1. Empirically-Supported Practices for Supporting Teachers’ Classroom Management
Sarah Wilkinson, Janet Van Lone, Lola Gordon,
Brandi Simonsen, & Jennifer Freeman
University of Connecticut

2. Session Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to:
Define the elements of effective professional development
Identify the critical components of effective classroom management
Determine how best to support all teachers in developing their classroom management skills
Access resources to help establish classroom management-focused professional development in your setting

3. Agenda Introductions Background & Rationale
Providing Support to Teachers
Group Discussions & Action Planning
Q&A

4. Introductions
Polling (use this data to determine grouping decision later
Why did they come to this session?
What challenges do they face providing PD to teachers around CM?
PRECORRECTION for avoiding talk of “that teacher”

5. Helpful Resources PBIS Systems Brief OSEP Behavior Guide
PBIS Data Brief
Talk about the systems brief specifically
What it includes
Describe contents and formatting
Explain that this session covers only a part of the document
Recommend its use beyond just what we talk about today

6. Literature Review

7. Teacher Training in Classroom Management
Why did we conduct this review?
What was our purpose?
Strong CM is related to positive student outcomes (Oliver & Reschly, 2007)
Many teachers lack sufficient pre-service training and in- service support in CM (Bergeny & Martens, 2006; Freeman et al., 2014; Wei, Darling-Hammond, & Adamson, 2010)
Didactic training alone is ineffective (Allen & Forman, 1984)
Characteristics of the empirical literature examining PD for in- service teachers in the area of CM
Effects of PD in CM on teacher behavior
Effects of PD in CM on student behavior
Common components of effective in-service PD for CM

8. Teacher Training in Classroom Management
2232 initial abstracts screened to 123 articles included
Findings
Didactic Training: presentation, workshop, or in-service event that has clear and explicit instructional structure
Outside Expert Coaching: an outside expert (e.g., researcher) meets with the teacher to plan strategies for improvement
Performance Feedback: an individual observes the teacher and provides data-based feedback to the teacher about their performance, often accompanied by a graph
***update with new number??

9. Classroom Management

10. Goal of Education: Student Achievement
(Gest & Gest, 2005; Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011)

11. Critical Features of CM (Simonsen et al., 2008)
Maximize structure
Establish and teach positively-stated expectations
Engage students in instruction
Establish a continuum of strategies to increase appropriate behavior
Establish a continuum of strategies to decrease inappropriate behavior

12. CM Practices Decision-making Guide: 3 Key ?s
Are the foundations of effective CM in place? + +
Effectively design the physical environment of the classroom
Develop & teach predictable classroom routines.
Post, define, & teach 3-5 positive classroom expectations.
Are proactive and positive CM practices implemented consistently? + +
Provide high rates of varied opportunities to respond.
Use prompts and active supervision.
Acknowledge behavior with specific praise & other strategies.
Do data indicate that students are still engaging in problem behavior?

13. Do data indicate that students are still engaging in problem behavior?
Are students still engaging in problem behavior?
Are behaviors minor or major expectation violations?
Use brief, specific error correction & other strategies
How many students are involved (many or few)?
Review, adjust & intensify CWPBIS. Ask for help!
Request additional (tier 2 & 3) support for students.
Well done! Monitor outcomes and adjust as needed
Yes No
Minor
Major
Do data indicate that students are still engaging in problem behavior?
Many
Few

14. MTSS for Teachers

15. Why apply the “triangle” to teachers?
Professional development can be resource intensive
Like students, teachers have individual needs
Developing an MTSS framework for PD provides a more effective and efficient approach than the typical “one size fits all” structure

16. What does this look like?
TIER 1
Who: Provided to ALL teachers
Example: All building teachers receive training and coaching in research-supported CM practices using didactic instruction

17. What does this look like?
TIER 2
Who: Provided to groups of teachers (e.g., early career teachers, those who teach in inclusive settings, special education teachers, those who write high numbers of ODRs)
Example: Early career teachers receive follow-up instructional supports and coaching

