Indicator 7: Measuring Preschool Outcomes Cycle II – Cohort 3 Web/Call Training – November 2009 Pat Cameron – Department of Early Education and Care and Donna Traynham – Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 1

Review of Indicator 7 Measuring baseline and progress/exit data on preschoolers with disabilities in three developmental domains: Positive social emotional skills (including positive social relationships) Acquisition of skills and knowledge (including early language/communication and early literacy) Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs 2

Reporting Baseline Data Baseline data are: the percentage of preschool children with disabilities who exhibit skills and behaviors that are comparable to same age peers the percentage of preschool children whose skills are not comparable to same age peers 3

Assessment Tools Districts are able to use a wide variety of formative assessment tools that measure a child’s functioning in these developmental domains IMPORTANT – these three domains may or may not be in the area of disability – so eligibility assessments can not be your only data source and may in fact be irrelevant Gather data from various sources who know the child (i.e., classroom teachers, related service providers, child care, parents) 4

Early Childhood Outcomes Center ECO Center has “crosswalked” assessment tools to the outcomes Crosswalks show which sections of assessment are related to each outcome The number of items addressing an outcome does not necessarily mean that the assessment captures functioning across settings

6

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 7

Children Acquire and Use Knowledge and Skills Involves: Thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem- solving Using symbols and language Understanding physical and social worlds Includes: Early concepts – symbols, pictures, numbers, classification, spatial relationships Imitation Object permanence Expressive language and communication Early literacy 8

Children Take Appropriate Action to Meet Their Needs Involves: Taking care of basic needs Getting from place to place Using tools 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 9

Functional Outcomes Functional refers to things that are meaningful to the child in the context of everyday living Refers to an integrated series of behaviors or skills that allow the child to achieve the outcomes They are not a single behavior; nor are they the sum of a series of discrete behaviors 10

Functional Outcomes, cont. They cross domains– do not separate child development into discrete areas (communication, gross motor, etc.) Emphasis is on how the child is able to carry out meaningful behaviors in a meaningful context 11

Thinking Functionally Uses finger in pointing motion Knows how to make eye contact Smiles Give hugs when prompted Can imitate a gesture when prompted by others Takes 4 steps on 6 inch balance beam Climbs 6 stairs, one foot on each step 12

Using your baseline data Once you have gathered and reported baseline data – use it to inform instruction inform curriculum identify areas that need improvement and areas of child’s strengths for success “peer pairing” 13

Why the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)? No assessment instrument assesses the 3 outcomes directly Many states will allow local programs to use different assessment instruments, and outcomes data will need to be aggregated The summary form’s 7 point rating scale defines a child’s current functioning in a metric that can be compared over time to reflect child progress 14

Features of the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) Not an assessment tool Uses information from assessment tools and other data sources to determine an overall rating of how the child is functioning in each outcome area, at one point in time 15

Features of the Child Outcomes Summary Form 7-point rating scale Rating is based on child’s functioning: How a child functions across settings and situations Compared to what is expected of a child his/her age 16

Overall Age-Appropriate Completely means: 7 Child shows functioning expected for his/her age in all or almost all everyday situations that are part of the child’s life. Functioning is considered appropriate for his/her age. No one has any concerns about the child’s functioning in this outcome area. 6 Child’s functioning generally is considered appropriate for his/her age but there are some significant concerns about the child’s functioning in this outcome area. These concerns are substantial enough to suggest monitoring or possible additional support. Although age-appropriate, the child’s functioning may border on not keeping pace with age expectations. Overall Not Age-Appropriate Somewhat means: 5 Child shows functioning expected for his/her age some of the time and/or in some settings and situations. Child’s functioning is a mix of age-appropriate and not age-appropriate behaviors and skills. Child’s functioning might be described as like that of a slightly younger child.* 4 Child shows occasional age-appropriate functioning across settings and situations. More functioning is not age-appropriate than age-appropriate. Nearly means: 3 Child does not yet show functioning expected of a child of his/her age in any situation. Child uses immediate foundational skills across settings and situations. Immediate foundational skills are the skills are the skills upon which to build age-appropriate functioning. Functioning might be described as like that of a younger child.* 2 Child occasionally uses immediate foundational skills across settings and situations. More functioning reflects skills that are not immediate foundational than are immediate foundational. Not yet means: 1Child does not yet show functioning expected of a child his/her age in any situation. Child’s functioning does not yet include immediate foundational skills upon which to build age-appropriate functioning. Child’s functioning reflects skills that developmentally come before immediate foundational skills. Child’s functioning might be described as like that of a much younger child.* 17

