Early Childhood Outcomes What Is It? What does it mean for Alaska? What does it mean for my...

Early Childhood Early Childhood OutcomesOutcomes

What Is It?What Is It?

What does it mean for What does it mean for Alaska?Alaska?

What does it mean for my What does it mean for my District/ Program?District/ Program?

What does it mean for What does it mean for Families?Families?

PART review findings for PART review findings for Part C and Part B PreschoolPart C and Part B Preschool

• Part C• “While the program has

met its goal relating to the number of children served, it has not collected information on how well the program is doing to improve the educational and developmental outcomes of infants and toddlers served.”

• Part B• “OSEP has no performance

information on preschool children with disabilities served by this program.”

Public Policy ContextPublic Policy Context

• Age of accountability

• Accountability increasingly means looking at results, not just process

• Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP is under increasing pressure to produce outcome data on children participating in early intervention and early childhood special education programs)

Important principles …Important principles …

Overall goals for all children• to function successfully in home,

Kindergarten and community• to function at the level of their typically-

developing, same-age peersFocus on function• Interrelation among areas of development

-NOT specific developmental domains• Use of skills in context -authentic

assessment

Required: Summary of children’s Required: Summary of children’s progress in 3 “Child Outcome” areasprogress in 3 “Child Outcome” areas

• Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships)

• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including skills in early language/ communication and in early literacy)

• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet one’s own needs

(20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A))

OSEP’s Reporting OSEP’s Reporting CategoriesCategories

• For each Child Outcome area– the percent of children with IEPs/IFSPs nationally 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

Part B ResultsPart B ResultsA. Positive social-emotional skills (including social

relationships): Number of

children % of children

a. Percent of preschool children who did not improve functioning 0 0.0%

b. Percent of preschool children who improved functioning but not sufficient to move nearer to functioning comparable to same-aged peers 6 6.2%

c. Percent of preschool children who improved functioning to a level nearer to same-aged peers but did not reach 67 69.1%

d. Percent of preschool children who improved functioning to reach a level comparable to same-aged peers 15 15.5%

e. Percent of preschool children who maintained functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers 9 9.3%

Total 97 100.0%

Part B ResultsPart B Results

B. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy):

Number of children

% of children






Total 97 100.0%

Part B ResultsPart B Results

C. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs: Number of

children % of children






Total 97 100.0%

DVD showDVD show• Federal Reporting Requirements

– Chapter 2 of DVD

Why Collect Outcome DataWhy Collect Outcome Data

• Data on outcomes are important for state and local purposes– To document program effectiveness

• Increase funding

Improve programs• Identify strengths and weaknesses• Allocate support resources, such as technical

assistance

And, Ultimately to better serve children and families!

Outcomes Are FunctionalOutcomes 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

Functional Outcomes are Functional Outcomes are NOTNOT• A single behavior• The sum of a series of discrete behaviors

or splinter skills Such as….

• Knows 10 words

• Smiles at mom

• Stacks 3 blocks

• Pincher grasp (picks up a raisin)

• Goes up and down stairs with one foot on each stair

Functional OutcomesFunctional Outcomes• Not domains-based, not separating child

development into discrete areas (communication, Gross motor, etc.)

• Refer to behaviors that integrate skills across domains

• Can involve multiple domains

• Emphasize how the child is able to carry out meaningful behaviors in a meaningful context

Thinking Functionally Thinking Functionally (within age-expected bounds)(within age-expected bounds)

Isolated skill• He/she not just…

– Knows how to make eye contact, smile, and give a hug

– Knows how to imitate a gesture when prompted by others

– Uses finger in pointing motion

– Shows a skill in a specific situation

Functional skill• But he/she …

– Initiates affection toward caregivers and responds to others’ affection

– Watches what a peer says or does and incorporates it into his/her own play

– Points to indicate needs or wants

– Uses a skill in actions across settings and situations to accomplish

Thinking FunctionallyThinking 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

Children Have PositiveChildren Have PositiveSocial RelationshipsSocial 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

Children Acquire and UseChildren Acquire and UseKnowledge and SkillsKnowledge 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

Children Take Appropriate Action Children Take Appropriate Action toto

Meet Their NeedsMeet 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

Thinking about Each Thinking about Each OutcomeOutcome

• How does the child show affection?

• Does the child knows that an object continues to exist when it is out of sight?

• How does the child interact with others?

• How does the child indicate hunger?

• Does the child understand and avoid danger?

• Does the child know his or her name?

• How does the child interact with siblings?

• Does the child know where things are kept in the house (e.g., what cabinet the cereal is in)?

