Is Performance Feedback for Educators an Evidence-Based Practice? A Systematic Review and Evaluation Based on Single-Case Research

Abstract

Optimal levels of treatment fidelity, a critical moderator of intervention effectiveness, are often difficult to sustain in applied settings. It is unknown whether performance feedback, a widely researched method for increasing educators' treatment fidelity, is an evidence-based practice. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the current research on performance feedback as a strategy to promote the implementation of school-based practices. Studies were evaluated according to What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; Kratochwill et al., 2010) technical guidelines for single-case design, utilizing both the design and evidence standards to determine whether studies provided sufficient evidence for the effectiveness of performance feedback. Results indicate that performance feedback can be termed an evidence-based intervention based on criteria set by the WWC. Implications for future research are described.

Focus on Implementation

“…Teams can also provide performance feedback (Noell, Witt, Gilbertson, Ranier, & Freeland, 1997) to teachers who might benefit from review of implementation data and reminders about how to complete each step of an intervention. Performance feedback to promote adult behavior change has been extensively studied and has been determined to be an evidence-based practice, per literature review guidelines from the What Works Clearinghouse (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/; Fallon, Collier-Meek, Maggin, & Sanetti, 2013).…”

“…The last step to developing treatment fidelity systems and procedures is deciding a treatment fidelity level (or cut off) that will be used to determine when to provide additional support for the intervention (Sheridan et al, 2009). Research studies have used different criteria for such a cut-off, such as below 80% for two consecutive days, below 100%, or a downward trend (e.g., DiGennaro, Martens, & Kleinmann, 2007;Noell et al, 1997;Sanetti, Fallon, & Collier-Meek, 2013). Consider what is feasible for the implementer, the intensity of the intervention, and what decisions will be made based on the data.…”

Implementation Planning to Promote Parents' Treatment Integrity of Behavioral Interventions for Children with Autism

“…As little research has attended to parents' implementation , we evaluated two parents' treatment integrity as they implemented a behavioral intervention to decrease challenging behaviors for their children with ASD. Consistent with studies of school-based personnel (Solomon et al, 2012: Fallon et al, 2015, Parents A and B struggled to implement the behavioral intervention consistently and fully. Before receiving support, the parent participants exhibited distinct patterns of implementation; Parent B delivered the intervention with high levels, but inconsistent treatment integrity, while Parent A delivered the intervention with more moderate and variable treatment integrity.…”

“…The most researched strategy, Performance Feedback, involves a brief meeting between a consultant and implementer wherein treatment integrity data and intervention steps are reviewed (e.g., teachers, paraprofessionals; Noell, Witt, Gilbertson, Ranier, & Freeland, 1997;Noell et al, 2005). Meta-analyses and systematic coding per the What Works Clearinghouse single-case design criteria (Kratochwill & Levin, 2010) indicate that Performance Feedback is effective in improving treatment integrity of teachers and other school-based professionals (Solomon et al, 2012;Fallon, Collier-Meek, Maggin, Sanetti, & Johnson, 2015). Initial investigations of Performance Feedback delivered to parents showed moderate improvement in implementation but have been limited by methodological concerns or attrition issues (Bonar, 2007;Collier-Meek, 2013;Connell, 2010).…”

Handbook of Early Childhood Special Education

“…The authors expressed concerns over the insuffi cient baselines, lack of information about outcomes, and the small evidence base for performance feedback in ECI. Nonetheless, a recent systematic review of the performance feedback literature with school-age students concluded performance feedback as studied in the single-case studies they reviewed could meet the guidelines established by the WWC for an EBP (Fallon, Collier-Meek, Maggin, Sanetti, & Johnson, 2015 ).…”