General Education/Instructional Services

Stages of Implementation

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General Education/Instructional Services

Why are Implementation Stages Important...

• Implementation Stages are designed to help practitioners build Active Implementation capacity to ensure continuous improvement.

General Education/Instructional Services

• Outline the integrated, non-linear process of deciding to use an effective innovation and finally having it fully in place to realize the promised outcomes.

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• Are not an event but a specified set of activities designed to put into practice high quality research-based strategies for the MICIP process.

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• Integrate activities over time in stages that overlap and are revisited as necessary.

Implementation Stages...

General Education/Instructional Services

Exploration – Involves an assessment of assets and needs of the focus population, fit of the program or practice with those needs and assets and feasibility of implementation.

Installation – Involves building the infrastructure necessary to implement at the program or practice, including practitioner and organizational capacity.

Initial Implementation – Includes the initial efforts of staff to use the program or practice, with attention to using data for continuous improvement. Initial implementation could also involve implementation on a limited scale.

Full Implementation – Occurs as staff use the program or practice successfully, and population-level outcomes are achieved. Full implementation could also mean moving from implementation on a limited scale to full scale.

Four Implementation Stages

General Education/Instructional Services

Notice that each stage of implementation does not cleanly end as another begins.

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Often stages overlap with activities related to one stage still occurring as activities related to the next stage are beginning. Likewise, stages may be revisited when circumstances change.

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General Education/Instructional Services

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Exploration Stage

Involves:

Assessing the needs of students

Identifying possible programs and practices to meet those needs

Assessing the fit and feasibility of implementing and sustaining the identified programs

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General Education/Instructional Services

The goal is to examine the degree to which a particular program or innovation meets the school or district’s needs and whether implementation is feasible.

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Schools and districts must assess the “goodness fit” between potential programs and innovations and the needs of students they serve.

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Programs and innovations must be carefully assessed and potential barriers to implementation examined.

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The Hexagon Tool can help you and your team during this stage

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Exploration Stage

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General Education/Instructional Services

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Video Vignette: Case Example - Exploration Stage

General Education/Instructional Services

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Installation Stage

Involves:

• Developing communication pathways
• Ensuring financial and human resources are in place
• Finding physical space
• Purchasing equipment and technology
• Developing practitioner competency

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General Education/Instructional Services

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Installation Stage

• Begins as the decision is made to move ahead

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• This stage is often overlooked - Practical preparations needed to initiate the new program or innovation are central

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• Once a decision is made to adopt - changes often must be made in multiple settings and systems to accommodate and support the new practice, program, or innovation.

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• Practical activities may include:
• Developing communication protocols
• Ensuring financial and human resources are in place
• Finding or re-allocating physical space
• Purchasing equipment and technology

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• Other factors to consider:
• Skills and and abilities of teachers and admin is a key function (training, coaching) and data systems are conceptualized, created, or purchased
• Well prepared teachers are able to implement new programs and practices with fidelity

General Education/Instructional Services

Involves:

Special attention to coaching

Attention to continuous improvement and rapid cycle problem solving

Use of decision support data systems

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Initial Implementation Stage

General Education/Instructional Services

• Begins when the new program or practice is first being put to use

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• Attempts often falter during installation or initial implementation because everyone is learning and challenges emerge as the status quo changed.

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• Key activities during this stage include:
• intensive coaching to support problems that emerge and teams develop or engage in strategies to promote continuous improvement and rapid-cycle problem solving.

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• data driven decision making is critical to address barriers and develop systemic solutions quickly (Improvement Cycle processes are needed).

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Initial Implementation Stage

General Education/Instructional Services

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Full Implementation Stage

Involves:

Teachers skillfully employing new practices

An infrastructure supporting teachers

Integrating new learning at all levels in classroom, building and district

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General Education/Instructional Services

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Full Implementation Stage

• Full implementation occurs as teachers skillfully provide new programs and outcomes are achieved.

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• New learning at all levels becomes integrated.

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• The process and procedures to support the new work are in place

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1. The system has largely been recalibrated to accommodate and support the new work.

General Education/Instructional Services

The time is takes to move from initial implementation to full implementation will vary depending upon the complexity of the new program or innovation as well as the development of the infrastructure to support teachers and the availability of implementation supports and resources!

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General Education/Instructional Services

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Stage-Based Planning

• Stage-based planning can help implementation teams and other stakeholders plan effectively for the activities, infrastructures and supportive contents that need to be addressed at each stage.

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• This can increase the likelihood of moving successfully through each stage and better prepare for the challenges of the next stage.

General Education/Instructional Services

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Stage-Based Planning

Implementation Stages Planning Tool

The Implementation Stages Planning tool supports the identification of the current stage of implementation, as well as supports planning and improvement by providing:

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1. A flow chart
2. A list of appropriate stage-based activities
3. An outline of expected stage-based outcomes

The following link was developed in September, 2020:

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General Education/Instructional Services

Thank You for Your Time!

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