Unlocking the Power of Implementation Fidelity: How Pasta Sauce, Checklists, and Action Planning Drive Success

While there are several types of fidelity , I focus on the notion of adherence for this blog: how well the team sticks with the plan, assessment, or curriculum . These types of fidelity tools typically involve the systems you need to support the intervention (e.g., leadership teams, access to resources), accessing data to guide implementation (e.g., identifying the problem, progress monitoring), and the selection of evidence-based practices . These checklists help teams develop action plans for their work and determine the degree to which they adhere to a model. Some tools may focus on one type of intervention (e.g., behavior, academics) and/or a specific level of intervention (e.g., schoolwide, groups of students). The tool you use depends on the type of intervention you are implementing. In many cases, these fidelity tools are self-assessments completed by leadership teams, sometimes with the guidance of external support personnel (e.g., external coaches).