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Professional development (PD), which includes coaching, has demonstrated the capacity to affect preschool teachers' use of evidence-based practices. The present study explored how coaches facilitated conversations within practice-based coaching (PBC) partnerships. A direct behavioral observation coding system was developed to investigate (a) the proportion of time spent in different conversational foci, including who initiated the conversation; (b) coach verbal behaviors; and (c) whether the conversation foci, initiations, and coach verbal behavior changed across three occasions for seven coach-teacher dyads. Results from the present study indicate coaches spent the largest proportion of time engaging in conversations with teachers focused on reflection and feedback, followed by goal setting and action planning. The coaches used verbal behaviors (supportive and constructive feedback, clarifying questions) as required by the coaching protocol across all sampled occasions. Variation in conversation foci, initiations, and coach verbal behavior across three sampled occasions was evident. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED607824.]

The purpose of this study was to examine the comparability of counts of embedded instruction learning trials when different methods of viewing and recording direct behavioral observations were used. In 13 classrooms, while videotaping embedded instruction implementation for a larger randomized controlled efficacy trial was occurring, teachers' implementation of trials was coded in situ using pencil-and-paper methods. Videos were later coded using computer-assisted methods. Dependent-samples "t" tests, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and additional score agreement calculations were conducted. Statistically significant differences were found in the estimates of trial frequency. Correlational analyses showed positive and strong relationships between the coding methods. Coding agreement was higher across the entire observation versus during 10-min continuous event blocks. In situ coding took significantly less time than video coding. Results provide empirical evidence for the advantages and disadvantages of common viewing and recording methods for quantifying behavior as part of systematic observation systems.

We used two judgment-based scales to evaluate quality features of 623 individualized family service plans (IFSP) contributed by 73 service coordinators in one state. We also explored the alignment between the skills specified in child-focused IFSP outcomes, the three Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) early childhood outcome categories, and the knowledge and skill statements included in state early learning guidelines. Findings showed IFSP content generally was family-centered and of good quality. Outcomes were more frequently aligned with the IDEA outcome categories addressing the use of appropriate behaviors to meet needs and the acquisition and use of knowledge and skills. Outcomes were aligned more frequently with early learning guidelines in the areas of physical development, speech/language development, and approaches to learning. We discuss how instruments and procedures could be used to evaluate IFSP quality and determine connections to expected knowledge and skills for all children identified by state and federal programs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of coaching caregivers to embed both communication and motor outcomes concurrently within daily routines of their infants or toddlers with significant disabilities using Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) strategies. The coaching and embedding practices were part of a multicomponent intervention known as Embedded Practices and Intervention with Caregivers (EPIC). Three children, aged 15 to 23 months with significant disabilities, their caregivers, and an early intervention provider participated in this single case multiple probe design study. Primary dependent variables were caregivers' number of naturalistic teaching strategies used and rates of correctly embedded instruction for each learning target in each routine. Child motor and communication outcomes were also examined. Results provide initial support for the positive effects of the EPIC approach using EMT strategies to embed intervention on two developmental domains concurrently in caregiver's daily routines.

All children benefit from intentional interactions and instruction to become socially and emotionally competent. Over the past 30 years, evidence-based intervention tactics and strategies have been integrated to establish comprehensive, multitiered, or hierarchical systems of support frameworks to guide social-emotional interventions for young children. In this study, the authors reviewed systematically the efficacy of classroom-wide social-emotional interventions for improving the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of preschool children and used meta-analytic techniques to identify critical study characteristics associated with obtained effect sizes. Four electronic databases (i.e., Academic Search Premier, Educational Resource Information Center, PsycINFO, and Education Full Text) were systematically searched in December 2015 and updated in January 2018. "Snowball methods" were used to locate additional relevant studies. Effect size estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses for three child outcomes, and moderator analyses were conducted. Thirty-nine studies involving 10,646 child participants met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review, with 33 studies included in the meta-analyses. Random-effects meta-analyses showed (a) improvements in social competence and emotional competence, and (b) decreases in challenging behavior. For social competence and challenging behavior, moderator analyses suggested interventions with a family component had statistically significant and larger effect sizes than those without a family component. Studies in which classroom teachers served as the intervention agent produced statistically significant but smaller effect sizes than when researchers or others implemented the intervention for challenging behavior. This systematic review and meta-analysis support using comprehensive social-emotional interventions for all children in a preschool classroom to improve their social-emotional competence and reduce challenging behavior.

