1. ACCOUNTING FOR PROGRESS…… ONE CHILD AT A TIME
TOPICS
ISTAR (Indiana Standards Tool for Alternate Reporting)
Assessment System:
Purpose, Functions, and Content – Sheron Cochran
Technology Demonstration – Dawn McGrath
General Supervision Enhancement Grant:
Outcome Measurement Tool for Children in First Steps –
Dawn Downer
Description of Grant Activities -
Ann Ruhmkorff

2. ISTAR OVERVIEW Broad Description of ISTAR Assessment
Multiple Purposes of ISTAR
Why It Was Selected to Measure Progress for Preschool Children with Disabilities
Connection to the Foundations
ISTAR Content

3. WHAT IS ISTAR?
It is a web-based standards-referenced assessment system provided free of charge by the Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners.
It utilizes teacher ratings to measure the progress of students.
It is a continuous process. The child does not “take a test”.

4. ISTAR MULTIPLE PURPOSES
Indiana’s Alternate Assessment Component under IDEIA and NCLB for grades [Legal Basis]
Academic Assessment of Limited English Proficient Students [Legal Basis]
Supplemental Assessment
May be used to measure progress of any student in relation to grade level expectations.
Gifted and Talented Students

5. ISTAR MULTIPLE PURPOSES
Beginning with the school year, schools must assess all early childhood students with disabilities using ISTAR so that the SEA can carry out its duty to collect information regarding performance goals. [Legal Basis]
Indiana’s SPP/APR must address improvement in positive social-emotional skills, acquisition and use of knowledge and skills including early language and communication, early literacy, and use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.

6. Why ISTAR Selected as Indiana’s Early Childhood Assessment
Builds on previous work
Authentic assessment for ‘ALL’ children
On-going assessment
Provides parents and teachers with graphic representation of the progress of the child
ISTAR indicators are aligned to Foundations for Young Children and Academic Standards
Helps guide instruction
Can assist the IEP team in forming IEP goals

7. CONNECTION TO THE FOUNDATIONS AND ACADEMIC STANDARDS
ISTAR is a direct derivative of the Foundations for Young Children to the Indiana Academic Standards and the Indiana Academic Standards.
Extensions to the Foundations and academic standards have been included to create a continuum of access for all children beginning from birth.

8. ISTAR CONTENT EXTENSIONS TO STANDARDS
Extensions to the academic standards of mathematics and English/language arts have been developed to include four levels of progress prior to kindergarten:
Basic 1 (B1) Birth to two years of age
Basic 2 (B2) Two to three years of age
Foundations 1 (F1) Three to four years of age
Foundations 1 (F2) Four to five years of age

9. Birth through the highest level of performance
This is an example of a current summary report adjusted to the highest level of performance in mathematics.

10. ISTAR CONTENT FUNCTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SKILLS
Functional Achievement Indicators are in 3 categories:
Physical Skills
Personal Care Skills
Social-Emotional Skills
ISTAR measures growth throughout life. 100% of skills represents what would be expected of a fully independent adult. It is reasonable to expect low scores for a young child in an early childhood program.

11. ISTAR CONTENT Separate Speech Interface
There is a separate interface designed for speech-language pathologists (SLP). If a child receives speech services from an SLP , the child must be rated on communication skills through the separate interface.
The SLP items are grouped into four areas: social interaction, comprehension, expressive communication, and speech intelligibility.

12. ISTAR CONTENT Separate Speech Interface
These areas contain assessment elements in the general “listening and speaking” standard plus additional items that are specific to SLP expertise. Students with communication disorders who receive services solely from the SLP may be rated strictly in these 4 areas.

14. ISTAR CONTENT PARTICIPATION
Assessments should begin as teachers/therapists become familiar with incoming students.
ISTAR assessment should be collected naturally and periodically throughout the year.
ISTAR is to be completed collaboratively if there is more than one provider.

15. ISTAR CONTENT SCORING
ISTAR is scored through use of a 3-point rubric (See page 30 in Handbook). Educators base these ratings on observation, work samples, portfolios, and other indicators of performance. Scores are used to measure individual and group progress.

16. ISTAR CONTENT WHEN DOES REPORTING OCCUR?
Assessments are to be completed
During the quarter of entrance
During the quarter of exit
During the quarter of each birth month
If an exit or entrance assessment is done in the quarter of the birth month, one assessment serves both purposes.

17. ISTAR DEMONSTRATION DAWN McGrath, Director of ISTAR/ICAN Project
View technology
Establishing Accounts
Maintaining Security
Training, technical support, materials

18. Outcome Measurement Tool for Children in First Steps
First Steps Annual Outcome Study
ISTAR

19. First Steps Annual Outcome Study
Entrance Interviews
Exit Interviews
IFSP Current Level of Performance
Crosswalk with SPP/APR Outcomes
Limitations

20. ISTAR Measure attainment of skills linked to state academic standards
Basic 1 – birth to two years
Basic 2 – two to three years
Functional Skills
On-line accessibility
IFSP Team reporting and review
Parent Reports

21. Early Childhood Assessment
Enhancement of Basic 1 and Basic 2 for children birth through three years
Include developmental domains (physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and adaptive) in addition to state academic standards

22. Early Childhood Assessment
Appropriate for children with and without developmental delay/disability
Part C
Child Care, Healthy Families, Children’s Services, Early Head Start
Crosswalk with SPP/APR child outcomes

