An Integrated Approach to School Readiness NHSA Parent, Staff, and Leadership Conference 2016 Consuellis Hawkins-Crudup Karen McKnight

Session Outcomes Participants will identify data sources across service areas most connected with children’s outcomes, and a process for analyzing data when outcomes show a child’s skills are delayed. Participants will be able to use a data set to identify health, educational, disability or family issues impacting a child’s school readiness and the implications for interventions that may be needed at the classroom or administrative level. Participants will be able to operationalize a transdisciplinary approach to both analyzing and addressing factors affecting a child’s school readiness.

What is School Readiness? Definition: Children possessing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and for later learning and life.

OHS 4 Strategic Steps to SR 1 Adopt and align established child goals from the HS Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) 2 Create and implement a plan of action for achieving goals 3 Assess child progress on an ongoing basis and aggregate and analyze data 2-3 times per year 4 Examine data for pattern of progress for groups of children in order to develop and implement a plan for program improvement

1302.102 Achieving Program Goals HSPPS (i)Ensure data is aggregated, analyzed and compared in such a way to assist agencies in identifying risks and informing strategies for continuous improvement in all program service areas (ii) Ensure child-level assessment data is aggregated and analyzed at least three times a year, including for sub-groups, such as dual language learners and children with disabilities as appropriate c) Using data for continuous improvement

Partner Activity What data do you use to determine school readiness? What data do you collect for SR? What do you use it for? and how do you analyze it? Have you found trends? What has your analysis told you? Based on that data, what questions do you ask?

ECMHSP School Readiness Analysis Classroom Center Regional Grantee Analyzed three times per year/season Regional Education Specialists work with center/classroom in collecting and reviewing data Levels of Reporting: Aggregates all regions for a grantee report Reviews with Program Managers to discuss programmatic changes Grantee SR Manager supports the Regional Specialists to aggregate and analyze

Trends Age Group Lowest Mastery Skills Highest Mastery Skills Infants/Toddlers Cognition Language Physical Social-Emotional Preschoolers Science

Steps to Using Data Formulate a question 2015-Business Over Broadway Generate hypotheses Gather and generate data Analyze data and form conclusions Communicate results and take action Formulate a question or problem statement Generate a hypothesis that is testable Gather/Generate data to understand the phenomenon in question. Data can be generated through experimentation; when we can’t conduct true experiments, data are obtained through observations and measurements. Analyze data to test the hypotheses / Draw conclusions Communicate results to interested parties or take action (e.g., change processes) based on the conclusions. Additionally, the outcome of the scientific method can help us refine our hypotheses for further testing.

Generate Hypotheses Education Health Family Disability Behavior Dental Culture Services Teacher experience Weight Engagement Teacher Interactions Premature Absences Number of children in the classroom Assessment Administration Vision/Hearing First time enroll Curriculum Implementation Accidents/ Incidents Days in center Special Health Care Needs Crisis Homelessness

Gather and Generate Data

Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions

Small Group Activity Using the sample data: What are your assumptions? What do you notice? What conclusions can you make? What’s missing?

Analysis tool in action

What factors are impacting language development? Program 1 Operates 5 centers Centers are open for approximately 4 months Serves 344 children Majority of children primary language is Spanish The Education Specialist led each center to systematically start implementing the analysis tool three times a season What factors are impacting language development?

Regional Level Program Improvement Used trends from the analysis tool to plan pre-service training and conduct classroom observations. Focused observations determined dual language strategies were inconsistently being implemented in English and Spanish. Program took action and identified the need to have trainings for staff in English and Spanish for all centers.

Center Level Program Improvement Core team members used analysis tool and valued identifying trends, and health factors, to discuss the impact of a child’s development. Determined the majority of children below had been referred for speech services. Majority of those referred had been declined by parents. Program took action to increase parenting knowledge of child development by preparing more parent trainings and conducting more home visits.

Classroom Level Program Improvement Bi-weekly team meetings were used to draw conclusions using the analysis table. Changes were made to the lesson plans, and classroom environments. Teachers became more focused on using intervention strategies learned during pre-service trainings. Number of children indicated on the analysis tool at the beginning of the season for language decreased by 50%.

Program 2 Operates 5 centers Centers are open approximately 5 months Serves 230 children Majority of children primary language is Spanish The Health/Disabilities Specialist systematically used the analysis tool to track every child in the region. Program wanted to increase PIR numbers and provide more services to children.

Regional Level Program Improvement Used trends from the analysis tool to flag areas of concern and provide direct technical assistance to the center. Information was sent to each Center Director, Early Childhood Education Coordinator and Health/Disabilities Coordinator.

Center Level Program Improvement Modified services to children and families based on data. Flagged areas of concerns which led to PIR for dental, hearing, and vision above 90%. Center operating less than 2 months was able to have children evaluated, diagnosed, and receive an IEP.

Common Themes Programs Reported Analysis Tool: Increased communication across core content areas Not time consuming Teachers have said: “Oh, this is why we are doing this.” It has really helped see the why. If staff don’t know the why of what they are doing, like assessing children, they won’t do a great job at it.

What have we learned?/Take Action Program Needs to: Collaborate to document family issues/concerns. Revise the procedure for developing Family Engagement School Readiness to link to the area of concern and document using the Interactive Literacy Activity (ILA) form. Formulate process for documenting ‘blood incidents’ in ChildPlus for accident/incidents. Develop Train the Trainer models for administering screening and assessments . Review process for making referrals and monitoring development. Refine coaching process for classroom staff to build teacher competencies.

Grantee Program Improvement The process for completing the Analysis Tool has been embedded in all content (ex. education, health, family service, etc.) service manuals. Case Management approach being used to modify services to children and families based on the data. Added a Dual Language Policy

Core Strategies Implement an integrated curriculum that addresses the essential domains of school readiness in the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five (HSELOF, 2015). Aggregate and analyze child-level assessment data at least three times per year. Use that data in combination with other program data to determine grantees progress toward meeting its goals, to inform parents and the community of results, and to direct continuous improvement related to curriculum, instruction, professional development, program design and other program decisions

Core Strategies Provide early learning coaching to staff across program options and settings. Establish individualized Wellness Plans that promote healthy development for every child. Ensure a parent partnership process that promotes an understanding of their child's progress, provides support, and encourages learning and leadership. Provide ongoing communication with local schools, and other agencies receiving Early Head Start or Head Start children such as local preschool programs, to exchange information about children and programs and to align services for early learning, health, and family engagement. Create a learning community among staff to promote innovation, continuous improvement, and integrated services across education, family services, and health.

Continuous Improvement Everyone plays a role in ensuring an integrated, comprehensive program approach to establishing and achieving school readiness goals

Ultimately, we want to use data to tell the story of how programs are helping prepare children and families for the future…AND where children are in their journey toward being ready for school!

Closing Remarks What will you do differently to analyze and address factors to support school readiness at the classroom or administrative level?

Contact Information Consuellis Hawkins-Crudup School Readiness Manager East Coast Migrant Head Start Project 2700 Wycliff Road, Suite 302 Raleigh, North Carolina 27607 (919) 926-3337 conusellis@ecmhsp.org