{"id":2601,"date":"2022-07-06T18:11:38","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fasttrackproject.org\/?page_id=2601"},"modified":"2022-07-07T09:05:52","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T09:05:52","slug":"implementing-fast-track","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fasttrackproject.org\/implementing-fast-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Guidelines for Implementing Fast Track"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are three separate intervention components in Fast Track, each with its own set of manuals and training programs:<\/p>\n
In this document, we provide some general information about the Fast Track Program, followed by specific information about the cost, training, and staffing requirements associated with each of the three main components.<\/p>\n
The Fast Track study used a two-step procedure to screen children and identify children with elevated aggression who qualified for the Friendship Group and Parent Group programs. First, teachers rated all kindergarten children using a 10-item scale describing aggressive-disruptive behaviors (the Authority Acceptance scale of the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised [TOCA-R], Werthamer-Larsson, Kellam, & Wheeler, 1991). Then parents of children who scored in the top 40% were interviewed and completed a 24-item rating scale describing aggressive-disruptive and oppositional behaviors at home. The two sets of ratings from teacher and parent were standardized and combined for a total screen score. Children at each site were invited into the project on the basis of this screen score, starting at the top and moving downward, until all places were filled. Since that time, we have analysed the validity of the initial screening data, and found that the parent ratings did little to add predictive validity. Hence, one could also use teacher ratings alone in the screening process. For most of the Fast Track outcomes, we do not find moderation of effects based on initial severity, suggesting that there is not a specific \u201cthresh-hold\u201d at which the program works. The exception is that we have found moderation for future diagnoses of conduct disorder through grade 12, which are reduced by Fast Track only for children who scored in the top 3-5% of the normative sample on the initial screen (that is, the children at the very highest risk within the high-risk group).<\/p>\n
Initial rates of aggressive behavior problems (and rates of later criminal activity) were lower at the rural site than the urban sites. So, we screened a larger population there, and set the initial teacher screen criterion higher (top 25-30%). In general, the program is designed for children who are showing significant behavior problems, although not necessarily at a clinical level, but including elevations that are both sub-clinical and clinical in severity.<\/p>\n
Classroom teachers deliver the PATHS Curriculum; all classroom teachers are eligible for PATHS training with no additional requirements regarding skills\/qualifications required.<\/p>\n
Education Coordinators who run the Friendship Groups typically have either teaching backgrounds (with a keen interest and training\/experience working with at-risk students) or they have backgrounds as school counselors. In either case, they must have experience working with groups of students, experience with high-risk\/aggressive students, and experience working in school settings. Training\/understanding of the principles of social-emotional learning and behavior management is desirable. We estimate that a leader puts in 5 hours per group session to run one Friendship Group program; but can run concurrent Friendship Groups with an additional 2-3 hours per group. That\u2019s because the time to learn and prepare for a new session is a one-time investment, so the time per group is less if the individual is running more than one group. More detail on Friendship Group leaders and staff is attached.<\/p>\n
Since the original Fast Track study, there have been several disseminations of the program. Fast Track was delivered through Safe Schools, Healthy Student grants in the United States in Tyrone, PA and in Durham, NC. Grants also funded a large-scale dissemination in Perth, Australia. Provincial funding and private donations funded a long-term implementation at Hull Children\u2019s Services in Calgary, Alberta. Those projects have since ended, although Hull still provides Friendship Group and Parent Group components of Fast Track. In addition, there are several on-going disseminations that use various components of and adaptations of Fast Track. First, the PATHS curriculum is widely disseminated as a stand-alone universal program. Second, the PATHS Curriculum along with the Fast Track Friendship Group are currently being used in multiple sites in Great Britain (e.g., London, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland) as part of the PATHS Plus program funded through the Realizing Ambition initiative http:\/\/www.pathseducation.com\/what-is-paths\/international-paths-spotlight In addition, the Fast Track Friendship Groups are used by Barnardos of Ireland.<\/p>\n
In the Fast Track trial, all programs were directed by university-based teams at each of four sites (e.g., Durham, NC, Nashville, TN, rural PA, and Seattle, WA). The PATHS Curriculum was delivered by classroom teachers in their regular school contexts. The Parent and Friendship Groups were held at local schools during after-school, evening, or weekend hours. Fast Track staff (Family Coordinators and Education Coordinators) led the groups, and additional staff were hired to provide child care. Home visits were made by Family Coordinators. Peer-pairing sessions were led by paraprofessional staff during the school day, supervised by the Education Coordinators. In subsequent disseminations, Fast Track components have been delivered in different ways in different contexts. Friendship Groups are being delivered in after-school programs (Barnardos of Ireland) and during the school day with integrated peer partners (PATHS Plus Programme, Barnardos of Great Britain).<\/p>\n
Contact Person: Mark Greenberg, Ph.D. at mxg47@psu.edu<\/a> or Dorothy Morelli at dorothy@pathseducation.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n