Continuing QIAT Conversations Planning For Success Joan Breslin Larson Third webinar in a series of three follow up webinars for AT Teams attending the Feb for AT Conference Hosted by Oklahoma ABLE Tech AT Act Program at Oklahoma State University Webinar support provided by the Assistive Technology Industry Association ATIA.org

Protocol for the call Keep phone muted unless you want to talk- and you are very welcome to ask questions or provide input, so just unmute! Can also use chat box to ask questions or provide feedback.

Quality Indicator Areas Quality Indicator Areas Consideration Assessment Including in the IEP Implementation Evaluation of Effectiveness Transition Administrative Support Professional Development

How do we know we are making a difference? There are multiple ways to think about change- 1. Let it happen. 2. Help it happen. 3. Make it happen. 4

Begin with the end in mind WHY are we doing something different? ◦ So that students have better access to academics? WHAT we do is an effective intervention, designed to ◦ Ensure the intervention is in place ◦ Being used as intended ◦ Leading to a desired outcome

Stages of Implementation Exploration Installation Initial Implementation Full Implementation Sustainability Each stage has components that require planning for effectiveness.

Exploration Take action steps- ◦ Get key stakeholders involved ◦ Form an implementation team ◦ Identify solutions  Assess needs  Identifying possible solutions (programs and practices) to address needs  Assessing whether there is a fit between the need and solution.

Installation Develop communication pathways Ensure financial and human resources are in place Find physical space Purchase equipment and technology Develop practitioner competency Critical to include this step, although it may be the easiest to overlook.

Action steps for installation Training, coaching and data systems are put in place Training and supports are put into place for those who need to be involved in implementation Well prepared educators will feel more confident and more able to implement programs and practices with fidelity.

Initial Implementation This stage begins when the new program or system is put into place. Often a time for failure ◦ Everyone is learning ◦ Status quo is challenged Key to have intensive coaching to support the team Need to address barriers as they emerge ◦ Coaching/continuous improvement/rapid cycle problem solving Develop systemic solutions rather than allowing problems to re-emerge and re-occur

Full Implementation Teachers skillfully employ new skills Infrastructure is in place to support teachers Integrating new learning at all levels Timeframes will vary across systems in moving from initial to full implementation

Sustainability Plan for sustainability at every stage Financial sustainability (established, adequate, sustainable) ◦ Educator ◦ Administrative and support staff ◦ Equipment Programmatic sustainability (established, reliable, effective, sustainable) ◦ Continue training, coaching and fidelity measurement processes making data driven decisions for continuous improvement ◦ Ensure that policies and procedures support and facilitate full implementation

It is anticipated… That these phases overlap. That there are activities that may fall into more than one phase That each phase is, however, critical and Must be supported at multiple levels of the organization

Who does the work? Implementation teams- leverage implementation science principles and systems to support the wide spread use of evidence based programs. Implementation teams are how we “make it happen” Implementation teams actively provide the structures and supports to make the change

Implementation teams at many levels Identify where the need for change originates ◦ State, regional, district, building, classroom With collective knowledge, skills, abilities and time Core competencies of team ◦ Knowledge of program ◦ Knowledge of implementation science ◦ Applied experience in using data for program improvement

Other participants Implementation science recognizes the importance of external purveyors- external supports (AbleTech in our case) ◦ Broadly educating and stimulating interest ◦ Assessing evidence and fit/feasibility ◦ Building capacity ◦ Assisting with alignment of policies, procedures and guidelines

Improvement Cycles Used by Implementation teams to make change happen One method of improvement cycle is Plan/Do/Study/Act (PDSA) PDSA has 4 phases

PLAN Identify barriers or challenges Use data whenever possible Specify the plan to move programs forward Specify the outcomes that will be monitored

DO Carry out the strategies or plan to address the challenges already identified Gather data on what is happening

STUDY Use the measures identified during the planning phase to assess and track progress

ACT Make changes to the next iteration of the plan to improve implementation

Much of our work will focus on training Through an implementation lens, training is ◦ Purposeful ◦ Skill based ◦ Rooted in adult learning strategies ◦ Critical to support change BUT is not the only factor that promotes change

Functions of training Bolster buy in of new way Introduction of concepts and strategies Introduction of rationale for new way Safe place to “try out” new skills Training alone results in a 5% change in practice

Coaching Regular, embedded professional development Designed to help educators use the new strategies as intended Coaching WITH training can result in more effective implementation

What comes next? Ongoing study on implementation science topics Determine what supports are needed to implement systemically (P) Develop a plan that includes these supports, with all the right players and resources (P) Implement, evaluate(D) Check for change (S) Make changes (A)

Resources Sample- Minnesota English Language Arts ndImplToolkit/ Active Implementation Hub

Questions? Thank you!