Part C and Preschool Child Outcome Indicators

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Early Childhood Outcomes Using Data for Program
Improvement
Kathy Hebbeler ECO at SRI International Robin
Rooney and Christina Kasprzak ECO at Frank Porter
Graham Institute
Illinois October, 2008
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Objectives

• Understand the purposes of the child outcomes
  data collection
• Be familiar with key considerations related to
  accurately completing the Child Outcomes Summary
  Form
• Be able to evaluate child outcomes data for
  accuracy as part of supervision
• Understand the use of child outcomes data for
  program improvement, including for instruction,
  resource allocation, and professional development

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• Why are we doing this?

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• Keeping our eye on the prize
• High quality services for children and families
  that will lead to good outcomes.

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Goal of early childhood special education

• To enable young children to be active and
  successful participants during the early
  childhood years and in the future in a variety of
  settings in their homes with their families, in
  child care, in preschool or school programs, and
  in the community.
• (from Early Childhood Outcomes Center,
• http//www.fpg.unc.edu/eco/pdfs/eco_outcomes_4-13
  -05.pdf)

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High Quality Data on Outcomes

• Data are a piece of a system that helps to
  achieve overarching goals for children and
  families
• Data yield
• Evidence that allows you to make an inference
  that should lead to specific actions to improve
  the system.

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System for Producing Good Child and Family
Outcomes
Adequate funding
Good outcomes for children and families
High quality services and supports for children
0-5 and their families
Good Federal policies and programs
Good State policies and programs
Good Local policies and programs
Strong Leadership

• Profl Development
• Preservice
• Inservice

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The Vision Using Data as a Tool for Program
Improvement

• Illinois will have quality data available on an
  ongoing basis about multiple components of the
  system
• Outcomes for children and families
• Programs and services provided
• Personnel (types, qualifications, etc.)
• Etc.

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Driving Force for Data on Child Goals Comes from
the Federal Level

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
• Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
passed in 1993

• Requires goals and indicators be established for
  IDEA
• Indicators and data collection further along for
  school age population than for EC
• Previously, for early childhood data had been
  collected on
• Number of children served
• Settings

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PART evaluation results (2002)

• 130 programs examined in 2002 50 programs had
  no performance data
• Programs looking at inputs, not results
• Part C and Section 619
• No long-term child outcome goals or data
• Need to develop a strategy to collect annual
  performance data in a timely manner

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Federal Funding for Preschool Special Education
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
SEC. 616. ltltNOTE 20 USC 1416.gtgt MONITORING,
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT. (a)
Federal and State Monitoring.-.. .. (2)
Focused monitoring.--The primary focus of Federal
and State monitoring activities described in
paragraph (1) shall be on-- (A) improving
educational results and functional outcomes for
all children with disabilities
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How Office of Special Education (OSEP) responded

• Required states to submit outcome data in their
  Annual Performance Report (APR)
• Funded the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center
  to do research, make recommendations, and assist
  states

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• Where are we now
• Federal reporting requirements

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OSEP Reporting Requirements the Outcomes

• Positive social emotional skills (including
  positive social relationships)
• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
  (including early language/ communication and
  early literacy)
• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

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OSEP Reporting Categories

• Percentage of children who
• a. Did not improve functioning
• b. Improved functioning, but not sufficient to
  move nearer to functioning comparable to
  same-aged peers
• c. Improved functioning to a level nearer to
  same-aged peers but did not reach it
• d. Improved functioning to reach a level
  comparable to same-aged peers
• e. Maintained functioning at a level comparable
  to same-aged peers

3 outcomes x 5 measures 15 numbers
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Reporting Schedule

• Due February 2008
• Data in reporting categories at exit for all
  children who have been in the program for at
  least 6 months
• Must be reported for the year beginning July 1,
  2006
• Repeat with next years data in 2009, etc.

• 2010
• States must set targets
• Summary statements for targets recommended not
  yet official
• States must report data to public by school
  districts for these target numbers

See http//www.fpg.unc.edu/ECO/meetings.cfm for
more information on recommended targets
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• Where are we now
• State decisions and activities

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WHY? (State Version)
Purpose
To have data for program improvement and to
respond to federal reporting requirements
To respond to federal reporting requirements
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WHY? (Local Version)
Purpose
To have data for program improvement and to
provide data to the state
To provide data to the state
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State approaches

• Most states have embraced outcomes measurement
  and are collecting outcomes data for their own
  purposes.
• Many states are building bigger systems than
  needed to produce the federal data.
• Go to www.the-eco-center.org for more information
  about what other states are doing

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How are states collecting child outcomes data?

• Possible state approaches to collection of child
  data
• Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)
• Publishers online assessment system
• Single assessment statewide
• Other approaches

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State Approaches to Measuring Child Outcomes
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Checking in How is it going?

• Implementing the Child Outcomes Summary Form
  Process
• What is going well?
• What is not going well?
• Are there other issues or concerns that need to
  be addressed about the process?

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• Lets Review
• Child Outcome Summary Form

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Learning from Each Other

• Did you attend a training on the COSF?
• Have you participated in a COSF team rating
  process?
• For more than 10 children? 20? 30?
• Have you reviewed COSF forms completed by others?
• Have you provided training on the COSF?
• How confident are you in your knowledge of the
  COSF process?

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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Outcomes Summary Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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Important point

• It is not necessary that all team members be
  knowledgeable in all 5 areas
• Especially, no expectation that parents
  understand the rating scale or typical child
  development
• But the professionals have to!

