Staff Coaching and Adapting Preschool Curriculum for Students with Complex Communication Needs

The purpose of this action research study is to examine the effect of an innovation that includes staff coaching, curriculum adaptation, and researcher reflection on increasing staff effectiveness in supporting students with complex communication needs. This study included four participants (two special educators and two speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in Preschool Special Education (PSE) classrooms within a public school district. The study was conducted while navigating a global pandemic and emergency remote learning. Through the use of curricular noticing and an approach inspired by a Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) framework, an innovation of a staff coaching model combined with adapted curriculum resources was designed to support staff members using the Big Day for PreK curriculum. Analysis of the data indicates that supporting staff through staff coaching and adapted curriculum materials increased their use and own adaptation of the curriculum. In addition, providing a staff coach with the opportunity to document and reflect on experiences can increase the use of curricula and coaching effectiveness.