during the pandemic, we'd been using some virtual coaching tools that allow us to coach individual teachers from a distance and using technology. So again, that plan of how you're going to execute all of the work you've been doing as an implementation team starts to fall out here. Again, data, data, data. Who has it? How are we gonna collect it? How are we going to compile it? How are we going to make it available? In a useful and usable format so that we can make informed decisions as an implementation team. Who's going to help us in doing those fidelity assessments? How are we going to ensure that the training took place and that people are feeling good and comfortable with the new knowledge and skills. How are we ensuring that the coaching supports for putting in place are being implemented and carried out, carried out well. And that the teachers and therapists are acquiring the skills. All of those are data decisions. And they will make or break the success of your implementation plan. Because mistakes will happen, you will run into problems. And there will be some folks that are going to struggle to learn these new skills. A data system will help you to identify those problems are struggles very early on and help you to problem-solve. And then finally, taking the time to define success. You know, let's say you decide to pilot with one or two or three of your special educators and their classrooms and moving those children into regular ed classrooms. So over the course of the year and initial implementation, how do you define that you're doing it well, it's going well, we are successful. And it's time to start to add new staff and new classrooms and new sites as we start to scale up. So taking the time to think about what is success that teachers and therapists are implementing their practices and implementing them well. And that we're seeing data that indicates that children are learning and people are feeling good about the change and feel it and it's working and that children and families are learning and feeling good about those changes. So we can say, all right, it's time to bring in the next three classrooms or the next building. So spending time defining what success is so that you don't just happen stance in your movements forward. Finally, communication. In our experience, change is hard. We are asking people to do business differently. We have seen a lot of questions and resistance and concerns about moving to more inclusive service models. And so if we don't provide information and communication and an opportunity for people to voice their concerns and hesitancy and have them addressed. Then we are setting ourselves up for failure and failure because of people being confused and executing poorly. Or for people who are not on board and may passively or actively sabotage those efforts. And so taking the time to set up and implement this ongoing two-way communication is key because we need to make sure people are informed and they're not making up information because there's an absence or a vacuum of information. We want to make sure we're clear about the direction we're going as a district and where we are and what stage we're in and what the plan and the timeline is. Everyone is informed and that there are opportunities for them to be able to share their questions. And as they experience problems, there's the feedback loop. And that goes back to that implementation team or to the school's leadership. So that we're all on board. We're all, you know, communicating and working together. So the putting in place those mechanisms, how is it that if I'm, a classroom teacher or speech and language therapist, and I have questions or concerns about how I'm going to do this. Who do I go to? I go to my building principle. Do I go to the special ed director or the preschool coordinator? Do I go to the person that's champion in this, that's part of the implementation team. If it's not clear what the lines of communication are, that's going to be frustrating for folks. If we don't provide who's providing the message? I mean, we have principles. They are generally the building leaders. So is the implementation team putting together the communication that goes down, goes up, comes from the superintendent's office, you know, with the work of the implementation team. And it goes to the building leadership. And it's the building leadership that provides information and communication about this initiative and the rolling out of these inclusive service models. So again, taking the time to think about what the communication plan will be and how it's executed and and what the lines of communication are. So that if I have questions, I need to know more. I've got something, some concerns. What do I do with that key piece, key piece of the stage of, of installation. So, you know, in this webinar we spent some time so far and talking about these first two stages. And and that's as far as I'm going to get, we're going to move to some very different topics and start to explore some of these inclusive service practices that I've alluded to in these three webinars. But I wanted to start with the importance of taking the time to look at that exploration and installation phases are my own experience and I know the experience of the folks at the National Implementation Research Network is that so many efforts fail. So many efforts and initiatives to adopt new models and practices fail in their implementation because we didn't spend enough time during exploration and installation. It can take a year and maybe even more for exploration and installation to occur. And so for someone that wants to start, you know, this is February and they want to rock and roll and have this off the ground and being implemented at the start of the next school year in the fall? Well, that might be unrealistic because we have to ask the question, will this give us enough time for that exploration and installation to occur? I encourage you and I've, I've shared references to the work of NIRN and folks like Karen Ward that works for the SSIP project that looks at state implement, and implementation change, have wonderful resources. And we're in the process of developing a new website that will use this model of change and provide some kind of step-by-step planning for our districts here in Indiana. I'll close. On February 23rd, I believe at four PM. I will have open forum. It will be live. That's an opportunity. If you're interested to join me with questions that you might have about what I've shared and the work that we're doing and the initiative we're undertaking as part of our collaboration with the Indiana Department of Education. Our website at the Early Childhood Center where you found this webinar, there should be links to register for that forum. So we have a sense of how many people are joining us. And I hope to see you there and please come with questions. Thank you for joining me again. There's my contact information. If you should have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thank you again for joining me.

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What it Takes to Implement Effective Preschool Inclusion - Team Collaboration and Multi-tiered Instructional Supports Enhance Child Outcomes

Part 1 - By Sally Reed Crawford, M.A., Research Associate

Description of the video:

Welcome to the Early Childhood Center'swebinar series.What it Takes to ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.Our March topic is Team Collaboration andMultitiered Instructional SupportsEnhance Child Outcomes.Today is part one.In subsequent weeks onMarch 9th we will cover tier two,March 16th will be tier three.And March 23rd, we willhave a live discussion forum,but you have to sign up for that.Please visit our webpage.My name is Sally Reed Crawford.I have been a Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center atthe Indiana institute onDisability and Community for six years.And I've been in the fieldof early intervention andearly childhood special educationfor over 40 years.The Early Childhood Center is one ofseven at the Institute.And the institute coversthe lifespan for people with disabilities.The work of each centerpromotes research to practice.The goals for the March topic are to providean overview of evidence-based practicesthat improve child outcomes,illustrate the importance ofteam collaboration in preschool inclusion,and to illustrate whattiered instructional supportslook like to meet children's unique needs.As you can see, I have pairedeach goal with a sample practicefrom the documentThe Division ofEarly Childhood Recommended Practices.Implementing effective preschool servicestakes a dual responsibility.Leaders establish policies and proceduresand hire staff competentin inclusive service delivery,as well as create the conditionsfor practitioners frommultiple disciplinesand families to work together.For practitioners.One practice is tomaintain the required frequency, intensity,and duration of instruction to addressthe child's pace oflearning or level ofsupport to achieve goals.Today's agenda is, again,the overview of evidence-based practices,requirements of effective inclusion,and then delving into tier one.So what is the evidence base foreffective preschool inclusionand why follow it?I think the answer starts with whatwe want to achieve with preschool inclusion.The desired outcomes you see onthe slide were put forth in 2015 bythe US Health and Human Services andDepartment of Education offices.Some phrases that jump out at meare inclusion should promotea sense of belonging and membership,support positive socialrelationships and friendships,and provide supports tomaximize each child's learning potential.Learning potential:research tells us that when wesimply place children inhigh-quality early care and education,that is often not enough to increasetheir opportunities to learnand be socially included.Some children will needspecialized supports to fully participate,engage, and to learn.I wanted to provide you a overview ofthe legal, science, and equity bases for usingevidence-based practicesin preschool inclusionservice delivery.The first one is the legal basis.We learn from the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act of2004 thatfor eligible children,the first placement optionshould be considered isthe regular classroom wherea child would attend if theydid not have a disability.Both IDEA 2004 andthe Every Student Succeeds Actrequire schools to use programs,curricula, and practices whenserving children and inclusive environments.Based on scientific research.The science basis forearly childhood inclusion is robust.With over 30 years of evidencepointing and telling uswe need to increaseinclusion for young children.A brief sampling ofthe research shows us thatchildren with disabilitiescan indeed be educated ininclusive settings withindividualized instruction.That evidence-based practices increasesthe probability ofpositive outcomes for children.And inclusion requiresintentional and effective collaborationand teaming andprobably professionaldevelopment and coaching.The equity basis isstrongly linked to the legal basis.All children have the right toequitable learning opportunitiesto help them achievetheir full potential andto become valued members of society.Therefore, all educators havea professional obligation to advance equity.Our colleagues at theIndiana Department of Education'sOffice of Special Education designedthis excellent visual.As a quick reminder ofwhat each and every educatorserving students with different abilitiesneeds to be doing to supportthose individual needs and tomeet the IndianaDepartment of Education mission:Every child succeeds.This visual is inalignment with the march topics.I'm going to break it down just a bit.So you see the colored elements,the four core elements ofthe visual, collaboration. instruction,curriculum assessment.We also seesurrounding that universal designfor learning andmultitiered system of supportsis a component of supportand in the middle we seeshared responsibility,shared accountability, and high expectations.More elements that we willbe visiting in our March topic.At the very center of thevisual is our goal or targetin educating students.If we provide equity plus access,we increase child outcomes.The target in the visual drives our effortsto implement effective preschool inclusion.Lastly, the arrows around the donut orbagel reflects that this is a fluid model.Each element impacts the next.The presence or absence or strength orweakness of an elementimpacts our ability to hit the target,to increase child outcomes.We know that inclusion is challenging.The field of early childhoodspecial education hasa framework that was given to us in 2009with the three featuresof effective inclusion.We consider these the requirementsof what we need to be doing.A joint position statementwas put out between the division ofEarly ChildhoodCouncil for Exceptional Children andthe National Association forthe Educationof Young Children promotedthree features of access,participation and system supports.I'm going to briefly define each one.Access is the first step andhow adults shape the learning environment.I'm talking about the environmentsin a broad sense. Physical,temporal, which is the pace of a schedule,social and instructional environments.Access includes three commonlyused evidence-based practices todesign a wide range oflearning experiences for all childrenand to increase access.One is Universal Design for Learning.It's a set of principles to guideselection of materials and resources.They are flexible teaching methodsto provide support for all children.Adaptations,assistive technology,and other accommodations aresimple changes that a teachermakes to classroom routines or activities.They are easy to implement,thoughtfully planned,and don't require other resources.These changes support a child's physical,cognitive, or emotional challenges.Some simple changes mightbe altering the environmentor maybe modifying materialsor using special equipment.Using a child's favorite activities orpeople or toys within activities.Planning adult and peer assistance formodelling or prompting within activities.The second feature is participation.We think of this as how weindividualized supports.The evidence-based practices and participationare embeddedlearning opportunities which are short,intentional teachingepisodes within ongoing routines,and tiered levels of instruction.These are planned withthe child's goals in mindand we identify them in terms of when wewill provide the instruction,where the instruction will take place,what instruction will happen,and how instruction will occur.We want special education services to bedelivered withintypical routines and activities.The third system, the third featureof effective inclusion issystem or administrative supports.They include a variety of things.Starting with professional developmentand coaching, team collaboration,family engagement, program evaluation,and fidelity of classroom practices.I will be focusing just onteam collaboration in March,as well as the access andparticipation best-practices.Let's take a look at some real world examplesof the simple changesthat occur in classrooms.You see colored squaresto assist children in lining up.This would be altering the environment.We see a visual schedule,a large one, which is varyingthe method because we'vepaired a real photo to it.We may use iPads orother technology to modify instruction.We might simplify steps to teach a concept.Again, with visuals.We may motivate some childrento stay in a group bygiving them a leadership role.Sign Language is an alternative wayto decide children's learning.We may provide adult assistancein social situations.Individual visuals may supporta child staying with the whole group.And child preference can beutilized to engage a favorite peer,to look at a book.The second feature ofparticipation and individualizing supports,specifically multitiered system of supports,I feel needs a bit more definition for whatit looks like in early childhood education.It can be confusing.Prior to multitiered system ofsupports was response tointervention and positive behaviorsupports forelementary and high school students.It wasn't until 2004 IDEAthat we began to see tiered,multitiered strategies, linkto struggling elementary students.And again, in every childor Every Student Succeeds Act,tiered strategies to help with literacy.It's taken the early childhood fielda bit longer to catch up.But in 2013, the National Associationfor the Education of Young Children andthe Division of Early Childhoodand Head Start.All three wanted clarification onresponse to intervention for young students.And then they revise thatposition paper in 2019.And this definition was putforth that an MTSS framework in early careand education is a way of providinghigh-quality teachingthrough differentiated supportfor all young children,not just those who are struggling.Three distinctionscharacterize MTSS in early childhood.The receiver of the tiered supportis the child and the family.That the person who deliversthe tiered support aremultiple service providers,general educators, special educators.The other thing that happensin early childhood is that there areseveral entitiesproviding early childhood education.There's public preschool, there'sHead Start, there's private preschool.And the third distinction is the focus.What is the focus of the intervention?It is both behavior andacademics or school readiness skills,not just the struggling student.The third feature,System or administrative supports,I am focusing onthe evidence-based practiceof team collaboration.Research tells us thatongoing team collaboration,is essentialin implementing effectiveindividualized supports.Team collaboration is aboutshared responsibility and accountability.Team members would share dataand resources and problem-solvehow to implement individualized supports.Administrators ineffective preschoolinclusion programs recognizethe importance of givingthe team time to communicate and collaborate.And therefore they establish a structureor a procedure for collaborative teaming.Practitioners in earlychildhood inclusion canagree that the work of preschool inclusionis rigorous work. To removethose barriers toeducational and social success.It is the evidence-based practices thatprovide all children anequitable learning opportunity.We do know also thatpractitioners have discovered thata particular evidence-based practice is notguaranteed to work forall children all the time.That's a fact. But tryingan evidence-based practices isour only path toeach child's access andparticipation in inclusive settings.You might be saying,"So where do I findthese evidence-based practices?"I'm going to showyou two essential resources.The first one, I introducedat the beginning of the webinar,the Division of Early Childhood'srecommended practices.This is a document that you can download.It's accessible on mobile devices.It comes in English and Spanish.And there are two versions.There's a document ofjust the practices themselves.And then there's the same document withembedded examples to describewhat it looks like in a variety of settings.These documents are forchildren birth through five.So some of the examples are alsofor infant and toddler work.There are eight topic areaswith a variety of practices guidingus to try them in our service delivery.Second, go-to resource isthe Early ChildhoodTechnical Assistance Center.They have developed practiceimprovement tools asa companion to the Divisionof Early ChildhoodRecommended practices.There are performance checklists.That is an opportunity for apractitioner to check their implementation.There are two kinds of guides,family guides andpractitioner guides to use withthose general educators they consult with.These are very cool.They embed a video in each guide.There is a descriptive scenario,and there are indicatorsof what it looks like when it's successful.The checklists andthe guides are per practicein all the topic areas.We're about to go into tier one.I want to orient you totier one by introducing this triangle.This is the MTSSor Multitiered System of Supports triangle.You may have seen in the past.You will see that Tier one is at the bottom.It is purposely wider and deeper tosymbolize the foundation forall the practices above.It also indicates that these areuniversal practices and supportthat is often sufficient to meetthe needs of most young children.Tier two is depicted in the middle,which is shallower than the bottom tier,yet deeper than the top tier.This indicates that some childrenwill need more focused supports,and targeted instruction forsome of their skills.Tier three is at the top.It highlights prioritizing essentialindividual skills fora few children who need anincreased,an intent systematic instruction,which is more oftenand we would be utilizing promptsand reinforcers to build those skills.The arrow along theside increase reflects theincreasing or decreasing ofthat individualisationup and down the triangle.The frequency of instructionand the frequency of progress monitoring.The arrow in the middle reflects thatchildren move up and down across the tears.A child isn't labeled atier two or three child.They could have skillsthat are being met in tier one,but they may needs a tier two strategy tosupport learning a skill or two.Let's look at some universal outcomes.We want all children tolearn how to attend and engageso they can learn.Following directions, completing tasks,manipulating materials appropriately,sharing and taking turnsand learning to negotiate,making choices, and developing friendships.And all this is occurringwithin a classroom ofmaybe 18 to 20, 22 children.So a tier one,let's review. Who gets it andwhy? All children receive tier-1.We have high expectations,but we will plan forvaried abilities. Our universal.design is developmentally, linguistically,and socially and culturally appropriate.Well, what does it look like?Well, we're starting withthose universal outcomes.We're going to use common curriculum.We may vary difficulty for some children.And we're gonna usemultiple methods to engagepresent information and determined learning.We may do this in mixed ability small groups.What does team collaborationlook like at tier-1?Planning for tier-1 oftenfalls to the classroom teacher,but it doesn't mean the whole teamcouldn't be consulted to look atthe whole design ofthe environment to make sure every childhas access to all activities and routines.And what about families sharingwhat they do at home that's successful.And offering family some practices totry that we havefound that work in the classroom.Progress monitoring generallytakes place three to four times a year.The key about progress monitoring is that weneed to discover method setters;simple, reliable, something you cansustain over time and that all adults can do.I want to check in with the Division ofEarly Childhood Recommended Practicesfor the tier one supports.First of all, their access topicis called environment.Their participation topicis called instruction.And they term team collaboration,Team collaboration.These are just three ofthe many practices to review.So I want to think abouta classroom teacher and what we haveto remember to do asclassroom teachers and providers.We need to be asking,when we're universallydesigning an environment,we need to ask, what is it we have to do?What, what barriers have to be removed?And how do we make learningaccessible for all children?Classroom teachers know the childrenin their, in their group.They have varying abilities.They have different ways of learning.Teachers have specific learninggoals for each child.A teacher's going to consultwith other team members.Let's look at it a little more specifically.Teachers are going to build on interests andmotivation and children's curiosity.She may extend engagementby scaffolding and hints.And vary difficulty for some children.She is going to present information inan accessible way in a variety of formats.Use of technology might beused to support independencefor some children.To decide on child learning,she's going to first start withvery planned and focusedobservations, expecting varied responses.Using variety of materials.She is going to keep in mind thatone size doesn't fitall in designing herlearning environment.Some general questions to consider whendesigning a barrier free learning environmentand activities are,are adults performing tasks forchildren that they could be doing?Is the child doing what his,his or her peers are doing?Could we incorporate social engagementinto the routine or task?How should the environment,the physical environment,be altered to increasesocialization and independence?Does the length or durationof a routine need to be altered?I'm going to reviewa planning sequence using a literacy example.I'm going to use a common IEP outcome.And I'm using the Indiana Early LearningFoundations.So what is taught?If we want to teach a child to recognizecommon objects,we're going to teach the name andthe function or use of an object.We want all the adults andfamily members to be doing that instruction.It will happen in the classroom and duringhome activities, throughout the day.At recess. In the car.And we're going touse language rich interactionsand suggested questionprompts might be at the center.So all adults canadd to that rich interaction.Will do lots of shared book reading,supplementing with concrete objects,and picture labels.As I think aboutone of the center times, a book exploration,this is what thatoutcome or that planning could looklike. To engage a particular child.Let's say it's a childwho's not very interested in books,but it's very interested inthe housekeeping quarter andis also a dual language learner.So I might usesome shared book time with that child.Invite a favorite peer,and make sure there are dual language booksas part of what the child chooses to look at.We will explore it together.We will look at the photos andthe dual language to identify objects andtheir function inthe preferred interest content he likes,which is the housekeeping quarter.We might model matchingthe concrete object tothe picture in the book.The adult could model,the favorite pier could model.We will use multiple ways fora child to respond and participate.Speech in their home language,gestures, visuals.We will collect data,the method of choice overseveral weeks, share progress,an input with the team and the families,and review effectiveness andadjust the intervention.So let's look at our general questions.Was the adult performing a taska child should be doing? Could be doing?No. Child was involved with peers.Is the child doing what peers are doing?Yes. It's book expiration time.Was social engagement part of it?Yes. Was the physical environmentor the materials alteredto increase engagement?Well we added dual language books.Did the duration of the routine or activityneed to be altered tomeet that child's needs?I think if we have doneall the other elementsthen the child would be veryinterested in staying with the activity.Let's do a quick review of whatoccurred in this webinar.We looked at thelegal, science, and equity basisfor using evidence-based practices.We outlinedseveral evidence-based practicesto increase access,participation, an impact team collaboration.And you learned maybe,or you knew already aboutthe resource of the Division ofEarly Childhood Recommended Practices orthe performance checklists and guides.And we learned about what team collaborationand multitiered system ofsupports is in early childhood.The next webinar onthis topic is March 9th.It will be posted.It will focus on tier two.The upcoming monthsseries topics is here.And I want to thank you for participating.Please, find the webinar survey linkto complete the survey toget professional growth points.

