1. Classroom Engagement Model Introduction Module
This initiative is made possible with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding CFDA # Special Education –Preschool Grants and CFDA # Special Education –Grants for Infants & Families. REV Nov, 2015

2. Is The Classroom Engagement Model Right for Your Program?
Why Focus on Engagement?
What is the Classroom Engagement Model?
What are the Benefits to Our Program?
What are the Next Steps?
Add bullet that says “How will you know if you are ready?”

3. What is the Classroom Engagement Model?
The Classroom Engagement Model is a framework for improving child outcomes in preschool classrooms by increasing the engagement of every child through research-based teaching practices, collaboration between all team members, functional needs assessment and goals, and data-driven decision-making.
What is the Classroom Engagement Model?
Tier 1: All Children
Tier 2: 5-15% of children
Tier 3: 1-10%
Pyramid Model was initially described as an intervention framework for children 2 ‐ 5 years old within early childhood settings. However, newer iterations of the model provide guidance for the implementation of the framework with infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and include interventions needed to support children who are typically developing and who have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities.
The term social-emotional development refers to the developing capacity of the child from birth through five years of age to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, regulate, and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways; and explore the environment and learn – all in the context of family, community, and culture. Caregivers promote healthy development by working to support social-emotional wellness in all young children, and make every effort to prevent the occurrence or escalation of social-emotional problems in children at-risk, identifying and working to remediate problems that surface, and when necessary, referring children and their families to appropriate services. 3 3

4. What is Engagement?
The amount of time a child spends interacting with the environment (adults, peers, and materials) in a way that is appropriate for their age, abilities and surroundings. (McWilliam & Bailey, 1992)

5. Why focus on Engagement?
When children are actively engaged with their environment, they interact with others more, manipulate materials more and therefore learn more
Increasing levels of engagement lowers the amount of aggression and off-task behaviors
Improved engagement results in more pleasant classroom environment that is conducive to learning & less compliance-oriented
R.A. McWilliam (2008)
An estimated 9 to 13% of American children and adolescents between ages nine to 17 have serious diagnosable emotional or behavioral health disorders resulting in substantial to extreme impairment.
(Friedman, 2002)
More than half of students with SED drop out of grades 9-12, the highest rate for all disability categories.
(U.S. Department of Education, 2002; 2006)
At 2 years post high school, 58% of youth have been arrested at least once and 42% are on probation or parole. (NLTS2, 2005).
Students with ED reported use of alcohol (54%), illegal drug use (36%), marijuana use (33%), and smoking (53%) at rates higher than all other disability categories (NLTS2, 2008)
Campbell (1995) estimated that approximately 10-15% of all typically developing preschool children have
chronic mild to moderate levels of
behavior problems.
Children who are poor are much more likely to develop behavior problems with prevalence rates that approach 30% (Qi & Kaiser, 2003).
The proportion of preschool children meeting the criteria for the clinical diagnosis of ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) ranges from 7% to 25% of children in the United States, depending on the population surveyed ( Webster-Stratton, 1997) .
Children who are identified as hard to manage at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability (50:50) of continuing to have difficulties into adolescence (Campbell & Ewing, 1990; Campbell, 1997; Egeland et al., 1990).
Early Predictors
Temperamental Difficulties
Early Aggression
Language Difficulties
Noncompliance
Family Factors
Maternal Depression
Harsh Parenting
Stressful Family Life Events
Low Social Support
Family Instability
Children of mothers who were depressed in their infancy are more likely to be delayed
Children of depressed mothers are at increased risk for behavior problems, depression, and mood disorders in adolescence
The correlation between preschool-age aggression and aggression at age 10 is higher than that for IQ. (Kazdin, 1995
Early appearing aggressive behaviors are the best predictor of juvenile gang membership and violence. (Reid, 1993
When aggressive and antisocial behavior has persisted to age 9, further intervention has a poor chance of success. (Dodge, 1993)
Young Children with Challenging Behavior:
Are rejected by peers
Receive less positive feedback
Do worse in school
Are less likely to be successful in kindergarten
Preschool children are three times more likely to be “expelled” than children in grades K-12 (Gilliam, 2005)
Faculty in higher education early childhood programs report that their graduates are least likely to be prepared to work with children with persistently challenging behavior (Hemmeter, Santos, & Ostrosky, 2004)
Of the young children who need mental health services, it has been estimated that fewer than 10% receive services for these difficulties. (Kataoka, Zhang, & Wells, 2002)
There are evidence-based practices that are effective in changing this developmental trajectory…the problem is not what to do, but rests in ensuring access to intervention and support (Kazdin & Whitley, 2006)