18. What does this look like?
TIER 3
Who: Provided individually to teachers in need of more intensive supports
Example: Coach collects data, monitors progress, and provides teacher with performance feedback on specific CM skills

19. Multi-tiered Framework of Professional Development Support
Intensive PD: Data-driven Consultation
Tier 2
Targeted PD: Self-Management with Peer or Coaching Supports
Tier 1
Universal PD: Training & Self-Management
Progress Monitoring
Walk-through, Student Data Review, Teacher Collected Data
Universal Screening
Walk-through & Student Data Review
How can we approach intensifying our supports
for educators implementing CM practices?
(adapted from Simonsen, MasSuga, Briere, Freeman, Myers, Scott, & Sugai, 2013)

20. Engagement Teamwork Feedback Precision Practice
SWPBS: Core Practice Features
Precision
TERTIARY PREVENTION
Multi-disciplinary team w/ behavior expertise
Function-based behavior support
Wraparound, culture-driven, person-centered supports & planning
School mental health
Continuous monitoring of progress & implementation fidelity
Increased precorrection, supervision, reinforcement
Engagement
Feedback
Practice
Teamwork
SECONDARY PREVENTION
Team-led implementation w/ behavior expertise
Increased social skills instruction, practice
Increased supervision & precorrection
Increased opportunities for reinforcement
Continuous progress monitoring
This TIERED LOGIC can be illustrated by a schools that has ALIGNED its BEHAVIOR SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS OR PRACTICES BY THREE GENERAL TIERS
TIER 1 PRACTICES ARE FOR ALL STUDENTS ACROSS ALL SCHOOL SETTINGS
TIER 2 PRACTICES ARE FOR STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIALIZED (SMALL GROUP) SUPPORTS
TIER 3 PRACTICES ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED AND INTENSIVE FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS.
It is important to notice that these practices are
SMALL IN NUMBER
CONCEPTUALLY ALIGNED
AND WOULD HAVE DATA RULES FOR MOVEMENT UP AND DOWN THE CONTINUUM
PRIMARY PREVENTION
Team-led implementation
Behavior priority
Social behavior expectations
SW & CW teaching & encouraging of expectations
Consistency in responding to problem behavior
Data-based decision making

21. Putting Research into Practice

22. In practice, PD should be:
Effective
Feasible
Data-driven
Focused on skills that are observable and measurable

23. How can schools best support teachers?
Use a comprehensive school-wide data collection and monitoring system
Invest in evidence-based curriculum
Employ effective instructional strategies and use data to make instructional decisions
Align classroom and school-wide expectations and practices
Communicate positively and proactively with staff
Recognize staff for engaging in effective practices
(Freeman et al., 2017)

24. Three Key Questions (Freeman et al., 2017)
Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?

25. CM Systems Action Planning Guide:
3 Key Questions
Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
CM implementation is a clear school and district priority
School and district resources are available to support CM implementation
School and district teams have considered alignment and integration of CM with other district priorities and initiatives + +
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?

26. CM Systems Action Planning Guide:
3 Key Questions
Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
Clear expectations and explicit training about practices that should be implemented by all staff.
Coaching and/or regularly available performance feedback on the use of CM practices? +
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Does your school provide additional supports for new teachers? Is there a plan for addressing staff turnover? Is there a way to intensify coaching supports in your school?
Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?

27. Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?
Are staff implementing CM practices with fidelity?
Well done! Monitor outcomes and adjust as needed
Determine the number of classrooms needing support (many or a few)
Review and adjust universal support
Determine type and severity of implementation changes (minor or major)
Provide supplemental support to small groups of staff needing support
Consider individualized supports and other strategies for staff members needing intensified support.
Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
Yes No
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Major
Minor
Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?
Many
Few
What data do we use to drive decision making?

