Middle school special education teachers are often concerned about challenging behavior. In recent years, school wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) has been shown to be effective in improving students behavior. Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a SWPBS-based program designed to for implementation at the classroom level. CW-FIT utilizes an interdependent group contingency by utilizing social skills training, teacher praise, and positive reinforcement to improve students behavior. Students are taught how to achieve specific social skills and then work in teams, using these social skills, to earn a group reward. CW-FIT has been effective in elementary general education classrooms. It has also worked well for small classrooms of students in elementary schools who have emotional and behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, or other health impairment. CW-FIT has not yet been evaluated in a middle school special education setting. The present study examined the effects of CW-FIT implementation on teacher praise rates and student on-task behavior in a middle school self-contained classroom, where 12 of the students had severe disabilities and 11 were typically-developing peer tutors. A single-subject, reversal design was used to evaluate impact. Results indicate that CW-FIT increased teacher praise rates and student on-task behavior. Both teachers and students reported CW-FIT to be socially valid. The present study suggests promising results for the implementation of CW-FIT in a middle school self-contained classroom.

In the United States educators often feel underprepared to manage student behavior in the classroom, which management is crucial for students with or at risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) to learn effectively. Research on School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) programs has reflected how effective simple principles, such as increasing teacher praise and decreasing teacher reprimands, can be. The current study is a secondary analysis of data originally gathered from 65 teachers and 239 students across three states. Results of these analyses bring principles of effective SWPBS programs and educator needs together by identifying how teacher behaviors correlated with at-risk student behaviors in different ways than the behaviors of students who were not at risk. Using multiple linear regression, we illustrated how students at risk for EBD were more sensitive to teacher praise and reprimands than students who were not at risk, which adds support to SWPBS theory and invites teachers to consider that who they praise and reprimand is just as important as how.

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By the end of the kindergarten, students are expected to possess early academic skills as well as the social maturity to be successful in first grade. Students leaving kindergarten without these readiness skills are sometimes held back in first grade or referred for a special education evaluation in later grades if they fail to make adequate progress. However, before a special education referral can be made, the education system must demonstrate that the deficit is not due to a lack of instruction. Response-to-Intervention is a preventive intervention framework supported by federal legislation (No Child Left Behind (NCLB); 2002 and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEIA); 2004) that ensures that only valid special education referrals (i.e., referrals based on quantitative data) are processed. Using a multi-tiered assessment and intervention approach, students are first identified as at-risk through the use of screening tools designed to indicate academic or behavioral deficits. At-risk students are then exposed to evidence-based interventions with increasing levels of intensity to determine the type and amount of support needed. However, response-to-intervention has yet to be extended down to kindergarten students, and the screening instruments available for this population have yet to be evaluated for their predictive validity with end of first grade academic and behavioral performance. This study examines the predictive validity of psychometrically sound academic and behavioral screening instruments with first grade academic and social-emotional success. Participants included kindergarten students (n=290) from five ethnically diverse elementary schools located in a small suburban city in a mid-Atlantic state. Early literacy, early numeracy, writing, and social-emotional screening assessments were administered three times a year to determine whether the screening tools were adequate measures of kindergarten readiness skills for first grade academic and social-emotional success. Participants were followed from the beginning of kindergarten until the end of first grade to determine which skills measured by the screening assessments were the most predictive of a conceptual model of first grade academic and social-emotional success. The results indicated that the social-emotional screening assessment was able to significantly predict social-emotional success at the end of first grade. Kindergarten academic screening assessments however, were not able to significantly predict first grade academic success. Results also indicated that there were significant differences in scores across gender, ethnicity and family composition. / School Psychology

School safety is one of the most important issues facing administrators, teachers, and parents. Several risk factors have been identified as antecedents to aggression including poor social skills, difficulty dealing with anger and frustration, and inadequate problem solving abilities. No Child Left Behind requires all schools receiving Title IV funds to implement research based violence interventions. Second Step, an internationally recognized violence prevention curriculum published by Committee for Children was implemented in an urban elementary school with 66 African American students in grades 3 through 5 for 9 weeks. This study employed a randomized control group design with two treatment conditions; Second Step instruction and Second Step instruction with digital role-playing, an adaptation of digital storytelling, to increase program effectiveness and intensify student motivation. The School Social Behavior Scales-2 (Merrell, 2002) was used to assess differences in aggression and prosocial skills. MANOVA indicated significant differences for grade only. Older students had higher prosocial behavior scores and younger students had lower scores on the program's content assessment. Results indicated that the Second Step curriculum did not affect behavior. Although the benefits of teaching students to respond empathetically to others, solve problems, and control anger have been documented in the literature, the use of Second Step to accomplish these goals has not been supported. / Educational Psychology

