Child Outcomes Summary Process April 26, 2017

Purpose What is the process used in your division to complete the outcomes rating? What is the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process? How can the COS process improve practices at the local level? What Early Childhood TA (ECTA) and VA Resources can be used to improve the process used in my division?

3 Outcome Areas Positive Social-Emotional Skills Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills Use of Appropriate Behavior to Meet Needs Have participants identify 3 areas, then have them identify skills under each area

2 Outcomes Required by the Office of Special Education Programs Of those preschool children who entered or exited the preschool program below age expectations in Outcome ___, the percent who substantially increased their rate of growth by the time they turned 6 years of age or exited the program The percent of preschool children who were functioning within age expectations in Outcome ___ by the time they turned 6 or exited the program

Process Who What How Team members (including family) Well trained Knowledgeable of outcome areas Knowledgeable of typical development What Data sources Tools Materials How Procedures

How to Ensure Data Quality Tools Before Good assessment Good training Efficient and effective process Timely and accurate data entry During Ongoing supervision of implementation Feedback to implementers Refresher training After Review sample of completed outcome summaries Pattern checking analysis Training has evolved as we’ve learned and grown Fit Indicator 7 into IEP process Increased focus on assessment as a result of this indicator Enhancements to data system in 2011 enables us to use data for analysis Ensuring quality data is important throughout data collection process – so you have to build in strategies before, during and after data collection. You’re building a system for ensuring data quality. BEFORE: The kinds of strategies you use beforehand are things like good training and establishing an efficient data system and thinking about training and procedures that will ensure timely and accurate data entry. To ensure staff who are involved in the data collection and reporting process have the knowledge and skills they need to do a good job, you conduct trainings around topics such as good assessment practices, understanding the COSF process, child development and age expectations, family involvement, data entry procedures, etc.

What is the process used in your division? Who completes the ratings? Rate your process on a Scale of 1-5 (1 low-5 high). How would you like to improve the process?

Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process

summarizing information COS Process Recommended process to be used in Virginia for summarizing information related to a child’s progress and providing an exit rating on each of the three child outcome areas COS is a team process. It is an effective way to use multiple sources of information to describe a child’s functioning and provide a rating on each outcome area COS is a mechanism that allows programs to summarize assessment information for federal reporting as well as for their own purposes, such as for accountability, program planning, and program improvement COS is NOT an assessment instrument summarizing information team process multiple sources Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must report the percentage of preschool children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who demonstrate improved: Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships), Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy), and Use of appropriate behavior to meet needs. States are required to measure and report on the progress children make between the time they enter a program and the time they exit in each of the outcome areas. Data are to be reported for all children who stay in the program at least 6 months. To report data, states must have information about children's functioning at these two time points and have a way to examine the level of improvement or progress in functioning between the time points.   The Child Outcomes Summary Process (COS) is a team process for summarizing information related to a child’s progress on each of the three child outcome areas. The COS process is an effective way to use multiple sources of information to describe a child’s function on each outcome area. The COS process is NOT an assessment instrument. It is a process used for summarizing across multiple sources of information about the child. Using the COS process does not require that programs collect more data about children’s progress; it is a mechanism that allows programs to summarize assessment information for federal reporting as well as for their own purposes, such as for accountability, program planning, and program improvement. federal reporting own

Barriers to “Objective” Decision Making

Barriers to Data-Informed Decision Making Many providers/teachers have developed their own personal metric for judging the effectiveness of their intervention/teaching. Many providers/teachers and administrators base their decisions on experience, intuition, and anecdotal information (professional judgment) rather than on information that is collected systematically. 1.) No tool used, just opinion which is not objective. Very subjective. 2.) We tend to make judgements about the child’s abilities without assessments. Consistency among team members with recording how skills are measured is needed. Ingram, D. S. (2004). Accountability policies and teacher decision making: Barriers to the use of data to improve practice. Teachers College Record, 106(6), 1258–1287.