Despite an emphasis in the field on triadic approaches to the delivery of early intervention (EI), remarkably little is known about the shared experiences of caregivers (CGs) and providers during home visits. Within the context of developing, refining, and evaluating the "Embedded Practices and Intervention With Caregivers" (EPIC) approach, two studies were undertaken with 11 EI providers and 19 CGs of infants/toddlers with moderate-severe delays/disabilities to gather their perspectives about and experiences with the EPIC approach. The EPIC intervention has two components: CG coaching and a five-question (5Q) process for supporting embedded practices. Interview, focus group, and rating scale data were collected in both studies and aggregated for reporting purposes in the present article. Findings are described with regard to the coaching and 5Q components and the extent to which participants found the intervention to be feasible, acceptable, and useful. Implications for future research and professional development on coaching and embedded intervention practices are discussed. [For the corresponding Grantee submission, see ED581281.]

We conducted a randomized controlled potential efficacy trial to examine effects of two variants of the Tools for Teachers (TfT) professional development (PD) intervention on preschool teachers' implementation of embedded instruction practices and children's developmental and learning outcomes. Thirty-six preschool teachers recruited from three school districts were randomly assigned within each district to one of three PD conditions. Preschool children with disabilities (N = 106) from enrolled teachers' classrooms participated in the study. Results showed that, compared with business-as-usual PD teachers, teachers who received either PD intervention wrote higher-quality learning targets for study children. Teachers who received the PD intervention that included on-site coaching implemented more embedded instruction learning trials compared to teachers in the other two conditions. Compared with children whose teachers participated in BAU PD, children whose teachers received either PD intervention had greater developmental and learning gains as measured by standardized assessments.

The Learning Target Rating Scale (LTRS) is a measure designed to evaluate the quality of teacher-developed learning targets for embedded instruction for early learning. In the present study, we examined the measurement dependability of LTRS scores by conducting a generalizability study (G-study). We used a partially nested, three-facet model to estimate the variance of LTRS scores due to teachers, children, learning targets, and raters. We used these variance components to conduct a decision study (D-study) to investigate how data collection and scoring design affected the dependability of scores and to help inform future use. Findings supported the dependability of LTRS scores when used with one rater and when at least six learning targets are obtained from teachers. We discuss potential refinements for the LTRS based on the G- and D-studies and implications for using it in practice.

Educators are increasingly being encouraged to implement evidence-based interventions and practices to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young children who exhibit problem behavior in early childhood settings. Given the nature of social-emotional learning during the early childhood years and the lack of a common set of core evidence-based practices within the early childhood literature, selection of instructional practices that foster positive social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for children in early childhood settings can be difficult. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a study designed to identify common practice elements found in comprehensive intervention models (i.e., manualized interventions that include a number of components) or discrete practices (i.e., a specific behavior or action) designed to target social, emotional, and behavioral learning of young children who exhibit problem behavior. We conducted a systematic review of early childhood classroom interventions that had been evaluated in randomized group designs, quasi-experimental designs, and single-case experimental designs. A total of 49 published articles were identified,and an iterative process was used to identify common practice elements. The practice elements were subsequently reviewed by experts in social-emotional and behavioral interventions for young children. Twenty-four practice elements were identified and classified into content (the goal or general principle that guides a practice element) and delivery (the way in which a teacher provides instruction to the child) categories. We discuss implications that the identification of these practice elements found in the early childhood literature has for efforts to implement models and practices.

We examined individual differences and predictions of children's patterns in behavioral, emotional and attentional efforts toward challenging puzzle tasks at 24 and 35 months using data from a large longitudinal rural representative sample. Using latent transition analysis, we found four distinct task-oriented patterns in problem-solving tasks within parent-toddler/preschooler dyads representing different levels of regulatory strengths and weaknesses. We also found the relatively more positive and adaptive task-oriented patterns (i.e., the positive-motivated pattern and the content-compliant pattern) were more stable, but the relatively negative patterns (i.e., the negative-disengaged pattern and the emotional-mixed pattern) had much more variability and change from 24 to 35 months. Finally, infant attention, positive parenting, and family economic strains also significantly predicted children's task-oriented patterns at 24 months after controlling for child gender, race and maternal education. These findings contribute to prevention/intervention strategies for young children's optimal performance during challenging problem solving and their later school success.

