Fidelity vs. reality: Using data-informed technical assistance to implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy program in the real world

As part of an OAH funded project, the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (SC Campaign) has had the opportunity to track fidelity with 12 SC middle schools implementing It's Your Game, Keep It Real and thus had the ability to clearly see the tension between the reality of a school setting and maintaining fidelity to a curriculum. The SC Campaign used innovative strategies to monitor fidelity including web-based fidelity logs, observation data and proactive technical assistance (TA). This presentation will discuss these strategies and low-cost ways to track fidelity and thus influence fidelity through data-informed TA. As a result of these innovative strategies, the SC Campaign has been able to influence the implementation environment within schools to increase implementation fidelity. Nonetheless, the reality is that in schools there are challenges that occur that cannot be controlled such as schedules and personnel transitions. Several strategies were used to mitigate potential challenges, including Google alerts to stay abreast of personnel changes and holding regular face-to-face meetings with staff.

This presentation will cover the process of gaining support for an evidence-based program, strategies to track and maintain curriculum fidelity, and addressing realistic challenges that may impact fidelity. Using these strategies, a 98% fidelity score was achieved across 12 schools implementing the It's Your Game curriculum. The strategies developed by the SC Campaign could be used by other organizations interested in using implementation data from a prevention program to improve technical assistance, increase fidelity, and maintain a positive and productive relationship with schools.