Barriers to Data-Informed Decision Making Some providers/teachers disassociate their own performance and that of children, which leads them to overlook useful data. 4. Programs and schools rarely provide the time needed to collect and analyze data. 3.) There are so many assessment options out there- which ones do we use?? Norm-based versus Criterion-based There are different purposes of assessments- How do we know what to use?? Knowing how to prioritize goals Using developmental norms 4.) Teachers don’t realize that changing their behavior and/or practices can actually help child learn faster. Teachers way of assessing and teaching may affect student outcomes- offering more help than realized (prompting) Ingram, D. S. (2004). Accountability policies and teacher decision making: Barriers to the use of data to improve practice. Teachers College Record, 106(6), 1258–1287.

What resources are available to complete the COS Process?

Resources for Completing the COS Process Virginia Department of Education Website. You can find information on the pages for Early Childhood Special Education, Indicator Data Collection. Scroll to the section with resources for Indicator 7. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/early_childhood/data/index.shtml Leadership in Effective And Developmentally-Appropriate Services (LEADS) Website. You can find information on the pages for Data, Indicator 7 Outcomes. Click on the tab for Indicator 7 Resources. http://va-leads-ecse.org/indicator-7

Could do a scavenger hunt

Resources Indicator 7 Overview Child Outcomes Overview Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships) Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy) Use of appropriate behavior to meet needs Young Children’s Development and Age Appropriate Skills The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process

The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process ECTA/DaSY Online Module A comprehensive online module has been developed jointly by the ECTA and DaSY Centers The module provides key information about the COS process and the practices that contribute to consistent and meaningful COS decision-making COS Documents COS Outcome Summary Form and Instructions Decision Tree for Summary Rating Discussions Definitions for Outcome Ratings COS Discussion Prompts

The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process Providing Professional Development ECTA provides resources designed to help with delivery of professional development (online, live, technical assistance) on the COS process Ensuring Fidelity of the COS Process ECTA also provides resources to increase teams’ fidelity of the COS process Resources can be used by individuals or as part of a peer review process to reflect upon the extent to which the process used by the program meets quality expectations

Knowledge Needed… Outcomes… Typical Development…

When is the COS process completed?

When to Complete the COS Process Entry to Preschool, Under Part B Entry includes all children who begin preschool special education and can receive six months of service or more before entering kindergarten Children may have initial eligibility established by their resident district and may begin service from another district if the family moves Entry ratings are the responsibility of the first district to deliver a service through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and are not the responsibility of the evaluating district Entry ratings are typically made within the first month of service

When to Complete the COS Process Exit from Preschool Exit ratings are to be provided for any child who received preschool special education for at least six months Exit occurs when Child is evaluated and determined to no longer be a child with a disability Child is transitioning to kindergarten Child is moving out of state Parents are voluntarily discontinuing service Child’s whereabouts are unknown and the school has been unable to locate him/her Death of the child Exit ratings are made as close to the child’s exit from preschool as possible Exit ratings are made within one month of program exit by a group of service providers

Child Moves If a child moves into your division If the child moves from out of state, the division is to complete their own entry rating If the child moves in state, the receiving division can use the previous division’s entry rating or can complete their own entry rating (it is recommended for the receiving division to provide their own entry rating) If a child moves out of your division If the child moves out of state, an exit rating is completed If the child moves in state and the division knows the child will continue to get special education services, the child should not be exited If the child moves and whereabouts are unknown and the school has been unable to locate him/her, an exit rating is completed

Other Opportunities The Department of Education (DOE) believes in the importance of ongoing assessment to provide critical information to parents and other members of a child’s IEP team and to inform instruction DOE requires assessment data to be converted to child outcome summary ratings at program entry and program exit only

Completing a Rating on a Child

Documentation The DOE provides the “Early Childhood Outcomes Progress Summary Form” Divisions may also create their own form or modify the DOE form provided the appropriate information is documented

7 Point Rating Scale Jeopardy

EXIT Was there Progress? ECTA Online Course Go to Session 8 Complete “Just for Me” activity Link to Module: https://proxy.qualtrics.com/proxy/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdasyonline.org%2FDaSyCOS2015&token=PfazFcGQYJ9pNjaO5tVHCdpfWNE64%2BrJfD3%2BDqfaIm4%3D

What are components of the COS process that can benefit the child, family, team? How can the COS process (and ratings) be used in your division?