Research Findings: Preschool social-emotional education has become an increasingly important area of research and practice in mainland China. The social development domain has been recognized as an independent preschool curricular domain since 2001. Little is known, however, about the specific practices that preschool teachers in China are using to promote children's social-emotional competence. An investigator-developed and validated measure, the "Social-Emotional Teaching Practices Questionnaire-Chinese" (SETP-C), was used to gather data about social-emotional practices from a sample of 1,599 Chinese teachers in 120 preschools. Chinese preschool teachers reported they were implementing many social-emotional practices included on the SETP-C, but were less likely to use and less confident in implementing practices that address the needs of children with persistent challenging behaviors. Teacher's role in the classroom, having teaching certification, years of teaching experience, use of a social-emotional curriculum, child-to-teacher ratio, inclusion of children with disabilities, and age group of children had statistically significant and noteworthy associations with teachers' reported frequency of use and confidence in implementing social-emotional practices. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study support the multidimensionality of preschool social-emotional practices and suggest the need for further attention to teacher, classroom, and program-wide variables related to teachers' practice implementation in support of young children's social-emotional competence.

In active implementation science frameworks, coaching has been described as an important competency "driver" to ensure evidence-based practices are implemented as intended. Empirical evidence also has identified coaching as a promising job-embedded professional development strategy to support implementation of quality teaching practices. The purpose of the present article is to describe a coaching framework designed to support early childhood practitioners to implement evidence-based teaching practices with fidelity. We explicate the key components of the coaching framework, provide theoretical and empirical rationales for each component, and describe how it was operationalized for use as a coaching protocol in several studies. The studies focused on supporting preschool teachers of young children with or at risk for disabilities to implement social-emotional, behavioral, and instructional teaching practices with fidelity. For this special issue, we offer recommendations for future research and considerations for wider scale application and situate each article in the context of coaching and the coaching framework described in this article. [This article was published in "Topics in Early Childhood Special Education" (EJ1076861).]

The social domain is 1 of 5 preschool curricular domains in mainland China. Chinese preschool teachers are expected to use teaching practices that foster young children's social competence. The purpose of this study was to explore a small sample of Chinese preschool teachers' use of teaching and behavior support practices associated with the "Pyramid Model." Twenty preschool classrooms in mainland China were observed using the prepublication version of the "Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool for Preschool Classrooms" (L. Fox, M. L. Hemmeter, & P. Snyder, 2008). In addition, each teacher completed a social-emotional teaching practices survey. Results indicated that Chinese teachers were observed to use, on average, about 31% of key teaching practices associated with the "Pyramid Model." They were implementing more universal promotion practices than targeted social-emotional teaching practices. Chinese teachers generally were not observed to be teaching behavior expectations and social problem solving, nor were they developing individualized interventions for children with the most persistent challenging behavior. Correlational analyses suggested that observed implementation of "Pyramid Model" practices generally was not related to self-reported use of these practices. Limitations and implications of the present study along with considerations for future research are discussed.

Recent policy initiatives in New Zealand have prioritised increasing participation in early childhood education (ECE) settings; yet cumulative reports have outlined concerns for the quality of services available. In this paper, we argue that a focus on participation without concurrent attention to the quality of early learning experiences puts children at risk and can create inequalities that can have lasting impacts. Quality is a multi-dimensional construct, but robust evidence continually identifies the role of the teacher and nurturing relationships as fundamental to high-quality services. We propose that quality can be enhanced by understanding of and supports for intentional teaching, and offer a comparison of the guidance available to teachers to guide intentional teaching practices in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Intentional teaching is gaining increasing recognition in New Zealand and has the potential to help enhance quality and equity in ECE.

We conducted a potential efficacy trial examining the effects of classroom-wide implementation of the "Pyramid Model for Promoting Young Children's Social-Emotional Competence" on teachers' implementation of "Pyramid Model" practices and children's social-emotional skills and challenging behavior. Participants were 40 preschool teachers and 494 children. Using a randomized controlled design, 20 teachers received a professional development (PD) intervention to support their implementation of the practices. The 20 teachers in the control condition received workshops after all study-related data were collected. Teachers who received PD significantly improved their implementation of "Pyramid Model" practices relative to control teachers. Children in intervention teachers' classrooms were rated as having better social skills and fewer challenging behaviors relative to children in control teachers' classrooms. Exploratory analyses showed that children at elevated risk for behavior disorders in intervention teachers' classrooms had improvements in their observed social interaction skills relative to similar children in control teachers' classrooms.

