8/7/2019 Issue Brief: Administrator Strategies that Support High Fidelity Implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting

1/3

8/7/2019 Issue Brief: Administrator Strategies that Support High Fidelity Implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting

2/3

2

IT TAKES RESOURCES

Perhaps the greatest challenge is a scarcity o program undingto ensure that proper supports or intervention implementationare in place. Program administrators can best ensure that thePyramid Model practices are implemented with delity by devel-oping supportive program policies and procedures includingthose that ensure unding, sta time or training and on-going

coaching as and data collection on delity and outcomes. Weestimate that administrators need to allocate dollars or at leastour days o initial training plus two hours o coaching or eachclassroom or service unit on a weekly basis. In the ace o nonew scal resources, administrators have ound ways o reallo-cating current budgets to ensure this level o support.

IT TAKES TRAINING

According to the Pyramid Model, an eective workorce is the

oundation or social, emotional and behavioral outcomes oryoung children. Functional components o training includebackground knowledge about the intervention, demonstrationo key skills by coaches and practice o key skills by trainees5.raining is not only necessary or teachers and sta. ECprogram administrators should have an understanding o theintervention, in this case the Pyramid Model, as well as a solidoundation early childhood education, early intervention,child development, and/or early childhood special educationalong with training in administration and supervision6.

IT TAKES COACHING

Personnel and amilies should have access to coaching duringthe training, implementation, and evaluation phases in orderto achieve and then sustain high levels o delity7. Coachingshould consist o:

discussion o intervention theory and methods,

demonstration o intervention procedures,

supervised practice, and eedback on perormance.

Coaches should provide on-site coaching and individualizedguidance in order to help personnel and amilies learn toimplement intervention procedures with delity8. Coachingon the Pyramid Model includes observation by the coachusing the PO or PIOS to measure the teachers delityto the practice. Research indicates a signicant increase in staskill development and use o new skills i coaching is in placein addition to training9.

IT TAKES DATA

Administrators need to ensure data are collected and usedto make decisions on the level o delity o implementationthe support needs o teachers, amilies and children, and onoutcomes. Regular data collection will help programs decide whether: 1) the Pyramid Model practices are being implemented correctly and ully, 2) children, personnel and amilies

are beneting rom the program, and 3) the intervention bene-ts are worth the costs. Data on both delity and outcomes arerequired in order to engage in continuous program improve-ment eorts and to interpret outcome data. I data indicatedelity is low, then the rst supports needed by teachers andpractitioners are those that can help them improve their prac-tices. I delity is high but outcomes are less than expected,then expert consultation may be needed related to individual-izing interventions using the Pyramid Model.

IT TAKES ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP

Administrators set the tone and mission or the program byemphasizing what they consider to be important values10

Administrators should emphasize the importance o chidrens social-emotional development and approaches like thePyramid Model that seek to promote social-emotional devel-opment versus ocusing on problem behavior. Administrativeleadership can set a tone o learning eective practices whenaced with challenging behavior versus a tone o intolerance Administrative leadership is needed to establish a value oensuring that intervention strategies are practiced until theyare implemented with delity. And, administrative leadershipis needed to establish a program-wide vision o using data tomake child and program decisions.

IT TAKES WRITTEN POLICIES &

PROCEDURES

O course, implementing practices to delity and sustaininghigh delity requires a lot more than tone and vision. I

requires program policies and procedures to support personnein their eorts to carry out that vision. Tis may be achieved bybuilding the importance o delity into the program missionstatement and other program policies as well as including theimportance o delity into the personnel policies and proce-dures and parent handbooks.

Written policies are needed around topics such as the impor-tance o social-emotional development and expectations aboupracticing and collecting data on a strategy until it is imple-mented with delity. In addition, administrators will needto develop procedures to ensure that program personnel can

8/7/2019 Issue Brief: Administrator Strategies that Support High Fidelity Implementation of the Pyramid Model for Promoting

3/3

3

access the specialized supports when needed (e.g., behaviorsupport plan acilitation, amily support) in an efcient andeective manner. Such policies and procedures should beconveyed to personnel rom the start through recruitment andhiring policies and ongoing messages.

