A randomized trial examining the effects of paraprofessional behavior support coaching for elementary students with disruptive behavior disorders: Paraprofessional and student outcomes

doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2022.04.002

Journal of School Psychology

Volume 92, June 2022, Pages 227-245

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.04.002 Get rights and content

Abstract

There is limited research on job-embedded professional development designed to promote paraprofessionals' use of research-based strategies to support students with disruptive behaviors. This study serves as the first clustered randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of the Behavior Support Coaching for Paraprofessional Model (BSC-P), which is a job-embedded training intervention for elementary schools. BSC-P is a data-driven coaching model designed to enhance paraprofessionals' implementation of behavior interventions for elementary school students with or at risk for disruptive behavior disorders. Within the present study, primary dependent measures included paraprofessionals' behavioral strategy implementation and perceived supports, the paraprofessional-teacher relationship, and work-related stress, as well as observed and rated student behaviors, academic engagement, academic achievement, and social skills. The sample included 259 students, 101 paraprofessionals, and 36 elementary schools randomly assigned to the BSC-P coaching condition or the waitlist control condition. Multilevel models revealed that, relative to those in the waitlist control condition, BSC-P paraprofessionals demonstrated improvements in behavior management practices (antecedent strategies d = 0.91, reward appropriate behavior d = 1.51) and emotional and instrumental support (ds = 0.60 and 0.63, respectively). No between-condition effects were found for perceived teacher-paraprofessional relationships or work-related stress. Relative to students in the waitlist control condition, students supported by BSC-P paraprofessionals exhibited improvements in observed verbal and physical aggression (ds = −0.68) and academic engagement (d = 0.87), as well as teacher-rated school problems (d = −0.43), adaptive skills (d = 0.44), and social skills (d = 0.42). Paraprofessionals reported that BSC-P was an acceptable and useful professional development model.

Section snippets

Need to support students with DBDs

Students with or at risk for DBDs are vulnerable to long-term social, behavioral, and academic difficulties. DBDs are the most common reason for referrals to school teams and mental health clinics, utilizing approximately 30% of special education services in schools nationwide (Allen, 2016; Pikard et al., 2018). Students with DBDs who receive special education services often are classified under Other Health Impairment or Emotional Disturbance (Reddy et al., 2013). These students tend to have

Paraprofessionals as important classroom support agents

Paraprofessionals are one of the most prevalent providers of classroom-based behavior interventions and strategies and offer assistance for reinforcing learning and social activities led by classroom teachers (e.g., Chopra et al., 2011; Fisher & Pleasants, 2012; Giangreco et al., 2013; Giangreco & Broer, 2005). Although paraprofessional roles vary (e.g., assemble learning materials, promote peer interaction, manage behavior, supplemental instruction; Sobek, 2016) in school contexts, they are

Need for school-based coaching for paraprofessionals

The effectiveness of paraprofessional professional development has been significantly understudied. Existing research has almost exclusively focused on classroom settings for students with severe developmental disabilities, with many studies demonstrating poor methodological quality (Walker & Smith, 2015). In a recent review of the efficacy of paraprofessional training, Reddy, Alperin, and Glover (2021) found only 16 investigations that assessed the efficacy of professional development

Behavior support coaching for paraprofessionals

The Behavior Support Coaching for Paraprofessionals (BSC-P) coaching model is provided to paraprofessionals, with participation from classroom teachers, to enhance knowledge and implementation of research-based behavior management practices to improve elementary school (i.e., Grades K–5) students' behavior and learning in the classroom (see Table 1). BSC-P is data-driven and grounded in research on teacher coaching and behavioral consultation (e.g., Bergan & Kratochwill, 1990; Kraft et al., 2018

Purpose of study

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of the BSC-P for enhancing (a) paraprofessional's implementation of behavioral strategies; (b) perceptions about supports, the paraprofessional-teacher relationship, and work-related stress; and (c) student behavioral outcomes. Specific research questions were:

1.
What is the effect of BSC-P on the implementation of paraprofessionals' behavior strategy implementation? Based on improvements in coached educators' behavioral

Participants

Data for the present study were obtained from 101 paraprofessionals and 98 classroom teacher partners that taught 259 unique students with or at risk of DBDs. A small number of classrooms included more than one paraprofessional. All paraprofessional, teacher, and student pairings were in elementary school (Grades K–5) and came from 36 schools in a northeast state in the US.