23. Goal
Develop the Early Childhood Assessment (ISTAR Basic 1, Basic 2 and Functional Skills) into a comprehensive system for all children - including those who are “typically developing” as well as those identified with a disability and served in
Part C.
Develop one assessment tool that could be aligned with all reporting requirements:
Indiana Part C Outcomes
Indiana’s academic standards
SPP/APR child outcomes

24. Indiana GSEG Proposal Priority A: Outcome Measures
Focus Area One: Developing or enhancing Part B State outcomes indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part B outcome indicator
Focus Area Two: Developing or enhancing Part C State outcome indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part C outcome indicators

25. Indiana GSEG Proposal
The GSEG project will allow Indiana to develop a comprehensive statewide assessment that will serve multiple accountability purposes:
State pre-academic, academic and functional skills standards
Part C assessment domains – social-emotional, cognitive, physical, communication and self-help

26. Indiana GSEG Proposal
Serve as Indiana’s accountability measure for reporting State performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) requirements:
Social-emotional skills
Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

27. ISTAR ISTEP+ Early Childhood Assessment
Table 1: Description of Indiana’s Proposed Statewide Assessment System
Early Childhood Assessment
ISTAR
ISTEP+
Current Status 
To be aligned, normed, and validated as a result of GSEG
Already developed and validated
SPP/APR Targets 
Social-Emotional Skills, Use of knowledge, and Appropriate Behaviors
Meeting AYP Targets
Assessment Domains 
Social-Emotional, Cognitive, Physical Development, Self-Help and Communication and Literacy
English/Language Art, Mathematics, Functional
English/Language Art, Mathematics
Age Range 
Birth-5
Kdgn and Relevant NCLB Grades
Kdgn Relevant NCLB Grades
Content 
Pre-academic, Academic, and Functional skills
Academic and Functional skills
Academic skills
Target Group 
Typically Developing and Children with Disabilities
Students with Disabilities
Typically Developing and Students with Disabilities

28. Objective 1 - Alignment Activities
Identify and align Part C and Part B-619 performance indicators with items and domains of the Early Childhood Assessment within the context of the Indiana academic standards, SPP/APR, and Part C assessment requirements.

29. Objective 2 - Assessment and Validation Activities
Establish norms for typically developing children and children with disabilities.
Demonstrate reliability and validity of the Early Childhood Assessment in relation to Part C and Part B-619 performance indicators related to state academic standards and SPP/APR of outcomes.

30. Objective 2 - Assessment and Validation Activities
Focus on addressing SPP/APR performance indicators intended to measure:
The extent which schools facilitate parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities (Part B-619)
Families participating in Part C who report that early intervention services have helped the family know rights, effectively communicate their child’s needs, and have helped their children develop and learn

31. Objective 3 - Reporting Activities
Implementation of a web-based reporting system capable of monitoring the progress of infants, toddlers and children with disabilities in critical SPP/APR performance indicator areas as well as within the context of state academic standards and Part C assessment requirements.
This objective builds upon the state’s current comprehensive system of web-based monitoring and reporting.

32. Objective 4 - Training Activities
Conduct statewide training and professional development efforts necessary to ensure that project objectives related to alignment, assessment and validation, and reporting activities are implemented and embedded into local improvement and accountability efforts.

33. Plans for Implementation
Assemble Project Advisory Group.
Stakeholders representing Part B and C service providers, special education and related services personnel, Part C ICC, state assessment and standardization specialists, Institute of Higher Education, parents of children and youth with disabilities, advocates and others

34. Plans for Implementation - Alignment
Alignment based on the methods of alignment analyses developed by Norman Webb (Webb, 1999)

35. Table 2: Description of Indiana’s Alignment Activities
SPP/APR Requirements 
 Positive social-emotional skills Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills  Use of appropriate behaviors
Indiana Academic Standards 
 English/Language Arts (Word Recognition, Comprehension, Literacy, Writing, Listening, Speaking)  Mathematics (Number Sense, Computation, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, Data Analysis, Problem Solving)  Speech (Social Interaction, Comprehension, Expressive Communication, Intelligibility)
Part C Assessment Domains 
 Social/Emotional  Cognitive  Physical Development  Self-Help  Communication and Literacy

36. Plan of implementation – Assessment & Validation
Recruit qualified early childhood educators to administer instruments and collect assessment data
Stratified sample – 350 typically developing children and 350 infants, toddlers and children with disabilities served in Part c and Part B-619 programs (N=700)

37. Plan of implementation – Assessment & Validation
Administer child assessments (Early Childhood Assessment and others - TBD)
Collect NCSEAM Parent Surveys – expected sample size – 1000 families
Analysis of data to assess the overall integrity of the Early Childhood Assessment with regard to identifying which items or clusters of items best measure academic standards, Part C developmental domains and SPP/APR performance indicators

38. Plans for Implementation - Reporting Activities
Training activities associated with efforts to report information to various audiences (public reporting, academic standards, SPP/APR)
On-line assessments over secure internet
Generating graphs and custom reports

39. Plans for Implementation - Training
Part C and Part B-619 provider/educator trainings
Assessment training
Report Training
On-going technical assistance

40. Evaluation
University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) to conduct evaluation activities in two key areas
Performance Measurement
Impact Measurement