1. Situating Professional Development on RtI within Implementation Science
RESEARCH
IMPLEMENTATION
PRACTICE
Implementation is seen as providing the necessary bridge , or intersection, between research and practice.
Research provides the evidence-base for well-defined activities and (CLICK) the core components of effective implementation are what is necessary for these practices to get put into place in the real world.
Note that POLICY can be substituted in this framework for where PRACTICE currently is. Implementation science can inform how policies related to professional development systems are implemented on the ground.
And the reason why we should care about implementation is (CLICK) because children and families can’t benefit from interventions they don’t experience.
There’s a real concern about children and families not experiencing the benefits of programs and policies because of some implementation “gaps” that have been identified in the research and evaluation literature.
These gaps include…
That what is adopted is not always used with fidelity – that is, not all components of a defined program get put into practice ,or not all components are done well ,and therefore the expected outcomes aren’t being achieved.
OR, sometimes the problem isn’t that a program or practice isn’t being implemented with fidelity, but it isn’t being sustained for a long enough period of time to affect outcomes for children and families. Research indicates that it takes 2 to 4 years for a program that has been implemented well to show significant outcomes .
And lastly, it may be that the components are being implemented well, and even sustained for a sufficient period of time, but it may not reach an audience big enough to have the desired impact. This last implementation gap speaks to the importance of scaling, and making sure that a particular initiative has the appropriate scale to achieve the desired outcomes. Bringing a program to scale means reaching the majority of the intended audience – this commonly means reaching more than 50, 60, or 70% of the target participants. This is especially important to think about for statewide initiatives such as aligned PD systems.
“Children and families cannot benefit from interventions they do not experience.”
© Fixsen & Blase, 2008

3. NPDCI Professional Development Framework
Resources
Policies
WHO
WHAT
Highly effective teaching & intervening
Virginia – This slide currently has animation, but we can take this off if we need to…
Evaluation
HOW
Organizational Structures
Access & Outreach

4. The “Who”— Target Audiences for PD on RtI
Administrators
Families
Practitioners
Specialists
PD Providers

5. The “What”— The Content for PD on RtI For ALL
RtI components, practices, policies, research (awareness
Collaboration/coordination with teachers, specialists, and families (skills, application)

6. The “What”— Additional Content for PD on RtI
Who
Additional Content Needed (Level of Impact)
Administrators
Environmental supports for RtI (skills, application)
Families
Instructional practices to support learning goals for individual child (skill, application)
Practitioners
Practices within all tiers (skills, application)
School Psychologists
Formative assessment linked with instructional approaches within tiers (skills, application)
Specialists
Practices within tier 1 (awareness)
Practices within tiers 2 & 3 (skills, application)
PD Providers
RtI components and related practices witin all tiers (skills, application)
Environmental supports for RtI (awareness)
Effective PD approaches for embedding and sustaining RtI in early childhood settings (skills, application)

7. Considerations for the “How” of PD on RtI An Integrated System of PD…
aligned with the “who” and the “what” at level of desired impact
reflective of research on effective PD delivery
integrated into an implementation science framework

8. The “How”— Research Evidence on Effective PD Approaches
Focused on specific instructional strategies rather than general content
Infused with active learning opportunities, guided practice and corrective feedback
Connected with program standards, curricula, and assessments
Sustained over time and of considerable duration
-Snyder, Hemmeter, & McLanglin,2012;
Wei et al., 2009; Winton, 2010; Zaslow, et al., 2010

9. CONNECT Modules for Faculty & PD Providers
Module 4: Family-Professional Partnerships
Module 3: Communication for Collaboration
Module 1: Embedded Interventions
Module 2: Transition
Module 6: Dialogic Reading
Module 7: Tiered Instruction (Social emotional development & Academic learning)
Module 5: Assistive Technology Interventions

10. Comments & Questions?