Research indicates that performance-based feedback/coaching with teachers that includes direct training procedures involving modeling, rehearsal,and feedback leads to higher intervention fidelity.In a majority of the studies that have examined performance-based feedback/coaching and teachers instructional practices,teachers were initially taught each step of a behavioral plan outside the classroom,and then the coach observed and prompted the teachers as they administered the intervention procedures in the classroom.For example,Fox,Snyder,and Clarke investigated the use of a professional development package that included performance-based coaching to increase teachers’ use of instructional practices targeting young children’ s social or emotiona competence.Three early childhood teachers received a multicomponent professional development intervention that included training, implementation materials, and instructional performance-feedback coaching.Teachers were taught and coached on instructional practices designed to prevent and ameliorate children’ s challenging behavior.Following training and coaching,all three teachers increased their use of targeted instructional practices. In another study, Hemmeter, Snyder,Kinder,examined the use of data-based performance feedback(delivered through electronic mail)on early childhood teachers’ utilization of descriptive praise and children’ s subsequent challenging behavior and engagement.Teachers received a brief training session followed by observation and electronic performance feedback by a coach.Results indicated that teachers increased their use of descriptive praise and children’ s challenging behaviors decreased;however,there was little impact on children’ s engagement.Similarly,Smith,Lewis,and Stormont (2011)used performance-based feedback to train three teachers in Head Start settings in the use of precorrection and behavior-specific praise.Outcomes of this study indicated that teachers’ use of specified strategies increased as well as children’ s behavior(i.e.,on-task behavior improved and problem behavior decreased).In addition,Fullerton,Conroy,and Correa(2009)found that early childhood teachers increased their use of behavior-specific praise after receiving training and performance-based feedback on their use of this strategy.

These studies provide preliminary evidence that professional development including the use of performance-based feedback/coaching is an effective tool for increasing early childhood teachers’ use of effective instructional practices and when implemented with fidelity, these instructional practices result in positive outcomes for children. Although promising,this literature base is in the early stages of development and findings are limited by the small number of studies,participants,and the limited range of instructional practices targeted. Further research is needed to examine the effects of training and performance-based feedback/coaching across a larger number of teachers,children,and instructional practices.

Behavioral, Emotional,and Social Training:Competent Learners Achieving School Success (BEST in CLASS)was developed to address some of the gaps in the current literature and provide further data supporting early childhood Teachers’ use of effective instructional practices with young high-risk children.Designed as a Tier 2 intervention,BEST in CLASS is a manualized classroom-based intervention that systematically identifies and targets high risk,preschool-age children,with an emphasis on changing the classroom ecology through improving teacher-child interactions during instructional times.Using a combination of professional development training and practice-based coaching(including  performance feedback),BEST in CLASS supports the use of effective instructional practices that promote positive teacher-child interactions,enhance child engagement,increase learning opportunities,and decrease the occurrence of problem behaviors of young children(see,for example,Vo,Sutherland,& Conroy, 2012).

Thus,the purpose of this article is to investigate the effects of the  BEST in CLASS model on teacher behavior and child outcomes in early childhood classrooms.Specifically,we were interested in two research questions: