This study examined the effects of performance feedback on the treatment integrity of various behavioral interventions occurring inside a classroom setting. Nine studies were analyzed across seven moderator variables (school, classroom, intervention, latency of feedback, type of feedback, consultee position and consultee experience). This meta-analysis was driven by three research questions: a) What is the magnitude of performance feedback on the treatment integrity of behavioral interventions? b) Is performance feedback an effective intervention for more intensive behavioral concerns? c) What factors make performance feedback more beneficial? Major findings in this study included small to large effect sizes, with larger effects seen in special education classrooms and interventions for behavior-specific praise. These findings suggest that performance feedback can be used across school and classroom types as well as to address intensive behavioral concerns.

Student achievement in mathematics is an area of concern that has implications for student success on an individual level as well as for the nation as a whole (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). Although tier 2 intervention has been shown to be effective in remediating math difficulty, an estimated 3-8% of students do not respond to intervention (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Compton, 2012). This indicates a need to identify specific intervention components, which can increase academic outcomes. One potential intervention component to increase academic outcomes is the use of behavioral strategies in math intervention. Behavioral strategies have been found to increase academic engagement (Brooks, Todd, Tofflemoyer & Horner, 2003; Liaupsin, Umbreit, Ferro, Urso, Upreti, 2006; Todd, Horner, & Sugai, 1999). In turn, engagement increases academic outcomes (Finn, 1993; Marks, 2000). The following study uses meta-analytic techniques to assess effect size differences between math interventions with and without behavioral components. Twelve studies were included in the analysis. In addition, effect sizes were calculated by behavioral component type in order to determine whether the magnitude of effect varied by this moderator. Results from this study indicate that the use of behavioral strategies in mathematics interventions may increase intervention effectiveness. The use of self-monitoring strategies, particularly graphing progress, led to larger effect sizes than studies which utilized other strategies (verbal praise and tangible reinforcement). Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

This study implemented performance feedback with paraeducators to increase the treatment integrity of behavior interventions. Treatment integrity, also known as treatment fidelity, refers to the extent to which an intervention is implemented as intended. Currently, performance feedback is the most research supported method for increasing treatment integrity in schools (Fallon, Collier-Meek, Maggin, Sanetti, & Johnson, 2015). Stemming from the organizational psychology literature, performance feedback is a tailored method of ongoing consultation in which a consultant collects data on the integrity of intervention components, as well as a target behavior of the student. By presenting the implementation data alongside student outcomes, the consultee is made aware of the functional relationship between their behavior and that of their students (Mortenson & Witt, 1998). This study targeted paraeducators, as they are becoming more commonly utilized when intervening with students with challenging behaviors (Giangreco, & Broer, 2005). Although they are tasked with this responsibility, paraeducators often do not receive adequate behavioral training and can struggle to implement individualized behavior plans (Giangreco, Hurley, & Suter, 2009). The goal of performance feedback is to provide a short-term intervention to increase both the skill level and the performance of the consultee (paraeducator). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a functional relationship between performance feedback and treatment integrity of comprehensive behavior intervention plans. Three outcome variables were studied: treatment integrity, student noncompliance and student replacement behavior. Participants included four paraeducator student dyads. Performance feedback occurred once per week until the paraeducator reached 80% mastery across three occasions. Effect size analyses were used in addition to visual analyses. Results showed that a functional relationship between performance feedback and improved treatment integrity for all four participants. Student-level results included a small effect for noncompliance and no effect for replacement behavior. This study provides evidence for the use of performance feedback with paraeducators.

A vast amount of research has supported the use of English CBMs to identify students at-risk of future reading difficulties. However, less research has focused on using Spanish CBMs with students receiving bilingual instruction. The purpose of this study was to assess the classification accuracy of a Spanish oral reading fluency CBM (FLO) with a group of third grade students participating in a dual immersion (DI) program and receiving 30 percent of instruction in English and 70 percent in Spanish. Overall, findings suggest that Spanish CBMs are effective tools for predicting reading performance for students who are receiving instruction in English and Spanish. Analyses revealed that the FLO measure can also be used with students with varying levels of English proficiency, including students who are English Language Learners (ELLs), English Only (EO), and Reclassified. Despite these findings, additional research is needed in order to further determine best practices when working with this designated population of students. Limitations of the study and future directions are discussed.

A large number of students do not achieve proficient levels in reading achievement. Further, an even higher percentage of students who are English language learners (ELLs) fail to reach reading proficiency across the nation – an achievement gap that has been consistent for decades (NAEP, 2015). With the ELL population continuously growing annually, it is important to focus efforts for improving skills of these students. Factors in the home environment, including parental involvement, are essential supports for children given that early literacy skill acquisition is predictive of emergent literacy skills, including oral language (Farver, Xu, Eppe, Lonigan, 2006; Farver, Xu, Lonigan, & Eppe, 2013). This paper will review the literature on home-based literacy interventions for ELLs and their families. Specifically, information will be gathered in order to form conclusions about the types of home-based literacy interventions in the research literature that are most effective. Further, this review will review existing cultural adaptations implemented in home-based interventions for ELL families and will discuss the cultural implications.

