This study examined the relationship between the level of implementation of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach to service delivery in schools and educators’ beliefs regarding MTSS, their perceptions of MTSS practices in their schools, and student growth. The study used data from the Florida Problem Solving/Response to Intervention Project. Thirty-four pilot schools in seven school districts across the state of Florida were provided intensive coaching, training, and technical assistance in implementing the MTSS service delivery model for three years. The current study focused on the final year of support. Data collected as part of the project’s program evaluation model were used to examine the relationships between study variables. Multiple regressions were conducted to determine the relationship between the level of implementation of MTSS and the study’s dependent variables. Findings indicated that both Infrastructure and Implementation predicted educator beliefs about Data-Based Decision Making (DBDM), while Implementation alone predicted educator beliefs about the Academic Ability and Performance of Students with Disabilities (SWD). Furthermore, the overall regression model predicted educator perceptions of practices applied to both Academic and Behavior Content; however, none of the individual predictors were significantly related to either dependent measure. No other study dependent variables were significantly predicted by the level of MTSS implementation. Implications for practice and research involve the need for larger scale studies of MTSS implementation and the importance of researchers and practitioners utilizing reliable and valid measures to monitor implementation efforts.

Sammanfattning Syfte: Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka den upplevda effekten av upprepad behandling med kinesiotejp under 2 veckor, sett till smärta och besvär hos idrottare med medialt tibiasyndrom (MTS). Frågeställningarna som ställdes var: vilken effekt har behandling med kinesiotejp på smärta vid MTS samt vilken effekt har behandling med kinesiotejp på besvär och symtom vid medialt MTS? Metod: Femton personer med diagnosen MTS deltog i studien (10 kvinnor och 5 män). Samtliga deltagare var aktiva inom friidrott alternativt löpning. Deltagarna skattade sin smärta i båda benen, men endast ett ben tejpades. En lottning utfördes för att fastställa vilket ben som skulle behandlas med kinesiotejp. De med smärta i enbart ett ben tejpades på det benet som var symtomgivande. Deltagarna tejpades vid 2 tillfällen, de tejpades vid det första mötet och tejpen fick sedan sitta kvar i 6 dagar. Den sjätte dagen tog deltagarna själva bort tejpen och dagen efter utfördes samma tejpning igen. Sex dagar senare togs tejpen bort och efter 2 veckor utan tejp skickades en uppföljningsenkät ut. Deltagarna skattade upplevd smärta och besvär i båda benen på en visuell analog skala (VAS) vid första mötet och en uppföljning av smärta och besvär gjordes efter 1, 2 och 4 veckor. De fick också uppge upplevd symtomförändring efter 1, 2 och 4 veckor. Resultat: Upplevd smärta och besvär mätt på VAS-skalan visade ingen signifikant förändring över tid mellan det tejpade benet och det otejpade benet. Vid första uppföljning upplevde dock 12 av 15 (80 %) en symtomförbättring i sitt tejpade ben, medan 2 av 12 (16,7 %) upplevde en förbättring i sitt otejpade ben (p<0,05). En tendens till upplevd förbättring fanns vid uppföljning vid vecka 2: 9 av 15 (60 %) upplevde en förbättring på sitt tejpade ben medan 3 av 12 (25 %) upplevde en förbättring på sitt otejpade ben (p=0,57). Slutsats: Resultatet i denna studie visade att behandling med kinesiotejp kunde minska upplevda symtom hos idrottare med MTS den första veckan efter applicering. En tendens till minskning av upplevda symtom kunde även ses vid uppföljning efter 2 veckor med behandling av kinesiotejp. Ingen ytterligare effekt kunde ses efter borttagning av tejpen. Denna omedelbara effekt visar att kinesiotejp kan vara en möjlig behandlingsmetod för idrottare med MTS. Nyckelord: medialt tibiasyndrom, MTS, kinesiotejp, idrottare, överbelastningsskada / Abstract Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effect of repeated treatment with kinesiotape during 2 weeks, in terms of pain and symptoms in athletes with medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). The research questions were: what effect does treatment with kinesiotape has in pain of MTSS and what effect does treatment with kinesiotape has in pains and symptoms of MTSS? Method: Fifteen people diagnosed with MTSS participated in the study (10 women and 5 men). All participants were track- and-field athletes or runners. The participants estimated their pain in both legs, but only one leg was taped. A lottery was conducted to determine which leg was to be treated with kinesiotape. Those with pain in only one leg were taped to the leg that was symptomatic. Participants were taped on 2 occasions, they were taped in the first meeting and the tape was then left for 6 days. On the sixth day the participants took the tape off and the following day they were taped again. Six days later, the tape was removed and after 2 weeks without tape a follow-up survey was sent. Participants estimated perceived pain and symptoms in both legs on a visual analogue scale (VAS) at the first meeting and follow-ups of pain and symptoms were made after 1, 2 and 4 weeks. They also estimated perceived change in symptoms after 1, 2 and 4 weeks. Results: Perceived pain and symptoms as measured on VAS revealed no significant change over time between the taped leg and the non-taped leg. At the first follow-up however, 12 of 15 (80%) experienced an improvement in symptoms in the taped leg, while 2 of 12 (16.7%) experienced improvement in their non-taped legs (p<0.05). A tendency to perceived improvement was found at follow-up in week 2: 9 of 15 (60%) experienced an improvement in their taped legs while, 3 of 12 (25%) experienced an improvement in their non-taped leg (p=0.57). Conclusions: The result of this study showed that treatment with kinesiotape decreased perceived symptoms in athletes with MTSS in the first week after application. A trend for reduction of perceived symptoms could also be seen at follow-up after 2 weeks of treatment with kinesiotape. No further effect was seen after removal of the tape. This immediate effect showed that kinesiotape may be a possible treatment for athletes with MTSS. Key words: medial tibial syndrome, MTSS, athletes, overuse injury.