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References for March Webinars

Part II - By Sally Reed Crawford, M.A., Research Associate

Description of the video:

Welcome to the Early Childhood Center's webinar series, What It Takes To Implement Effective Preschool Inclusion Services. This for month's series is a partnership between the Early Childhood Center and the Indiana Department of Education's Office of Special Education. Our hope for this series is to foster high-quality, evidence-based early childhood special education services in regular early childhood classrooms and to address the possible training and technical assistance needs. We are currently in our March topic, Team Collaboration and Multi-tiered Supports Enhance Child Outcomes. Today, March 9th is Tier Two. Tier Three will happen next week. And on March 23rd, we will have our live discussion forum that you need to register for. Please find the link on our series webpage. My name is Sally Reed Crawford. I've been a research associate at the Early Childhood Center at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community for six years. I've been in the field of early intervention and early childhood special education for 40 years. The Early Childhood Center is one of seven centers at the Institute. The Institute covers the lifespan for persons with disabilities. Each center's work, promotes research to practice. Please visit our website and our early childhood web page and sign up for our new E newsletter. The goals for March are to provide an overview of the evidence-based practices that improve child outcomes. To illustrate the importance of team collaboration, and to illustrate tiered instructional supports to meet individual needs. I have paired each goal with a sample practice from the document, The Division of Early Childhood's recommended practices. These practices are informed by research of what it takes to increase child outcomes in inclusive or natural settings. I share examples here because of the dual responsibility of implementing inclusion requires leaders have a role and practitioners have a role. Exploring the recommended practices administrators will find a range of guidance in establishing policies and procedures, how to support staff in implementing recommended practices, and for creating the conditions for practitioners for multiple disciplines and family members to engage in team collaboration. The practitioner will find a variety of guidance on classroom practices to provide universal access to all children, to individualize for children's needs, and to build relationships with colleagues and family members. Today is all about Tier 2. We will get into team collaboration and planning and the instructional strategies. I'm going to start with some context of what tier 2 looks like in a preschool inclusion classroom. Placing children in an inclusive classroom does not automatically create an equitable educational experience that promotes child outcomes. We need to keep in mind what research tells us. Placement alone in high-quality early care and education environments does not increase their opportunities to learn and be socially included. Some children will need specialized supports to fully participate, engage, and learn. It is the adult's responsibility to shape the learning environment for each and every child successful learning. The adult's attention to each child's individual needs and shaping of the learning environment helps to create the equitable preschool experience. What is required of adults to shape environments to meet individual needs? It begins with these three features: access, participation and system or administrative supports. Access is essential to ensure that each and every child can successfully navigate and engage in learning environments. From the physical to the temporal, social and instructional and environments, each child needs a way to successfully participate. Universal Design for Learning, adaptations, and assistive technology are all flexible teaching methods to engage students, present information, and determines student learning. The second feature is participation. This includes everything we do to individualized supports so a child can successfully learn. First, it means special education services are provided in the classroom, during routines and activities and transitions. It means it embedded instruction occurs within that daily routine. And it also means tiered instructional supports are planned and provided to meet a child's unique needs. The third and last feature is system or administrative supports. These encompass the administrative decisions, procedures, and policies that include ongoing professional development, opportunities for team collaboration and communication among families and practitioners. Program evaluation and a monitoring of the fidelity of classroom practices. Research tells us that these features, when effectively and consistently provided, remove the barriers to access and learning and create the equity that inclusion promises. This levels the playing and learning field, as it were, by laying the foundation to achieve the desired outcomes and inclusion, which are developed partnerships with families. increase a child's successful engagement and participation to learn, and to build the child and family sense of membership. Feeling unsure of how to implement preschool inclusion is common among practitioners. Recent research tells us that much of what is required to effectively implement preschool inclusion is lacking among general education and special education practitioners. For example, they have limited experience in progress monitoring and database decision-making, minimal training and behavior management, lack of training and individualized or systematic instruction, and limited or no experience with team collaboration. The formal education training that most general educators and special educators receive has not included inclusive practice, service delivery There's a long history of children being segregated from their typical peers to receive special education. Effective preschool Inclusion takes preparing staff, the provision of ongoing staff support, professional development and coaching. I'm revisiting this multi-tiered system of supports triangle I introduced in part one, guide our focus of Tier 2. As you see, each of the tiers reflects differences in how often supports are provided, the intensity of those supports, and the level of individualization and progress monitoring. Tier 1 supports are delivered daily to all children and most children's needs will be met in Tier one. This tier is the deepest tier because it is the foundation of the practices used to promote the universal outcomes of all children and are the basis of the practices that are added to at Tiers 2 and 3. Some of those universal outcomes are learning to attend and engage in a classroom of 20 other children, to make choices, to be able to follow directions, to use materials as expected, appropriately waiting turns, sharing and negotiating with peers, and ultimately learning to develop friendships. I want to keep these outcomes in mind today. Tier 2 is less steep than Tier 1, but deeper than Tier 3. There will be some children who will require more practice for some individualized or targeted skills. Often when we implement Tier 2 support, it will reduce the need for Tier 3. Tier 3, the top tier is the shallowest, meaning only a few children in an inclusive classroom will need to receive supplemental instruction that is more individualized, more intense, and systematic. Some key points to remember about tiered instruction is that the supports differ in dosage, individualization, and frequency of progress monitoring. Children move fluidly between tiers. They are not locked in for all of their skills in one tier or labeled a Tier 2 or Tier 3 child. The context, situation and data based decision-making drives the tier type and instructional practices. Tiers are additive. Tier 1 continues to be provided to a child's instruction when supplemental instruction is provided at Tier 2 or 3. Tiered instructional practices are evidence-based and are to be delivered with fidelity. When a child makes progress, intensity or dosage of instruction changes. Let's check in with the division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices and see what the guidance looks like for ensuring individualizing instruction occurs. These sample practices highlight the intentional planning required to individualize instruction, database decision-making, and the intentional use of peers to teach skills. I'm going to go ahead and be quiet for a moment so you can review the practices. Okay? A strong data system is critical to making good instructional decisions. And research tells us there are five steps of a good early childhood data driven decision-making process. Those steps are provided in this visual. This needs to be a commitment for staff members to not only collect the data, but then to summarize it and analyze it together and to interpret the meaning of that data. The methods themselves can be many. They can be checklists, they can be anecdotal observations. They could be narrative running records, samples of children's work. The data method must be sustainable. To be able to be used over time. The method must be reliable and allow for instruction and evaluation. And the method must be used by all adults. And it must be collected and reviewed regularly. Let's start to operationalize Tier 2. Who gets it and why? Basically children whose development has stalled or a child has a skill that's not progressing. The data has informed us that Tier 1 supports have been inadequate. Well, what does it look like? There will be more focus on an individual's skill or outcome that seems to not be progressing it at Tier 1. Additional opportunities for facilitated instruction will take place in the format of increased use of mixed ability small groups, numerous times to target the skill instruction throughout the daily routines. And team collaboration. I mentioned that the team begins with a review of the quality of Tier 1 practices. They review child performance data, identify the skill that's lagging to target, or to prioritize. They make a plan, implement it, and collect data. Think of tiered supports as being embedded in everything we do in the early childhood classroom to promote child learning of social and academic skills and how they learn the concepts of rules and expectations. So tiered supports occur when we are building relationships and engaging children. When we are structuring transitions and individualizing instruction. When we provide environmental cues and teach expectations and rules in a variety of formats. And when we collect and use progress data to adjust interactions and instruction. The evidence-based practices most commonly use to implement tiered levels of individualized supports. I'm going to share now. The first one, excuse me, is universal design for learning. As we check the quality of our Tier 1 supports, before deciding on Tier 2 supports, we need to answer. Did we do all we could do to remove the barriers and make learning accessible? Have we looked at the social environment and the linguistic environment? What about the pace of the schedule? The second evidence-based practice is embedded learning opportunities. These are short plan teaching episodes throughout the day, within play and the routines to avoid pull out for special education services. These are episodes are implemented by adults in the classroom. It could be the lead teacher, it could be the speech language pathologists. It could be the special education teacher, or the instructional aid. It could be another related service provider. The third evidence-based practice is the use of small groups. We want to increase the use of small groups at Tier 2, where the adult modifies activities to practice skills, to model, to provide additional assistance. They may vary the complexity of an activity, and they may intentionally utilize peers. The fourth evidence-based practice is called response prompting. Research tells us this strategy is most helpful with children who lack skills to complete tasks. Response prompting is characterized by a hierarchy ranging from the most to the least prompts or supports. So the range goes from full physical help to modeling. Maybe a visual prompt is adequate or gestural prompt could be adequate or a verbal prompt. The adult provides the prompt or the cue and observes the child's response, giving immediate encouraging feedback and correcting if there were errors. Tier 2 and Tier 3 practices do not necessarily have to differ from Tier 1. Remember, we just need to increase dosage and intensity. However, depending on a specific skill the child is working on, there may be a need to explore the use of an evidence-based intervention package. The pyramid model for promoting social competence is widely used at Tiers 2 and 3. Another intervention package, prevent - teach - reinforce, is commonly used at Tier 3 with children with autism. Let's look at some real-world examples of some selected instructional supports. Like adult assistance, facilitated peer-to-peer interactions, and flexible expectations and scaffolding. In the small group table photo we see here, we see a common curriculum content being provided, but the activities are varied. We see peers as models and conversation partners. And the adult is sitting by the target child using explicit interventions and positive feedback, using dual language to engage. In this second picture, we see an adult could be a therapy provider, providing adult assistance to encourage child participation in a small group activity. The adult models, has peers model, both instruct how to place the Ten grams together. The water table. And appealing activity and preschool is an excellent opportunity for an adult to facilitate peer-to-peer interactions and turn taking. The adult uses the words or gestures to model asking for return with the toy. and follows up with praise. The garden picture. In this scene, the adult might be differentiating the types of questions she's asking about the plant they are observing. Based on the child's proficiency. She might as one child to point to the plant and the jar. She might ask another child what is in the jar. She might ask another, what do you see? What is different about the plant than yesterday? This differentiating of instruction allows all children to participate in lessons together. After covering the what and the how of Tier 2 supports, we're now going to move on to team collaboration. Research tells us that effective team collaboration is necessary to increase child outcomes. Effective team collaboration is when preschool, special educators and related service providers and general educator share responsibility to improve child outcomes. Team collaboration also promotes the Individuals with Disabilities Act, mandate of service provision in natural environments or the least restrictive environment. Effective team collaboration builds on the knowledge and experience of all team partners. As the team focuses on each other's issues and concerns, they identify and build on partner's positive actions and interactions. Problem-solving together, and making suggestions consistent with the partner's role and learning styles. An effective team increases the instructional options and strategies to implement. Let's look at a sample of the Division of Early Childhood Recommended Practices on team collaboration. I'm going to be quiet for a moment so you can read the practices. Okay? An effective team collaboration process, to make good database decisions, results in revising instructional variables to individualized supports. So first, this includes identifying what child outcome is taught, who will deliver the instruction, where the instruction will take place, when instruction and interventions will be delivered and how instruction is delivered and the data collected. Frequency and method. Activity matrices are commonly used by many inclusion classroom teachers and teams to document the instructional plan. There are three primary areas of an activity matrix to complete. You want to match the activity or routine so the practice of the targeted behavior can take place. You want to identify all the adult resources and decide who's best to provide and facilitate that instruction. And you want to look for numerous opportunities within the day to schedule and target the instruction. There are numerous examples of activity matrices. I'm going to show you two. The first one is from the headstart inclusion.org. And you can see that there are names of children at the top. There is a schedule of the day down the side. Some teams use a big whiteboard in a classroom or maybe not in the classroom, but maybe a side room. It could be large easel paper with sticky notes. The second example is from Building Blocks: Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs. You can see the same format and organization of the daily schedule, the targeted skill, and the name of the child. They only thing that's missing from these is adding the adult who's going to facilitate the instruction. And if the matrix is going to be in public view in a room, then you probably would need to use child initials instead of full names. A particular format for an activity matrix is not better than another. One size doesn't fit all teams or each teacher. The format must fit the following takeaways. Outline the plan with the targeted skill. The times during the day when the skill can be practiced numerous times, maybe including instructional strategy tips and who's responsible to teach. I'm going to use a child scenario to illustrate two planning examples for two skills. First a literacy skill, and second to social emotional skill. Mela is a four-year-old enrolled in public preschool. She's a dual language learner with language delays in Spanish and English. She prefers to play alone, but does tend to play beside a favorite peer. She has outbursts when directed to transition. And peers avoid her sometimes. She prefers dramatic play, art and occasionally books. The literacy skill we're going to be working on is expressive communication, to recognize common objects, and the social emotional will be cooperative play with adult guidance. Let's do the literacy skill first. So first we want to review the tier 1 literacy supports that have been provided. So after looking at what was provided at Tier 1, it was determined that no dual language visual common objects were available in the room. They did note the play and people preferences of Mila. There were limited books in Spanish. Mela had a short attention span at adult facilitated table activities. And there was no Spanish imbedded in adult facilitated instruction. Let's see how the instructional plan went. The child outcome, recognize common objects - they were going to teach, naming and using the use of common objects. Who will teach? I've included carry over at home in my illustrations. So who will teach where and when? And how? I want to spend a couple a minute or more on the how we want to increase share book reading based on child's interests and supplement with concrete objects and maybe use that utilize the Spanish-speaking instructional assistant that Mila has begun to be bonded to. Use prompting questions with dual language, increase the use of small groups to play matching games. embed dual language during the day to identify colors, numbers, objects, and food. And the data should be collected weekly and reviewed regularly. Let's do the social emotional skill. First, we're going to look at the Tier 1 evaluation. Noted the child preferences of play and people still liking the Spanish-speaking instructional assistant. No dual language was embedded in social interaction opportunities, although there's planned and facilitated opportunities, but the dual language was missing. There's some ongoing teaching of social skill expectations. But there were no dual language or visuals embedded in the social skills expectations. And no dual language books on friendships or expectations. This team's instructional plan was on cooperative play with adult guidance. And they want to teach turn taking. Again, the who will teach and where and when includes the classroom and family members. How are we going to do this? We're going to increase mixed ability groups with the Spanish speaking instructional assistant targeting social games with preferred peers. We're going to increase facilitated social skills instruction with adult and peer using visuals, modelling, and dual language. We're going to use a timer during turn-taking. And we're going to refer to visuals at centers to cue the turn taking steps. Increase use of dual language book reading about friendships and taking turns. And the data again, collected weekly and reviewed regularly. Determining instructional plan effectiveness. Basically, you got to try it for a few weeks, documenting the progress along the way and reviewing the data and edit as needed, and adjust that instructional plan and begin the cycle again. Okay. We are at the review portion of the webinar. Today we looked at Tier 2, who received it, what it looks like, how data-based decision-making informs the instructional plan, and a variety of evidence-based practices to use. At Tier 2, we looked at the importance of progress data and the data collection method. And we looked at Tier 2 collaboration. And how when shared responsibility is a commitment between all the providers and classroom adults child outcomes increase. And I introduced a planning for framework and an activity matrix. Coming up on March 16th. I'll be going into the details of Tier 3. Our monthly topics, if you want to look ahead, and you can also look at the topics on our webinar series page. Thank you for participating. Don't forget to go to the webinar series page and select the webinar survey to complete and receive your professional growth points. Thank you.

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Part III - By Sally Reed Crawford, M.A., Research Associate