28. Focus: Question 2
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?

29. Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?
Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
Clear expectations and explicit training about practices that should be implemented by all staff.
Do all staff know what CM practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Examples:
Clearly stated outcomes
Explicit (model, lead, test) approach
Job-embedded
Linked to school data
Delivered in various contexts and connected to practice
Non-Examples:
PD focuses only on theory and assumes educators will discover practices
Full-day intensive training with no follow-up
Short trainings not connected to larger need, structure, etc.
Do data indicate that staff are implementing CM practices effectively?

30. Are the foundational systems in place to support CM practice implementation by all staff?
Clear expectations and explicit training about practices that should be implemented by all staff.
Coaching and/or regularly available performance feedback on the use of CM practices? +
Do all staff know what PCBS practices to implement and if they’re doing it accurately?
Examples:
Prompts and reminders
Supportive data-based feedback
Supports may be delivered by
Coach/mentor
Peer/peer team
Self
Non-Examples:
Data delivered in punitive evaluative fashion
Feedback delayed or not data-based
Connect coaching back to feasibility
Also connect to MTSS and triangle
Do data indicate that staff are implementing PCBS practices effectively?

31. Internal or External Coach/Mentor
Example
Non-Example
Sends regular reminders to staff about CM strategies
Conducts walk through observations
Collects data on use of skills
Provides specific, supportive, and data-based feedback
Conversations are not focused on specific CM strategies
Conversations are not guided by data
Data are used for evaluative purposes

32. Peer Coach/Mentor Example Non-Example
Grade level or department teams focus on strategies targeted for improvement; review critical features, provide feedback and implementation support
Pairs of educators work together; review critical features of each skill, provide practice opportunities and observational feedback
Lack of structure for meetings
Not using data to select skills or guide conversations
Lack of trust among members
Focus becomes student- specific rather than educator skills

33. Self Coaching Example Non-Example
Educator provided with explicit instruction in one or more specific CM strategies
Educator sets a goal for improvement and is provided with a tool for data collection and evaluation
Educator self-reinforces when goal is met
Asking educator to self- manage without clearly understanding the targeted strategy or data collection method

34. 1. Are core/enhanced features of practices implemented with fidelity?
Self Assessment
Direct observation Checklists
Direct observation of specific skills
Self-management of specific skills
Direct Behavior Ratings (DBR)
Grades/Work Samples
Attendance
Anecdotal Reports (ABC Charts)
Direct Observation
Event Based Systems (Tally)
Time (Duration/Latency)
Time Based Estimates
4. Action plan: How will you enhance implementation (intensify, modify, or select/add features)?
2. Are all individuals achieving desired outcomes?
3. What is the nature of the problem (who, what, why)?

35. Self-Assessment Allows us to see areas of strength and need
May be supplemented with additional information (e.g., direct observation, ODRs)
Can be completed on a school-wide, grade-wide, department-wide, or classroom level
Source of data
Performance feedback, evidence of growth over time

36. Self-Assessment Examples
(Freeman et al., 2017)
(Simonsen et al., 2006)

37. Action Planning Sets priorities and goals
Outlines specific steps to be taken, roles of individuals involved, and timeline features
Focus on observable and measurable outcomes, goals, and action steps

38. Action Planning Examples
(Freeman et al., 2017)
(Simonsen et al., 2006)

39. Let’s Practice!

40. Northeast Middle School
Leadership team meets regularly to review data
Walk through data suggest CM strategies are inconsistent
CM is clear priority for school and district administration
Administrators set clear expectation that all teachers implement practices
Resources are dedicated to support the initiative

42. observable/measurable steps, who is involved, when will it take place
Now what? Action Plan!
How can NMS ensure all teachers receive explicit instruction on CM strategies?
How can NMS use coaching resources to ensure all teachers receive support to consistently implement expected CM strategies?
How can NMS provide teachers with feedback on their performance?
What data should the NMS leadership team use to monitor how teachers are responding to the supports provided?
Remember to include:
observable/measurable steps, who is involved, when will it take place
Connect back to MTSS/triangle

43. Applying the Process to Your Setting
How can you take this information back to your school?
What modifications might you need to consider in order for this process to work within your individual setting?
What steps do you need to take to share this process with your school leadership team?

44. Any Questions?