Researchers in schools have had differing interpretations of effective implementation of response to intervention (RTI) models that have resulted in educators' confusion and misperceptions of the programs, especially with elementary English language learner (ELL) students. The purpose of this case study of 4 schools in an urban school district in the midwest was to explore how teachers used experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based instructional strategies in their classes to meet the needs of ELLs. Additionally, the RTI team process was explored to discover what experiential, linguistic, and culturally responsive research-based indicators they considered during the RTI decision making process regarding ELLs referred for Tier 2 intervention in reading. Two conceptual frameworks, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and World-Class Design and Assessment RTI2 protocol, operationalized the topic and guided the study. Results were derived from individual semistructured interviews with district instructional coaches and review of referral and recommendation documentation. Data were coded and a thematic analysis was conducted. Findings included the themes of misalignment of Tier 1 core instruction and Tier 2 intervention, inadequate teacher preparation, and limited differentiated support services. A professional learning project for teachers in the district was created based on the findings of this case study. The social change implications for results of the study and the project may be increased capacity building for teachers in inclusive classrooms and a precise and consistent understanding of the RTI model by all stakeholders. The study makes an original contribution to research on RTI implementation with ELLs at the local level and the results can be of value to other districts serving similar populations.

<p>Co-teaching is a practice in which “two professionals co-plan, co-instruct and co-assess a diverse group of students. Both teachers provide substantive instruction to all students on a daily, consistent basis. Neither is considered the main teacher of the class; they are equals” (Murawski, 2008, p. 29). Unfortunately, co-teaching in practice is often characterized by one teacher handling most of the instruction and the other operating in an assistant role (Murawski & Lochner, 2009, 2010; Volonio & Zigmund, 2007). Co-teaching should also be characterized by the use of multiple models that facilitate small group instruction, which should increase student to teacher interaction and student engagement (Friend, 2014). </p><p>A way to address these gaps is to provide co-teachers with ongoing coaching support (CEC, 2012). The goal of this study was to increase the quality of co-teaching through different levels of coaching to facilitate small group instruction through parallel teaching and increase student engagement. This study used a MTSS model with a multi-probe design to respond to the level of support co-teachers need, starting with peer coaching, then traditional coaching, and finally bug in ear (BIE) coaching. </p><p>There were three sets of co-teaching pairs who participated. There was an intervention effect for all three pairs of teachers with peer coaching, the first tier of the intervention. Therefore, the other two levels of support were not needed as all participants met criteria in peer coaching. Additionally, there was an effect in increasing student engagement with peer coaching. These procedures can be used and adapted for future research in coaching co-teachers to improve their practices. </p>