We used a multi-component single-subject experimental design across three preschool teachers to examine the effects of video self-monitoring with graduated training and feedback on the accuracy with which teachers monitored their implementation of embedded instructional learning trials. We also examined changes in teachers' implementation of learning trials. In each self-monitoring condition, teachers observed and recorded their implemented learning trials using video and a coding form. Conditions differed in the specificity of prompts on the coding form and the type of training and feedback provided. The combination of training, coding forms with specific prompts for learning trial components, and external feedback generally resulted in more accurate self-monitoring for two of three participants and increases in the fidelity of implementation of learning trials. Findings suggest self-monitoring can be effective for increasing the fidelity with which teachers implement embedded instructional learning trials, but systematic training and feedback are important for ensuring self-monitoring accuracy.

Fidelity assessment has received renewed attention in recent years, particularly as distinctions have been made in implementation science between intervention fidelity and implementation fidelity. Considering both types of fidelity has been recommended when developing fidelity instruments. In the present article, we describe development of the pilot version of the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT-P) as a case example of designing a fidelity instrument for use in research and practice. The TPOT is a multimethod judgment-based rating scale designed to measure practitioners' fidelity of implementation of practices associated with the "Pyramid Model." We describe the structure of the TPOT-P in relation to "Pyramid Model" components and fidelity indicators. We summarize the measurement approaches grounded in generalizability theory and classical test theory that were used to investigate the psychometric properties of TPOT-P scores based on data collected by trained raters on three occasions in 50 preschool classrooms. Findings suggest the TPOT-P shows promise for dependably measuring teachers' implementation of "Pyramid Model" practices.

Professional development (PD) has been defined as facilitated teaching and learning experiences designed to enhance practitioners' knowledge, skills, and dispositions as well as their capacity to provide high-quality early learning experiences for young children. The purpose of this study was to use a framework from the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (2008) to characterize key components of early childhood PD by conducting a descriptive systematic review of empirical literature. Two hundred fifty-six studies were identified that met specified inclusion criteria: (a) described a type of PD, (b) involved early childhood practitioners who were working with children birth through the age of 5 years, and (c) reported empirical evidence about PD outcomes for either early childhood practitioners or children. Findings revealed that studies typically included information about PD recipients, the topic or content focus of the PD, and the type of facilitated teaching and learning experiences provided. Seventy-four percent of the reviewed studies included systematic follow-up as a component of the facilitated teaching and learning experiences but limited information was provided about dose and fidelity of implementation of the follow-up. The review provides a descriptive characterization of the who, what, and how of early childhood PD. These data complement an emerging experimental intervention literature focused on second-generation PD research questions. We discuss the need to reach consensus about reporting key components of PD interventions to facilitate interpretations of relationships among PD interventions, improvements in practice, and desired child outcomes.

We describe historical foundations of professional development (PD) in early childhood intervention (ECI) and where we stand on the silver anniversary of PL 99-457. To advance its scientific basis, we assert that it is important to define what is meant by PD; identify structural and process features of PD hypothesized to be effective for supporting improvements in intervention quality and effectiveness; specify theories of action or change related to how specific features of PD are assumed to affect practitioner behaviors and, in turn, child or family outcomes; and conduct experimental studies that provide evidence to support or refute specified theories of action. We describe progress being made in each of these areas and discuss several challenges and future directions related to advancing the scientific basis of PD in ECI. (Contains 3 tables.)

In this commentary, developments related to conducting randomized controlled trials in authentic preschool settings that include young children with disabilities are discussed in relation to the Strain and Bovey study.

Growing evidence suggests the importance of practitioners implementing promotion, prevention, and intervention practices to foster children's social-emotional competence and address challenging behavior within schools. Limited research exists, however, on how to support teachers of school-age children to implement with fidelity comprehensive frameworks that organize promotion, prevention, and intervention practices, and even fewer studies have examined implementation within early childhood classrooms. In this study, three teachers were trained and coached to implement promotion, prevention, and intervention practices related to the Teaching Pyramid Model. Findings from the present single-subject multiple probe across teachers' experimental study offer evidence of a functional relationship between training and coaching and implementation of practices associated with the model. Results are discussed with respect to challenges related to supporting teachers to implement with fidelity a complex and comprehensive array of evidence-based practices and the critical importance of coaching. (Contains 2 figures, 4 tables, and 1 note.)

Early measures of mathematics skill and development have focused on early numeracy skills like counting, number identification, and sequencing of numbers. This study attempted to expand early mathematics assessment. Six new measures of early mathematics skill competence were developed and evaluated. Four existing measures also were examined. Measures were developed to directly assess kindergarten children's understanding of concepts including number sense (ordinality, subitivity, cardinality), shape recognition, and patterning. Technical adequacy estimates were examined including test-retest reliability, concurrent and longitudinal correlation with criterion measures, and sensitivity. The Pattern Completion, Set Comparison with Unequal-Sized Items, and Subitivity measures performed best. Existing early numeracy measures performed comparably to or better than the new measures. (Contains 3 tables.)

