# TPOT TM ## Teaching for Preschool Classrooms **RESEARCH EDITION** *Lise Fox, Mary Louise Hemmeter, and Patricia Snyder* ### Get an inside look at the TPOT tool! This excerpt includes filled-in samples of several pages from the tool: two items from the Key Practices Subscale, the Red Flags Subscale, and the Scoring Summary Profile. --- ## SUBSCALE 1: Key Practices | | INDICATOR | YES | NO | | | |---|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|----|---|---| | SR1 | Teacher has a posted classroom schedule of daily activities. | X | | | | | SR2 | Posted schedule is at children's eye level and includes visual representation of daily activities. | X | | | | | SR3 | Teacher-directed activities are 20 minutes or shorter. | X | | | | | SR4 | Both large-AND small-group activities occur during the observation. | X | | | | | SR5 | Teacher reviews the posted schedule with children AND refers to it throughout the observation. | X | | | | | SR6 | Teacher structures activities so that there is a clear beginning, middle, AND end. | | X | | | | SR7 | A balance of child-directed AND teacher-directed activities occur during the observation. | X | | | | | SR8 | If needed, the teacher prepares children when changes are going to occur within the posted schedule. | X | | N/O| | | SR9 | Teacher only continues with a specific teacher-directed activity when the majority of children are actively engaged AND interested. | X | | | | | SR10 | Children who need extra support are prepared for activities using an activity schedule OR individualized cues at the beginning of activities. | X | | | | | TOTAL: | | 9 | 1 | | | ### NOTES: - Removable daily schedule with photographs. - Good balance of teacher-directed and child-directed. --- ## SUBSCALE 1: Key Practices | | INDICATOR | YES | NO | NOTES | |---|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|----|-------| | TR1 | Teacher supports children's transitions. | X | | | | TR2 | Whole-class warnings are provided prior to the majority of transitions. | X | | | | TR3 | Teacher has transition strategies that ensure children are actively engaged in the transitions. | X | | | | TR4 | Teacher explicitly teaches children the steps AND expectations of transitions. | X | | | | TR5 | Teacher provides positive, descriptive feedback to children who engage in a transition appropriately. | | X | | | TR6 | Instruction to begin the transition is provided to a child in an individualized way. | X | | | | TR7 | Teacher effectively guides individual children who need extra support during the transitions. | X | | | | TR8 | During transitions, the majority of children are actively engaged, including children who are waiting for the next activity. | | X | | ### NOTES: - Feedback provided during transition was only corrective. - Children waiting for the art activity were not provided with anything to do and became disengaged. --- ## SUBSCALE 2: Red Flags The following are “red flags” and may represent issues related to teacher training and support or to program policies and procedures. To be scored Yes, the red flag should signify a problematic practice in need of immediate attention: | | PRACTICES | YES | NO | |---|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----|----| | 15| The majority of the day is spent in teacher-directed activities. | | X | | 16| Transitions are more often chaotic than not. | | X | | 17| Teacher talk to children is primarily giving directions, telling children what to do, reprimanding children. | | X | | 18| During group activities, many children are not engaged. | | X | | 19| Teachers are not prepared for activities before the children arrive at the activity. | | X | | 20| Children are reprimanded for engaging in disruptive or problem behavior (frequent use of “no,” “stop,” “don’t”). | X | | | 21| Children are threatened with an impending negative consequence that will occur if disruptive or problem behavior persists. | X | | | 22| Teacher reprimands or admonishes children for expressing their emotions. | | X | | 23| Emotions are never discussed in the classroom. | | X | | 24| Teacher rarely encourages interactions between children during play or activities. | | X | | 25| Teacher gives directions to all children in the same way without giving additional help to children who need more support. | | X | | 26| Teacher tells children mostly what not to do rather than what to do. | | X | | 27| Learning centers do not have clear boundaries. | | X | | 28| There are large, wide-open spaces in the classroom where children can run. | | X | | 29| Teacher reports asking for the removal of children with persistent challenging behavior from the classroom or program. | | X | | 30| Teacher makes comments about families that are focused on the challenges presented by families and their lack of interest in being involved. | | X | | 31| Teacher restrains a child when engaging in problem behavior or secludes the child in an area separate from the classroom where the child cannot see the activities of the classroom. | | X | --- ## SCORING SUMMARY PROFILE Date: 1/4/2014 Start time: 9:00 am Teacher ID: 01234 End time: 11:30 am Observer ID: 56789 ### Directions: Write the number of items scored yes in column A and the number of items scored no in column B. Complete the calculations to derive a percentage score for each item. | TPOT Item | | A. Number of indicators scored yes | B. Number of indicators scored no | C. Total possible (A+B) | Score (A/C*100) | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---|------------------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------|------------------| | 1 | Schedules, Routines, and Activities* | | 9 | 1 | 10 | 90 | | 2 | Transitions Between Activities Are Appropriate | | 6 | 2 | 8 | 75 | | 3 | Teachers Engage in Supportive Conversations with Children* | | 8 | 2 | 10 | 80 | | 4 | Promoting Children's Engagement* | | 7 | 2 | 9 | 78 | | 5 | Providing Directions | | 5 | 2 | 7 | 71 | | 6 | Collaborative Teaming* | | 7 | 2 | 9 | 78 | | 7 | Teaching Behavior Expectations | | 6 | 1 | 7 | 86 | | 8 | Teaching Social Skills and Emotional Competencies | | 7 | 1 | 8 | 88 | | 9 | Teaching Friendship Skills | | 8 | 1 | 9 | 89 | | 10 | Teaching Children to Express Emotions | | 7 | 1 | 8 | 88 | | 11 | Teaching Problem Solving | | 6 | 3 | 9 | 67 | | 12 | Interventions for Children with Persistent Challenging Behavior | | 3 | 2 | 5 | 60 | | 13 | Connecting with Families | | 7 | 1 | 8 | 88 | | 14 | Supporting Family Use of the Pyramid Model Practices | | 6 | 1 | 7 | 86 | | **Total Key Practices** | | **92** | **22** | **114** | **81%** | | 32. Using Effective Strategies to Respond to Challenging Behavior | | |---|---| | Number of incidents of challenging behavior observed: | 2 | | All essential strategies used in each incident: | Yes No N/A | | Number of additional strategies used: | 1 2 3 4 | $$ \square \mathrm {Y e s} \quad \mathrm {X} \mathrm {N o} \quad \square \mathrm {N / A} $$