Helping Children Move Toward Age-Expected Functioning Assumption: Children can be described with regard to how close they are to age-expected behavior in each of the 3 outcomes By definition, most children in the general population demonstrate the outcome in an age-expected way By providing services and supports, Early Childhood Special Education is trying to move children closer to age- expected behavior 18

Measuring Functioning Compared to Age-Expectations Documenting children’s movement toward age-expected development is one type of evidence that program services are effective The Child Outcome Summary Form (COSF) was designed to measure this type of progress 19

Essential Knowledge for Completing the COSF Team members need to know: The child’s functioning across settings and situations Age-expected child development Content of the 3 outcome areas How to use the rating scale 20

Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) 21

A Domain Score on an Assessment Tool Does Not Necessarily Translate Directly into an Outcome Rating Ratings require Looking at functional behaviors, and Collecting and synthesizing input from many sources familiar with the child across different settings and situations. 22

Summary Ratings are Based on… Types of Evidence Curriculum-based assessments (e.g., HELP) Norm-referenced assessments (e.g.,BDI-2) Developmental screenings (e.g., Ages and Stages) Parent and professional observation and report Sources of Evidence Parents and family members Service providers Therapists Physicians Child care providers Teachers People familiar with the child in all the settings and situations that he/she is in 23

Ratings on the 3 Child Outcomes Ratings on all 3 outcomes should be reported for every child enrolled Ratings are needed in all areas even if: No one has concerns about a child’s development A child has delays in one or two outcome areas, but not in all three outcome areas Even if the domain is not in the area of disability 24

Assistive Technology Considerations Ratings should reflect the child’s level of functioning using whatever assistive technology or special accommodations are present in the child’s typical settings Children who could benefit from assistive technology but don’t have it will get lower scores This does not reflect on the child’s inability inasmuch as the fact the child does not have the necessary equipment/services 25

Summary Ratings (1-7) Provide an overall sense of the child’s current functioning in 3 areas Reduce rich information from assessment and observation into a rating to allow a summary of progress across children Information at this detailed level will be more helpful for intervention planning purposes 26

Summary Ratings are not: They are not: Information on the services provided themselves The family’s satisfaction with services An explanation of why the child’s functioning is at that level Do not provide specific information for planning for the individual child 27

What about the Speech only kids? How are articulation difficulties impacting the child in each of the outcome areas? social relationships? acquisition of skills and knowledge? ability to communicate wants and needs? Necessary for the SP/L staff to look at these three areas and seek data from other sources. 28

Including Parents in the Discussion No consensus around the country on whether parents should be included in deciding on the summary rating. Even parent groups don’t agree Some states are including parents to help reach a rating Others states are deciding on a rating without parent input Parent input about the child’s functioning is critical Family members see the child in situations that professionals do not Need to ask family members about what the child does at home Need a way to learn about what family members know about the child No expectation that parents will be able to determine if what they are seeing is age appropriate 29

Coming in the Spring…. You’ll report progress data on each child in the sample as long as they have been with the program for 6 months. At progress, children’s scores will fall within five (5) categories Percentage of children who: ▪ Did not improve functioning ▪ Improved functioning, but not sufficient to move nearer to functioning comparable to same-aged peers ▪ Improved functioning to a level nearer to same-aged peers but did not reach it ▪ Improved functioning to reach a level comparable to same- aged peers ▪ Maintained functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers 30

Summary Statements OSEP has taken the five categories and collapsed them into two summary statements Summary Statement 1: Of those children who entered the program below age expectations in each Outcome, the percent who substantially increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program. Summary Statement 2: The percent of children who were functioning within age expectations in each Outcome by the time they exited the program. 31

Setting Targets States will be required to set targets in the upcoming Annual Performance Report (APR) due to OSEP in February Targets will be based on aggregate data from LEAs and LEAs will be setting their own targets. More information is available at es/fed_req.cfm#TargetSetting 32

Logistics Selecting sample of 40 students Prioritize the youngest, then A representative sample across disability categories across settings mixed gender Review the excel reporting form SASIDs DOB “exit date” Baseline data Review the security portal 33

Timelines Gather baseline assessment data now through mid-December Your file will be available through the Security Portal on or about December 11 Complete the Excel spreadsheet and upload it back into ESE security portal by December 23 Be thinking of setting targets and how these data can be used now Spring – progress data gathering in late May, reporting progress through the security portal in June. 34