The current emphasis on alignment of early learning guidelines, assessment, curricular practices, and accountability in early education and care systems has provided an opportunity to revisit and refine early childhood assessment practices. Practitioners, researchers, and policy makers are increasingly interested in developing instruction-focused assessment strategies that have instructional and intervention validity. In particular, progress is being made in the development and validation of universal screening assessments and progress-monitoring methods that can support the application of response-to-intervention models in early childhood settings. This article provides a brief review of select assessment tools in early childhood that demonstrate instructional validity. The authors suggest future directions for strengthening the instructional and intervention validity of early childhood assessments in the context of response-to-intervention frameworks. (Contains 1 figure.)

Response to intervention (RTI) is characterized as a logical science of decision making that has applicability for early childhood, particularly in the context of multitiered intervention models. This study examined the utility of using curriculum-based early literacy measures as screening tools and for evaluating whether growth in early literacy skills was altered following brief interventions. Thirty-five preschool-age children at risk for learning difficulties participated in a 5-week intervention focused on key phonemic awareness skills delivered in classwide and individual formats. Curriculum-based measurement probes were administered each week to all children. Results showed the curriculum-based measures led to enhanced decision accuracy about children at risk for learning difficulties, particularly when combined with brief classwide interventions designed to systematically address opportunities to learn. For children who were initially low performers, weekly progress monitoring combined with classwide early literacy interventions appeared to be related to accelerated growth toward early literacy targets. Implications for the expansion of RTI decision-making frameworks in early childhood are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

The growing use of the term "evidence-based" in conference presentations, web sites, journal articles and grants announcements suggest definitive answers to a host of practice-related issues. The purpose of this paper is to address the questions of: (1) defining evidence-based practice; (2) how evidence-based practice differs from other practices; (3) the emergence of the current evidence-based practice movement; and (4) impact to the early childhood field. The authors propose defining evidence-based practice for the early childhood field as a decision-making process that integrates the best available research evidence with family and professional wisdom and values. Evidence-based practices are distinguished from guidelines or other practices by being decision-making processes rather than tangible written recommendations; and by focusing more on local circumstances, consumer values, and knowledge about individual children and families. Although acknowledging challenges in adopting an evidence-based practice approach to early childhood, the authors conclude that promoting the systematic dissemination of the known, drawing attention to the need for more scientific rigor, and advocating for increase participation among consumers, will respond to many significant problems in the field. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Knowing what behaviors adults can engage in to accelerate child growth toward desired outcomes is fundamental to achieving the promise of early education and intervention. Once adequate progress-monitoring measures are developed, patterns of child performance over time and in response to certain interventions can be quantified. The ability to quantify response to intervention with young children will produce at least three immediate benefits: (a) the ability to improve child outcomes in a more efficient fashion through iterative problem-solving attempts, (b) a resulting data set that could be used to determine what additional supports and services might be needed in the context of early learning environments, and (c) a cumulative data set that should reflect whether the additional supports and services are meaningfully accelerating child growth. This article discusses the rationale for response to intervention in early education, the logical basis for response to intervention decision making, and barriers to effective implementation with young children. This article also introduces the articles in this special series, each of which focuses on accelerating learning and growth for all young children and has implications for the use of response to intervention in early education. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study examined the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) beliefs of 113 practitioners employed in either general early childhood service settings (n=74) or special education service settings (n=39). Although results were remarkably similar across settings, differences were related to the appropriateness of implementing behavioral teaching and classroom management strategies (special educators were more supportive of behavioral strategies). (Contains references.) (DB)

Findings are reported related to the research methods and statistical techniques used in 450 group quantitative studies examined by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices Project. Studies were analyzed across seven dimensions including sampling procedures, variable selection, variable definition, measurement integrity, treatment fidelity, statistical analyses, and magnitude-of-effect reporting. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Results are reported from the field survey of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices Project as one part of a national effort to develop evidence-based practices. Respondents (n=388) supported all the identified practices as recommended practice. Respondents also supplied information about the extent of current use of the practices. (Contains 9 references.) (Author/DB)