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than half of the 22.5 million refugees worldwide are children. Among the consequences of fleeing their homes because of violence, war and persecution, families and children face a crisis level of interruption to their educational opportunities. As the United States continues to lead the world in welcoming asylum seekers, educational leaders must prepare for an increasing population of transnational students (Bajaj & Bartlett, 2017). Public schools in Massachusetts offer a unique perspective to study how leaders build supports for refugee students because of its high national rankings and the adoption of new Multiple-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for all students (Massachusetts, 2019). This heuristic case study, nested within a group study of inclusive leadership practices in a Massachusetts school district, included interviews with 16 district and school leaders, informal observations of a high school and elementary school with a large population of “newcomer” students, and document review of school websites, newspapers, archives, achievement data, memos, and policy statements. Findings indicated that school leaders use inclusive practices to support the needs of their refugee students by (I) Identifying Barriers to Learning, (II) Aligning Structures with Universal Design for Learning, and (III) Committing to Equitable Access for All. Implications of this case study highlight how leaders might balance equity and access in response to the forced migration of millions of students arriving in their districts. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The majority of schools use punitive and reactive strategies to deal with maladaptive behaviors. This descriptive study was a replication of Wilmott (2012) and occurred in a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) high school. Professional development was provided to 22 teachers from a high school located in the western United States. This included 61% males and 39% females. Measures included the frequency of praise notes and ODRs, the quality of praise notes based on a praise note rubric, and a social validity questionnaire. The ODR and praise note frequencies were compared using the Spearman correlational coefficient that resulted in a weak correlation (r (2) = .-385, p > .05). Results were not significant in the ODR baseline to treatment (t(3)=-1.849, p <.05). The baseline praise note frequency compared to praise note frequency during treatment was significant (t(3)=-4.115, p<.05). Implications for educators suggested that the problem-solving process is feasible and essential when implementing evidenced based practices (EBPs), such as praise notes. The study concluded that ongoing professional development is integral to maintaining MTSS and EBPs. Limitations of this study include the lack of precise definitions in ODR reporting and minimal baseline data.

Progress monitoring and data analysis are essential skills needed by classroom teachers within the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support for making data-based decisions about student progress and instruction. Within the early childhood MTSS research, consideration of teacher-collected progress monitoring data followed by data-based decision-making is rare. To provide teachers with a robust progress monitoring strategy, I trained preschool teachers of inclusive classrooms to use direct behavioral observations to collect data and inform their instruction. The project experimentally evaluated teachers’ generalization of acquired behaviors within the context of a single-case research design. The project’s independent variable, teacher training, consisted of a video-based multimedia presentation and in-vivo feedback. The primary dependent variable was teachers’ implementation of teacher-directed behavior observation procedures. Results indicate that teacher training was effective for three teachers, as evidenced by teachers reaching criterion levels of performance across consecutive days and sessions. Data on the durations of teacher training activities indicate that an average of 21 minutes of in-vivo feedback was provided to the teachers throughout training. Social and ecological validity data suggest that teachers perceived the training activities to be relatively non-intrusiveness and that the target progress monitoring strategies were of value to the teachers. A functional relation was established between training and teachers’ implementation of direct behavioral observation procedures.

Math achievement for U.S. high school students identified with math disabilities continues to fall below expected norms. Longitudinal national and state-level assessment data showed a flat or negative trend in math performance of students with disabilities, which may negatively affect their postsecondary outcomes. The purpose of this embedded mixed-methods study was to determine the impact of an extended time algebra course on increasing the math performance of freshman students with math disabilities. The conceptual framework included Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and zone of proximal development, Bloom's theory of master learning, and Carroll's theory of degree of learning. Data collection included archived test scores from the previous school year of 21 students and a survey administered to 4 current teachers of the Tier 2 course. Statistical analysis of the archived scores using an independent samples t-test measured the differences between the means test scores of students from the Extended Time course and the Special Education Algebra course. Additionally, the study used a paired samples t-test to measure pretest and posttest differences in math scores of students enrolled in the intervention course. Results from the t-tests along with coding of the qualitative data indicated that the Tier 2 intervention did not allow students to make statistically significant gains in math performance. Suggestions for improving the Tier 2 course were created based on study findings. The study is significant to high school educators inclusive of classroom teachers, school and district administrators, and curriculum developers because it examined an intervention used for students with disabilities who received educational support in the mainstream classroom. Results can inform best practices for meeting the needs of high school freshman and assist in the development of programming options that positively affect the academic achievement of students with disabilities. Implications for social change include improving math outcomes of students with disabilities as a means of increasing their success in postsecondary endeavors.

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