Estimations suggest more than 2 million children have experienced a parental deployment since 2002, and 1.2 million of those children are school-aged (i.e. 6 to 18 years). Academically, school-aged children whose parents are deployed perform lower than children whose parents have never been deployed, particularly with increased cumulative months of deployment experienced by military-connected (MC) children. School personnel hypothesize the impact may be due to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems resulting from parental deployment, which often relate to mental health challenges of the non-deployed parent. Home-based studies suggest deployment impacts internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems, particularly in younger children aged five to 12 years. However, there is a lack of studies examining the impact of deployment on these behavioral outcomes within the school setting and using teacher report. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of parental deployment on internalizing and externalizing behaviors within the home and school setting. The study utilized a mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) design to examine differences in behavioral and emotional risk, utilizing both parent and teacher report, between two groups. The two groups included military-connected (MC) students currently or recently experiencing deployment (within previous 6 months), and MC students who neither currently nor recently experienced parental deployment. Results suggest a significant main effect for rater on internalizing behavioral problems, with the parents rating the children higher than the teachers; however, no significant main effect of parental deployment status was indicated. No significant main effect of parental deployment status or rater was found for externalizing behavior problems. Further, while there was a significant main effect between parents and teachers on internalizing behaviors, most of the sample fell within the average range on both scales, based upon both teacher and parent report. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed.

Behavioral parent training (BPT), behavioral classroom management, behavioral peer interventions, and multicomponent behavioral treatment interventions are effective psychosocial treatments for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, research is limited on the effectiveness of these interventions over time. The purpose of this study was to determine if a school-based behavioral health program, rooted in interventions with a strong empirical foundation, is effective in improving both short-term and long-term outcomes for students with ADHD. In addition, predictors of successful treatment outcomes were examined. Participants included 63 students who had transitioned out of the program within the past 13 to 42 months. Follow-up phone calls with parents were conducted; a parent-report questionnaire and measure of ADHD symptomatology were administered. Results indicated that students’ ADHD symptomatology improved throughout the program and gains were maintained 1 to 3.5 years later. Further, results suggested that gender and race were predictive of improvements in symptomatology during the follow-up period. Additionally, parents found the intervention program to be socially valid. Suggestions for researchers and implications for practitioners are also discussed.

Emergent literacy skills have been found to be an important predictor of future linguistic acquisition and academic success. Studies have also shown that children who are consistently exposed to good quality and regular quantities of sound-letter recognition, such as storybook reading, have improved trajectories for attaining literacy skills prior to beginning kindergarten. The underlying factor is the quality of storybook reading rather than the quantity. A seminal meta-analysis conducted by Scarborough and Dobrich (1994) found that parent-preschooler reading experiences explained only 8% of the variance in early literacy achievement. Shared reading supports oral language and non-language developments, but being read to is not enough (Meyer et al., 1992). Engaging children with the explicit purpose of expanding their literacy skills is essential for their cognitive, literacy, and numeracy development (Norris & Anderson, 2008). This meta-analysis was designed to examine the effects of specific variables impacting the overall effectiveness of storybook reading as an intervention in developing emergent literacy skills, specifically the effects of explicit instruction during storybook reading. Results showed that this additional factor of parents or teachers providing explicit instruction during storybook reading has been shown to have a larger effect size than storybook reading alone.

The acquisition and utilization of literacy skills is a crucial part of social functioning. Preventative and intensive reading intervention can be administered to at-risk students in a systematic way to help facilitate gains on literacy outcomes. Despite this, barriers to implementation arise. One solution might be the use of paraeducators as providers of supplemental reading instruction. The current study uses meta-analytic procedures to evaluate two major questions: what is the overall effectiveness of paraeducators as implementers of reading intervention? In which areas are paraeducators most effective? A literature search of research from 2001 – 2017 yielded 76 studies. Nine studies met the predetermined inclusion criteria and were coded for demographic information and six common reading outcomes. Results must be interpreted with caution due to issues with sample size and heterogeneity. Spelling and decoding emerge as hopeful areas to inform future research. Other patterns involving grade, ethnicity, and gender are also explored. Implications and limitations are further discussed.

A large proportion of adolescents experience significant psychological distress, but a vast majority never obtain needed mental health services. The availability of school-based mental health services has increased immensely in recent years, but ongoing challenges impact students’ utilization of these services. Research on mental health help seeking pathways for adolescents suggests that mental health literacy (MHL), stigma towards seeking help, and context-specific barriers to care are key factors to consider. However, much of the existing literature on these constructs has not focused on help seeking in school-based mental health care settings or has taken place outside of the United States. The present study sought to explore the relationships between MHL, stigma, and school-based barriers to care, as well as to examine how these factors are related to mental health help seeking intentions in school settings. Structural equation modeling procedures (e.g., path analysis) and logistic regressions were used to estimate the relationships between variables of interest. Path analyses revealed an inverse relationship than expected between MHL and adolescents’ help seeking intentions; results suggested that higher levels of MHL negatively predicted adolescents’ school-based help seeking intentions for services. Results from logistic regression analyses suggested that informational barriers to care in schools predicted adolescent help seeking intentions; students who endorsed fewer informational barriers to care were more likely to express help seeking intentions for school-based mental health services. Significant associations were also found between perceived stigma and barriers to care in schools. Specific findings highlighted the importance of providing information to students about mental health services available at their school. Furthermore, study findings may assist researchers and school-based personnel better understand and support adolescents’ help seeking for school-based mental health services.