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Welcome to the Early Childhood Center'sfour month webinar series,What It Takes To ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series is produced in partnership withthe Early Childhood Center andthe Indiana Department of Education'sOffice of Special Education.With this webinar series,we hope to foster high-quality earlychildhood special education services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible trainingand technical assistance needs.We are in our March topic,Team Collaboration and MultitieredSupports Enhance Child Outcomes.Today is March 16th and we will cover tier 3.Next week will beour live discussion forum on March 23rd.Please don't forget toregister on our webinar page.My name is Sally Reed Crawford.I have been a Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center atthe Indiana Institute onDisability and Communityfor six years.I've been in the field ofearly intervention andearly childhood special educationfor over 40 years.The Early Childhood Center is part ofthe Indiana Instituteon Disability and Community.We're one of seven centers,and the institute coversthe lifespan for people with disabilities.Each center works topromote research to practice.Please visit the Institute website andour early childhood web page to check outour resources and sign up for our newsletter.My goals for the March topic,are to provide an overview ofevidence-based practices that improvechild outcomes in inclusive settings,illustrate the importance ofteam collaboration and inclusive services,and illustrate whattiered instructional supportslook like to meet children's needsin inclusive settings.I have paired each of the goals witha sample practice from the document,the Division of Early Childhood'sRecommended Practices,Implementation ofEffective Preschool Inclusionhas a dual responsibility.Leaders have a role andpractitioners have a role.For leaders:We need them to establish policies andprocedures and hire staff knowledgeablein effectively implementing inclusion.Leaders also need tocreate the conditions forpractitioners from multiple disciplinesand family members to collaborate.For practitioners, one best practice isto implement the frequency, intensity,and duration of instruction needed to addressthe child's pace of learning orlevel of support to achieve child goals.This document provides a range ofevidence-based practicesin eight different topic areasthat impact program effectiveness.I encourage you to explorethe document if you haven't already.Today's webinar on Tier 3 willprovide a guide to consideringthe feasibility of servinga few children with highersupport needs in regularearly childhood classrooms.Let's start with a shared understanding ofwhat effective inclusive services are.The promise of early childhood inclusion isan equitable education forall children with disabilities,not just for thosewith mild educational needs.So the promise continueswith serviceswithin regular early childhood classrooms,providing the level of services andsupports that match child's needs.When children are fully included,they engage inall social and learning opportunities.And all children demonstratesubstantial growthin learning and development.A little bit of context on whatearly childhood inclusionlooks like in Indiana.In 2016, we began the inclusion projectin partnership withthe Indiana Department of Education'sOffice of Special Education,with the intention of shininga spotlight on preschool special education.And to grapple with whythe level of inclusive services forIndiana preschool has hoveredbetween 29 and 30 percent for several years.We wanted to find outwhere were the programs implementingpreschool inclusion and at what level,what was the impactof those inclusive services?And what were the barriers andchallenges of preschool inclusion?And lastly, who werethe model programs andwhat were they doing tocharacterize them as exemplarsof effective inclusive services?This slide showsthe percentages of preschoolersreceiving inclusion in Indiana.You can see this, the map ofIndiana, is covered with a bunch of blue dots,some lighter in color and some darker.The lightest blue dotsreflect those districts who areproviding inclusion between 0 and 20 percent.The darkest blue dotsare those districts who areproviding preschool inclusionbetween 80 and a 100 percent.So in our initial investigationof preschool inclusion inIndiana that resulted inus realizing a one in threeIndiana preschoolers receive servicesin early childhood settings.Let's break down what that looks like.So you see on the bottom that there'sfive years represented andthe inclusion percentagesgo up the left side.The gray boxes of percentages are who isbeing included inregular early education classrooms.The pink percentages reflect who is inthat general education classroom with an IEP,but who is not receivingspecial ed in that classroom,meaning that they are being pulled out.The deepest pink percentages reflectthose children being served inself-contained or segregated classrooms.Today, I want us to consider two things.How do we decreasepull out, the lightest pink percentages?And what is the possibility ofserving childrenin self-contained classrooms,in an inclusive classroom.What Indiana preschool earlychildhood special education program servethe most preschoolers withIEPs and have high child impact.We know from research thatplacement alone is not enoughto increase child outcomesand that some children willrequire individualized supports tosucceed socially and academically.After our original inclusion study,we began to focus our efforts ontwo additional inclusion studies tohighlight model preschool inclusion programs.We wondered, could a directoryof inclusion models celebrate,highlight, and be useful in networkingamong Indiana school districtsproviding preschool special education?Are studies investigated who hadthe highest preschool LREand who had the child,the highest child impact.We investigated the practices they use.And we launched the directoryin 2019 and 2020, we updated it.Currently, there are 32 districtsincluded in this directory.Those included must demonstrateboth high LRE forpreschool and high child impact.If you haven't explored our directory,please do so onour early childhood webpageunder Resources and preschool inclusion.In our experience of studyingpreschool inclusion in Indianafor the past six years,children with higher educational aids are notalways found in inclusive classrooms.And this is despitewhat the Individuals with Disabilities Acttells us of what LRE is. Basicallythey tell us children with disabilities oughtto be educated with their non-disabled peers.And those children can't beremoved from those classroomsunless tried they havetried everything to make it work.However, preschool inclusion is stillnot a predominant service model in Indiana.What does the research say aboutthe challenges of raisingpercentages of preschool inclusion?Here are just a few examplesof the challenges.Program philosophy and service model.Prevalence of a readiness model.Provider beliefs and training to effectivelyimplement the individualized instructionthat is required in inclusive classrooms.And this is so even afterover 30 years ofresearch in preschool inclusionthat tells us children withdisabilities can successfully beincluded with specialized instruction.Successful inclusionrequires effective team collaboration.And inclusion benefits both childrenwith and without disabilities.What does it taketo include preschoolers withhigher support needs andregular early childhood classrooms?Research tells us it takesthe consistent andeffective implementation ofthese three defining featuresof early childhood inclusion.Access.This is the means forproviding a wide range of activities andlearning environments for every childto remove physical barriers andoffer multiple ways to promotelearning and development. Participation.This means usinga range of instructional approaches,promote engagement inplay and learning activitiesand a sense of belonging for each child.System or administrative supportsrefers to the broader aspects of system.Components such as developing policies andprocedures committed to andembracing best practicesof early childhood inclusion.Supporting staffwith professional development andongoing supports toeffectively implement inclusion.Establishing team collaboration opportunitiesbetween family members and professionals,and monitoring program quality andmeasuring fidelity of classroom practices.Why would we changeour service model and do things differently?It not only is a legal mandate,but inclusive service deliverycreates access and participation.It is the first step to membership.Inclusive service delivery supports,learning and behavior in context.And inclusion has a positive impact onchildren with and without disabilities.What would this mean for system change inprograms to increase preschool inclusion?First, it starts with having andsustaining high expectations foreach and every child.Developing a program philosophy on inclusion.Establish a system of services andsupports to support individual needs,revising program and professional standards.And to improve professional developmentwith a focus on inclusion.This is the early childhoodmulti-tiered system of supportstriangle I have shownin each of my three webinars.It is a framework for deliveringtiered instructional supports in preschool.The purpose of the tieredsupports in preschool is to preventlater challenges inacademic and social areas.Implementing tiered supports requiresperiodic screening to accuratelyidentify those in need of tiered instruction.Briefly, tier 1, the bottom tier ispurposely wider and deeperto symbolize the foundationfor other practices.It indicates universal practicesthat we want all children to learn.And the support offered at tier 1 is oftensufficient to meetmost needs of young children.All children receive Tier 1 every day.Tier 2 is depicted as shallower thanTier 1, yet deeper than Tier 3,this indicates that implementationof more focused supports and strategiesfor some children's needs when they arestruggling or when their developmentand learning has stalled.This is implemented mostoften in increased small groups,as well as strengtheningthe ongoing embedded instruction at Tier 1.Practices at Tier 2 can reducethe need for tier 3. And tier 3,this is a requirement fora few children tohave instruction at a more systematic,explicit intensity to meet outcomes.It is important to notethat tier 3 is notautomatically synonymous withearly childhood special education.Some children with IEPs can beadequately served at Tiers 2 and 1.The arrow on the right side illustratesthe dynamic nature of howinstruction and interventionsare designed and delivered.They increase or decrease in dosage,individualization,and frequency of progress monitoringas children go up and down the tears.The arrow inside the tiersillustrates the dynamic natureof tiered supports.Children are not identifiedfor a specific tier broadly,for all their skills,they are not labeled as tier 1 or 2They may have a skillbeing intensely focused on in tier 3,but the rest of their skills are at tier 1.Tiers are additive.We build based on the skilland the context and the performance data.So Tier 3, who gets it and why?Significant learning needs ofa few children inthe areas of attentionto tasks, social, behavioral,oral language,phonological processing that arecaused by disability likecognitive delay or autism.Tiers 1 and 2 haveinadequately supported achieving outcomes.Therefore, a few children will needmore individualized andintensive extra instructionto remediate and accelerate progress.Well, what does that look like?It's more systematic andindividualized andan essential skill is prioritized teach.It is taught withincreased opportunities for a child torespond in daily small group workwith smaller groups or one on one.And team collaboration.In Tier 3.First, teams come together tolook at the quality of tier 1 and 2and determine what skillis needing intensive instruction.And then they create a plan for dailyAnd how to strengthen tears 1 and 2.And progress monitoring is done per activity.And daily.I'd like to share someevidence-based practices of Tier 3.Systematic instruction has to dowith teaching skills in a sequence.Explicit instruction meansour instructions will be step-by-step.We will prioritize skills to focus onthe most critical skills andinstruct atan optimum sequence and optimum rate.We will deliver instruction in withincreased opportunities for child responses.High number of practice opportunities,small groups, as well asongoing opportunities throughout the day.Our instruction will be individualized.This means that we differentiate instruction.We might change activities.We will repeat lessons.We increase duration, alter the pace.We use scaffolding and prompting.In our instruction.So what's the differencereally between tiers 2 and tier 3?While research tells us that tier 2 isfocusing primarily on the core curriculum.With the use of increased small groups.Along with integrating those individual goalsfor some children throughout daily routines.And the goal of Tier 2 is remediation.Research tells us tier3 is a focus on an essential skill.Instruction is at a up optimum rateand sequence withdaily smaller groups or one-on-one.And the follow through with integratingindividual goals duringall routines and activities.The goal of Tier 3 isremediation and acceleration.It is important to note that researchalso has told us thatpreschool at Tier 3indicates that eight weeks ofintervention is enough time toaccelerate growth for some children,but not others.And that not all childrenneed to go through Tier 2before receiving Tier 3 supports.Tier 3 instructional supports andinteractional supports are evident inthe Division of Early Childhood'srecommended practices.I've selected some samplesthat focus on prompting strategies,task analysis strategies, andthe strategies to providedescriptive feedback to sustain engagement.I'm going to pause whileyou take a lookat the practices I've selected.Tier 3 requireswell-designed interventionswith careful planning.In with the additionof strategic classroom management.It is small group work that makestier 3 feasible inthe early childhood classroom.Research tells us thatsmall-group instruction is one ofthe most underusedand ineffectively implemented strategiesin regular early childhood classrooms.Let's look at some guidelines.The classroom is organized toaccommodate daily small group work.For children who are not receiving Tier 3,they will not participatein daily small-group instruction.There is intentional assignmentof children to small groupsbased on their needs.And all groups donot have to be of equal size.Establishing a plan to manage small groups isimportant toidentify who's delivering the instruction.Where will it occur?What are the other childrengoing to be doing andhow children will rotateor move through the groups?The classroom schedule forsmall groups will beflexible throughout the year.You may begin withminitiallym daily small groupsfor a few children witha duration of five to ten minutes,but that will extend as children get used toworking in the small groupand responding to teacher-led instruction.There are two common models toimplement small groups at Tier 3.Both are flexible, dynamic,and change based on children's needs.Let's look at them. The first model,most of the children in theclassroom are engaged incenter activities and teachingassistance monitor those center activities.A lead teacher or special education provideris working with a small groupof children or one-on-onefor 5 to 15 minutes.In the second model,all children are assignedto one of four groups.During the designated small group time,the groups rotate every 10 to 20 minutes.And both the teacher andthe special education providers andteaching assistants are workingdirectly with groups and monitoringthe independent work ofchildren in the adjoining center.Tiered supports are additive.We add to what is providedat the lower tiers.So when we providetier 3 interventionin daily small groups,we must maximize that supportby combining opportunities to practice,apply, and generalize skills across the day.We do this by utilizingevidence-based practices ofembedding learning opportunities,scaffolding our interactions,explicit childfocused instruction throughout the day.We know from researchthat effective team collaboration isa cornerstone ofsuccessful preschool inclusion services.This is especially true for Tier 3 supports.There will be focused planning time toindividualized supports thata few children will need.I'm going to show you some samplesof team collaboration on assessment,and I will pause talking whileyou reflect on the practices.Tier three planning will resultin an instructional plan that hasrevise those instructional variables toidentify what is taught,who will deliver it,where instructionand interventions are delivered,when instruction andinterventions are delivered,and how it's delivered,and the frequency of data collection.Many teams use an activity matrixas a document toshare the method of howinstruction will occur andensure that teaching happens.Individualizing for a few childrenamongst 20 can be challenging.So a matrix isa reminder of the plan schedule.With the number of childrento receive the support,the number of activitiesto implement the support,the number of adultswho are available to assist,and the activities to be used.This is one example.As you can see, it doesn't havethe adults included herebut basically it has child's names.If this wereupfor public view in a classroom,you would want to use child initials.But in essence itincludes the plan.This is another example.There are a variety of waysto create a matrix.It can be embedded in a weekly lesson plan.It can be put on a whiteboard orthe easel board with sticky notesas you saw previously.The format isn't important.One is not better than the other.One size doesn't fit all.The format has to fit the team.And the key takeaways arethe target skills toteach for the individual children.The times during the day whenan instruction will occur.And I suggestthe adults listed as whowill deliver the instructionand some instructional strategy tips.So the adult responsible forteaching the skill can do it with fidelity.I am using a child scenario to illustratea team planning process for tier 3.Jenna is a three-year-old with Down syndrome.She demonstrates mild-to-moderate delaysin most areas of development.She received early intervention services asan infant and has been enrolled ina public preschool inclusion class.She enjoys art, outside time,dramatic play, and music.She uses some sign language and single words.Special Education Teacher visitsthe classroom daily for 45 minutes.The speech language pathologistvisits the classroom fourtimes a week for varied periods of time,but we'll total an hour per week.And the occupational therapistsand physical therapists bothconsult with the classroom teacheron a regular basis.The team wants to focus on the outcome ofbuild positive relationships with peers.With the essential skill to betaught, imitate friendship skills.First they're going to review the tiers1 and 2 and the child performance data.This is a summary of that review.Turn-taking visuals are present.There are planned and facilitatedsocial interaction opportunities.There are some effortsto teach friendship skills.There is no sign language incorporated intoteaching recognitionof emotions or friendship skills.They noted the child preferences.They note that Jenna engagesin parallel play andthat she will engage insimple conflict resolution with adult help.And Jenna observes peers friendship behavior.I want us to keep in mindthese evidence-based practices of Tier 3.As I provide the outlineof Jenna's instructional plan.Jenna's instructional plan,the overall outcome is to buildpositive relationships with peers.We want to begin withthe essential skill ofimitating friendship skills.The special educator andall classroom staffwill be involved in the instruction.Instructionwill be delivered inthe classroom with some home carryover.Instruction will be deliveredduring daily small group time,plus embedded learning opportunitiesthroughout the routines and activities.How it will look.Daily small groups witha maximum of three peers.Turn-taking visuals and sign language will beincorporated during short social games.Peer and activity photos will be included inJenna's individual visuals toprompt selecting a friend to play.During the day. They will addfriendship sign language visuals at centers.They will incorporatesign language during whole group,shared book reading, and songs onmaking friends, emotions, and cooperation.And they will embed somesocial and partner gamesduring routines. At homecopies of friendship visuals,books, and songs.Carryover will be provided.There will be daily per groupprogress monitoring plus dailyanecdotal notes.Let's review what we'vecovered today for tier 3.We reviewed who gets tier 3?What is Tier 3?Why we provide Tier 3 and how we do it.We learned about the essential componentof small, daily small groups.To support tier three instruction.We looked at the importance ofteam collaboration for tier 3 andto create a matrix to ensure that everybodyunderstands the skill to be taught.Who will teach, when,where, and how thatinstruction will be delivered.And we identifiedthe daily data collection methodmust be used.Coming up next week,March 23rd will beour live forum at 04:00 PM onTeam Collaboration andMultitiered Support Enhance Child Outcomes.Don't forget to register.Thank you all for attending this webinar.I look forward to seeing you atour live forum next week on March 23rd.Thank you. To receiveyour professional growth points,go to our webinar series webpageand select the survey link to this webinar.Thank you.

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Embedding Instruction within Daily Activities

Part I - By Susan Dixon

Description of the video:

Welcome to the Early Childhood Center'sfour month early childhood webinar series,What It Takes to ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series is in partnership withthe Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Education.Through this series, we hope to fosterhigh-quality evidence-based early childhoodspecial ed services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible training andtechnical assistance needs.The third topic in this series is embeddinginstruction within daily routines,lessons and activities.Today is part 1, andwe'll be covering the foundations of whythis practice is an important partof implementing effectivepreschool inclusion.We'll also take a look at the central rolecollaborative relationshipshave in the process.My name is Susan Dixon and I'ma Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center.Another fact about me that it'simportant to know isthat I was a Speech and Language Pathologistfor 40 years.During that time, I workedin an institution withearly intervention programs inseveral states and in the public schools.Since I moved to Bloomington in the mid-80s,I've also been involved withthe Early Childhood Center.During that time, I've alwaysworked in natural environments.Even in my early years,it didn't make sense to remove an adult withsignificant needs into a therapy room andexpect them to transferthe communication skills on which we wereworking into an environmentwith a lot of people,a lot of noise, and a lot of activity.That philosophy has beenformalized over the years by educators andresearchers into the theory andpractices we will betalking about this month.As you can see, we're one of seven centers atthe Indiana Instituteon Disability and Community,which covers the lifespan for people withdisabilities andpromotes research to practice.The Early Childhood Center connectsIndiana University to the broader community.By sharing ideas and innovations,we improve systems and programs impactingthe lives of young childrenand their families.Here are the members ofthe Early Childhood Center's preschool team.It's just for your reference.This month we will focuson embedding instructionwithin daily routines,lessons and activities.Today we'll focus on the foundations,including the legal and research foundations,as well as some rationale.We will also look at the role collaborationhas on the process.On April 13th, we'll delvedeeper into the how of the practice.On April 20th, we'll discusshelping families embed goalswithin their daily routines at home.And finally, on April 27th,there will be a live discussion forumon these topics.Don't forget to register for our Zoom liveforum on our Webinar Series homepage.Our agenda for this webinar is tofirst define embedded instruction,followed by describingthe many reasons embedded instructionis important to qualityinclusive early childhood settings.And lastly, looking at the rolecollaborative relationshipshave on the process.This translates into these goals.They follow our agenda Exactly.So I'll let you take a quick lookat them for yourself.Embedded instructions means providingfocused teaching episodeswithin the daily activities,lessons, and routines that already exist.In short, embeddedlearning means providing focus,teaching episodes withinthe existing daily flow.It allows children to receivesufficient systematicand intentional learning opportunitiesthroughout the day within the context ofthe already existing activities,lessons, and routines.Embedded instruction involvesmultiple brief teaching interactionsbetween a teacher and a childduring everyday classroom activities.This means rather thanproviding instruction for a child witha disability in a separate room or ina separate activity or routinewithin the regular education classroom.The teacher embedsinstruction in the ongoing activities,lessons, routines,and transitions in the classroom.The Childhood Technical Assistance Center,based on the Eivisionof Early Childhood Centerrecommended practices that we'lltalk about more fully in a little bit.I'll give you a moment to read it.In 1990, the Americanswith Disabilities Act, the ADA,required reasonable modifications toallow full participation forchildren with disabilities forpreschool and school-age childrenages three to 21.Idea requires that children withdisabilities to be educatedin the least restrictive environment.There are six pillars to this legislation.Many of you can recite thesein your sleep. I'm sure.Individualized Education Plan,the Free and Appropriate Public Education,the Least Restrictive Environment,an Appropriate Evaluation, Parent andTeacher Participation,and Procedural Safeguards.LRE, or the least restrictive environment,is defined as education inan environment which is as closeas possible to the general educationreceived by regular students.And this is the pillar that we aregoing to be talking about this month.The bottom line is,current federal legislation mandatesproviding services for studentswith disabilities in settings that includetypically developingindividuals wherever possible.Inclusive classrooms providean opportunity for individuals withdisabilities to act withtheir friends who don't have disabilities.Let's look a little more closelyat some specific documents.That joint policy statement releasedby the United States Department of Healthand Human Services andDepartment of Education states thatall young children withdisabilities should have access to inclusive,high-quality early childhood programswhere they are provided withthe individualized and appropriate supportand meeting high expectations.Being meaningfully included as a member ofsociety is the first stepto equal opportunity.One of America's most cherished ideals.And it's every person's right,a right supported by our laws.More recently, the UnitedStates Department of Education,Office of Special Education andRehabilitative Servicesreaffirmed that position statement.Here's what they had to say.There is a broad range ofresearch surrounding this topicbut today we're going tovery briefly sample afew of the pertinent research efforts.Research indicates that meaningful inclusionis beneficial to children withand without disabilities acrossa variety of developmental domains.Meaningful inclusion inhigh-quality early childhood programsthat support children with disabilitiesin reaching their full potential,resulting in broad societal benefits.Embedded instruction is partof a high-quality program.These two sets of researcherssummarize their research by sayingthat individualizedevidence-based strategies for children withdisabilities can be implementedsuccessfully andinclusive early childhood programs.It is interesting to notethe dates and this research,we have known this since at least 2009,that this is a successful practice.We have also known formany years the children with disabilities,including those withthe most significant disabilities,can make significantdevelopmental learning progressin inclusive settings.Throughout the webinar, you willsee slides like this toremind you of the recommendationsthat the Division of Early Childhoodof the Council for Exceptional Children hasmade on the topicsrelevant to embedded instruction.Most explicitly to the point,the Division of Early Childhoodrecommends that practitionersembed instruction within and across routines,activities, and environments to providecontextually relevant learning opportunities.They provide an exampleof team members identifyinglogical and appropriate opportunitiesfor the child topractice and learntargeted skills during routine,planned and child initiatedactivities that occur in the classroom.In summary, 1. it'sthe law 2. research shows us it works.And 3. DEC recommends it.I don't want to get boggeddown in terminology.Different professions, different authorscall this strategy by different names.As you learned from Sally andher webinars last month.Embedding instruction isa Tier 2 intervention.However, there's also a practicethat we will be wrapping intothis concept this month thatinvolves the integration of IEP goalsprovided by therapists andspecial education teachers intothe same natural environments.Special education teachers and therapists,along with the classroomteachers and assistants,are all embedding uniquelearning opportunitiesinto the daily routines,lessons, and activities.There are separate bodies ofliterature for each practice.The rationale and many ofthe specific strategies are the same.So I don't want to get boggeddown in the terminology.While we recognize thatsome therapy might need to be providedoutside the classroom based onthe individual needs of the child,there is general agreementamong the organizationsthat governthe most frequently seen therapies.The American Speech Languageand Hearing Association,the American OccupationalTherapy Association,and the American PhysicalTherapy Association,that at the very least,therapists need to be collaboratingwith classroom teachers to ensure thatthey are understanding the child's goalsand that they can effectivelyreinforce those identified needs intothe daily activities, lessons, and routines.However, in many instances,therapists can work in the classroomduring the ongoing day so thatthe child is learning and practicingthe skills in the environmentin which they will be used.Next, explore why this is considered tobe best-practice and much of the literature.From this point on, we'll be using the termembedded instruction to includeany special education andrelated services that areprovided within the contextof ongoing classroom activities.Embedded instruction is based ona recommended instructional practice forpreschoolers with or atrisk for learning challenges.It is an approach usedto promote child engagement,learning and independencein everyday activities,routines and lessons,and involves intentionallyinserting individual child learning goalswithin the context ofthe child's ongoing classroom life.By embedding instruction in daily routines,we can provide sufficientsystematic andintentional learning opportunitiesacross their day.The focus of embedded instruction is onskills that children needin their everyday lives.In addition to academics,we can be sure to focus on the skills a childneeds that facilitate learningand membership in the classroom.Your goals may look differentas you begin to focuson providing instruction in activities,routines, and lessons ofthe ongoing day in an inclusive classroom.Goals developed for implementation ina segregated setting areoften more developmentally orprerequisite focused.While goals developed to beembedded in an inclusive setting,will focus on instructional, social,communication and movement skills necessaryfor current lessons, activities and routines.The membership and participation needs ofthe child may becomea focus of many of the goals,meaning that they will need tobe written differently.Ideally, the therapists orspecial educator has assessedthe needs of the child intheir natural setting and developed those goalsand collaboration withthe classroom teacher and family.Goals developed and implementedin this manner are often morefunctionally necessary for the child successin their daily life.Here is how the Division ofEarly Childhood addresses that.One of their examplesillustrates an early childhood teacher,speech therapist, occupational therapist,and the child's familyobserving the child in the settings inwhich he regularly spends time, such as home,the car, and school,to identify the skillshe needs to participateactively in the activitiesand routines in those settings.By embedding therapy into the day,the therapist or special educatoris able to plan lessons aroundthe classroom curriculum andhelp classroom staff findopportunities for students to practiceskills throughout the instructional day.Typical goals such as takingturns or making requests,are easy to embed within an activitysuch as the one you see on this slide.When the team makes a plan toexplicitly teach these skills, here,it provides a focusteaching episode that givesthe child repeated practice withhis peers during a single play activity.Embedding therapy and routineshelp special educators and therapistsprovide teachers with activities they canactually do in settingswhere they're actually needed.Providing therapy and naturalsettings allows therapists tosee if their strategies arefeasible for direct caregivers.It also allows them tolearn from the people whospend a greater amount oftime with the child than they do.There are many ways to accomplish a goaland by collaborating special educators,therapists and regular education teachers candiscover which works best foreach provider at that time.Embedding therapy allows the therapist,special educators and teachers,to develop a dynamic relationshipwhereby they can establishmutual goals and a shared responsibilityfor the children's growth.And here's just another reminder,what the Division ofEarly Childhood states aboutpractitioners embeddinginstruction within and across routines,activities, and environments to providecontextually relevant learning opportunities.When special educators and therapists areworking alongside regular education teachers,they can model techniques forthe teacher and staffon how to facilitatetarget skills during the school day.This means that the goalsare work done throughoutthe day and not just in therapy.Being in the classroom together increasesopportunities for the teamto collaborate about supports.Looking at the cooking activity in this slidefrom a speech andlanguage pathologists point of view.One could seethe opportunity to help childrenlisten for information and ask questions.Learn or reinforce new vocabulary,not only relatedspecifically to the activity,but for use in future settings.Practice, waiting and taking turns.Practice speech or languageskills identified in their IEP,in contexts, engage with peers.and so much more.The skills or behaviors onwhich educators are focusingshould be useful in multiple settingswith multiple people,multiple times a day,and be relevant for the rest ofthe child's life. Byembedding instruction in the classroom,this checks off allfour of these essential elements,which means that children learn anduse important new behaviors andskills during different classroom activitiesand a variety of different people.Teachers can observe and learn fromthe special educators and therapists.But conversely, teacherscan share strategiesthey know work for the child and setting.As I said earlier, they'rethe professionals who spendthe most time withthe child and can provide valuable insight,including the knowledge of inwhich activities the child excels,in which activities arethe child's favorites.By choosing activities into which we embedgoals that match a child'sinterests and preferences.We enhance the child's motivationto participate and learn.Further insightthe child's regular education team mayhave is in the area ofany unique cultural needs.Just aswe are experiencing a diversityof abilities in our classroom,we are also an experiencing theneed to address the diversecultural and linguistic needs of the childrenas we embed our intentionalsystematic instruction into the day.This means that therapists,and special educators,have a better knowledge ofthe child's skills inthe environment in which they are needed.This doesn't just come from the insights andinformation from the classroom teacher,but also from beingpresent in the classroom to seethe continued progress andthe remaining needs of the childin the contexts in which the skillsand behavior will be used.Classroom staff and therapistswork and learn together to sharetheir knowledge and expertise withthe goal of optimal growth for the children.When services are delivered withinthe natural context of the school day,there's more time to communicateand collaborate betweenprofessionals about strategieswhen you aren't presentin the classroom to observeboth the children and the other adults,it's difficult to offerguidance that will be useful.Therapists and special educators needto be active participants inthe planning and delivery ofservices in the natural environments.This supports that understandingof team roles andexpand for knowledge baseof all professionals involved.Collaboration is on challengesand to share and celebrate success.Embedded instruction is used to meetchildren's needs withoutchanging daily routinesand activities by providing opportunities tolearn and practice important skillsin meaningful contexts.Embedded instruction means that children canremain engaged in the classroom activities.Which means that they do not missinstructional time and transitions.Not only does it eliminatetherapy time spent outside the classroombut it helps minimize those transitionsto and from separate therapy times.And it gives the therapist and specialeducators a chance toinclude peers in therapy.By enlisting peers asmodels during a session,it increases the potential for them tocontinue to model targetskills during the day.Research shows that peer interactionfacilitates learning,particularly in the speech, languageand social realms.It's also highly motivating.Other students who may needextra support can also benefitfrom the therapist orspecial educators presence in the classroom.Often teachers spend a great deal oftime and energy providingextra attention to students who aren'tidentified for special education services,but who need a lot ofadditional support and intervention.Frequently,those students are struggling withthe same or similar skills asa students on a therapistor special educator'scaseload. Interventions can beprovided to the whole class or a small group,meaning that other students canreap the benefits as well.And we'll return to the Divisionof Early Childhoodand one of the recommended practices thatsupports what we've just been speaking about.Practitioners use peer-mediated interventionto teach skills and to promotechild engagement and learningto the therapists and the audience that areworried about diluting your therapy.Keep your therapeutic focus.Remember, you're using your specialist slashtherapists lens and the angle youtake makes experience, therapeutic.The identified skills can be foundin many parts of the preschool day.And we can provide strategiesand practice of target skills forour students in a variety ofsettings, using a variety of materials.Being familiar with the curriculumallows you to determinethe underpinnings necessary foryour student's understanding andparticipation in the lessons.It means that you can schedule your timeto focus on what the child needs.A child cannot practiceexisting skills or learnnew behaviors if he orshe is not given the opportunities thatevoke or provoke those behaviors.Traditionally, therapists have looked atthe number and length oftherapy sessions per week.To provide those opportunities.It's time to move to embeddingour therapies into daily activities androutines and lessens. The classroomsand other areas of the schoolare were a student puts all ofthose important functional skills to use.Your fine motor, gross motor, cognitive,communicative, self-care, social, and more.When skills are taught andreinforced in the natural settingthere's a better chance forcarry over and generalization.Because the teaching takes place inthe natural setting of the classroom,the child is more likely to usethe newly learned skill by him orherself in familiar environments.So this means that we're promotinggeneralization and maintenance of skills.As an added bonus when evaluation,data collection, and progressmonitoring happen in the classroom,special educators are able todocument true functioning andperformance and how itimpacts educational outcomes.So this means thatnot only are we promotinggeneralization and maintenance,the maintenance of skills,we're also increasing engagement,participation and independence inactivities throughout the day.Our last topic in this webinaris Building Collaborative Relationships.Teaming and collaborationpractices are those thatpromote and sustaincollaborative adult partnerships,relationships, and ongoing interactionto ensure that programs andservices achieve desired childand family outcomes and goals.The Division of Early Childhood intheir recommended practicesstresses teaming andcollaboration betweenpractitioners representingmultiple disciplines and families.They recognize that programs foryoung children who have or who areat risk for disabilitieswill involve more than one adult.And that the quality ofthose relationships and interactions amongthe team will influencethe success of the childrenin those programs.In this webinar, we havefocused on classroom practitioners.But please don't forget thatfamilies are part of the team.In the third webinar of this series,we'll look atsupporting families and embeddinggoals into their daily routines at home.In this context,collaboration is being defined asa variety of approaches that supportongoing communication and sharedwork to help childrenmove toward their goals.Several practices involved ineffective collaborative relationshipsrecur in the literature.One of these as beingan active and attentive listener.This involves demonstrating an interestin what your communication partner is saying.Then reflecting on what has beenshared and encouragingthe partner to continue.Asking questions to clarify the issues andsummarizing the ideas canhelp the discussion forward.Building on each other's ideasto create imbedded activities thatmeet the goals ofthe child within the classroom,is another practice tocreate good collaborative relationships.Remember that new concepts andpractices take time to master.So be willing to acceptsuggestions and support from each other.Respectful and honestrelationships are important.Partners working together inthe classroom need to honor and trust eachother and know that their team memberis working towards the same goals.Collaboration is one cornerstoneof effective inclusive programs.In order for all the children in the class tobenefit socially and instructionally.Adults who are supporting them intheir education need tosystematically worktogether towards the same goals.Effective collaboration can enablehigher quality instruction forall the children in the classroom andindividualizationfor the children who need it.We know from research thatinterdisciplinarycoordinated service delivery systemsare related to better outcomes for children.No single discipline can meet the needs ofthe increasingly diverse groupsof children in our schools.The emphasis in this webinar has beenon collaboration with the school team.But as I said earlier,please don't forget thatthe family's involvement onthe team is critical.Research tells us thatcollaboration produces positive outcomes.When preschool special education andrelated service providers worktogether with their generaleducation colleagues to utilizeeach other's strengths andsupport each other's issues and concerns.So the push for collaboration emanatesfrom the commitment to increasethe effectiveness of instructional optionsand strategies for all children.Building on the knowledge and experience ofall team partners lays the foundation.This begins with the assessment in whichall team members, includingspecial educators,regular educators and family members,provide informationon the child's strengths andneeds in the routines andactivities that make up their day.It continues with the writing of the IEPand remains critical isthe team plans for systematic,intentional, focused, embedded instructionalepisodes throughoutthe child's daily experience.Last but not least,collaboration and taking dataensures that decisions are being madeconsidering the many settings in whichthe child is usingthat new behavior or skill.We have seen that byproviding embedded learning opportunities,special educators, therapists andregular early childhood educators,have more physical contact.Thus learning about the strengths,preferences, needs,and strategies that workfor the child from one another.That happens throughout the day.However, it's important to carve outspecific times to meet so that the teams arenot trying to plan when theyrun into each other overthe copy machine or whilethey're trying to eat a quick lunch.The definition of embedded instructiondescribes systematic, intentional,planned, focused instruction that isprovided within the child'snaturally incurring daily events.This requires planful collaborationbetween team members.Intentionally allocating time providesthe opportunity for professionals toget to know one another and developrelationships that allow open communication,which in turn lets themplan activities together,taking into account how they will share inthe instructional load and embedand individualized instruction when needed.Respectful, honest,and supportive relationships,take time and effort to develop.This is one advantage the DEC hasidentified when practitioners work together.I'll let you read this.When teams work together as defined by DEC,their collaborative efforts promptreflection about a child'sprogress and needs,but also about team members,current skills and ongoing needs.Working together to addressthe challenges and to share andcelebrate successes creates a strong teamwhich can meet the needs of the children.It creates an environmentin which children receivesufficient systematicand intentional learning opportunitiesthroughout the day,within the context ofthe currently existing activities,lessons, and routines.In other words, good embedded instruction.Here's what we covered in this webinar.We defined embedded instruction,identified the legal research foundationsfor embedding instruction.We describe the reasonsembedding instruction isimportant to qualityinclusive early childhood settings.And briefly examined the rolecollaborative teaminghas on embedding instruction.Thank you for joining me todayand check in next week forsome specific strategies andtechniques forreading instruction in the classroom.Thank you.Don't forget that to receiveyour professional growth points,you must complete the webinar survey.Find the link on the series web page.

Webinar survey link for certificate

Part II: Embedding in the Classroom - by Susan Dixon

Description of the video:

Welcome to the Early Childhood Center's fourmonth early childhood webinar series,What it Takes to ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series is in partnership withthe Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Education.Through this series, wehope to foster high-quality,evidence-based, early childhoodspecial education services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible trainingand technical assistance needs.The third topic in this seriesis embedding instructionwithin daily routines,lessons and activities.Today is part 2 and we'll becovering some of the strategiesand techniques used inimplementing this process.My name is Susan Dixon and I'ma Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center.Another fact about me thatit's important to know is that Iwas a Speech and LanguagePathologists for 40 years.During that time, I workedin an institution withearly intervention programs inseveral states and in the public schools.Since I moved toBloomington in the mid eighties,I've also been involvedwith the Early Childhood Center.During that time, I've alwaysworked in natural environments.Even in my early years,it didn't make sense to remove an adult withsignificant needs intoa therapy room and expectthem to transfer the communicationskills on which we wereworking into an environmentwith a lot of people,a lot of noise, and a lot of activity.That philosophy has beenformalized over the years by educators andresearchers into the theory andpractices we will betalking about this month.As you can see, we're one of seven centers atthe Indiana Institute onDisability and Community,which covers the lifespan for people withdisabilities andpromotes research to practice.The Early Childhood Center connectsIndiana University to the broader community.By sharing ideas and innovations,we improve systems and programs impactingthe lives of young childrenand their families.This is a list of the staff ofthe preschool team atthe Early Childhood Center.It's just for your reference.Last week we focused onthe foundations of embedding instructionand inclusive therapy anddaily routines, lessons and activities.Today we'll delve deeperinto the how of the practice,looking at some of the strategiesand techniques of implementation.On April 20th, we'll discuss helpingfamilies embed goals withintheir daily routines at home.And finally, on April 27th,there will be a live discussionforum on these topics.Don't forget to register for our Zoom liveforum on our webinar series webpage.The agenda for this webinar starts witha brief review of the reasonswe embed instruction.Some models of collaboration, what,when and where to embed instruction,and some strategies and techniques.Our goals closely followthe agenda, to brieflyreview why to embed instruction,to understand variousmodels of collaboration,to examine what to embedwith functional goals as foundational,to explore what, when,where, during the day embeddedinstruction should take place,making use of the activity matrix.And to become familiar withsome basic strategies of embedding.Let's quickly review whywe use embedded instruction.Embedded instruction is based ona recommended instructionalpractice for preschoolerswith or at risk for learning challenges.It involves intentionallyinserting individual child learninggoals within the context ofthe child's ongoing classroom life.In other words, usingthe child's everyday activities andexperiences asthe foundation for instruction.Embedded instruction isan approach used to promotechild engagement, learning and independence.This is accomplished byidentifying times during the day wheninstruction designed for teachinga child's priority learning targets isimplemented in the context ofongoing naturally occurring activities,routines, and lessons in the classroom.Embedded instruction is used to meetthe children's needs withoutchanging daily routinesand activities by providingopportunities to learn andpractice important skillsin meaningful contexts.Classroom staff and therapistswork and learn together to sharetheir knowledge and expertise withthe goal of optimal growth for the children.By embedding instruction and daily routines,we can provide sufficientsystematic andintentional learning opportunitiesacross their day.Every once in awhile throughout this webinar,you will see a slide that looks like this,which will remind you ofthe Division of Early Childhood.The DEC, Recommended Practicesthat align with the contents of this webinar.This one is clear, DEC Recommendeds theembedding of instructionacross the entire day.To further emphasize that recommendation,they recommend that practitionersprovide services andsupports innatural and inclusive environments.Teachers, para professionals,therapists, special educators.How do you choose whoshould embed instruction?Consider how hard the skill is for the child.If the skill is new and there'sa degree of difficulty or complexity,it might be best addressed bythe therapist or special educator.The teacher can certainlystart embedding skillswhenever he or she iscomfortable with the new skill.How challenging is the setting?If this is a goal that's beenaccomplished in a calm,familiar setting, but it'sa struggle for the child elsewhere.It is another goal for a teacher ortherapist to continue to embed.If it's a goal that the childis working to strengthenand maintain various settings.A pair professional might bea very logical choice,but don't forget that anymember of the team canwork with the child atany time during the day.As we think about who should be implementingembedded instruction and beginto talk about models of collaboration.To accomplish that, we returned tothe DEC recommendations to findunsurprisingly that they recommendmultiple disciplines and familieswork together as a team.We can't forget that familiesshould be part of the team at each step.And we'll be talking much more aboutfamilies in the webinar number three,but are focusing primarilyon the school team at this time.This slide illustrates some ofthe more common collaboration models.We'll look at some of these ina little more detail.But however, you decide towork together to servethe children in their routinesis a valid model for you.You can learn much more aboutcoaching in my colleague Lynn Hall'swebinars and practice-based coachingcoming up in May,coaching and consultation arevery similar strategies.But as you can find in live webinars,coaching is a much more interactive strategy.Consultants often pop in andask if anyone needs anything and pop out.There's often a power differential.If the consultant havingthe information they willshare the teacher asthey perceive it's needed.Practice-based coaching is a cyclical processfor supporting classroom staff,the use of effective practicesthat lead to positive outcomes for children.It's an ongoing process thatoccurs within the context ofa collaborative partnership betweena coach and a cochee.Typical coaching cycle componentsinvolve the partners planninggoals and action stepsthan the coachee implementing the plan.Followed by reflection and sharingfeedback about teaching practices.The cycle repeats untilthe partners feel that there is competenceon the goal or a new goal is needed.In the model in which a therapist orspecial educator leaves the lesson.They plan the lesson for the whole classin which a goal willbenefit the entire group,including children with IEPs,something like social skills.They demonstrate their strategies forthe teacher to use for the whole class.During the lesson than the teacherassists with any students who needhelp or elaborates on the content as needed.When the therapists or specialeducator assistone or more students duringthe lesson activity or routine.They participate in whateverthe child is doing to provide support.Everything from large group lessons tofree play to meals to recessmakes sense for this model.In co-teaching with co-planning,the therapists or special educatorand teacher plan lessons oractivities together and choosehow to embed target goals.The two of them brainstorm strategiesthat will be beneficial to all students,but may specificallytarget students with IEPs.The teacher teaches the lesson orembeds him or herself into the activity.While the therapist or specialeducator supportswith elaboration or clarification as needed.Then they switch roles.In the team teachingor parallel teaching modelthe teacher and therapistsand special educatorsshare centers or stations during center time.The children rotate through.So all children work withboth the teacher andthe therapist or special educatorat different times.Sometimes the therapist orspecial educator does an activity athis or her center that specificallytargets IEP goals thatbenefits all the children.The teacher does an activitythat allows all the children topractice those same needed curricular skills.As I wrap up this brief discussionof models of collaboration,I want you to realize thatthere are many definitionsof these models in manyways to implement them.I began this discussionby saying that however,you decide to work together toserve the children in their routines.is a valid model for you.And I went to end by reiterating that point.Collaborating with each other isa foundational strategyfor good inclusive programming.And these models are simplya jumping off point for your efforts.Let's begin to look at what to embed.The Division of Early Childhood hasan entire section oftheir document that addresses assessment.The item that's most germane toour discussion in this webinar,focuses on doing the assessment duringdaily activities, routines, and environments.This will allow goalsto be written that can beimplemented in those natural environments.Okay, so what do we embed?First, we need to identifythe target skills andfunctional behaviors the childneeds to be successful in the classroom.This is basically part ofyour functional assessments that you doprior to writing your IEPs.Collaboratively decide which skillsand behaviors will be needed inmultiple settingswith multiple different individualsduring multiple times of the day.If a skill is needed ina limited environment with only one person,it may not be the most usefulskill to be teaching.So when we choose target skillsand write IEP's carefully,that means that instruction onthe child's IEP goals and objective can beimplemented in the context ofseveral ongoing andnaturally occurring activities,routines, and lessons, ratherthan in an isolated therapy setting.This slide is just to reminderabout writing good goals.The problem is that we often writeperfectly measurable goals that can meetall of these criteriawithout having the goal be a functional one.And we can meet them in segregated settings.As we think about assessingchildren and writing goals,we need to consider the child's membershipand inclusion in settings withpeers who were active ina classroom filled withactivities that children who aredeveloping typically engage in.The rule of 3 mayhelp you remember what kind of skills arefunctionally important forthe child's life trajectory?The skills should be able to beused in multiple times a day,with multiple different people,and in multiple different settings.Therefore, it will increasethe child's ability tointeract within the daily environment,both academically and socially.And it should be usefulthroughout the child's life.Clearly, I chose a very concrete goalfor which I could find pictures.I also included it because there'ssome self-help goals that will notfollow the rules I just laid out.In addition,some districts are considering whetherself-help goals are educationallyoriented and belong in an IEP at all.But we will not get intothat discussion here.But think of the types of goals on which wefocus in early childhood education.There are so many skills andindividual needs to functionsuccessfully throughout their lifethat it's almost inconceivable.Then ask yourself ifthe goal you are writingaddresses a skill that the child can use inboth the present and future settings withtheir peers and adults in many environmentssuch as school, outside,at home, in the community,and will increase this ability to engage,participate, and be independent.I'm so hopeful that we're approachingour IEP goals withfunctional skills in mind these days.You know what we don't see whenwe write functional goals.A lot of rote learning or ideas thattake skills out of contexts.I think rote learning withsuch an entrenched teachingstrategy that it's hard to getpast sometimesseveral years ago I was working inan adult group homeand I walked in one eveningto find one of the guyssitting at the dining room table.The staff member failingmiserably at identifying his colors.How many years had that guybeen taught that he wasa failure by not being able toidentify pink, purple, and brown.Is it even a skill that will be needed inmultiple settings with multiple people,multiple times throughout the day.Is it a skill needed throughouthis daily life?Take a moment to think aboutwhat kind of goals you write.Hopefully our goals will meetthis recommendation from the DEC.Take a moment to read andreflect on what they have to say.What I have not said yet isthat your goals may look different asyou begin to focus on providingtherapy in the activities,routines, and lessons of the ongoing day.In an inclusive classroom.goals developed for implementation ina segregated setting are often moredevelopmentally or prerequisite focused.While goals developed to beembedded in an inclusive setting,will focus on instructional social,communication and movement skillsnecessary for current lessons,activities and routines.The membership and participation needs ofthe child may becomea focus of many of the goals.Meaning they will needto be written differently.Goals developed and implementedin this manner are often morefunctionally necessary for the child's successin their daily life.Is there anything elsewe need to think about?We also need to thinkabout how many goals you'veever written that addressthe child's strengths,preferences, and desires while atthe same time meeting their IEP needs.Herb Lovette, a great advocatefor people with significant disabilities,asked how many of us would choose tospend our lives majoring in our deficits.And sometimes IEPs intheir implementation look likethat's what we're asking of children.And lastly, we need to think abouthow meaningful those goals are tothe family in which the child spent somuch of his or her time.We must think about each childas part of a family.Each of us carry a lifetime of exposure tocommon societal biases aboutability and potential based on gender,race, ethnicity, social class, disability,and English language proficiency,along with other characteristics and labels.Now more than ever,we need to be aware thatthese assumptions can create obstacles toproviding historically marginalized studentsfull access to high expectationsand outcomes that fairly meetthe needs of the child and family.As we write our goals,we need to recognize our implicit biases asobstacles to the success ofindividual children in our classrooms.We also need to be aware ofour understanding of the behaviors,beliefs, values,and historical experiencesof our local community.And to understand howthe community perceives school.One of the children in my past was the childof a highly successful farmer who hadexperienced such failure inschool that he wasextremely hesitant to havehis child in school at all.In fact, he refused to meet with meuntil we decided to meet at the local saloonwhere we had all the subsequent meeting that year.He eventually came to school to seehis son's class and meet all his teachers.But that is a real legacy ofthe failure of a school system.That means that we need to consider whatis important to each child andfamily and what partsof the family belief system andculture we need to take into accountas we write our goals and make our plans.Do you believe that we,as educators can do all that?Be strength-based?Write meaningful goals? Beresponsive to the family's needsand the goals for their child?I believe we can balanceall of this for our children.I believe that we can.Let's move on and talk aboutwhen to embed instruction.Embedding first involves identifying whatactivities best meet the needsof the child to meet their goals.We've started this processduring our assessment.Use the same data you collected then to nowmake some of the decisionsabout when to embed instruction.Another way to look at this is toidentify when goals will beaddressed during the day anddevelop strategies for achievingthem that can be integrated intomultiple classroom activities and routines.Be sure to embed goals within a mixof child-directed and adult-directed.Large groups, small groups,and independent activities.Remember, if a skill it's notneeded at least several times during the day,during several different activities,it may not be a functional goal.Identify any adaptations needed.What do you need to do tomake it possible for the child toremain an active participantand member of the group?While, additionally, embedding inan IEP goal into an activity.Hopefully if you'vedesigned your classroom andactivities for a diverse group of learners,fewer adaptations will be needed.You may need to tweak so that the childhas more time to accomplish a taskor can watch peers gofirst in a sharing in a meeting,so they have a model,but major adaptations shouldn't be necessary.Here's an example of an activity matrix.It's a simple table.You would probably need several matricesto cover all your routines and activities.But this gives you an idea ofhow to look at your day in lightof some of the common goalsthe children in your class may have.I want to stress that all these goalsare not IEP goals.And all the children whose initialsappear at the top do not have IEPs.The matrix helps focusinstruction for many children.I did not make this matrix,but it's very similar to what we used ina preschool room where I provided services.I like this one becausethe sticky notes can change.In our roomeach staff person hada different colored sticky note,so they knew with whomand where they should be working,as well as the goal to be addressed thatensured that neither childrennor goals were forgotten.It also cued staff as towhose goals they wereresponsible for charting.So that when the therapist orspecial education teacher came into the room,they knew who needed their attention,in what activity.So let's take a lookat your classroom routines.Are there any times ofthe day that are particularlyproblematic for any oneof the children in your class?If you need to consult with other members ofyour interdisciplinary team aboutwhat you are seeing,that probably means there'ssomething you need to address.Is the issue with the activity, the link,the complexity, the difficulty,et cetera, or with the child's skills?When you're looking at your routines,don't forget about transitions.Transitions make up a portion ofthe day that often get overlooked,but can be problematic for some children.Transitions are also logical timesin which instruction can be embedded.An added bonus of the activity matrix.An extremely helpful whenadministrators visited.Principles often don'tfully understand preschool andpreschool special education is anentirely differentanimal. Learning objectives areskills that children need to use duringthe activity to engageand participate more effectively.Goals are connected to concepts,not activities.So that means we need to look at the goal anddecide which activities best meet that goal.It also means that we'resaying that to have met the goal,the child can show us inany way that they areable. When and where are closely aligned.However, you may findsome differences as you haveassessed your child's needs.For example, a child maydo very well within the classroom,but experience difficulty atPE, on the playground or cafeteria, et cetera.He or she may do well in the small group,more focused and predictable activities,a table time, but struggle inthe open-ended type activity,the block area presents.Again,use the data you have collectedthrough assessment andobservation to make these decisions.So far, we've looked at in-class settings,but think about the possibilities here.Children will be interestedin what they have access to.Exposure to more things can prompt use ofskills and behaviors not previously seen.Look at this picture andthink about the children who need towork on listening to gaininformation oron asking or answering questions.The possibilities here, huge. Exposure tomultiple environments and activities mayalso pull in peers whocan then support and modelthroughout the rest of the day.Let's look ata few strategies and techniques.You've assessed the child soyou know in which situationsthe goals are important componentsof engagement and independence.First, identify several timesduring the day during which the skills orbehaviors would likely to occuras a natural part of participation.As I said in the previous slide,finding a time during the daywhen the skills or behaviors occurnaturally is a first stepbecause by embedding goals into the day,therapists and special educatorsare able to plan lessons aroundthe existing classroom curriculum, supportingthe child and the goals in whichall the other children are involved.This also helps classroom staffto follow up and findopportunities for students topractice skills throughoutthe instructional day.This is an important strategy.Be sure to develop specific strategiesfor use in different activities,routines, lessons, and transitions.Strategies will vary dependingon the requirements of the activity.For example, gaining attentionin whole group circle time willbe different than during free play orlunch and differentagain during outside play.Teachers can share strategies theyknow work well for a childhood setting.This is an important technique.Effective classroom collaboration canenable higher quality instructionfor all the children in the classroom,and individualizationfor children who need it.You can see where this comes into play inthe planning and implementation of goals.Another basic strategy is tomodel and demonstrate the skills wherethey're actually needed,as it will make it morelikely that the goals will beworked on throughout the day.Use step-by-step instructionsand visual cues.This type of visual cue mayalready be in place in many classrooms.However, though it may serve asa simple reminder to most children,it might be an essential teaching tool forsome. Breaking down tasks or taskanalyzing is a skill that isprobably new to many general educatorsand is helpful when looking at how tosupport a child in any given daily routine.Special educators and therapists can helpgeneral educators breakdown goals into incremental,smaller steps of a logical sequenceso that a child who mayneed extra assistance isprovided a smaller amount of information,given additional prompts ora bit more time to accomplish a task.Arrival is a routine that hasmultiple routines within that routine.Breaking it down into the stepsof greeting your teacher,taking off your backpack,unzipping, then hanging up your coat,zipping the backpack andtaking out your papersand putting them in the basketor giving them to your teacher.Then put the backpack in the cubby.This can help the teacherssee how complicateda single big routine of arrival actually is.As I said, task analysis may comenaturally to many specialeducators and therapists,but it's new to many classroom teachers.Any one of these subroutinesmay need additional supportduring which a special educatormay embed their services.Ensure the child's success.Start with a skill that draws onthe child's existing capabilities.If you're introducing a new skillembedded into an activity or routinethat child enjoys and onewith which he or she is comfortable.Provide materials and physical spacethat are appropriate to the child's needs.Choose activities, materials,and peers that are reinforcing.Assist the child withscaffolded instructional supports.Verbal or physical modelsto demonstrate the skill canbe helpful and decrease the assistances ascompetence increases.Be sure the child hasenough time to process the information orrequest to respond inwhatever way is appropriate for the child.Again, support when needed,but be sure to fadeso that only as much supportas needed to accomplishthe target behavior is offered.Reinforced by providingcontinuous positiveinteractions with the materials,peers, and activities in whichthe target goal has been embedded.The DEC has an entire section that focuseson interactions thataddressed the previous slide.I've chosen two of the five recommendationsto give you a taste fortheir commitment to the instructional processinvolved in embedding.I'll give you a moment to read.Using peers is a great strategy.By enlisting peers,this models while embedding goals.It increases the potential for them tocontinue to modeltarget skills during the day.Research shows thatpeer interaction facilitates learning,particularly in the speech,language, and social realm.It's also highly motivating.Once again, we turned tothe Division of Early Childhood,the DEC, for some guidanceon using peer-mediated intervention.I have repeatedly mentioned the benefit ofincreased opportunities topractice when embedding instruction.An important strategy is tointentionally plan those timeswithin the daily schedule.A child cannot practiceexisting skills or learn new behaviors.If he or she is not given opportunities thatevoke or provoke those behaviors.Our last, but critically important strategy,is to create a data collection system.When evaluation, data collection,and progress monitoringhappen in the classroom,special educators are able todocument true functioning andperformance and how it impactseducational outcomes and access.In this webinar, we brieflyreviewed why to embed instruction.We looked at an overview ofvarious models of collaboration.We examined what to embedwith a focus on functional goals.We talked about making useof the activity matrix.And I illustrated some basic strategiesand techniques for embedding.Thank you for joining me.In the next webinar,we will be talking about supportingfamilies in embedding goalsinto routine at home.To receive your professional growth points,you must complete the webinar survey,find the link on the series webpage.

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Part III - Embedding Instruction At Home - By Susan Dixon

Description of the video:

Welcome to the Early Childhood Center's fourmonth early childhood webinar series,What It Takes To ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series is in partnership withthe Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Education.Through this series, wehope to foster high-quality,evidence-based early childhoodspecial education services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible training andtechnical assistance needs.Today is Part 3 and we'll belooking at some ways to supportfamilies' ability to embedinstruction within home routines.My name is Susan Dixon and I'ma research associate atthe Early Childhood Center.Another fact about methat it's important to knowis that I was a Speech and LanguagePathologists for 40 years.During that time, I worked inan institution withearly intervention programs inseveral states which allowedme to work with families intheir homes and in the public schools.Since I moved toBloomington in the mid-eighties,I've also been involved withthe Early Childhood Center.During that time, I've alwaysworked in natural settings.Even in my early years,it didn't make sense to remove an adultsignificant needs into a therapy roomand expect them to transferthe communication skills and whichwe were working intoan environment with lot of people,a lot of noise and a lot of activity.That philosophy has beenformalized over the years by educators andresearchers into the theory andpractices we will be talking about this month.As you can see, we areone of seven centers atthe Indiana Instituteon Disability and Community,which covers the lifespan for people withdisabilities andpromotes research to practice.The Early Childhood Center connectsIndiana University to the broader community.Sharing ideas and innovations,we improve systems and programs impactingthe lives of young childrenand their families.This is a list of the staff ofthe preschool team atthe Early Childhood Center.It's just for your reference.During the first webinar,we focused on the foundationsof embedding instruction andinclusive therapy and daily routines,lessons and activities.In the second webinar,we delve deeper into the how of the practice.Looking at some of the strategiesand techniques of implementation.This webinar about helping families embedgoals within their daily routines at home.And finally, on April 27th,there will be a live discussionforum on these topics.Don't forget to register for our Zoom liveforum on our webinar series web page.Here's our agenda for this webinar.We'll start by taking a brief lookat how we can connect with families,followed by a discussionof why this is important.We will examine how written goalsimpact family's ability toembed them at home.And conclude with strategies and suggestions.And then our goals for this webinar followour agenda to take a look athow and why to connect with families.To understand why embeddinginstruction and family routines is important.To become more aware ofhow your goals impactimplementation and familynatural environments.And to learn some strategiesto support families andembedding instruction intotheir daily routines.We're going to start with one of the Division ofEarly Childhood's Recommended Practices.Every once in awhile throughout this webinar,you'll see a slide that looks like this,which will remind you of the DEC,Recommended Practices that alignwith the content of the webinar.As we begin this webinar on supportingfamilies and embedding goalsinto their home routines.We will need to recognize the importance ofthis recommended practice thattells us the practitioners need to build,trusting and respectful partnerships withthe family through interactions that aresensitive and responsive to cultural,linguistic, and social economic diversity.This will be a recurring themethroughout this webinar.It is obviously importantregardless of wheregoals are being implemented.But more so when we're asking to beincluded in the family home routines.Logically, the first step insupporting the family to supporttheir child at homeis with a collaborative assessment.Throughout the assessment, an IEPwriting families are part of the process.Family input as to routinesthat may be difficult for the child andfamily and about the skills the child mightneed in order to be moreengaged, independent,and interactive in those routinesat home and inthe community should have beencollected as part of the assessment,as well as information abouttheir child's strengths,interests, and preferences.The assessment should alsoinclude information generated bythe parents about what theysee their child doing next andwhat they hope will happen inboth the near and distant future.This information should have led to IEP goalsthat will support the childboth at school and at home.So in separate ways,you've already connected withthe family around writing the IEP.But what we have experienced this past yearduring the pandemic hasbeen different, hasn't it?What have we learned that we can carryforward with us into the future?We have asked families to include us intheir home life to a greater extentthan ever before in order toembed learning opportunities andthe places that are most needed and yetthe least intrusive to their routines.Building relationships isfoundational and wasprobably more challengingvirtually than in person.However, having a strongrelationship to talk tothe families about their homelife was critical.We discovered that we neededto be more flexible inproviding ways to collaborate,over sharing information.All the strategies canremain as we move forward.Here's a quick rundown ofsome of what we learned that we shouldnot forget if we moveback to more frequent in-class educational practices forboth online and offline opportunitiestailored to the needsand resources of families.Duringyour initial conversations with the family,you should have discovered whichfamilies have technological advantages.So you realize thatit's important to facilitateequitable access to accommodatethe level of technology available.Even if a family has a computer in the home,not everyone has Internet access.Be sure to remember to offerinformation in multiple forms.Individualisation for both childrenand families became paramount.As we move forward,It's important to keepthis recommendation in mind.Take a moment to read.We each carry a lifetime of exposure tosocietal biases about ability andpotential based on gender, race,ethnicity, social class, disability,family composition,and English language proficiency,along with other characteristics and labels.As we move into providingguidance in families' homes,it becomes even more important that werecognize our own biases so thatwe can honor the family's cultureand that of the community in which they live.We value each family'scultural and linguistic needs.We become more able to connect and guidethe embedding of goals into the family life.Although many familieshave regular schedules,a significant number do not.However, families still have routines.Families typically havethree types of routines.Daily routines such as bedtime and mealtime,weekly routine such as laundry,grocery shopping, and otherroutines that have a communityor school component.We have to recognize thatfamily routines vary from family to family.However, within each family's day,there's a time to get up,time to eat, time to play,time to work, and a time to go back to bed.Some families bathe their children daily atbedtime and some wait until theyfeel the child needs a bath.Some families eat at the tabletogether whenever they can.Some eat front of the TV.Some have separate timesfor adults and children.Some children just snacks throughout the day.There are cultural variationsof what is acceptable and thisis true for every single familyand every single routine at home.The role of the adult inperforming physical care tasksand practices varies.For example, tying their shoesor putting on their coats for them.While you may wantindependence in your classroom,this may not be a priority at home.A spill at snack time may be anacceptable part of learning at school,while it may be disrespectfuland wasteful at home.The critical element in being able toembed goals into family routine is thatyou have established a relationshipwithin the family that allows youto discuss those routineswithout judgment so that you canexplore the times of the daythat either the parents feel they needhelp or that you can seea path to introduce some of the goalsyou have been working on at schoolwithout carving out school time.In the beginning of your conversation,ask the family to describe whata typical day is like, for their family.You may already know a lotof this from the assessment,but it's a good reminder toboth you and the caregivers that we arenot looking at a recreatingclassroom activities at home,but embedding goals intotheir existing routines.A good question to begin with is something like,How does your day start or who'sthe first person to wake up at your house?During each routine, askquestions to help the familydescribe what each persondoes during the routine,what the child does doingthe routine, their skill level,how the child participates,their engagement and the routine,what the child can do on his orher own, their independence,how the child communicatesand gets along with others,their social relationshipsduring the routine,and how satisfied the parentis with the routine.Note areas that sound likeconcerns for the family and startthinking about how your IEP goalscan facilitate an easier routine.Some families willdescribe routines in detailwithout needing a lot of follow-up questions.Other families are lessforthcoming and may needspecific questions to get sufficient detail.And still other families will provideso much detail that youmay need to move them along,like what happens next?But the bottom line is be flexible.This should be a conversationand not a formal interview.At the end of each routine,it's important to askthe family whether or not they're satisfiedwith routine or if theycould change anything, what would it be?You'll want to know what's going well?What are the happiest times of your day?What does your child like to do?What do you like to do with your child?When do you need help?When are you struggling inyour daily routines at home?If the family member and repeatedly expressessatisfaction with your teamsand indicates that the child's engagement,independence, social relationships,and skills are acceptable.What would the family member likethe child to do next?Not all situations involvea discrepancy betweenreported and desired behavior.So this allows the parent to indicate whata potential intervention priority mightbe in the absence of any concerns.So you've gathered informationfor writing IEP goals,but it's also critical information andembedding those goals into the family's day.Here's what the DEC has to say.The rule of three may help youremember what kind of skills areactually functionally important forthe child's life trajectory.The gist of this three rulesis that the skillchosen can be usedacross a number of different settings,number of activities, anda number of people throughout the day.Therefore, it will increasethe child's ability to interact withinthe daily environment at school andin all developmental areas at home as well.In addition, it should beuseful throughout the child's life.I know that many of you write goals thatinclude skills such as following directions,initiating interactionswith adults and peers,sharing and taking turns,completing a task independently.Goal could look something like this.Jackson will indicate his preferred object,interaction or activity by using a sign orspoken word at least fivetimes a day during play time,meals, circle, center time orfamily routines so that hecan become more independent and so thatothers will be able to meet his needs.To see how this applies both at home and at school.This would give the family a concrete goal toembed, follow with strategies,some specific to a routine,to give them a place to start,and some broad enough to the familyso that they can generalize to any setting.The above skills are perfectfor embedding at home.But there are many others that addressliteracy, numeracy, motor skills.and that also can embed easilywith a bit of imagination.Guide the family like you guide the children.Start with specific, easily implementedstrategies and increasecomplexity, scaffolding when needed.By writing goals that can be implementedboth in the classroom and at homethe child has significantlymore opportunity for practice.This is a major reasonto embed goals at home.In addition to bringing the family intotheir child's continuedgrowth and development.We must think about each childas part of a family.I mentioned earlier our lifetime ofexposure to common societal biases.Now more than ever, we need to be awarethat these assumptions, when unexamined,create obstacles to providinghistorically marginalized studentsfull access to high expectationsand genuine connections with the educators inthe school environment andoutcomes that fairly meetthe needs of the child and family.As we write our goals,we need to recognize our implicit biases asobstacles tothe success of individual children.We also need to be aware ofour understanding of the behaviors,beliefs, values,and historical experiencesof our local community,and understand how the communityperceives school.One of the children inmy past was the child ofa highly successful farmerwho had experienced suchfailures in school,that he was extremely hesitantto have a child in school at all.In fact, he refused tomeet with me until we decided tomeet at the local saloon where weheld all subsequent meetings that year.He eventually came to school to seehis son's class and meet all his teachers.That's a real legacy ofthe failure of a school system anda critical piece of knowledge Ineeded in order to connect with this family.I've mentioned this here,but we will revisit the idea,although not in detail when we talk aboutembedding goals into family routines.Is there anything elsewe need to think about?I'd like you to think abouthow many goals you've everwritten that addressesa child's strengths, preferences,and desires while atthe same time meeting theirIEP needs. Herb Lovett,a great advocate forpeople with significant disabilitiesasked how many of us would choose to spendour lives majoring in our deficits.And sometimes IEPs andtheir implementation look likethat's what we're asking of children.And lastly, I'd like you to thinkabout how meaningful those goals areto the family in whichthe child spends so much of his or her time.Do you believe that we, aseducators, can do all that?Be strength-based,write meaningful goals tothe child and family,and be responsive to the family's needsand goals for their child.I believe that we can balanceall of this for our children.Before launching into embedding IEP goals,have a conversation with the family aboutthe ways that they're currentlysupporting their child.Highlight the strategies thatthey are already usingthat are likely tolead to positive outcomes.Embedding involves identifyingwhat activities bestmeet the needs of the childto meet their goals.Another way to look at this is toidentify when goals will beaddressed during the dayand developing strategies forachieving goals that can be integratedinto multiple family routines and thendevelop specific strategies foruse in those different routines.One of the most important things to stressto caregivers is that we arenot wanting them to play school at home,no drill and practice.Encourage exploration.How can they entice their child to exploreexisting materials in order touse them in different ways to meet goals.What are some open ended household items thatyour families could use to encourage this?As we look at the following scenarios,remember that they're just examplesand that every family is different.Let's start our conversationon the strategies to use indaily routines with the topicof using books and stories.Reading and storytelling withchildren promotes imagination,develops language and emotions andstrengthens relationships among other things.Just a combination of reading,storytelling and even singing,pointing out which IEP goalsthey are addressing. by doing this.Let parents know if they don't already.Repeatedly telling the same storyor reading the same book is not a bad thing.It may be keying intotheir child's interests or needs at the time.It's a perfect time to workon vocabulary by utilizingthe repeated exposure to words andtheir meaning in a story context.It can help the child getto know sounds, words,and language, and develop earlylistening and literacy skills.Share a favorite story or create a new one.Books and stories can bea springboard for creativity and fun.It can be used while the familyis engaged with them,as well as later when they retell the story,strengthening the vocabulary andlanguage they have previously heard.Talk to caregivers aboutthe importance of sharing stories,talking, and thinking every day,and keep reminding them ofthe IEP goals they canembed into those activities.They can help their child understandnew or frightening events andthe strong emotions that come with them.Demonstrate how they can helptheir child expand their understanding ofthe world and learn abouttheir own culture and other cultures.Sharing stories doesn't mean youhave to read from the book.Suggest that they try outfunny noises and sounds,play and have fun.Show them how to involve their childby encouraging talk about the pictures,and by repeating familiar words and phrases.Playing outside gives the child a chance toexplore the natural environmentand have adventures.Help caregivers see the potentialof playing games with simple rules,testing physical limits, expressinghim or herself both verbally and physically,and building self confidence.When their child is outside,there is more space.Read it.It's like running, jumping,kicking, and throwing.This is an obvious time towork on all those motor skills.Witness my little friendNate hanging upside down.But don't forget all the other goals thatcan be embedded while outside.It can be a time to practicesocial skills with siblings,such as sharing, cooperating,and taking turns.And when it happens as it often does,it can be a time to work onresolving conflicts.These are common goals on our preschool IEPs.It can be a time to work outsome fun new vocabulary wordsincluding what they're seeing and doing.Go on a treasure hunt and putfound items into a bag.That way they can talk aboutthe items when they pick them up and again,when they get them home.This might be a great time topropose writing a story which can betold repeatedly on the rideto the store, beforebed, while waiting forthe hamburger at the fast food restaurant.Remember when we found thatpretty rock, where was that?Tell me the story about finding that rock.Children often have goalsabout following directions.Saying something like run asfast as you can to the swings.Is much more fun than put it in your closet.It's also fairly complex,and helps parents see how much informationtheir child is usinggiven this one request.We used to count how long it took,which embeds quantitativeconcepts into this game.Think about open-ended prompts you canshare with your families toexpand the learning of their child.Remember earlier when Isuggested encouraging exploration?Here's a great time todemonstrate to families how they canencourage their children toexplore their toys orother materials so that they can usethem in different ways to meet their goals.Working on prepositions,a big box with cars and trucks orstuffed animals provides opportunitiesfor both the vocabulary needed,but also the social components of turntaking and the languageof following directions.What are some household itemsthat your families might neverhave thought about thatthey could use in this manner?Toilet paper rolls,empty containers, wooden spoons,are all options forimaginary play that opens the door to social,motor, cognitive, and communication goals.The time committed to this can bea short three to five minutes engagement,or as long as the caregiverhas and wants to expand andexplore the ideas withwhich the child is playing.Help them think about open-ended questions,not testing questions, thatwill let them learn what their childknows so they can build on thatwith the IEP goals you have been discussing.Make screen time worthwhile.Talk to the caregivers aboutco-engagement and how theycan even use TV time asan activity to supporttheir child's growth orencourage them to watchtogether so that theycan help their child makeconnections between what they'reseeing on TV in their home life.Here's yet another place foropen-ended questions.Comment on the action and then predict whatmight happen next, Ask why they areso excited about that character orwhy they like that show so much.Whether a family eats meals at the table,pizza on the couch,or whatever form meals take in the family,it's time that goals can be embedded.Propose goals such asfollowing the rules of the routinefor a child that may need helpwith behaviors during meals.Requesting food or requesting helpin cutting it up is another possibility.There's a technique calledCommunicative Temptations,where you leave something undonethat prompts the request.Like the crust on a sandwich,if it is preferred that it's taken off,or only two grape halvesif your child loves grapes.This creates a situation during whichthe child will want to make a request.And you can help the parentswork on doing that in asocially appropriate manner orwith a full sentence or whatever goal.Fifth, talkingabout attributes such as color,texture, temperature,and taste is an obvious possibility.And of course, conversation goalswhich involve listening, asking,and answering questions, staying onthe topic and knowing when to stop talking,work here as well.Here's another time thatstories could be retoldso the new vocabulary could bereinforced andold vocabulary could be practiced.Remember that time when.... Parents may needhelp with some ofthe more open ended activitieshere as elsewhere.And if they're already doing that,be sure to let them know how much that helpstheir child in so many ways.There are many community activities inwhich IEP goals could be imbedded.I chose grocery shoppingbecause it's one of my favorites.Here's a younger Nate again.He's practicing with self-regulation skill ofsitting while his mom gathers some needed items.Sometimes when he hastrouble sitting still and waiting at the doctor's office hisMom tells him the story about how he sits in the car at theGrocery store, and how long he cansit and how good he is at waiting patiently.The story they tell aboutall the groceries they shopped for canlast as long or asshort as they wait for the doctor.The cognitive and language goalsat the grocery store are endless.Size, shape, color, location,taste, boxes, no boxes,cans, jars and on and on.Some children may be at a levelwhere matching objects physical descriptions.Plenty of opportunities herefor matching objects tomaking simple choices.This one or that one, thebig one or the little one.To planning a menu together.What vegetables you like toeat when I make meatloaf,let's go find it.It's an opening for a longer conversation.Talk to parents aboutopen-ended questions here again,what we do with this when we get it home.Tell me about your favorite.It's yet another placeto practice following directions.You put the apples onthe belt while I get the milk.That Milk is heavy, wecan just buy one of those today.That's an implied request.You need to put the rest ofthose back on the shelf.It's a level of complexity thatmakes total sense here.When you're discussing the wayscaregivers can embedIEP goals and various activitiesand routines throughout their day.It may be helpful to havea symbol graphic to remind them.Families are busy and we're asking them todo things in a slightly different way.Remember to stress that we'renot asking them to playschool or do any ofthe typical drill and practice things,but to find ways to strengthen and supporttheir child's growth withintheir daily routines.Things on a table may bea way to reinforce that.If, and this is a big if, you wantfamilies to keep track ofhow it's going at home,make it fun and easy.And for families to submitphotos or videos of their children.Not just doing the things you have suggested,but throughout the day.Ask to see the really fun times,ask to see the rough timesif they have the time and energy.Let the children and familiesguide you as to the next steps,Provide meaningful alternatives toinitial suggestions andproblem-solve with the family.They are your partners.Showing off photos and videosis easier than ever and it can beindispensable in helping youkeep track of how things are going.Try not to be judgmental.The sharing of informationis a positive thing,which adds value toyour assessment of progress.Here's what we talkedabout during this webinar.We looked at how and whyto connect with families.We talked about why embeddingIEP goals into family routines is important.We examined how the wayyou write your goals impactsthe implementation andfamily natural environments.And finally, we discussedseveral routines and the strategies you couldsuggest or demonstrate to help caregiversdiscover ways to embedgoals to support their child.Thank you for joining me.Next week we will havean open forum during whichyou are welcome to add your ideas.Have conversations on this topic,or ask questions.To sign up, go to the EarlyChildhood Center website and click onthe free professionaldevelopment webinar seriesfor preschool educators box.Scroll down just a little and you'll findthe registration link forthe live discussion forum.Thank you again for your interestin supporting families abilityto embed instructionwithin their home routines.

