Preparing Preservice School Psychologists to Deliver Behavior Specific Praise through a Tiered Training Framework

Abstract

School psychologists are often in the role to train and support educators to implement evidence-based behavior management techniques with children. Previous research provides support for tiered training for general education teachers’ implementation of class-wide interventions. However, this framework has not been applied to implementers beyond teachers, particularly to those who are learning to train and consult with teachers (e.g., preservice school psychologists). The current study used a concurrent multiple baseline design to evaluate the effectiveness of a tiered training framework on preservice school psychologists’ rates of behavior specific praise (BSP) during academic assessment and intervention clinic sessions. Results indicated an increase in BSP during Tier 2 and maintenance of BSP with the removal of supports for two preservice school psychologists, while the third preservice school psychologist required more intensive implementation supports to increase rates of BSP. Implications for trainers of school psychology regarding implementing a tiered training framework for preservice school psychologists in the context of supervision are discussed.