Development and Field Test of a Training Manual to Increase the Accuracy of the IC-Team Model's Student Documentation Form Review Process

Abstract

Treatment integrity is an important, though underutilized, component of the research process. For a process to be effective, it must be implemented as intended. The IC-Teams model currently uses the Student Documentation Form (SDF) Review process to establish treatment integrity. However, the review process itself must be conducted with integrity. Thus, this study examined the impact of a structured training process and manual on the scoring of SDFs when compared to an expert rater.

Five raters from a mid-Atlantic public school district were provided with training manuals based on pilot study recommendations, a training session, and opportunity to practice scoring. Participants then scored ten SDFs. The results of this study demonstrated an increase in scoring accuracy when compared to the pilot. However, certain items continued to be scored inaccurately despite careful attention paid to them in the training process. Implications and recommendations for change are discussed.