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Practice-Based Coaching Framework

Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) Framework - Part IBy Lynne Hall

Description of the video:

Welcome to the final month ofthe Early Childhood Center's fourmonth early childhood webinar series,What it Takes to ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series was created inpartnership withthe Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Educaiton.We hope to foster high-quality,evidence-based, early childhood specialeducation services inregular early childhood classrooms,and to address possible trainingand technical assistance needs.This is the first of three May webinarsregarding practice-based coachingand how it can be leveraged tosupport high-quality preschool inclusion.Today's webinar will provide an overviewof the practice-based coaching framework.My name is Lynn Hall.I've been in the field of early educationfor over 30 years.Most of those years were spentas a preschool classroom teacher.I've been a Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center for six years.The Early Childhood Center is part ofIndiana University'sInstitute on Disability and Community.It is one of seven centers thatcollectively cover the lifespanfor people with disabilities.As a Service and Education Center,we work with a variety of stakeholders,including state agencies, school districts,and community programs topromote research to practice.Please visit our website to check outresources and sign up for our e-newsletter.Here you will find the goalsfor our next four weeks.Today's webinar willincrease your familiarity withthe evidence-based practice-based coaching models framework.Practice-based coachingaligns with several ofthe Division for EarlyChildhood Recommended Practices.Here are two examples.Be sure to visit the DEC website tofind other recommended practices alignment.This is today's agenda:to meet the goal of increasingyour familiarity withthe practice-based coaching model.First, I'll tell you why you shouldconsider using practice-based coaching.And then I'll explain its framework.And finally, I'll share how usingpractice-based coaching supportshigh-quality inclusive practices.At the end of the webinar,I'll quickly review what wascovered and you will be directed tothe ECC webinar series webpageto access the webinar survey link.After completing the survey,you will receive a professionalgrowth point certificate.With all the different professionaldevelopment options available today,why should you considerpractice-based coaching?Researchers have found thatthe more common forms ofprofessional development,such as infrequent anddecontextualized trainingresulted in low implementation ofnew practices in the classroom setting.Conversely, trainingreinforced by ongoing coachinglead to over 90 percent ofimplementation of new practices.When done with fidelity,coaching helps practitioners bridgethe research to practice gap bycontinually developing and honingskills learned in initial trainings.Even more specifically,recent research tells us that many ofthe required skills to effectively implementpreschool inclusion islacking among preschool teachers.For example, many havelimited experience in progressmonitoring and data-based decision-making,minimal training in behavior management,a lack of training inindividualized systematic instruction,and limited to no experiences with teaming.Practice-based coachingcan be leveraged to bothincrease and refineinclusive classroom practices.The goals of coaching align withmost professional development needsand are focused on two areas.One, improving practice witha particular emphasis onincreasing the use ofpractices shown to be highlyeffective, includingevidence-based practices.And two, improvinglearner academic and behavioral outcomesto improve teaching practices.Promising evidence aboutpractice-based coaching revealsthat it supports teacher implementationof effective teaching practices.It is associated withdesired changes inteaching and instructional practices.It is correlated to child learning.And it is sociallyvalid because it is viewed as acceptable,feasible, and beneficial bythose who coach and are coached.This section we'll sharethe components of practice-based coaching.Practice-based coaching is a cyclical processfor supporting teachers useof effective teaching practices thatlead to positive outcomes for children.It occurs within the contextof a collaborative partnership.Each component in the cycleis designed to inform the actionstaken by a coach orteacher during the subsequent component.The cyclical nature ofpractice-based coaching emphasizes thatexpectations and desired outcomes ofcoaching are regularly reviewed and updated.This figure showsthe practice-based coaching cycleand illustrates the relationshipsamong the components.Let's begin by thinking about whatcoaching is and what coaching is not.Coaching is collaborative.Think partnership and reciprocal.Both parties are equals.And while the coach has expertise,they are not the expertin the coaching relationship.Coachees know their children best andhave unique expertise to share.Coaching is focused on skill building.Improved skills lead toimproved outcomes for children.Coaching includes observation and feedback.These practices are intendedto build teacher skills.Coaching plans embeddedsupports to provide childrenadditional learning opportunities withintheir daily routines and activities.Coaching is goal directed.These goals are established byidentifying coachees prioritiesbased on their needs.Coaching has not justproviding advice and tips.It includes modelling specificeffective strategies andsupporting coachees in waysthey deem most effective for them.Coaching is not supervision.Coaching is not evaluativeand is intended to be an equal,collaborative, trustworthy,reciprocal relationship.Coaching is not about changing attitudes.It's about using best practices to meetidentified goals, priorities, and needs.And lastly, coaching is not therapy.It is action oriented withobservable and measurable stepsto achieve a goal.Practice-based coaching is groundedin effective teaching practices.When it comes to inclusion,effective teaching practices arethose that research hasidentified as attributingto high-quality inclusion.When embarking on the coaching journey,current inclusive practices should beassessed and the data usedto inform the coaching process.The inclusive classroom profile, or ICP,is one tool that addressesinclusive preschool practices.Ideally, assessments would includeobjective and self-assessment,and then some follow-up trainingon the identify practices.The practice-based coaching componentscentered on those evidence-basedpractices include,first, developingcollaborative coaching partnerships.Because learning happens withinthe context of relationships,the importance of developingthis partnership cannot be overstated.The quality of the coachingrelationship directlyimpacts the effectiveness ofthe other three components.The second is sharedgoal and action planning.This includes reviewingthe effective practicesassessments to identifya mutual coaching go and develop a planto meet the goal basedon the coachee's priorities.The third component isthe focused observation.The focused observation is used toeither model practices or collect data.Practice implementation as identifiedon the coachee's action plan.The fourth and final componentis reflection and feedback.A debrief meeting in which the coachfacilitates a reflective conversation withthe coachee to examine progresson and or achievement ofthe current goal and to identifysubsequent goals and the plants to meet them.Let's examine the goals arethe three coaching componentsthat happen withinthe coaching partnership and arecentered on the effective teaching practices.The goals of shared goals and actionplanning include assessing needs,identifying discrete practices to focus on,and developing clear, concrete,achievable plans for reaching goals.The goal of the focused observationis to gather information.And lastly, the goalof reflection and feedback are toencourage the coachee toreflect on progress towards the goal.Next, I'm going to unpackthe four effectivepractice-based coaching components,starting with collaborativecoaching partnerships.The role of the coach isperformed by a range of adults.For the purposes of supporting inclusion,we will use the term coach to describeany one that is providing coaching support.These could be specialeducation practitioners,general education practitioners, therapist,or technical assistance providers.And we will use the term coachee to describeanyone that is being coached toprovide services to children.These might be generaleducation practitioners,special education practitioners,para educators,classroom assistance, or family members.Here are some points to think about whenidentifying practitionersto engage in coaching.Consider practitioners that haveexpressed a need for additional support.When coachees have requested support,they are generally open to and evenenthusiastic about the coaching process.Some practitioners may identifythat they are having difficulty orhad been observed as havingdifficulty implementingpractices as intended.In these instances, coaching can supportfidelity of practice implementation.Another consideration is data.Consider coaching in classroomsor programs with data suggestingthat coaching on instructional practices canhave a positive impact on child outcomes.Because coaching as acollaborative reciprocal partnership,building relationships iscritical to its success.Some literature refers tothis relationship as an alliance.A strong alliance between the coach and cocheeestablishes a solid foundationfor subsequent work.Investing time into to buildingthis relationship isa crucial part of that success.We will talk more about how to developthe coaching partnershipin next week's webinar.The second effectivepractice-based coaching componentis shared goals and action planning.In planning, it is important to takesome preliminary steps toidentify an initial coaching focus.Ideally, the coach would performan observation of the evidence-basedpractices being implemented.And the coachee would doa self-assessment ofthe same set of practices.The coach and coacheewould use these assessmentsto mutually identifya specific coaching need.Once identified, the two will translatethat identified need into a smart goal.For example, let's assumethat the coach and the coacheeidentified providing children scaffoldingsupport as an area of focus.The coach and the coachee would thendevelop a smart goal based on that need.Smart goals are specific,identifying what the coachee willdo. In this smart goalthe coachee will provide scaffolding support.Smart goals are measurable so that the coacheewill know if the goal has been met.In this case thatscaffolding and support will beprovided at least two times if needed.Smart goals must be achievable sothat success is realistic. Here,providing that support at least two times,leaves plenty of room toprovide it more often,but giving a minimum amountkeeps goals achievable.Smart goals must be relevant,meaning they meet the child's needs.In this case, scaffolding supportenables children to respond to request,which is an important skill.Lastly, they aretime-bound so that the coacheeknows exactly what will bedone, when it will be done,as in what part of the day and how often.In this example, weknow that the coachee will beprovidingscaffolding support during circle time,at least two times as needed.Once the smart goal has been created,an action plan is developed thatincludes specific stepsidentified to meet the goal.A focused observation. How the coachee,you will know the goal was achieved.And when the reflection andfeedback session will take place.Action plans are mutuallycreated between the coach and coacheewith the coachee's preferencesguiding decision-making.Each action plan timeline varies basedon the goal and the action steps identified.Most plants take abouttwo to four weeks to complete.When developing action plans,there are essential coaching strategies thatcoachees employ and includeon the action plan.These include goal-setting.The coach helps the teacher to identify andwrite the smart goal every two to four weeks.Providing resources and materials.The coach offers additionalitems that may helpthe teacher learn more aboutthe selected practices or strategies.Focused observation.If observing the coachtakes notes about the teachersimplementation of theselected strategies or practicesand observe these withoutusing other coaching strategies.Teacher classroom video.The coach will sometimesvideotape the teacher orinvite the teacher to sharea video he or she recorded.Together, they will view videos to reflect,problem-solve and discuss implementationof selected practices or strategies.Reflective conversation.These are the discussionsbetween the coach and teacherdesigned to prompt thinkingabout strategies or practices.Feedback, supportive feedback emphasizesteacher strengths that supportthe implementation of selectedpractices or strategies.Constructive feedback include suggestions orsupports for improvingselected practices or strategies.Suggestions or supports mightfocus on what to teach.When to teach, how toteach or how to evaluate.Graphic feedback.Graphic feedback includes a visual displayof teacher data or child data andspecific verbal informationto the teacher abouthis or her practicefor strategy implementation.Along with the essential strategies,there are additional enhancementstrategies the coaches andcoachees may decide toinclude on their action plans.These include things suchas modeling, verbal, gestural,physical, or signed actions thatdemonstrate how toimplement a specific practice.Side-by-side verbal or gestural support.Verbal or visual actionsare used by the coach toguide the teachers implementationof a specific practice.When providing verbal or gestural support,the coach stands or sitsin close proximity tothe teacher whilethe teachers implementing a practice.Environmental arrangements.The coach helps the teacher torearrange or enhancethe classroom environmentand available materials to setthe occasion to support a specific practice.Problem-solving discussion.Systematic processinvolving identifying the problem,generating options and decidingon a possible solution andevaluating the strengths andchallenges with that solution.Project developed video,watching a short video clip ofanother teacher that focuseson implementing a specific practice.Role-play, in a role-playing situation,the teacher may take on the role ofthe child while the coachdemonstrate the strategy.Or the coach may take on the roleof the child while the teacherpractices a strategy and other,the coach should always ask the coachee whatother ways he or shewould want to be supported.We will talk more about developingshared goals and action plansin next week's webinar.The third practice-based coaching componentis the focused observation.Focus means that the observation targetsonly the practices pertainingto the identified coaching goal.During the initial coaching meeting orthe subsequent shared goaland action planning sessions,the coach and coachee determinethe observation type and time when planning.The plan outlines what is observed,who has observed, and how andwhen the observation takes place.For example, the coach maywatch the coachee use the practice,or the coach might provide one ofthe enhancement strategiespreviously described.Some type of focused observation activityoccurs every coaching cycle,whether it be a data gathering observation,the coach modeling,the coach and coachee engaging in role-play.The coach supportingenvironmental arrangement.The coachee reviewing video,the coach providing verbalor gestural support,or the coach and coacheehaving a problem-solving discussion.The observation is used to inform and guidethe following reflection andfeedback session in the coaching cycle.For the shared smart goal example,the coach should be focused onobserving or providing supportfor the coachee's efforts to provide childrenscaffolding support to respondto requests during circle time.We will talk more aboutthe focused observation inour third webinar. Practice-based coaching'sfourth and final componentis the reflection and feedback.These go hand in hand.The goal of providing feedbackis to have the coachee reflect.We want to remember thatin order for a coacheeto feel comfortable toreflect, the interactionsneed to feel non-judgmental.Coaching should be a safe place forthe coachee to try out new things.Reflection should offer the coacheean opportunity to think about what waseffective and what was the barrier toimproving or refining implementationof the teaching practices.Sharing feedback aboutteaching practice involves providinginformation about performance that is bothsupportive and corrective if needed.Supportive feedback is usedto recognize and encouragesuccessful implementationof teaching practicesby connecting information fromthe observation withthe goals and action planssteps to illustrate progresstoward desired outcomes.Corrective feedback is used to help recognizeopportunities for improvingor refining teaching practices.Corrective feedback should bespecific and constructive.Feedback is informed byexperiences from examining and supportingteaching practice and alsoinformed by coachees reflective statements.We will talk more about reflection andfeedback in the third webinar.How does the coaching cycle continue?Within that collaborativecoaching partnershipas part of the debriefing meeting,information from the processes isassociated with reflection and feedbacklead the way to engaging inongoing goal setting and action planning.For ongoing goal setting andaction planning the existing goaland action plan are reviewed and updated.Updating the goal and actionplans might includecontinuing with the same goaland revising the action plan,or revising the selectedgo and updating the action planor identifying a new goaland creating a new action plan.At some point during the ongoing process,the original needs assessments might bereviewed or updatedto determine new priorities.As with all evidence-basedmodels and practices,fidelity of implementation isneeded to achieve the resultsresearch supports.The practice-based coaching materialsoffer a couple ofchecklists for coaches to keeptrack of their implementation.Here's an example to make sure thatthe coaching goals andaction plans meet specific criteria.You'll noticed indicators regarding the goal.The goal achievement statement,the action steps,the resources, and the timeline.This one is a coachingpractices fidelity form,which we adapted andmodified to a one-page log.Using checklist helps to ensure thatall critical coachingcomponents are delivered.We will look at these more closelyin the third webinar.Practice-based coaching can bemaximized to support inclusive services.Inclusive services is about educationequity. Coaching supports keepingchildren in the classroom withtheir peers while supporting them to fullyparticipate in their homeand classroom environments.Coaching attributes to the long-term goal ofinclusion for all children to becomeengaged members of their communities withrich and meaningful relationshipsand experiences.We cannot replicate the experienceschildren can have in a regular educationenvironment and segregated settingsor when providing pull out services.It's our responsibility to provide childrenequitable access toeducational opportunities.Their special educationservices are just that.They are a service, not a place.Coaching focuses on providing childrentheir services withinauthentic environments.Children learn within the contextof relationships.Coaching practitioners to implementinclusive practices keeps childrenin the classroom with their peers,rather than pulling them out for services.By coaching practitioners, children will havemore opportunities to work onidentified skills duringtheir daily routines and activities.Research supports that coachinghas a more positive effect onsustainable change when it isdelivered using key effective practices.Coaching can have a positive impact onchild outcomes by providingadditional time to form relationships,an additional practice opportunities,and by increasing practitioners skill level.When we think about providingthe collaborative services mentionedearlier in this webinar series.Coaching is an effective way to work withteachers and families tosupport children's outcomes.It's stepping away fromthe hands-on approach,that medical model andequipping teachers and families tosupport children in thegeneral education classroomand home environment.Coaching build equitable learning experiencesfor all children by ensuringthat everyone's individual learning needsare addressed in their daily environments.Remember, this is one of the Division forEarly Childhood Recommended Practices.Let's quickly review whatwe talked about today.The practice-based coaching model includesfour affective components basedon a set of effective teaching practices.After the fourth component,reflection and feedback,the cyclical process is repeated.Planning between coaches and teachers isparamount to the reciprocalpartnership relationship.This the process of deciding the what,the how, and the whenfor the next coaching cycle.These decisions are informed bythe reflective conversations thathappened during the feedback session.Today, I shared thatthe practice-based coaching model hasevidence to support its effectiveness.Next, the four componentsof the model were explained.And lastly, you learned howpractice-based coaching supportshigh-quality inclusive services.Here's the list of what iscoming up the rest of the month.I hope you will view next week'swebinar that will provideadditional information onthe first two practice-basedcoaching components,developing collaborative partnerships andshared goal setting and action planning.Thank you for taking the timeto view this webinar,highlightingthe practice-based coaching model.

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Part II - Coaching Partnerships and Developing Shared Goals and Action Plans - By Lynne Hall

Description of the video:

Welcome to the second webinar inthe final month of theEarly Childhood Center'sfour month Early Childhood webinar series,What it takes to implementeffective preschool inclusion services.This series was created in partnershipwith the Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Education.We hope to foster high-quality,evidence-based early childhoodspecial education services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible trainingand technical assistance needs.This month's topic ispractice-based coaching,and today is Part 2on developing coaching partnerships,shared goals, and action plans.Last week's webinar providedan overview ofthe practice-based coaching framework.Today's information will explorethe frameworks firsttwo effective components,collaborative partnerships and sharedgoals and action plans.Next week's webinar will addressthe framework's last two components,focused observationand reflection and feedback,as well as fidelity of implementation.The following week will beour live open discussion forum, totalk more about the modeland its implementation.Be sure to visit our websiteto sign up for the forum.If this is your first webinar this month,my name is Lynne Hall.I had been in the field of early educationfor over 30 years.Most of those years were spentas a preschool classroom teacher.I've been a Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center for six years.Again, for those of younew to the webinar series,the Early Childhood Center is part ofIndiana University'sInstitute on Disability and Community.It is one of seven centers that collectivelycover the lifespan forpeople with disabilities.As a service and education center,we work with a variety of stakeholders,including state agencies, school districts,and community programs, topromote research to practice.Please visit our website to check outresources and sign up for our e-newsletter.This slide illustrates our goalsfor the May webinars.Today's focus will be ondeveloping your understanding aboutbuilding coaching partnerships and settingmutual goals with plans for achieving them.Practice-based coaching aligns withthe Division for Early ChildhoodRecommended Practices.Here are two examples.Be sure to visit the DEC website tofind other recommended practices alignment.This is the agenda designed to increaseyour understanding of the firsttwo practice-based coaching components.First, I'll explain to you whythe coaching relationship needsto be defined as a partnership.Next, I'll share several strategiesfor developing thatcollaborative partnership.And then we'll talk about howthe coach and the coacheeidentify a mutual goal andcreate an action plan to meet that goal.Lastly, I'll do a short reviewand then you will be prompted back tothe Early Childhood Centerwebinar series webpage tocomplete your webinar survey.After completing the survey,you'll receive a certificateof professional growth points.Before we jump into our agenda,I'd like to quickly reviewthe practice-based coaching framework.It is an evidence-based model with research tosupport its effectiveness whenit is delivered with fidelity.Each coaching cycle is groundedin effective teaching practices.In regards to inclusion,effective teaching practices refer toevidence-based practices supportinghigh-quality inclusive services.Research shows that specialeducation and general education practitionersare not trained and providing inclusion.Practice-based coaching consists ofengaging in these four effective components.Collaborative partnerships,shared goals, and action planning,focused observation and reflection andfeedback to support high-quality inclusion.Today we will focus onthe first two components,collaborative coaching partnerships andshared goals and action planning.We'll start withcollaborative coaching partnershipsbecause they are the foundationof the coaching relationship.And without strong partnerships,the other components will be less effective.This section will explain whythe coaching relationshipis considered a partnership.Because some of you may benew to this webinar series.It's important to pointout that you will hearthe term coach and cochee throughout.The role of the coach isperformed by a range of adults.For the purposes of supporting inclusion,we will use the term of coach to describeany one that is providing coaching support.These might be specialeducation practitioners,general education practitioners,therapists, technical assistance providers.And we will use the term cochee for anyonethat is being coached to provideservices to children.These might be generaleducation practitioners,special education practitioners,para educators,classroom assistance, or family members.People are more likely to be receptive tochange when they arethe drivers of that change.Therefore, coaching focuses onthe coachee's priorities withinthe context of an equal,reciprocal partner relationship that values,considers, and respectsthe perspectives of both parties.This relationship revers both thecoach and the coachee as experts.Cochee is the expert onthe context and needs of the classroom.And the coach has expertise inimplementing the identified practices.Now that we understand whythe relationship is defined as a partnership,we will examine what it takes to buildstrong collaborative coaching partnerships.Research suggests somespecific strategies forsupporting a positivecoach / cochee partnership.These include using interpersonal skillsto confirm that coaching is not evaluative.Engaging in collaboration thatfocuses on the coachee's needs and goals.And conveying deep content knowledge aboutthe practices the coachee has prioritized.Expertise is not to beconfused with being the expert.Remember that the coachee also hasexpertise on his or her classroom,children, and needs.Next, we'll unpack each of these.Using interpersonal skills supporteffective communication, and builds trust.It includes things likesummarizing what the coacheehas said, such as,what I hear from your commentis.... Asking open-ended questions like,can you tell me more about that?Affirming that change is difficult byusing statements like, "this is really hard."And being non-evaluativewhen teachers are insecure andexpress sentiments likethe kids were crazy today.Or my room is a mess. By reminding andassuring them that coaching isabout meeting their needs and goals.Collaboration is all about meeting needs andgoals and conveyingthat improving practice takes teamwork.Some strategies that support collaborationinclude referring to past accomplishments.For example, you might say last month,you helped Tamelow imitate your words toask for what she wantsseveral times each day.You can also offer to helpthe coachee progress towardsa goal by saying something like,"Let's talk about what we'lldo to meet your goal.I can do this.What do you think you will try to do?"Part of the coach's collaborativeresponsibilities includesfocusing the coachee's attention onthe goal by referringback to the current goal,Conversations can quickly get off course.You can help refocusattention by saying things like,"your goal for this week is..."Exhibiting expertise is another way tobuild the coaching partnershipthat establishes trust.You can do so by promotingeffective teaching practices,such as children make meaning when weconnect what we are teachingto their everyday lives.For example, you might tell a teacher,"what if you tried teaching Xavierhow to enter play byusing the social story with himwhen he wants to join the trait table.He will make more meaning when you teach itin the context of his needs and wants.Does this sound likesomething you'd want to try?"You can also share content knowledge such as,I know you want Xavier to be able to playwith his friends withouthitting when he's frustrated.It's important that we teach themto recognize when he is feelingfrustrated and provide him withsome alternative ways to handle this,like taking some deep breaths.Do you think that would be helpful?Another way to exhibitexpertise is by explaining conceptssuccinctly, for example, you could say,"Xavier might still be hittingeven after you've taughthim strategies to deal withhis frustration because hehas limited impulse control.Establishing a signal for help whenhe's getting upset might be a place to start.What do you think?"Notice that even when sharing expertise,getting feedback aboutwhat the coachee thinks,wants, and is willing to tryare important to both buildingthe collaborative coaching partnershipand achieving goals.Coaches are able to buildstronger collaborative partnerships whenthey understand that concepts,relationships, andpractices are embedded in culture.Coaches need to think criticallyabout cultural identities andrelationships by seeking tounderstand both the coachee's andtheir own practices inthe larger context ofcultural beliefs and identity.Some ways to do this include valuing andbuilding on the coachee'scultural and linguistic resources.Individuals experienced culture andeveryday interactions and practices withcore values influenced bylearned ideas of what isconsidered good or bad,desirable or undesirable,acceptable or unacceptable.And attitudes about how the core values arereflected in specificsituations in daily life,such as working or socializing.And by behaviors and practices,those characteristics which everyone sees.Coaches can help coacheesacknowledge assumptions and biasesthat may have a negative impacton their interactionswith children and families.Bias is an inclination or preference.It can also be known as prejudice.We're often unaware of our biases.This is known as implicit bias.Coaches can support coacheesto build their capacity toengage in culturally responsive practiceswith children and families.Coaches can also help coacheesrecognize and supporteach child's unique strengths.And finally, coaches can helpcoachees ensure that all children haveaccess to equitable learningopportunities by engaging andinclusive teaching practices thatdemonstrate the value of diversity.Let's quickly review the strategies forbuilding strong coaching partnerships.Using interpersonal skill sothat the coachee feels heard,valued, and like an equal partner.Being collaborative so thatthe coachee feel supported.Providing expertise so thatthe coachee learns new skills and informationand being culturally responsiveand equitable so that the coacheereceives the resources andsupports that work best for him or her.Within the coaching partnership,the coach and cocheeidentify mutual goals based onthe identified effective teaching practicesand develop concreteplans for achieving them.Identifying goals and developingplans to meet those goals takes time.You should provide coachesand coachees an hour forthe initial action planning sessionand for each subsequent coaching meeting.Mutual goal setting and action planninginclude identifying a smart goalaligned with the coachee'spriorities that is based oneither the initial practice assessmentor the plant focused observation activity.Smart goals are specificand say exactly what the coachee will do.In this case, the coacheewill provide scaffolding support.Smart goals are measurable and observable.That means you state concrete actionsthat can be quantified.In this case, the coachee will be providingthat scaffolding supportat least two times if needed.Smart goals are attainable.That means the goal is realistic.In this case, the coachee will be providingthat support minimally, two times if needed.This number leaves plenty of room forthe coachee to providescaffolding support more frequently.But identifying a lower numbermakes it more likely thegoal will be achieved.Smart goals are relevant.This means that the goalmeets children's needs.In this case, children willbe responding to request,which is an important skill.And lastly, smart goals are time-bound.In this example,the teacher will be providingthe scaffolding support duringdaily circle time.Now, does this mean you onlyprovide scaffolding support at circle time?Of course not.We need to scaffold forchildren throughout the day.But for the purposes of the coaching plan andidentifying an observation opportunity,the goal will be focused on duringa specific classroom routine.In this case, daily circle time.After identifying the smart goal,an action plan is developed for achieving it.The action plan shouldinclude specific steps the coach will take toachieve the goal offocused observation opportunity thatwas mutually agreed upon.And a day and time forthe reflection and feedback session.This should be planned for as close tothe focused observation as possible,ideally the same day.So the events are still asfresh as can be in everyone's minds.Here is a mock action plan developed fromthe previously identified needregarding scaffolding support.Next, we'll look at each part independently.All action plans are developedfrom the mutually identified smart goal.In this example, that smart goal is,I will provide childrenindividualized scaffoldingsupport to respond torequest at least two timesduring daily circle time as needed.Action plans begin withspecific and concrete stepsthe coach and cocheewill take to achieve the goal.Action steps should be written in termsof what the coachee or coach will do.Starting each step with the words Iwill or the coach will helps ensurethat the focus is on adult behavior and thatgoal achievement is notcontingent on child behavior.This action plan template,the resources are identifiedin the middle column.Here you can see that the resourcesinclude articles or videos onproviding scaffolding support anda data collection sheet.When developing action plans with coachees,it's important to think about howthe coachee will measure progress over time.An action plan typicallytakes two to four weeks to complete.So how will the coachee knowthey are making progress?Data collection is an important wayto confirm what is sharedby the cochee and exhibited in an observation.Data collection cantake many different forms.It might be a checklist,anecdotal notes,an audio or video recording orsome type of check-in with the coach,such as an e-mail or quick video chator really any combination of these.The types and frequency ofdata collection should be based onthe coachee's preferences and the identifiedgoal. If some type ofdata collection sheet is preferred,the coach and cochee will determine who willcreate that sheet and the form it will take.Some coachees prefer to do this on their own,while some appreciate the coach sending it.In this example, the timelineshows the coach sending the sheet bya particular date and thedate the coachee will begin using it.Here's an example of whatthe data collection sheet forthis action plan might look like.In my experience,it has been important to createdata collection tools that arequick and easy to use,such as a checklist like this.And when at all possible,provide rooms to recordadditional information that mightserve dual purposes for the cochee,such as child assessment.A couple of final things toconsider when it comes to data collection.It must be sustainable,meaning that the coachee can continueto do it and maintain it over time.And it must be reasonable.It should be realistic,allowing for instruction and evaluation.It should easily be used by all staff ifa coachee is sharingtheir efforts with classroom colleagues.I've worked with many practitionersthat share their goals and planswith their classroom co-teachers so thatthey can also increase their skill level.This row on the action plan capturesthe focused observation opportunity,outlining what will beobserved and who will be observing.In this case, the coach will beobserving daily circle time.Coach and cochee would identifya particular date andtime during the action planning session.And lastly, the identified date and time forreflection and feedbackwould be reflected here.Followed by the achievementstatement that explicitlystates the criteria fordetermining if the goal has been met.The achievement statement isderived directly from the smart goal.It usually includes datacollected on the action plan steps.In this case, the coachee will knowthe goal has been met becausehis or her data reflections andthe coaches observation will reflectthat the coachee is providingchildren scaffolding support torespond to request at least twotimes during daily circle time if needed.The far right column ofthis action plan template includesthe timeline for when the coach orcochee would perform a particular action step.Here you can see that each action stepwould have a corresponding date,including times, if applicable.For action steps thatshould be implemented regularly,it's helpful to add words likedaily to reinforce this consistency.Here's the action plan form in its entirety.I'll give you just a minute toread some of the items.This is an action plan quality checklistprovided by the practice-basedcoaching resources.A checklist such asthis helps the coach to be sure they aresupporting coachees to develop goalsand action plans usingits model with fidelity.As you can see, the checklist hasspecific indicators for the coaching goal,the goal achievement statement,the action steps, theresources, and the timeline.Next, we'll compare the action plan youjust reviewed to this list.We'll begin by reviewing the goal criteria.First, the smart goal should includeone or more specificactions the coachee will do.The specific action the coachee will do inthis example is providechildren scaffolding support.The next consideration is whether ornot the actions can be counted or measured.In this example, the coachee will providethe scaffolding supportat least two times if needed.If you answer no toeither of these first two indicators,the smart goal should be revised to includespecific actions the coach you willdo and or be quantifiable.This is important forthe coachee to understandexactly what practice they willbe doing and how often.The next indicator is torecord what time of the day or whichactivities or routines the coach youwill focus on the goal during.In this example, the coachee,we'll be focusing on the goalduring daily circle time.Lastly, the smart goalsshould be achievable sothat it can be reached in twoto three coaching cycles.The goal is likely to beachievable because the coachee,has identified providingscaffolding support a minimumof two times if needed.This is realistic expectation asopposed to saying five orsix times during circle time.Here's the goal achievement criteria.The goal achievement statementlets the coacheeknow how they will knowif the goal has been met.First,Is it clear to the coachee howthey will know if they have met their goal?In this example, the coachee will havetheir own data, reflection thoughts,and the focused observation toreview to see if he or she isproviding the scaffolding supportat least two times duringdaily circle time if needed.Second is the goal achievement statementbased onadult actions rather than children's.This statement reads,I am providing children.So it specifically stateswhat the coachee will be doing.Here's the criteria for the action steps.First, are there two or more stepsthat break down have a goal will be achieved.Here we see 12345 steps to achieve the goal.The next consideration is whether one ofthe action steps includesthe support the coach will provide.Step five includes the coachobserving daily circle time.The last two items onthe checklist or the resources and timeline.The resources indicator asks ifthere are materials for every action step.In this case, there are notresources indicated for every action step,you will find that some steps don'trequire resources or materials,such as Steps 2, 4,and 5 here, when a step simplyindicates something the coacheeor coach will do,that doesn't call formaterials like providingindividualized scaffolding supportor the coach observing.A better question might be,are there materials or resources listedfor all steps that indicate a need for them?For example, if a teacher didn't havethe visuals needed to use forscaffolding support in step two,then that might be recorded onthe action plan as a resource.Action plans must indicatewho is doing what and bywhen to keep the coach andcochee accountable for their assignments.The who and what are generallyidentified and the actionsteps with the when offered in the timeline.In some cases, the timeline willidentify both the coach andcochee because each hasa part to play in the action step,such as step one and step three here.Let's grade our paper. Inregards to the goal...Yes. Yes. Yes.And yes.And in regards tothe goal achievement statement, yes.And yes.And in regards to the action steps, yes.And yes.And it regards to the resources?At first glance, it could be no.But when we think about this inthe context of the resources required,were they needed? Thenyes. And finally the timeline and yes.Before we review, I'll recap what you'velearned aboutshared goals and action planning.Shared goals begin with the coach and cocheemutually identifying a coaching need.Next, the two translatethat need into a specific,measurable, attainable,relevant, and time-bound smart goal.Then they create an actionplan to meet the goal.And it includes concrete stepsbased on the coachee's preferences.Any resources that mightsupport the coachee with the steps.A timeline for implementing each step,including the date and time forthe following reflection and debrief session.And lastly,an achievement statement that describesexactly how the coachee willknow if the goal has been met.This section will includea short review ofwhat we've talked about today.First, I shared with youthe importance of developingcoach and cochee partnerships and how criticalthese are to the effectivenessof the other coaching components.Then I describesome strategies to help developthose partnerships into equal,reciprocal, trusting relationships.And lastly, I illustratedthe essential criteria for creatingshared smart goals andaction plans basedon the coachee's priorities.I hope you will be able tojoint next week's webinar,addressing the last twoeffective practice-based coaching components,the focused observationand reflection and feedback,as well as how to implementall of the components with fidelity.On May 25th, I will hosta live discussion forum where we can discussyour experiences with and oryour thoughts and questionsabout practice-based coaching.Be sure to sign up for theforum on our website.Thank you for taking the timeto view this webinar,highlighting the first two componentsof the practice-based coaching model,collaborative partnerships and sharedgoals and action planning.