Budgets reect the true vision o a program. Budgets need tobe constructed to ensure that sta are well trained and receivethe on-going support o a coach to ensure delity o imple-

mentation. Policies and budgets should support regular datacollection and the use o data in making decisions about inter-ventions, personnel development, and other program eatures.

Written personnel policies should establish a system o recogni-tion or those personnel who adopt interventions and who collectand use data or decision-making. Recognition can range rom anadministrators thank you in a program newsletter to bonusesor stipends or proessional development opportunities.

Written policies and procedures that support the every-day useo interventions with delity need to address the importance o

collaborative planning with sta and amilies in order to utilizetheir expertise and establish buy-in rom all stakeholders11.

IT TAKES FAMILIES

Finally, to more ully support the program and interven-tion, administrators can encourage amily participation inthe program by communicating with amilies about PyramidModel goals and procedures on a regular basis and providinginormation, training and coaching or the implementation by

amily members. Personnel can provide amilies with activitiesrelated to supporting social-emotional skill development thatcan be embedded within amily routine activities. Newslet-ters and amily meetings can provide a review o previous andupcoming classroom activities related to the intervention aswell as include tips or ways parents can reinorce intervention-related skills at home. Similarly, a bulletin board dedicatedsolely to the intervention could be displayed in the classroomor center and used to highlight the intervention program goals,procedures, implementation timeline, and provide take-homesheets with tips or amilies use at home.

SUMMARY

Administrators can send an important message about delityo implementation to sta and amilies through their ownactions and leadership. Implementation and sustainabilitywith delity o the Pyramid Model takes a number o peopleand multiple resources, all requiring administrative support12.In the end, the benets o such eorts or programs, childrenand amilies will speak or themselves.

1. Gomez, C. R., Walls, S., & Baird, S. (2007). On the same page: Seekingdelity of intervention. Young Exceptional Children, 10, 20-29.http://challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/brochures.htm

2. Hemmeter, M. L., Fox, L., & Snyder, P. (2008). Teaching pyramidobservation tool for preschool classrooms (TPOT): Researchedition. Unpublished manuscript.

3. CSEFEL (2009). Unpublished manuscript.

4. Gomez, C. R., Walls, S., & Baird, S. (2007). On the same page: Seekingdelity of intervention. Young Exceptional Children, 10, 20-29.http://challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/brochures.htm

5. Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace,F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of Literature.ampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la ParteFlorida Mental Health Institute, Te National ImplementationResearch Network (FMHI Publication #231). http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~nirn/resources/detail.cfm?resourceID=31.

6. Smith, B. J., Dempsey, J. L., Rous, B., & Printz, P. (2006).Module 4:

Leadership strategies for supporting childrens social emotionaldevelopment and addressing challenging behavior. Retrieved May12, 2009, from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/modules/module4/script.pdf

7. Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace,F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of Literature.ampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la ParteFlorida Mental Health Institute, Te National ImplementationResearch Network (FMHI Publication #231). http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~nirn/resources/detail.cfm?resourceID=31.

8. echnical Assistance Center for Social-Emotional Intervention (2008).Coaching. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.challengingbehavior.org/explore/glossary.htm

9. Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through stadevelopment(3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association forSupervision and Curriculum Development.

10. Smith, B. J., Dempsey, J. L., Rous, B., & Printz, P. (2006).Module 4:Leadership strategies for supporting childrens social emotionaldevelopment and addressing challenging behavior. Retrieved May12, 2009, from http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/modules/module4/script.pdf

11. Hayden, P., Frederick, L. & Smith, B. (2003).A road map for facilitatingcollaborative teams. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

12. Fox, L., Jack, S., & Broyles, L. (2005). Program-wide positive behaviorsupport: Supporting young childrens social-emotionaldevelopment and addressing challenging behavior. ampa, FL:University of South Florida Louis de la Parte Florida MentalHealth Institute.

Endnotes

Hemmeter, M. L., & Fox, L. (2008). Supporting teachers in promoting childrensocial competence and addressing challenging behavior. In P. J.Winton, J. A. McCollum, & C. Catlett (Eds.), Practical approachesto early childhood professional development: Evidence, strategies, andresources (pp. 119-142). Washington, DC: Zero to Tree.

Resource