STUDENT OUTCOMES AS REPORTED BY SCHOOLS ATTUNED PARTICIPANTS: INDIVIDUAL AND WHOLE CLASSROOM EFFECTS

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STUDENT OUTCOMES AS REPORTED BY SCHOOLS ATTUNED
PARTICIPANTS INDIVIDUAL AND WHOLE CLASSROOM
EFFECTS

• TAMARA A. NIMKOFF
• LESLIE M. BABINSKI
• ANN E. HARMAN
• All Kinds of Minds
• 1450 Raleigh Road, Suite 200
• Chapel Hill, NC 27517

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ABSTRACT

• The Schools Attuned Program is a professional
  development program designed to improve
  educators abilities to help students with
  differences in learning find success in school.
  The purpose this investigation was to examine the
  student outcomes that educators reported as a
  result of their use of the Schools Attuned
  Program. In addition, we explored how those
  reported outcomes varied according to student
  variables and educator experience. Results of a
  cross-sectional survey study indicated that
  educators saw improvements in students academic,
  social, behavioral, and affective outcomes. In
  addition, certain reported student outcomes
  differed based on student characteristics and
  educator experience. Lastly, educators who
  reported successful outcomes for an individual
  student were more likely to report positive
  outcomes for their whole class. The results of
  this investigation provide insight into the
  outcomes of a professional development program
  and identify trends that should be further
  investigated through independent research.

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THE SCHOOLS ATTUNED PROGRAM

• TRAINING COMPONENTS
• Neurodevelopmental approach to assessment and
  instructional practice (Levine, 1998)
• Pre-course activities
• 35 hour Core Course
• 10 hours of Practicum

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THE SCHOOLS ATTUNED PROGRAM

• APPLICATIONS
• Individual student (Attuning a Student)
• Whole classroom instruction

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ATTUNING A STUDENT

• SEVEN STEP PROCESS
• Noticing a student
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Profile building
• Linking the profile to school performance
• Developing a management by profile plan
• Implementing the management by profile plan

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EVALUATION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

• GUSKEYS FIVE LEVELS (1995)
• Participants reactions to the experience
• Participants acquisition of new knowledge and
  skills
• Changes in organization, procedures, and school
  climate
• Assessment of participants new knowledge and
  skills
• Impact on student outcomes

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STUDY SAMPLE

• TEACHERS FROM OKLAHOMA AND NORTH CAROLINA WHO
  COMPLETED THE TRAINING FROM MARCH THROUGH JUNE
  2003
• Total of 317 surveys were mailed, 192 were
  returned completed for a 60 response rate
• Due to the focus of this study on classroom
  practices, administrators and related service
  personnel were excluded from the analyses.
• Final sample included 126 classroom teachers who
  had completed the final step of Attuning a
  Student.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• WHAT INDIVIDUAL STUDENT OUTCOMES DO EDUCATORS
  REPORT AS A RESULT OF THE ATTUNING A STUDENT
  PROCESS?
• WHAT WHOLE CLASSROOM OUTCOMES DO EDUCATORS
  REPORT?
• DO STUDENT OUTCOMES DIFFER BASED ON
• Special Education Eligibility
• Grade Level
• Socioeconomic Status
• Race
• Gender
• 4. DO INDIVIDUAL AND WHOLE CLASSROOM STUDENT
  OUTCOMES DIFFER BASED ON THE TEACHERS YEARS OF
  EXPERIENCE?

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INDIVIDUAL STUDENT OUTCOMES

• STUDENT IMPROVEMENTS IN
• Self-concept (79)
• Course grades (67)
• Student-teacher interactions (63)
• Motivation (59)
• Attitude toward school (55)
• Social interactions (50)
• Parent-teacher interactions (48)
• Student behavior (43)
• Standardized test scores (25)

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WHOLE CLASSSROOM EFFECTS

• WHOLE CLASS IMPROVEMENTS IN
• Self-concept (82)
• Student-teacher interactions (76)
• Motivation (72)
• Attitude toward school (71)
• Course grades (70)
• Parent-teacher interactions (62)
• Student behavior (60)
• Social interactions (57)
• Standardized test scores (32)

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DIFFERENCES IN REPORTED STUDENT OUTCOMES

• IMPROVED STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES FOR
• 37.8 of students eligible for special education
  and 18.8 of students not eligible for special
  education, x 5.48, df 1, p .03
• 30.8 of students in grades K-5 and 11.8 of
  students in grades 6-12, x 4.69, df 1, p
  .04
• 54.1 reported by educators with 10 or fewer
  years experience and 13.6 reported for educators
  with more than 10 years experience, x 22.34,
  df 1, p .00

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DIFFERENCES IN REPORTED STUDENT OUTCOMES

• IMPROVED BEHAVIOR FOR
• 59.6 of students participating in free/reduced
  lunch program and 35.8 of students not
  participating in free/reduced lunch program, x
  6.28, df 1, p .01

• IMPROVED MOTIVATION FOR
• 45.9 reported by educators with 10 or fewer
  years experience and 65.9 reported for educators
  with more than 10 years experience, x 4.33, df
  1, p .05

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CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

• Educators saw improvements in students academic,
  social, behavioral, and affective outcomes.
• In general, improvements were consistent across
  various student characteristics as well as across
  educator years of experience.

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CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

• Educators who reported improvements for an
  individual student were also likely to report
  improvements for their whole class following use
  of the Schools Attuned Program.
• Results of this evaluation provide support for
  the approach and identify trends to be further
  investigated through independent impact research.