Orientation for New Staff

Orientation for New Staff

Lynne KahnKathy Hebbeler

The Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center

Early Childhood Outcomes Center

September 2011


What We Will Cover

Why measure child and family outcomes? Family Indicator C4 Indicators C3 and B7

The three child outcomes The 5 progress categories The 2 summary statements Approaches to child outcomes Common challenges

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Why are state early intervention and preschool special education agencies collecting data on child and family outcomes?

Why Collect Outcome Data?

Early Childhood Outcomes Center 3

Why?

• Accountability – Federal government (Office of Special

Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education) requires that states submit data on outcomes

– In some states, policy-makers are asking for outcome data

• Program Improvement– State agencies (and local programs) want to

use data on outcomes to improve services for children and families


Federal Forces Proving Impetus for Data on Child Outcomes

• Government Performance and Results Act

(GPRA)

• Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)


Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

SEC. 616. <<NOTE: 20 USC 1416.>> MONITORING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND

ENFORCEMENT. ``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;


Family Indicator: C4


APR Requirements for Part C

Percent of families participating in Part C who report that EI services have helped the family:–Know their rights–Effectively communicate their children’s

needs–Help their children develop and learn

Early Childhood Outcomes Center8

APR Requirements for Part B, Section 619 Preschool Programs

• Percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities

• no specific indicator for preschool, nor the expectation for examining preschool family involvement separately from Part B


State Approaches for Family Indicator

• ECO Family Outcomes Survey, Items 16-18 (25 states)

• NCSEAM Impact on Family Scale (24 states)

• State Survey (6 states)


Comparison of the ECO and NCSEAM instruments in relation to content

The instruments were developed separately by ECO and NCSEAM, but both centers used significant input from families and other stakeholders to develop instrument content

The content of both instruments goes beyond the content of the three indicators specified in Part C Indicator 4


Challenges Related to Family Surveys

• Need to increase the response rates• Determining and increasing the

representativeness of the data• Interpreting the data to improve outcomes

for families


OSEP Reporting Requirements: Child Outcomes



Goal of Early Intervention and 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.”

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(from Early Childhood Outcomes Center,http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pdfs/eco_outcomes_4-13-05.pdf)

15Early Childhood Outcomes Center

Understanding the Three Child Outcomes


Three Child Outcomes

• Children have positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships)

• Children acquire and use knowledge and skills (including early language/communication [and early literacy])

• Children use appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

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Outcomes Are Functional

Functional outcomes: • Refer to things that are meaningful to the child in

the context of everyday living• Refer to an integrated series of behaviors or

skills that allow the child to achieve the important everyday goals

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Functional Outcomes are NOT

• A single behavior

• The sum of a series of discrete behaviors or splinter skills such as….. *Knows 10 words *Pincer grasp (picks

up a raisin) *Smiles at mom

*Goes up and down stairs with one foot on each stair *Stacks 3 blocks


Functional Outcomes

• Not domains-based, not separating child development into discrete areas (communication, gross motor, etc.)

• Refer to behaviors that integrate skills across domains

• Almost always involve multiple domains• Emphasize how the child is able to carry

out meaningful behaviors in a meaningful context

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Thinking Functionally

• Discrete behaviors (e.g., those described by some items on assessments) may or may not be important to the child’s functioning on the outcome

• Individually, they are not especially informative

• Summed, they may or may not be useful, depending on the functionality of the behaviors/items

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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 concepts—symbols, pictures, numbers, classification,

spatial relationships– Imitation– Object permanence– Expressive and receptive 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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Taking Action to Meet Needs

• Includes– Integrating various skills (gross motor, fine motor,

communication skills) to complete tasks– Self help skills (feeding, dressing, toileting,

household task)– Acting on the world to get what he or she wants– Not JUST acting on the world: takes

APPROPRIATE action to meet needs

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Outcomes Reflect Global Functioning

• Each outcome is a snapshot of: – The whole child– Status of the child’s current functioning– Functioning across settings and situations

• Rather than:– Skill by skill– In one standardized way– Split by domains

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OSEP Reporting CategoriesPercentage of children who:

a.Did not improve functioningb. 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 numbers26


Helping Children Move Toward Age-Expected Functioning

• Assumption: Children can be described with regard to how close they are to age expected functioning for 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, EI and ECSE are trying to move children closer to age expected behavior

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Functioning

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Entry

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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Key Point

• The OSEP categories describe types of progress children can make between entry and exit

• Two scores or ratings (entry and exit) are needed to calculate what OSEP category describes a child progress

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Understanding the reporting categories a - e

e. % of children who maintain functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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d. % of children who improve functioning to reach a level comparable to same-aged peers

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Entry Exit

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c. % of children who improved functioning to a level nearer to same aged peers, but did not reach it

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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b. % of children who improved functioning, but not sufficient to move nearer to same aged peers

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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a. % of children who did not improve functioning

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Entry Exit

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Entry Exit

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The Summary Statements

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 turned 3 [6] years of age or exited the program.

c + d/ (a+b+c+d)


The Summary Statements

2. The percent of children who were functioning within age expectations in each Outcome by the time they turned 3 [6] years of age or exited the program.

d + e/(a+b+c+d+e)


The concepts are easier than the words or the formulas

• Summary statement 1: How many children changed growth trajectories during their time in the program?

• Summary statement 2: How many children were functioning like same aged peers when they left the program?


Approach Part C (56 states/jurisdictions)

Preschool(59 states/jurisdictions)

COS 7 pt. scale 41/56 (73%) 37/59 (63%)

One tool statewide 7/56 (13%) 9/59 (15%)

Publishers’ online analysis

3/56 (5%) 6/59 (10%)

Other 5/56 (9%) 7/59 (12%)

State Approaches to Measuring Child Outcomes - 2011



All approaches have challenges

Approach Challenges

One tool statewide

Defining age expectations Determining cutoffs for

enough progress to be considered a change in growth trajectory



Approach Challenges

Publishers’ analysis of on-line assessment tools

Aligning assessment tool items with the 3 outcomes

Programming the analysis to be comparable to other measurement approaches



Approach ChallengesChild Outcome Summary Form

Getting consistency of interpretation and use

Requires understanding of child development


Themes of Agenda Sessions

• Quality Assurance• Training and TA – state strategies and

resources• Collaboration

– Across Early Care and Education • Understanding and communicating

outcomes data at the local and family level

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Themes of Agenda Sessions

• Using data for program improvement• Effective practices to improve outcomes• Sustaining change• Family outcomes

– Using data for improving family services and supports

– Return rates and representative data

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Questions or comments?


www.the-eco-center.org

http://www.the-eco-center.org/

Documents

Orientation for New Staff