What Does 'Fidelity of Implementation' Mean and Why It Matters

You’ve worked for months to get a high-quality, evidence-based reading program like Wilson or Barton written into your child’s IEP. You’ve dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t’. The plan is perfect. But the plan is only as good as its execution.

This is where a critical but often overlooked concept comes into play: fidelity of implementation. It’s a technical term, but the idea is simple. It means: Is the program being taught the way the program’s creators intended?

If not, then your child isn’t truly receiving the intervention you fought for. Lack of fidelity is one of the most common reasons why students fail to make progress, and it’s a crucial area for parent oversight.

The Key Components of Fidelity

Fidelity isn’t just one thing. It includes several components:

• Adherence: Is the teacher following the curriculum and lesson plans as written? Are they using the specified materials? Or are they picking and choosing parts of the program?
• Dosage and Intensity: Is the program being delivered for the amount of time and frequency specified in the IEP? If the IEP says 45 minutes, 4 times a week, is that actually happening? Or are sessions frequently cut short or cancelled?
• Quality of Delivery: Does the instructor have the necessary training and expertise to deliver the program effectively? Are they using the instructional techniques correctly?
• Group Size: Is the program being delivered in the group size for which it was designed? An intervention designed for a one-on-one setting will be less effective in a group of five.

Why Does Fidelity Break Down?

Schools and teachers have the best of intentions, but fidelity can break down for many reasons:

• Lack of Training: The teacher may not have received the intensive training required to deliver the program correctly.
• Time Constraints: The daily pressures of a school schedule can lead to shortened or missed sessions.
• Staff Turnover: A trained interventionist may leave and be replaced by someone with less experience.
• Philosophical Differences: A teacher who doesn’t fully buy into the principles of Structured Literacy may try to supplement the program with other, less effective methods (like three-cueing).

How to Monitor Fidelity

As a parent, you can and should monitor the fidelity of your child’s intervention. Here’s how:

1. Ask for the Details to Be in the IEP: The more specific your IEP is, the easier it is to monitor. The IEP should specify the program name, the group size, the frequency and duration of sessions, and the training level of the provider (e.g., “Instruction will be provided by a Wilson Level 1 Certified instructor”).

2. Ask the Provider Directly: Have a conversation with the interventionist. You can ask:

   • “Could you walk me through what a typical lesson looks like?”
   • “How do you track which lessons have been completed?”
   • “What happens if my child misses a session due to a school assembly or field trip?”

3. Request to Observe: You have the right to observe your child’s class and their special education services. This can be the most direct way to see if the program is being implemented as planned.

4. Track the Sessions: Keep a simple log at home. Ask your child each day, “Did you have your reading group with Mrs. Smith today?” Make a note of it. If you start to see a pattern of missed sessions, you have the data to bring to the team.

If you suspect that the program is not being delivered with fidelity, you need to call an IEP meeting. Bring your data and your concerns to the team. Frame it collaboratively: “I’m concerned that the intervention isn’t being delivered as we all agreed in the IEP, and I think that’s why we’re not seeing the progress we hoped for. How can we work together to get this back on track?”

Getting the right program into the IEP is a huge victory. But ensuring it is delivered with fidelity is the work that makes that victory meaningful for your child.

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Related reading:

• How to Track IEP Goals and Monitor Progress
• What to Do When Your Child's IEP Doesn't Match Reality
• The Parent's Guide to Progress Monitoring