The adoption of evidence-based interventions (EBI) is increasingly being required in school settings due in large part to federal education policies, which mandate the use of scientifically-based practices. Authentic settings present challenges to adopting EBIs due to their complex nature, making implementation with treatment integrity is often difficult to achieve in community settings. This study examined elementary school teachers' implementation of a specific EBI in reading through the lens of teacher motivation. The study used a survey and focus groups with teachers to explore the problems and prospects surrounding the implementation of an EBI. Student outcome data in reading were evaluated to examine how treatment integrity, teacher motivation, and student achievement are correlated. Teacher motivational beliefs were related to some dimensions of treatment integrity, but higher treatment integrity was not related to student achievement. In the focus groups, teachers discussed EBIs in relation to school practices (e.g., response to intervention), their pedagogical beliefs, and student characteristics and their experiences with implementing Reading Street, the program adopted by a intermediate school district as their primary reading curriculum. A major goal of this study was to examine the alignment between the mandate to use EBIs and their actual use in practice. Teachers described the challenge of balancing the use of Reading Street with fidelity with the needs of individual students. By developing a deeper understanding of teachers' perspectives on the implementation of EBIs, school psychologists may be better able to support teachers to promote the effective use of EBIs in schools.
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