Pre‐service teacher‐delivered behavioral skills training: A pyramidal training approach

Andzik et al. (2020) taught college students in teacher-prep programs to run Behavioral Skills Training. The trainers first showed the steps, then let students practice and gave feedback. After the students hit mastery, they turned around and used the same steps to teach brand-new classmates. The study tracked how well the new teachers kept their skills one year later.

The setup is called pyramidal BST. One expert trains a small group. That group trains the next wave. The goal is to grow skilled teachers fast without losing quality.

Every pre-service teacher reached high fidelity during their own training. When they trained others, their fidelity stayed strong. One year into real classroom jobs, most still scored at mastery levels. The pyramid held its shape over time.

The results show you can trust new teachers to train peers after one solid BST round.

Sawyer et al. (2017) tried a simpler plan. They gave seven teacher candidates BST and saw quick gains in role-play. Andzik adds the pyramid twist: the same candidates later trained others with no drop in quality. The 2020 model builds on the 2017 base and moves the skill forward.

Gray et al. (2026) used a web module to teach behavior-analysis students how to run BST. One student hit 90 % fidelity with the module alone; two needed extra feedback. Andzik’s face-to-face pyramid got everyone to mastery first shot. The studies do not clash—they show two roads to the same goal. Pick web when time is tight, pick pyramid when you want built-in practice and feedback.

Rakap et al. (2025) stretched the pyramid idea into preschool. They paired training with ongoing coaching and saw teachers use Pyramid Model practices more often. Andzik proves the first layer can stand alone; Rakap shows the second layer can go even further with coaching added.

You can run one BST workshop and leave with a team of trainers. New teachers leave ready to teach peers the same week. The skill sticks for at least a year, so you spend less time re-training. Try this when your district needs to roll out a new procedure fast—classroom management, discrete trial, or social-skills groups. One expert trains five teachers; those five train twenty more. The pyramid grows while fidelity holds.