All schools were in urban or suburban settings with 60.49% being the average percent (SD = 26.00%, range = 5.60%–95.50%) of

Results

Primary outcome measures included (a) paraprofessional behavior practices; (b) paraprofessional perceived supports, stress, and relationship quality with classroom teachers (Table 4); and (c) student behavior, academic engagement, social skills, and achievement (Table 5). Table 4, Table 5 present descriptive statistics, parameter estimates for fixed effects of interest (i.e., Condition for models evaluating paraprofessional outcomes; Timepoint X Condition interaction for models evaluating

Discussion

Paraprofessionals serve as vital support staff for classroom teachers and students eligible for special education services. As school personnel, they have historically received limited supervision and training to meet the complex academic, behavioral, and social needs of the students they serve (e.g., Ashbaker & Morgan, 2006; Giangreco et al., 2013). Job-embedded professional development models, such as data-driven coaching, are a promising avenue to enhance paraprofessionals' use of

Conclusion

Findings from the present investigation advance knowledge regarding the implementation of behavior support coaching for paraprofessionals supporting students with or at risk for DBDs in elementary school classrooms. The current RCT marks the first to test the efficacy of the BSC-P model specifically for supporting paraprofessionals in their use of data-driven, research-based behavior interventions and promoting positive student outcomes in elementary school settings. Overall, findings from this

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^☆: The current study was implemented as part of a US Department of Education – Institute of Education Sciences NCSER efficacy project (awarded to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, #R324A170069). The positions and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors.

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A randomized trial examining the effects of paraprofessional behavior support coaching for elementary students with disruptive behavior disorders: Paraprofessional and student outcomes☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Need to support students with DBDs

Paraprofessionals as important classroom support agents

Need for school-based coaching for paraprofessionals

Behavior support coaching for paraprofessionals

Purpose of study

Participants

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Aggression and Violent Behavior

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of School Psychology

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

Ratings of relations between DSM-IV diagnostic categories and items

Externalizing disorders: Assessment, treatment, and school-based interventions

Behavior support coaching for a paraprofessional working with first-grade students exhibiting disruptive behavior problems in an urban high-poverty elementary school

Clinical Case Studies

The role of administrators in paraprofessional supervision to support ethnic minority students with special needs

Educational Considerations

Co-occurring problems of early onset persistent, childhood limited, and adolescent onset conduct problem youth

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4

Journal of Statistical Software

Behavioral consultation and therapy: Applied clinical psychology

Relationships between working conditions and special educators’ instruction

Journal of Special Education

Contemporary practices in school psychology: A national survey of roles and referral problems

Psychology in the Schools

Perspectives of students with intellectual disabilities about their experiences with paraprofessional support

Exceptional Children

Self-monitoring interventions for students with behavior problems: A systematic review of current research

Behavioral Disorders

Knowledge, responsibilities, and training needs of paraprofessionals in elementary and secondary schools

Remedial and Special Education

Direct behavior rating (DBR): An emerging method for assessing social behavior within a tiered intervention system

Assessment for Effective Intervention

Effective supervision of paraeducators: Multiple benefits and outcomes

National Teacher Education Journal

Examining teacher use of praise taught during behavioral consultation: Implementation and generalization considerations

Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation

Statistical power analyses for the behavioral sciences

Conjoint behavioral consultation and social skills training: Enhancing the play behaviors of boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation

Conners

Conduct disorder in girls: Diagnostic and intervention issues

Psychology in the Schools

A description of instructional coaching and its relationship to consultation

Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation

Introduction to a special issue on child and adolescent feeding and eating disorders and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

The International Journal of Eating Disorders

Breaking bad behavior: The rise of classroom disruptions in early grades and how districts are responding

The relative performance of full information maximum likelihood estimation for missing data in structural equation models

Structural Equation Modeling

Put me in, coach: Observations on selected studies implementing supportive interventions to teachers

School Mental Health

Burnout among teachers: Students’ and teachers’ perceptions compared

School Psychology International

Pub. L. No. 114-95 § 114 Stat. 1177 (2015-2016)

Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior

Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

Use of teacher coaching and formative assessment for improving classroom practices

School Psychology Quarterly

Roles, responsibilities, and concerns of paraeducators: Findings from a statewide survey

Remedial and Special Education

Common core state standards and diverse urban students: Using multi-tiered systems of support

Mindset of paraprofessionals serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders

Intervention in School and Clinic

Classroom management affects literacy development of students with emotional and behavioral disorders

Exceptional Children

Paraprofessional turnover and retention in inclusive programs: Hidden costs and promising practices

Remedial and Special Education