Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Teacher Implementation of a Reading Racetrack Intervention
One 30-minute BST session pushes teachers to perfect delivery of a reading racetrack fluency game.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three general-education teachers learned to run a reading racetrack game.
The coach gave each teacher a 30-minute BST package: explain, show, practice, fix.
Kids got two-minute timed laps on a floor track while teachers timed and scored.
What they found
After one BST round every teacher hit a large share fidelity.
Students learned new sight words and kept them 1-2 weeks later.
No extra coaching was needed.
How this fits with other research
Denegri et al. (2025) tried BST plus ACT for RBT pairing skills. They still needed BST to reach mastery, matching this study: BST alone is enough.
Kamps et al. (2015) used the same BST steps inside CW-FIT. Their RCT shows the steps travel to larger class-management systems.
García-Villamisar et al. (2017) stretched BST into French immersion rooms. Teachers kept high praise rates, proving BST works even when you swap languages.
Why it matters
You can run one short BST cycle and trust teachers to carry out a fluency program perfectly. Use the same script Monday: explain the racetrack, model a lap, let the teacher practice, give instant feedback. You will leave the room knowing every lap will be timed and scored correctly.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Abstract:This study examined the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on teachers' implementation fidelity of a reading racetrack (a board game designed to increase sight word fluency) with elementary students identified as struggling readers. BST, an alternative to traditional professional development, is a performance-based protocol incorporating instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A multiple probe design across teacher-student dyads demonstrated that BST was functionally related to the teachers' implementation of a reading racetrack with 100% fidelity on at least three consecutive sessions. Additionally, students met mastery criteria for sight word acquisition and demonstrated maintenance at least one to two weeks post intervention.
Education and Treatment of Children, 2019 · doi:10.1353/ETC.2019.0018