6. Minnesota Classroom Engagement Model
Classroom Wide Strategies to Improve Engagement
Classroom Environment
Maximizing Routines
Zone Defense Schedule
Engaging Individual Children
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Incidental Teaching
Peer Mediated Strategies
Caregiver Collaboration
Family Engagement
Functional Needs Assessment and Goals
Collaborative Consultation
Data Driven Decision Making
Child, Classroom and Program level data collected and used
1 min
Review the components. Synthesis of research from Robin McWilliams, ECTA Center work on Recommended Practices.
Remind folks this is a pilot and we will be working together to figure out what fits and what needs to be changed.
ECTA/PW Leadership Team

7. Intentional Teaching Practices
When children are engaged, they are ready for learning and experience more opportunities to practice skills (ECTA Center). Research-based teaching practices that improve engagement of every child are essential components to the Classroom Engagement Model

8. Classroom Engagement Model Teaching Practices
Routines within Routines within Routines
Environmental supports and Zoning
Embedded Learning Opportunities
Prompting Cues and Preference Items
Incidental Teaching
Peer Mediated Strategies

9. Collaborative Partnerships
The quality of relationships and interactions among team members affects the success of programming. Collaboration practices should promote and sustain adult partnerships, relationships, and ongoing interactions to ensure that programs and services achieve desired child and family outcomes and goals
Strategies include:
Regular communication between all team members and caregivers to jointly plan and implement interventions
Integrated therapy services

10. Functional Needs Assessment and Goals
Assessment informs intervention and is a critical component of services for young children.
Team members will obtain information about the child’s skills in daily activities, routines, and environments such as home, day care or early learning center and community
Strategies for assessment & goal-writing include:
Routine Based Interview
Supportive, responsive relationships with primary caregivers

11. How does Program Wide Adoption Work?
Content
Practices to Increase Engagement
Process
for implementing to fidelity
Content + Process.
Content is the evidence based practices that increase engagement
Process is Implementation Science- the system that supports your program reaching fidelity with these practices.
Old way= one person attends a training and everyone hopes it will make a change
New way= systematic implementation through training, coaching, data collection and use and implementation team leadership leads to fidelity
Additional information about Active Implementation can be found at:
ECTA/PW Leadership Team

12. Key features of Implementing Classroom Engagement Model
You will need:
To identify staff time and resources for a data manager (approx .5 days per month); internal coach (approx .5 day per month per classroom)
An implementation team consisting of the program leader, leader of a partner program, data manager, external coach, internal coach(es), staff representative(s) that will meet on a monthly basis.

13. How Will We Know if We are Ready?
Focusing on increasing child engagement is a goal supported by at least 80% of staff.
Resources can be secured to support staff release time for training and coaching
Engagement is in line with current district priorities and initiatives
Add to yellow tool “create staff buy in.”

14. What are the Expected Benefits?
Staff have the skills to increase engagement of every child.
Staff look to each other as sources of additional information and support.
Staff become intentional and purposeful in interactions with children in order to build on their strengths.
Community partnerships are strengthened through collaborative practices
Families and caregivers are included in a meaningful way in planning and delivery of their child’s services

15. What are the Next Steps? Review Give & Get with PDF
Complete Hexagon Tool with PDF
Complete Application, including securing approval from school board
This initiative is made possible with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding CFDA # Special Education –Preschool Grants and CFDA # Special Education –Grants for Infants & Families.