Self-determination refers to skills used to experience a quality of life consistent with one’s preferences, strengths, and needs. Theoretical and empirical literature has identified contextual opportunities for children to learn and use these skills in their everyday activities and routines. The present study used an investigator-developed observational coding system to describe and quantify preschool teachers’ use of teaching practices that could promote young children’s foundational self-determination skills. Twenty-one preschool teachers who had children with and without identified disabilities or developmental delays enrolled in their classrooms were observed for 15 min during two types of preschool classroom activities: child-initiated and teacher-directed. Teachers’ use of practices ranged from 6 to 60 occurrences across five self-determination skill categories, with an average of 24.43 occurrences in 30 min. Self-regard, self-direction, and self-advocacy practices were more frequently used than self-regulation and social problem-solving practices. Exploratory analyses of the observational data suggested differences in teachers’ use of self-determination teaching practices across the two types of activities and positive correlations between teachers’ use of self-determination teaching practices and the observed quality of teacher-child interactions. Implications of the study findings for teaching practices teachers can use to promote young children’s self-determination skills during classroom activities are discussed in the context of inclusive and high-quality early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators are increasingly being encouraged to implement evidence-based interventions and practices to address the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young children who exhibit problem behavior in early childhood settings. Given the nature of social-emotional learning during the early childhood years and the lack of a common set of core evidence-based practices within the early childhood literature, selection of instructional practices that foster positive social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for children in early childhood settings can be difficult. The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a study designed to identify common practice elements found in comprehensive intervention models (i.e., manualized interventions that include a number of components) or discrete practices (i.e., a specific behavior or action) designed to target social, emotional, and behavioral learning of young children who exhibit problem behavior. We conducted a systematic review of early childhood classroom interventions that had been evaluated in randomized group designs, quasi-experimental designs, and single-case experimental designs. A total of 49 published articles were identified, and an iterative process was used to identify common practice elements. The practice elements were subsequently reviewed by experts in social-emotional and behavioral interventions for young children. Twenty-four practice elements were identified and classified into content (the goal or general principle that guides a practice element) and delivery (the way in which a teacher provides instruction to the child) categories. We discuss implications that the identification of these practice elements found in the early childhood literature has for efforts to implement models and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation science defines training and coaching as two important competency components to support fidelity of implementation of evidence-based practices. The present study explores the perspectives of 21 preschool teachers, located in the United States, about the professional development (PD) they received, which included training and coaching. The PD was designed to support their planning, implementation and evaluation of embedded instruction practices for young children with disabilities. The PD involved: 16.5 hours of workshops distributed across four to six weeks; the provision of job-aids; and 16 weeks of on-site coaching or 16 weeks of prompts to engage in self-coaching using a project-developed website. An interpretivist theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism using grounded theory methods was adopted to guide the analysis of focus group data obtained from teachers following their participation in the PD. We describe the components of the PD that teachers characterized as effectively transcending the web-based and on-site coaching, the challenges they experienced with embedded instruction implementation and their recommendations for enhancing coaching. Implications are offered for considering individual and environmental factors that influence knowledge acquisition and practice implementation in the classroom and sustaining teacher learning through follow-up implementation support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article examines the issues related to the preparation of doctoral-level personnel to assume interdisciplinary scholarship and leadership roles in early childhood intervention (EI). The authors claim that issues related to the preparation of interdisciplinary leadership personnel in EI are inextricably linked to broader discussions occurring in education and allied health disciplines about whether and how to differentiate entry-level clinical doctorates. They add that following a review of national reports focused on EI doctoral leadership training, the preparation of educational researchers, and interdisciplinary doctoral programs in rehabilitation sciences, they offer perspectives about interdisciplinary doctoral preparation in EI for the 21st century.

Response to intervention (RTI) is characterized as a logical science of decision making that has applicability for early childhood, particularly in the context of multitiered intervention models. This study examined the utility of using curriculum-based early literacy measures as screening tools and for evaluating whether growth in early literacy skills was altered following brief interventions. Thirty-five preschool-age children at risk for learning difficulties participated in a 5-week intervention focused on key phonemic awareness skills delivered in classwide and individual formats. Curriculum-based measurement probes were administered each week to all children. Results showed the curriculum-based measures led to enhanced decision accuracy about children at risk for learning difficulties, particularly when combined with brief classwide interventions designed to systematically address opportunities to learn. For children who were initially low performers, weekly progress monitoring combined with classwide early literacy interventions appeared to be related to accelerated growth toward early literacy targets. Implications for the expansion of RTI decision-making frameworks in early childhood are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]