A Teacher Self-Assessment of Culturally Relevant Practice to Inform Educator Professional Development Decisions in MTSS Contexts

Abstract

When students require support to improve outcomes in a variety of domains, educators provide youth with school-based intervention. When educators require support to improve their professional practice, school leaders and support personnel (e.g., school psychologists) provide teachers with professional development (PD), consultation, and coaching. This multi-study article describes how the Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS) was developed with the purpose of assessment driving intervention for teachers in need of support to engage in culturally responsive practice. Items for the ACCReS were created via a multi-step process including review by both expert and practitioner panels. Then, results of an exploratory factor analysis with a national sample of teachers ( N = 500) in Study 1 yielded three subscales. A confirmatory factor analysis conducted with a separate sample of teachers ( N = 400) in Study 2 produced adequate model fit. In Study 3, analyses with another final sample of teachers ( N = 99) indicated preliminary evidence of convergent validity between the ACCReS and two measures of teacher self-efficacy of culturally responsive practice. Data from the ACCReS can shape the content of educator intervention (e.g., PD) and promote more equitable student outcomes for youth.

Exploring the relationship between teachers' perceptions of cultural responsiveness, student risk, and classroom behavior

“…ACCReS items were initially generated based on recommendations resulting from the findings of a systematic literature review of culturally relevant classroom supports (Fallon et al, 2012), grounded in Vincent et al (2011) model of culturally responsive MTSS. Items were subject to content validation by stakeholder and expert panels, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with unique large teacher samples (Fallon et al, 2021). The resulting 35‐item ACCReS instrument is divided into three subscales: Equitable Classroom Practices (ECP), Consideration of Culture and Context (CCC), and Access to Information and Supports (AIS).…”

Betting Scenario for the Management of University Professional Practices from the Conformation of Intersectoral Cooperation Networks

“…In attention to the results, a high motricity is evidenced for variables, such as the flow of information between actors, the shared objectives and the participation of the actors in the construction of the graduation profile of university students. The importance of interpersonal communication as a strategy for achieving the objectives associated with the development of professional practices is highlighted [20,44]. In this sense, the management of the curriculum from a systemic and integrating vision represents in itself a strategy to enable sustainability in the processes of integral formation.…”

“…In coherence with the perspective of [19] who developed research on the organizational DNA for the quality of service in public universities, they affirm that the development of human talent must be oriented to the performance of alternatives and innovations in the different universities from the production and application of knowledge. From the perspective of [9], the creation of intersectoral knowledge networks favors the development of the productive, government and university sectors, reduces uncertainty and promotes the social capital of the locality, which contributes to decision making in the various sectors of activity, while strengthening relationships between them [20].…”

Do Teachers’ Perceptions of High Cultural Responsiveness Predict Better Behavioral Outcomes for Students?

“…Various teacher assessments of cultural responsiveness exist, including the Assessment of Culturally and Contextually Relevant Supports (ACCReS; Fallon, Cathcart, et al, 2021). The ACCReS is a 35-item scale in which teachers rate their (a) use of equitable classroom practices (ECP subscale; ω = .87), (b) consideration of culture and context in the classroom (CCC subscale; ω = .77), and (c) access to information and support (e.g., data to drive decision-making, relevant professional development; AIS subscale; ω = .86).…”

“…In Fallon, Veiga, et al (2021), data from the ACCReS were used in two related studies. In the first study, teachers ( n = 20) completed the ACCReS and consented to their students’ classroom behavior being observed 3 times by university researchers.…”