First Step Next for All: Piloting of a Tier-1 Universal Intervention to Improve Academic Engagement and Social-Emotional Competency

Background and Purpose: Currently, early childhood administrators have a range of well-researched, evidence-based universal, Tier 1 intervention programs from which to choose. Yet, despite the empirical support for these programs, recent literature reviews and meta-analyses suggest there are gaps in focus and content that potentially limit their reach, quality, and impact. The First Step Next (FSN) for All intervention is a partially-developed, universal, Tier 1 intervention focused on teacher behavior change, student behavior change, and parent engagement. FSN for All includes integrated classroom-wide behavioral management, social skills instruction, parent engagement components.

Methods: This study presents the results of the FSN for All pilot study, which was completed in 14 classrooms in Kentucky as part of a larger cluster-randomized controlled trial of FSN in preschool settings (IES; R324A150221). Twenty-nine students (M = 2.1 per classroom) at risk for school failure according to the SSiS Performance Screening Guide and their teachers participated. Participating students were primarily male (58%) and predominantly either Caucasian (53%) or Black (26%). All 14 pilot classrooms received the FSN for All intervention. We examined within-subject, pre-post teacher- and parent-reported social-competency using the SSIS Social Emotional Learning instrument (SEL) and within-classroom, pre-post change using the Structured-Activity Engaged Time observation (SAET) from the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders.

Results: From baseline to post intervention, effect sizes for improvement in teacher-reported SEL ranged from .19 to .84. The greatest child-level improvements were reported in responsible decision making (d = .84), self-management (d = .66), relationship skills (d = .62), and social awareness (d = .60) subscales of the SSiS-SEL. Although effects were smaller for parent-reported SEL, effect sizes ranged from .20 to .68. As well, class-wide SAET increased, on average, from .66 to .80 (d = .74). High levels of intervention fidelity were observed, with quality indicators above 4 (on a 5-point scale) for 8 of 10 fidelity items. Teachers reported high levels of satisfaction. As well, focus group feedback collected from participating teachers noted the program (a) easily integrated into their typical teaching and classroom routines; (b) did not take much time to learn; (c) required less verbal redirection; (d) reduced the need for negative attention; and (e) resulted in less disruption to class instruction. Teachers also reported that they believed the program was “highly adoptable.”

Conclusions and Implications: There is a critical need in early childhood programs for a universal intervention with integrated classroom-wide behavioral management, social skills instruction, and parent engagement components that are easy to use as well as shared implementation features with existing, evidence-based tier 2 and 3 approaches. Our preliminary evidence supports the promise of FSN for All’s efficacy, warranting further intervention development.