The School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET) is a commonly used measure of the implementation fidelity of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) programs. The current study examines the content and concurrent validity of the SET to establish whether an alternative approach to weighting and scoring the SET might provide a more accurate assessment of SWPBIS implementation fidelity. Twenty published experts in the field of SWPBIS completed online surveys to obtain ratings of the relative importance of each item on the SET to sustainable SWPBIS implementation. Using the experts' mean ratings, four novel SET scoring approaches were developed: unweighted, reweighted using mean ratings, unweighted dropping lowest quartile items, and reweighted dropping lowest quartile items. SET 2.1 data from 1,018 schools were used to compare the four novel and two established SET scoring methods and examine their concurrent validity with the Team Implementation Checklist 3.1 (TIC; across a subsample of 492 schools). Correlational data indicated that the two novel SET scoring methods with dropped items were both significantly stronger predictors of TIC scores than the established SET scoring methods. Continuous SET scoring methods have greater concurrent validity with the TIC overall score and greater sensitivity than the dichotomous SET 80/80 Criterion. Based on the equivalent concurrent validity of the unweighted SET with dropped items and the reweighted SET with dropped items compared to the TIC, this study recommends that the unweighted SET with dropped items be used by schools and researchers to obtain a more cohesive and prioritized set of SWPBIS elements than the existing or other SET scoring methods developed in this study. / School Psychology

School safety is the utmost priority for an elementary school administrator and is high on the list of public concerns. The intent of this study was to identify the professional development that Virginia Elementary School principals receive in the area of handling student discipline. The study addressed the following research questions: (a) to what extent do current elementary school administrators receive training in the area of handling student discipline; (b) to what extent do elementary school administrators receive training in the area of handling student discipline in principal preparation coursework; (c) what are the most prevalent topics when administrators receive training in the area of handling student discipline; and (d) what future training, in the area of handling student discipline, do elementary school administrators need? This descriptive, quantitative study included a survey, created by the researcher that was used to collect data from 103 elementary school administrators. The results indicate that the administrators did not receive comprehensive training in the area of handling student discipline. In particular, training regarding suspensions and minority overrepresentation was severely lacking while the training around safety and security was the most prevalent. Forty-nine percent of the administrators indicated that their principal preparation programs did not address student discipline in a required coursework. The results of this study provide school district leaders with information on current gaps in the area of student discipline included in professional development provided to elementary school administrators in principal preparation programs and during their tenure as administrators. / Ed. D.

Character education has increased over the past years to build student character in such a way that students are more successful and teachers spend maximal time for classroom instruction as well as minimal time with behavioral concerns. If a student experiences positive character traits and practices success in earlier grades, then it is logical to assume that the positive habits he or she establishes will transfer into the upper grades. However, very few studies have determined whether positive habits established in early grades will continue to bring success in subsequent grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the success of students in subsequent years after they were taught character traits and 21st-century skills in elementary school using The Leader in Me program. Previous research indicates a lack of studies that measure results after students leave the program setting. The main question for this study was the following: Do middle school students who have received instruction in The Leader in Me program for two years during elementary school show more improvement on selected measures of student behavior and academics than students who have not received such instruction? In order to determine the success of the program, the researcher reviewed discipline referrals, attendance records, and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) for reading and math students in grades six and seven. Independent samples t-tests were performed on the data sets to find relationships between the treatment population who had received The Leader In Me instruction for two or more years during elementary school and the control population who had not received any instruction in The Leader in Me during elementary school. Descriptive statistics showed fewer discipline referrals for the treatment group, but the numbers were not statistically significant. The results of the study showed a significant difference in attendance between the two groups. The students who had been instructed in The Leader in Me missed significantly fewer days than those who had not been instructed. Reading and math GPA did not show a significant difference for either group. / Ed. D. / Character education has increased over the past years to build student character in such a way that students are more successful and teachers spend maximal time for classroom instruction as well as minimal time with behavioral concerns. If a student experiences positive character traits and practices success in earlier grades, then it is logical to assume that the positive habits he or she establishes will transfer into the upper grades. The purpose of this study was to examine the success of students after they were taught character traits in elementary school using <i>The Leader in Me</i> program. Previous research indicates a lack of studies that measure results after students leave the program setting. The research sought to understand if students who have received instruction in <i>The Leader in Me</i> program for two years during elementary school would show more improvement in behavior, attendance, and academics than students who did not receive the instruction. In order to determine whether the program was successful, the researcher reviewed discipline referrals, attendance records, and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) for Reading and Math students in grades six and seven. A comparison was made to find relationships between student who had received <i>The Leader In Me</i> instruction for two or more years during elementary school and students who had not received any instruction in <i>The Leader</i> in Me during elementary school. The results of the study showed a significant difference in attendance between the two groups. The students who had been instructed in <i>The Leader in Me</i> missed significantly fewer days than those who had not been instructed. The study did not show significant differences for discipline referrals or grades.