Outcomes Reflect Global Outcomes Reflect Global FunctioningFunctioning

• 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 domains

Issues Related to Issues Related to AccountabilityAccountability

• Even in the best system, some children will not achieve all of the outcomes at the desired level– Early intervention cannot “fix” all

children– Children with severe disabilities will

make very slow progress toward these outcomes

– But we do not know what any individual child is capable of achieving

The Overarching GoalThe Overarching Goal• “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 programs, and in the community.”

The Bottom Line Related to The Bottom Line Related to Achievement of the Three OutcomesAchievement of the Three Outcomes

• Early intervention and preschool special education strive to achieve all three of the outcomes for ALL of the children receiving services.

Benefits of COSFBenefits of COSF

• Alignment between Part B, Section 619 and Part C

• Same child outcomes emphasized

• Same reporting process used

• Exit from Part C can provide entry information for Part B

Recommended PracticesRecommended Practicesfor Assessmentfor 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

Assessment InstrumentsAssessment Instruments• Assessment tools can inform us

about children’s functioning in each of the three outcome areas

• Challenge: • There is no assessment tool that

assesses the three outcomes directly

Assessment Tool LensAssessment Tool Lens• Each assessment tool carries its own• organizing framework, or lens

• Many are organized around domains

• But the content in the domains isn’talways the same, even if the names arethe same

Currently Available Currently Available Assessment ToolsAssessment Tools

• Each assessment tool sees children

• through its own lens

• Each lens is slightly different

• There is no right or wrong lens

• Key question:– How much and what

information will a given tool provide about the attainment of the three child outcomes?

You will be assessing the child’s levelYou will be assessing the child’s levelof functioning for each outcomeof functioning for each outcome

• What does the child usually do?

• Actual performance across settings and situations

• How the child uses his/her skills to accomplish tasks

• Not the child’s capacity to function under unusual or ideal circumstances

• Not necessarily the child’s performance in a structured testing situation (“noncompliant”)

……and thinking about what is expected and thinking about what is expected for a child that agefor a child that age

• Each outcome is achieved differently by children of different ages.– e.g., what we expect of

a 12 month old with regard to knowledge and skills differs from what we expect of a 24 month old

• There are many ways that children can demonstrate (and you can learn about) functioning in an outcome area

• There are many pathways to competence for children with atypical development (e.g., using sign language, wheelchair).

• You will need to decide how much a given assessment tells you about functioning (in addition to giving a score in a domain area)

Making Use of Assessment ToolMaking Use of Assessment ToolInformationInformation

• Information from formal or published assessment tools can be very useful, but it needs to be understood and used in the context of achievement of the three outcomes

• Teams may have additional information that paints a picture of the child that differs from one provided by an assessment. Teams may “override” the results from an assessment tool

Remember ThisRemember This• Flexibility is

required in applying assessment tool results to the outcomes

• Teams need to decide what information from an assessment tool is relevant for this child

What process will we use What process will we use in Alaska?in Alaska?

• Team process -the team …– represents information from those

familiar with the child in a variety of contexts

– is comprised of two or more of the above who meet to• complete the rating scale• select the outcome indicator

– uses a systematic process for making decisions

Which assessments will we use in Which assessments will we use in Alaska Alaska Part CPart C

• Assessment, Evaluation and Programming System for Infants and Toddlers (AEPS)

• Battelle Developmental Inventory

• Bayley – III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition

• Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs, Third Edition (CCITSN; 2004)

• Early Learning Accomplishments Profile (ELAP, 2002)

• Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP® Birth to 3, ©2004)

• Early Intervention Developmental Profile (“the Michigan”)

• Sewell Early Education Developmental Profile (SEED)

Which assessments will we use in Which assessments will we use in Alaska Part B?Alaska Part B?

• You may use any of the following assessment tools to gather the Entry and Exit data:

» Dial 3» Brigance» Battelle» AGS» AEPS

or» One approved by the Department

Child OutcomesChild OutcomesSummary FormSummary Form

Why Is the Child Outcomes Summary Form Needed?

• No assessment instrument assesses the three outcomes directly

• Different programs will be using different assessment instruments, and outcome data will need to be aggregated across programs

COSF FeaturesCOSF Features• It is not an assessment tool

• It uses information from assessment tools and observations to get a global sense of how the child is doing at one point in time

• Seven possible ratings

• Rating is based on the child’s functioning:– What the child does across settings and situations

Compared with what is expected given the child’s age

Key PointsKey Points• Assumption: Children can be described with regard to how

close they are to age-expected functioning for each of the three outcomes

• By definition, most children in the general population demonstrate the outcome in an age expected way

• Over time, some children will move farther away from age-expected functioning (skills at older ages are more demanding)

• By providing services and supports, programs are trying to move children closer to age-expected functioning

• Some children will never achieve this

Essential Knowledge for Essential Knowledge for CompletingCompletingthe COSFthe COSF

• Between them, team members must:

1. Know about the child’s functioning across settings and situations

2. Understand age-expected child development

3. Understand the content of the three child outcomes

4. Know how to use the rating scale

5. Understand age expectations for child functioning within the child’s culture

The FormThe Form• Information about the

child

• Who participated in the process

• Sources of evidence

• For each outcome:– Rating question– “New skills” question– Space to document the

basis for the rating

Two Forms ( handouts )

Original COSF– Adapted for ILP in Alaska– Instructions (Handout)

Part B Option’sDistricts may use either form

District must still report data in the Supplemental Workbook

Decision TreeDecision Tree

The Two COSF QuestionsThe Two COSF Questions• To what extent

does this child show age-appropriate functioning, across a variety of settings and situations, on this outcome? (Rating: Completely to Not Yet)

• Has the child shown any new skills or behaviors related to [this outcome] since the last outcomes summary? (Yes-No)

Summary RatingsSummary Ratings(Completely to Not Yet)(Completely to Not Yet)

• Provide an overall sense of the child’s current functioning in three areas

• Reduce rich information from assessment and observation into ratings to allow a summary of progress across children

• Do not provide information for planning for the individual child. Information at the rich, detailed level will be more helpful for intervention planning purposes

Using Information fromUsing Information fromAssessment ToolsAssessment Tools

• The ECO Center has “cross-walked” assessment tools to the outcomes

• Crosswalks show which sections of assessment tools are related to each outcome

• Having many items does not necessarily mean the assessment captures functioning across settings

** See hand out**

Summary Ratings Require:Summary Ratings Require:• Looking at functional behaviors

• Collecting and synthesizing input from many sources familiar with the child in many different settings and situations

• Child may display problem behaviors that are not age appropriate but are not captured by the assessment (e.g., biting, head-banging)

Summary Ratings Are Summary Ratings Are Based on…Based on…

Types of Information• Curriculum-based

assessments (e.g., HELP)

• Norm-referenced assessments (e.g., BDI-2)

• Developmental screenings (e.g., Ages & Stages)

• Observation and report

Sources of Information• Parents and family members

• Service providers

• Therapists

• Physicians

• Child care providers

• Teachers

• People familiar with the child in all of the settings and situations that he/she is in

See Yellow Handouts for definitions

Going beyond assessments …Going beyond assessments …

• Using many types and sources of information is critical– Types -portfolios, checklists, interviews,

rating scales, others– Sources -parents and other caregivers,

teachers, therapists, other professionals who have knowledge of the child in everyday routines and contexts

Overview: Responsibilities Overview: Responsibilities of Districts/ Programsof Districts/ Programs

• Set up a framework– Establish structured team process -who, what, when– Review available assessment information– Match to required outcome areas– Enhance available information if needed– Develop plan for reviewing information using ECO rating scale,

using team process, and entering information into state system in accord with the established timeline

• Complete team rating that uses all information on each child with an IEP/IFSP, to derive a score (roll up the data)

• Enter data into Alaska system – (Part B Supplemental Workbook)– (Part C ELIP Web Database System )

Reporting Schedule Part CReporting Schedule Part C• Initial COSF ratings must be completed for all

children near the time of the first IFSP. For a very young infant, initial COSF may wait until 4 to 6 months of age.

• Annual COSF ratings are completed at the time of the annual IFSP meeting.

• Exit COSF ratings must be completed within 3 months of the child's exit from the program.

Part B ReportingPart B Reporting• This data must be collected for all IEP This data must be collected for all IEP

preschoolers who have been in the preschoolers who have been in the program for 6 months. program for 6 months.

• Entry data will be collected in the district Entry data will be collected in the district within two months of program entry. within two months of program entry.

• Exit data will be collected in the district Exit data will be collected in the district prior to the student's 6th birthday or when prior to the student's 6th birthday or when they exit special education services, they exit special education services, whichever comes first. whichever comes first.

MonitoringMonitoring• An approved assessment will be An approved assessment will be

completed for each child prior to each completed for each child prior to each rating. rating.

• The ratings and supporting evidence will The ratings and supporting evidence will be recorded on the Child Outcomes be recorded on the Child Outcomes Summary Form. Summary Form.

• State staff will be monitoring for the COSFState staff will be monitoring for the COSF

Summary of immediate steps for Summary of immediate steps for DistrictsDistricts

• Establish process for– Team– Range of types and sources of

information– Review, rating, making determination– Timelines for

• Collecting and organizing information• Completing team process • Entering information

TimelinesTimelines

Districts• August through May

– Collect Data

• June –July– Enter data into Supplemental Workbook

• July 15– Submit Supplemental Workbook to EED

• EILP – ongoing data collection

Contact InformationContact Information• Sharon Schumacher at 465-2824 or email

[email protected]

• Jane Atuk at 269-3419 or email [email protected]

• : http://www.hss.state.ak.us/ocs/InfantLearning/resources/default.htm

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