Tier II Intervention

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Parent-Teacher Action Research Teams (PTAR)

• Tier II Intervention
• Family-School Collaboration

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PTAR

• Goal Provide school-based intervention for
  children at-risk for emotional behavior disorder
  (EBD)
• Rationale Students with EBD
• Most challenging and difficult to teach
• Disrupt learning of other students
• Often require multi-faceted intervention
• Often served in special education settings

See PTAR Handout 1
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PTAR as a Tier II Intervention

• Emotional-behavior problems can be recognized at
  early ages
• Promising Tier II interventions include
• Parent training, teacher consultation, social
  skills training, pre-referral teams

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PTAR Membership

• Classroom teacher
• Parent
• Parent liaison
• Facilitator
• Others as needed (e.g., speech-language
  pathologist)

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PTAR Process MAPS

• Making Action Plans
• (formerly the McGill Action Planning System)

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MAPS Process

• Action Research Cycle
• Facilitators role
• Parent Liaisons role

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MAPS Ground Rules

• Parent speaks first
• Anyone may choose to pass or stop
• All ideas are recorded in team members own words
• All ideas are expressed as positively as possible

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MAPS Process First Two Meetings

• Identify childs strengths
• Identify parents and teachers hopes and fears
• Establish mutual parent-teacher goals
• Establish observable indicators for each goal
  (How will we know? What will it look like?)
• Plan observations (parent and teacher)

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Action Research Cycle
REFLECTION
Collecting Data
Analyzing Data
ACTION
PRACTICAL THEORY
Getting Permission
Brainstorming Ideas
PLAN OF ACTION
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Facilitators Role

• Create agenda based on PTAR goals
• Summarize previous meeting
• Ask parent to report observations
• Clarify and connect parent observations to goals
• Ask teacher to report observations
• Clarify and connect teacher observations to goals
• Help team members develop their practical theory
  What does this tell us about (child)?

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Facilitators Role

• Help team members formulate action plans and
  observations to test their theory
• If no theory, help team members decide what to
  observe for additional information
• Summarize meeting and review action plans to be
  undertaken prior to next meeting
• Set date for next meeting
• Distribute meeting notes

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Parent Liaisons Role Between Meetings

• Contact parent at least once to discuss
  observations and action plans
• If necessary, call or visit parent to help record
  observations
• Refer parent to resources within the community,
  as needed
• Meet with facilitator biweekly
• Keep detailed notes and send weekly to
  facilitator

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PTAR Efficacy Research Findings

• The Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project
• PTAR Social Skills Instruction

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project

• Kindergarten teachers identified students at risk
  for EBD, using a multiple gating procedure
• Random assignment into
• PTAR group (PTAR team process social skills
  instruction)
• Control group (Social skills instruction only)
• Social skills instruction Whole-class social
  skills instruction selected by teacher (e.g.
  Second Step, Skillstreaming the Elementary School
  Child, Lions Quest)

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project Outcome
Measures

• Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
• Achenbach Teacher Report Form (TRF)
• Achenbach Direct Observation Form (DOF)
• Social Skills Rating System (SSRS)
• Family Empowerment Scale-School Version

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project Data
Collection

• Parent liaisons obtained CBCL and SSRS during
  home visits
• Teachers completed TRF and SSRS forms
• Independent observers used DOF in four 10-minute
  observations
• Data collected in fall and spring of two
  consecutive years

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project Outcomes

• Significant reductions in
• Teacher reported internalizing behavior problems
  and delinquent behavior
• Parent reported total problems, externalizng and
  delinquent behavior
• Observed internalizing problems

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project Outcomes

• Significant increases in
• Parent reported cooperation, self-control and
  competence in child
• Parent report feelings of empowerment to obtain
  school-based services for their children

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Achieving, Behaving, Caring Project Limitations

• Sample had moderate levels of risk for EBD
• Parents and teachers were not blind to childrens
  group assignments
• Lack of control group that received no
  intervention
• Generalizability of results to urban settings,
  diverse populations?
• Long-term outcomes?

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Parent-Teacher Action Research Teams (PTAR)
Resources

• Cheney, Douglas. (1998). Using action research
  as a collaborative process to enhance educators
  and families knowledge and skills for youth with
  emotional and behavior disorders. Preventing
  School Failure. 42, 88-93.
• Forest, M. Pearpoint, J.C. (1992). Putting
  kids on the MAP. Educational Leadership, 50,
  26-31.
• Kay, P.J. Fitzgerald, M. (1997). Parents
  Teachers Action Research Real Involvement.
  Teaching Exceptional Children, 8-11.
• McConaughy, S.H., Kay, P.J. Fitzgerald, M.
  (1999). The achieving, behaving, caring project
  for preventing ED Two-year outcomes. Journal
  of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 7,
  224-239.
• McConaughy, S.H., Kay, P.J. Fitzgerald, M.
  (1998). Preventing SED through parent-teacher
  action research and social skills instruction
  First-year outcomes. Journal of Emotional and
  Behavioral Disorders, 6, 81-93.