The presence of challenging and violent behaviors that pose risks to the overall safety and the educational learning experience in the public education setting have been on the rise in recent years. Traditional reactive, coercive, and punitive measures to address these behaviors have been futile. Congress responded to the national increase in violent behaviors by implementing several acts, including zero tolerance policies, in an effort to diminish the rise in violent behaviors. Of significance to this study was the inclusion of Functional Behavior Assessment in the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997. Unfortunately, FBA has the least legal grounding of all the disciplinary provisions of IDEA and has been questioned by experts in the field if sufficient empirical support exists for the generalization of the technology to all students and whether or not school personnel have the skills required to conduct FBA with integrity (Drasgow, Yell, Bradley, & Shriner 1999; Quinn, 2000; Scott et al., 2005; Skiba, 2002). The purpose of this research study was to obtain and analyze information regarding the perceptions of special education teachers in the Commonwealth of Virginia on the use of Functional Behavior Assessment with students with high incidence disabilities in public schools. A nonexperimental survey design using an online self-report survey was conducted with special education teachers in the eight superintendent regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The study examined the behaviors that most frequently prompt a FBA, if a relationship exists between the type and frequency of training and the perceived effectiveness of FBA, the relationship between teacher attributes of beliefs and self-efficacy and the overall perceived effectiveness of FBA, and how teachers perceive the overall FBA/BIP process in public schools. The survey was distributed electronically to special education teachers through the office of the special education director in each of the 132 school divisions in Virginia. A total of 373 special education teachers responded to the survey. Respondents perceive the extent to which FBA contributes to the effectiveness of interventions that reduce challenging behaviors of students and the effectiveness of current FBA methods in increasing positive replacement behaviors and improving learning/academic achievement in public schools moderately effective. Congruent with the literature, special education teachers reported that chronic problem behaviors and physically aggressive behaviors were most likely to prompt an FBA. Respondents indicated their knowledge base, training experiences, and background in FBA. Overall, the majority of special education teachers reported that the training that they have received in FBA was moderately to very effective. Respondents indicated that further training in all areas of FBA was needed using a dynamic team based process with post training support. The most frequently reported area of FBA that requires more training was developing function-based interventions while the least reported area of need was developing hypotheses about the functions of the behavior. Teacher beliefs and self-efficacy were examined to determine if these attributes predict a special educator’s perceived effectiveness of FBA. High levels of teacher self-efficacy were associated with increased views of perceived effectiveness of FBA in public schools. Two belief items were found to correlate with the perceived effectiveness of FBA. The results of this study have important implications for personnel development and training for future and current special educators as well as information that can be applied to the exploration of a standardized process for conducting FBA in public schools in Virginia.

xiv, 145 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / As an increasing number of studies document the link between the development of student academic and social behavior, there is a growing need to create and evaluate interventions that address both types of skill development in school contexts. It is of particular importance to focus on interventions that improve the learning environment to maximize student success. The Good Behavior Game (TGBG) is an example of a research-based intervention that can be easily modified and implemented in conjunction with academic interventions to maximize effectiveness of student supports. The present study focused on the development and implementation of a modified version of TGBG implemented during the delivery of a secondary level early literacy intervention for students at-risk for reading difficulties. Specifically, this study examined whether instructional assistants' implementation of TGBG was functionally related to changes in student and instructor outcomes. The student outcomes assessed were (1) problem behavior, (2) academic engagement, and (3) pre-literacy skill development. The instructor outcomes assessed were provision of opportunities to respond to instruction, specific praise, and corrective statements for student social behavior. Data were also collected on fidelity of implementation, contextual fit, and social validity of TGBG. A concurrent multiple baseline design across five instructional reading groups was used to evaluate effects of TGBG. Results indicated that TGBG was functionally related to reductions in student problem behavior. In addition, a functional relation was established between implementation of TGBG and increases in instructor provision of specific praise statements and decreases in provision of corrective statements. Academic engagement and provision of opportunities to respond remained high and stable throughout the study. Pre-literacy trajectories did not appear to be functionally related to TGBG implementation; however, this may have been due to the short timeframe of the study. Instructional assistants implementing TGBG as well as students participating in TGBG rated it positively. Conceptual, practical, and future research implications are discussed. / Committee in charge: Cynthia Anderson, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Elizabeth Ham, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Robert Horner, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Marjorie Woollacott, Outside Member, Human Physiology