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Part III - Practice Based Coaching: Focused Observation: Reflection and Feedback, Implementation Fidelity

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Hello, and welcome to the third webinar inthe final month ofthe Early Childhood Center'sfour month early childhood webinar series,What it Takes to ImplementEffective Preschool Inclusion Services.This series was created in partnershipwith the Indiana Department of Education,Office of Special Education.We hope to foster high-quality,evidence-based early childhoodspecial education services inregular early childhood classrooms and toaddress possible training andtechnical assistance needs.This month's topic is practice-based coachingand today is Part 3.Part 1 included an overview ofthe practice-based coaching models framework.Part II focused on the model'sfirst two components,collaborative partnerships and sharedgoals and action plans.Today's content will be aboutthe two remainingpractice-based coaching components,the focused observationand reflection and feedback,as well as some information onimplementingall the components with fidelity.Next week will be our life forum,where we will have an interactive discussionabout this month's content,including your experienceswith, thoughts on, andquestions about practice-based coaching.Be sure to visit our websiteto sign up for the forumand catch up on the firsttwo webinars, if needed.If this is your first May Webinar,my name is Lynn Hall.I've been in the field of early educationfor over 30 years.Most of those years were spent asa preschool classroom teacher.I've been a Research Associate atthe Early Childhood Center for six years.Again, for those of younew to the webinar series,the Early Childhood Center is part ofIndiana University'sInstitute on Disability in community.It is one of seven centers that collectivelycover the lifespan forpeople with disabilities.As a service and Education Center,we work with a variety of stakeholders,including state agencies, districts,and community programs topromote research to practice.Please visit our website to check outresources and sign up for our e-newsletter.This slide depicts this month learning goals.Today's focus will be on gainingawareness about conductingfocused observations,engaging in reflection and feedback,and completing all the practice-basedcoaching practices with fidelity.You've heard a lot about the Division forEarly Childhood Recommended Practicesduring this webinar series.Practice-based coaching aligns withthe DEC Recommended Practices.Here are two examples:Be sure to visit the DEC website tofind other recommended practices alignment.This is the agenda designedto meet today's goal ofincreasing your awareness aboutthe practice-based coaching model'slast two components.I'll begin by describingthe focused observation,including its purpose and formats.Next, I'll share about how to engage ineffective reflection and providesupportive and constructive feedback.Lastly,I'll offer guidance on how to implementall the practice-based coachingcomponents with fidelity.At the end of the webinar,I'll give a quick review andyou will be prompted to return tothe early childhood centers webinarseries webpage to accessthe link to the webinar survey.After completing the survey,you will receive a certificate,a professional growth points.Before we jump into our agenda.I'd like to quickly reviewthe practice-based coaching framework.It isan evidence-based model with research tosupport its effectiveness whenit is delivered with fidelity.Each coaching cycle is founded ineffective teaching practices and madeup of four effective coaching components.First,collaborative partnerships, which encirclethe other components becausethe coaching relationship influencesall the other components.Next, shared goalsetting and action planning,which are based on the coachee's priorities.The focused observation, which is usedto identify practice progress,and reflection and feedback which is used tobuild practice implementation understanding.Today we will take a closer lookat the last two components,the focused observationand reflection and feedback.Because some of you may benew to this webinar series,it's important to pointout that you will hearthe term coach and cochee throughout.The role of the coach isperformed by a range of adults.For the purposes of supporting inclusion,we will use the term of coach to describeany one that is providing coaching support.These might be specialeducation practitioners,general education practitioners, therapists,or technical assistance providers.And we will use the term cochee for anyonethat is being coached to provideservices to children.These might be generaleducation practitioners,special education practitioners,para educators,classroom assistants, or family members.The focused observation isan intentional and systematic waycoaches and coachees gather andrecord information toinform reflection and feedback.It is an important component ofthe coaching cycle and is an integral part ofthe action plan that facilitateslearning and indicates progress on goals.The function and form ofthe focused observation are determined duringthe action planning session andare based on the coachee's preferences.Key elements of the focused observation tokeep in mind include, first,it is mutually determined.The coach and cochee determinethe observation type andtime that will occur when planning.The plan outlines what is observed,who is observed, and how andwhen the observation takes place.Second, the observation usuallyinvolve some type of practice viewing,such as either the coachwatching the coachee use a practice,the coach providing prompting support,or the coachee watchingthe coach model a specific practice.And lastly, a focused observationoccurs every coaching cycle,whether it be modeling or data gathering,the observation is used to inform andguide the following feedback sessionin the coaching cycle.There are two types of focused observations.Data collection andproviding coaching supports.Data collection is used to collectinformation about practice implementation.This usually includes the coachobserving your practice for later feedback.Mechanically, the coach offeringin the moment feedback suchas prompting while the coacheeengages in a practice.Video can also be used.Video recording, whether done by the coach orthe coachee provides anobjective view of events.The ability to view a videomultiple times provides the coach andcochee an opportunity tofocus on precise skillsor behaviors that may havebeen missed and live observations.These video observations can be incorporatedinto reflection and feedback conversations.This allows the coach toanchor the feedback in examples ofthe coachee use of teaching practicesrelated to his or her action plan goals.This chart provides examplesof common support strategiescoachees might use aspart of a focused observation,such as side-by-sideverbal or gestural support.A problem-solving discussion.And modeling.It is important toremember that these supportshappen in the context ofa collaborative coaching partnership.The coach must talk with the coachee aboutacceptable supportsprior to the focused observation.Some coachees may be comfortablewith the coach modeling the practicewith children or providingverbal cues of when to use the practice.But some coachees may feeluncomfortable with these supports.The level of support theteacher and coach are comfortablewith may change asthe coaching partnership develops.Next, I'll talk about some things tokeep in mind about modelling.The primary purpose of modeling is to buildunderstanding ofhow an accurate practice looksand how it impactsthe performance of children.It involves demonstrating howto use a specific practice.And it is based on need,such as when a coachee is unfamiliar withthe practice or uses it incorrectly.Modeling is not intended tobe used in every coaching cycle.This is an example form a coach may use torecord informationduring the focused observation.Throughout the focused observation,the coach observes andcarefully records information.These records help document coachee'sprogress toward the action plan goal.Coaches may record thingsthey hear the coachee, saythings they see the coachee do, orrelated actions they seechildren perform that provideinformation about the coachee'sprogress toward the goal.They may also collect data relatedto specific action plan steps.For example, if the teachers action planincludes askingmore open-ended questionsduring book reading,the coach may tally the numberof open-ended questions incomparison to the number oftotal questions askedthroughout the observation.The coach may also recordverbatim examples ofquestions and children's responses.This is an example of an action plan withan observation opportunity identifiedand highlighted in yellow.If this were an actual action plan,the date and time would beindicated on the timeline.Focused observations are just that focused andindicate exactly what willhappen and when it will happen.This step denotes thatthe coach will be observing circle time.the focused observation willspecifically look at the scaffoldingsupports the coachee provideschildren to respond torequests, so the coach will takenotes that apply to those efforts.This is an example of notes that might havebeen taken during the focused observation,to be used to offer feedbackduring the reflection and feedback session.Teacher asks child ofthe story character was happy or sad.She provided two seconds ofwait time and then repeated the question.By pointing to herself smilingand then frowning while saying happy or sad.When the child did not respond,the teacher gave the child two pictures,a child smiling and a child crying and askedthe child again ifthe story character was happy or sad.The child held up thehappy card while smiling.Notice how these notes arerelated specifically to the teachersgoal to provide childrenindividualized scaffolding support torespond to request at least twotimes during circle time as needed,and capture specific actions.What was seen or heard,rather than subjective ideas. Let's review.You've learned that the focusedobservation occursevery coaching cycle to increasethe coachee's understanding and learning.That it is mutually determinedby the coach and cochee,based on the coachee's preferences andthe identified goal duringthe action planning session.That it involves either data collectionor providing coachingsupport such as modeling,prompting, or role-playing relatedspecifically to the coachee's identifed goal.And finally, you learn thatthe focused observation isused to inform the following reflectionand feedback session.Next, we'll talk about howthe focused observation isused to inform the followingreflection and feedback session.The primary purpose ofreflection and feedback is to supportthe coachee to reflecton their practice implementation.Oftentimes this is regardingthe coachee's implementation whenthe coach was observing,but could be regardinga coaching support strategysuch as the modellingthe coachee observed,the role-play experienceor the prompting supportthe coachee received.Do your best to be preparedduring the reflection and feedback session.Sometimes you might be at a loss for words,have a few key phrases in your back pocketthat can help when you aren'tsure what to say next.One of my favorites istell me more about that.Others could be things like,let's just give it a try.What can we do to make thiseasier to implement?How do you think mealtime went today?And what have you tried so far?Reflective conversations contribute tothe positive coaching relationshipwhile providingopportunities for the coachees toreflect on,practice implementation, and gain insight.The purpose of the reflectiveconversation is forthe coachee to examineand think about their practice.Oftentimes coaches want to jump inwith her observations andthoughts right away.The part of building the relationshipand cochee's skill is totake a step back andencourage and listen to their thoughts first.Here's an example ofsome reflective conversation questionstarters that you might usebased on the mock observation notes aboutthe teacher providing scaffolding supportduring circle time.What has your data told youabout the progress on your goal?Was this a typical example isusingscaffolding supports during circle time.If a teacher replies thatthis is not a typical example,be sure to ask for more information such aswhat was different about todaythan what normally happens.Tell me about how you identifiedwhich supports to use with this child.When prompting coachees to reflect,be sure to use questions that get themtalking about their practice implementation.After engaging the coachee inan opportunity to reflect on their practices,it's time to give them feedback.Feedback is most effectivewhen it is specific,positive and supportive, timely,and constructive if needed.Feedback should be specificas opposed to general,and include precise information aboutteaching practices that benefit learners.General feedback,great teaching may not explaineto coachees why some practicesare more effective than others.So be specific andclearly state what was observed.But also be careful notto provide too much feedback.Providing a coachee withone or two pieces of supportive feedbackand then a key piece ofconstructive feedback can bemore powerful than a laundry listof things that went well orthings that could useimprovement or enhancing.When we provide too much feedback,either supportive or constructive,it becomes overwhelming and it can becomeunclear on what to continue doing.So if it's supportive,what am I doing wellthat I need to keep doing?Or what should I do to change?We want to go a miledeep instead of a mile wide withour feedback. In the eventthat there are several things going well,or several things that coulduse refinement or improving.You want to select the one or two pieces offeedback that have the biggest impacton the coachee's practice,the children or the families,or what would help withthe implementation the most.When possible, anchor your feedback in data.Using data is a terrific objective wayto provide feedback.You can focus on datathe coachee has shared withyou to make the feedbackmore objective and meaningful.Evidence of progress can be very rewarding.It takes some getting used to,but once you start using it,coachees often ask you to use it more often.Positive feedbackincludes overt statements ofpraise for the coachee's useof a specific practice,such as good job providing wait timeand a visual cue duringcircle time this morning.Be sure to share successesthat build on the positive.We all like to feel encouraged.Notice what is going wellcomment on it and build on it.Using a strengths-basedapproach to coaching preventscoachees from feeling their coachis going to fix them.Instead, the goal isto work together to becomemore fluent and existing practicesand to learn new skills.The timeliness of feedback is also important.Feedback is considered timelywhen it is deliveredwithin roughly the same dayof a focused observation.Constructive feedback should beused only if warranted,and should involve the use ofstatements and questions thatsuggest a change toteaching practice is needed, such as,learners were redirected seventimes and the 20 minute lesson,how can we increase praise forlearners by reducing redirections?When you provide constructive feedback,you want to start with what you observed,the facts regarding the targeted practice.So focused specifically on what you sawthe coachee do or heard the coachee say.Preparation is key toproviding constructive feedback well.It's important to rememberthat constructive feedback is nottelling the coachee what they did wrong.In a perfect world, you'd aska reflective question to the coachee andthey would identify the same thing thatyou noticed in the focused observation.And then they might identifythat they would need improvement.And then you can just offer some suggestions.But sometimes it justdoesn't happen that way.Above all, remember to offerconstructive feedback without judgment.Part ofthe coaching partnership requires thatthe relationship isnon-judgmental to be effective.Therefore, put your effortinto helping the coach yourealize a need for change and howto support his or her growth.This slide will share an exampleof notes that mightalso have been recorded duringthe previous focused observation.Example, identifying what the coachwants to share about the observationduring the reflection and feedback sessionto be held later that afternoon.I noticed that you useseveral scaffolding support successfully,like wait time, gesturing, and visuals.Would you identify these feedback notes,a specific, positive and supportive,timely, constructive?Let's think about that.This shows some specificscaffolding strategiesnoted that the coachcould share with the coacheesuch as wait time, gesturing and visuals.This shows that the coachcan let the coachee knowthat her efforts were successful,giving positive feedback.I mentioned previously thatthe feedback session washappening later that afternoon.That will be timely enough for the coachand coachee to recall the events.And lastly, constructive criticismis to be used only when necessary.None were noted for this observation.However, that is not to say thatthe reflective conversation that followswon't include some strategiesfor refining this practicebased on the ideas sharedbetween the coach and coachee.Regardless of whether a goal has beenachieved or there's more work to be done,feedback often includes offering materials,articles, videos,and websites to support the new practice.Avoid putting too many thingsin your cart or offeringtoo many materials or ideas atone time so thatthe coachee knows what to focus on.Let's review.Reflection and feedback consistof preparing to facilitatea reflective conversation thatask questions that requirethe coachee to think abouthis or her implementation and practices.Providing effective feedbackthat is specific,positive, and supportive,timely and constructive, if needed.And offering supports such asmaterials that will help withthe implementation of the new practice,like articles, videos, or websites.Ensuring any practice ormodel achieves the results,research the ports requiresimplementing it with fidelity.Practice-based coaching isno different. Becausepractice-based coachinghas numerous practicesfor each of its effective components,it can be helpful to use toolslike checklists to maintain fidelity.I shared this actionplan quality checklist providedby the practice-based coaching resourcesin last week's webinar.A checklist such as thishelps the coach to be sure they aresupporting coachees to developgoals and action plans using its model withfidelity by identifyingspecific indicators for each component.Please review last week's webinar foran action plan example thataligns with this checklist.Being prepared for your reflectionand feedback sessions takesmore than just preparingyour reflective questionsand effective feedback.There are specific actions to take before,during and after the reflection andfeedback debriefing session that includereviewing materials andfollowing up with coachees.Using a coaching log forthis process helps to ensure that you'recompleting all ofthe practice-based coachingcomponents with fidelity.This coaching implementation logwas modified from the education,innovation, and researchpyramid model's coaching log.It's log was several pages.This form contains allthe pertinent informationcondensed to one page.Next, we'll take a closer lookat the log sections.This is the coaching logs header whereyou can record the coachee's name,in this case, teacher,the coach's name, the coaching goal,and afterthe reflection and feedback session,the coach will record whetherthe action plan steps were completedand whether or notthe goal was met or modified.It's important to take timebefore the focused observationto review the coachee's action planand notes from your last coaching session.This ensures that you areprepared for the observation and targetjust those practices thatpertain to the smart goal.After reviewing the coachee's action planand notes from the last session,the coach will need documents ready forthe observation and the reflectionand feedback debriefing session.These include your observations summary andthe blank action plan forthe revised or new coaching plan.If you have self-assessmentsand initial assessment documentation,it's handy to have these ready to review foridentifying a new coachingpriority if needed.If the coachee hasshared data with the coach,such as a data collection sheet,anecdotal note, audio, or video.The coat should be sure to havethese available as well.During the observation,the coach needs to indicate whetherhe or she observedthe targeted practice activity bythe coachee or ifthe coach used one ormore of the support strategies,such as modeling, role-playing or prompting.Next, the coach will recordif data was collected on a goal,such as notes onthe observation summary form.Lastly, the coach should remind the coachee ofthe date and time ofreflection and debrief meeting.If coaching is being donevirtually and using video submission,this can be accomplished throughemail or texting.This part of the coachinglog lists all the pieces forengaging in reflective conversationand providing effective feedbackand is completed following the debriefing session.While not reflected on the coaching log, tobetter developthe collaborative coaching partnership,it's always a good ideafor the coach to start withsome informal social connection toestablish rapport andbuild the coaching relationship.This could be as simple as how areyou or how have things been goingto something more specific if you havemore knowledge about a particularcoachee's experiences.These interactions shouldn't last long,but do lead the way to a deeper conversation.After touching base withthe coachee, the coach,should open the meeting by orientingthe coachee to the action plan,by reviewing its goals.The next step is to be sure andencourage the coachee to reflect onhis or her implementation by askingopen ended questions andsummarizing the coachee's thoughts.Summarizing is one ofthe interpersonal skills mentionedin last week's webinar.After hearing what the coachee has to say,the coach provides supportiveand constructive, if needed,feedback that helps the coachee to betterunderstand his or herimplementation of the practice.The coach might also offerto support the coachee byassisting with individualchild needs if requested.The coach should make sure tosupport the coachee's growth ona practice by offeringadditional support such as articles,videos and websites, and discussing whatthe coachee will do beforethe next coaching meeting.And lastly, the coach should be sure to reviewthe coachee's previous goals andoffer any support if needed,and close the meeting by confirmingthe next focused observation, date and time.Should a coach notice thatany pieces are missing during the meeting,he or she should take note ofthese and take steps to ensuretheir implementation duringfuture reflection and feedback sessions.Following the coaching session,the coach will send the coacheethe revised or new action planso that they can get started right away.The coach sends the coachee asummary of their reflection and feedbackconversation within a weekof the coaching meetingto share insights andconfirm mutual understanding.Sustained practice change takes time.Adopting practice-based coachingrequires beingcommitted and determined toongoing professional development.Providing coaching resources,like the time to buildrelationships and engage inthe coaching cycle components,balancing competing program initiativesand advocating foreducation equity for all children.This section, we will quicklyreview what we talked about today.I began by explaining the purpose andfrequency of the focused observation,as well as its different formats.Next, you heard about whyreflective conversations are importantand how to engage coacheesand these types of conversations.I also highlighted thehallmarks of effective,supportive, and constructive feedback.Lastly, I offered some toolsto support coaches to implementpractice-based coaching with fidelityso that it is delivered asintended and the results researchsupports are more likely to be achieved.I hope you can join me next weekfor the live discussion forum.When we will discuss your experiences with,thoughts on, andquestions about practice-based coaching.You can sign up for the forum on our website.Thank you for takingthe time to view this webinaronthe last twopractice-based coaching components,the focused observationand reflection and feedback,as well as fidelity of implementation.

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Preschool Inclusion

What It Takes to Implement Effective Inclusive Preschool Services

What it Takes to Implement Effective Preschool Inclusion - Team Collaboration and Multi-tiered Instructional Supports Enhance Child Outcomes

Embedding Instruction within Daily Activities

Practice-Based Coaching Framework

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