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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Outcomes Summary Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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1. Know about the childs functioning across
settings and situations

• How we learn about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Good
• assessment

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DEC recommended practices for
assessment

• Involve multiple sources
• Examples family members, professional team
  members, service providers, caregivers
• Involve multiple measures
• Examples observations, criterion- or
  curriculum-based instruments, interviews,
  norm-referenced scales, informed clinical
  opinion, work samples

Division for Early Childhood
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Assessment practices appropriate for outcomes
measurement ASHA

• ASHA recommended practices
• Gather information from families, teachers, other
  service providers
• Collect child-centered, contextualized,
  descriptive, functional information
• (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)

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Assessment instruments

• Assessment the tool vs. assessment the process
• Assessment tools can inform us about childrens
  functioning in each of the three outcome areas

• Challenge
• There is no assessment tool that assesses the
  three outcomes directly

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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Outcomes Summary Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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Resources for understanding age-expected child
development

• ECO link
• http//www.fpg.unc.edu/eco/pdfs/Age-expected_chil
  d_dev_9-5-07.pdf
• (under ECO Tools)
• New course coming soon
• Watch ECO web site
• www.the-eco-center.org

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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Outcomes Summary Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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Outcomes Jeopardy
100
100
100
200
200
200
300
300
300
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Children have positive social relationships

• Involves
• Relating with adults
• Relating with other children
• For older children, following rules related to
  groups or interacting with others
• Includes areas like
• Attachment/separation/autonomy
• Expressing emotions and feelings
• Learning rules and expectations
• Social interactions and play

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Children acquire and use knowledge and skills

• Involves
• Thinking
• Reasoning
• Remembering
• Problem solving
• Using symbols and language
• Understanding physical and social worlds
• Includes
• Early conceptssymbols, pictures, numbers
• Imitation
• Object permanence
• Expressive language and communication
• Early literacy

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Children take appropriate action to meet their
needs

• Involves
• Taking care of basic needs
• Getting from place to place
• Using tools (e.g., fork, toothbrush, crayon)
• In older children, contributing to their own
  health and safety
• Includes
• Integrating motor skills to complete tasks
• Self-help skills (e.g., dressing, feeding,
  grooming, toileting, household responsibility)
• Acting on the world to get what one wants

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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Outcomes Summary Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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The two COSF questions

• a. To what extent does this child show
  age-appropriate functioning, across a variety of
  settings and situations, on this outcome?
  (Rating 1-7)
• b. Has the child shown any new skills or
  behaviors related to this outcome since the
  last outcomes summary? (Yes-No)

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7 Completely

• The child shows behaviors and skills expected in
  all or almost all everyday situations that are
  part of the childs life
• Home, store, park, child care, with strangers,
  etc.
• The childs functioning is considered appropriate
  for his/her age
• No one has significant concerns about the childs
  functioning in this outcome area

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6 Between completely and somewhat

• The childs functioning generally is considered
  appropriate for his or her age
• but there are some significant concerns about the
  childs functioning in this outcome area

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5 Somewhat

• The child shows functioning expected for his/her
  age some of the time and/or in some situations
• The childs functioning is a mix of
  age-appropriate and not appropriate functioning
• The childs functioning might be described as
  like that of a slightly younger child

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4 Between a 5 and a 3

• Child shows some age appropriate functioning some
  of the time or in some situations or settings but
  most of the childs functioning would be
  described as not yet age appropriate.
• The childs functioning might be described as
  like that of a younger child

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3 Emerging

• The child does not yet show functioning expected
  of a child his/her age in any situation
• The childs behaviors and skills include
  immediate foundational skills on which to build
  age-appropriate functioning
• The childs functioning might be described as
  like that of a younger child

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2 Between 3 and 1

• The child does not yet show functioning expected
  of a child his/her age in any situation
• The childs behaviors and skills does have some
  the immediate foundational skills on which to
  build age-appropriate functioning but these are
  not displayed very often
• The childs functioning might be described as
  like that of a younger or even much younger child

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1 Not yet

• The child does not yet show functioning expected
  of a child his/her age in any situation
• The childs skills and behaviors also do not yet
  include any immediate foundational skills on
  which to build age-appropriate functioning
• The childs functioning might be described as
  like that of a much younger child
• Children with 1 ratings still have skills, just
  not yet at an immediate foundational level

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Rating Scale Jeopardy
100
100
100
200
200
200
300
300
300
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Essential Knowledge for Completing the Child
Goals Outcome Form

• Between them, team members must
• Know about the childs functioning across
  settings and situations
• Understand age-expected child development
• Understand the content of the three child
  outcomes
• Know how to use the rating scale
• Understand age expectations for child functioning
  within the childs culture

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Point of clarification

• Process is NOT about comparing groups of children
  it IS about asking how close children are to
  being able to do what is expected at their age
• Early learning guidelines
• Kindergarten and access to the general curriculum

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What we are learning nationally

• The process of training for child outcomes data
  collection has uncovered other areas of
  significant need related to professional
  development.

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Providers need to know more about

• Assessment
• How to gather assessment data to reflect
  functioning across settings and situations,
  especially how to gather child functioning
  information from families
• Understanding the results of the assessment
• Sharing assessment results sensitively and
  honestly with families

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Providers need to know more about

• Functional outcomes
• What are they?
• How do they differ from outcomes organized around
  domains?
• What do they mean for how professionals from
  different disciplines operate as a team?
• Typical child development
• What are the functional expectations for children
  at different ages with regard to each of the 3
  goal statements?

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• Lets meet Ava