ELCMDM School Readiness Child Assessment/Intervention Programs ( ): Implications of Child Assessment Results for Childcare Centers Dr. Adam Winsler, George Mason University Dr. Charles Bleiker, Florida International University Community Presentation La Petite Academy - 4/14/08

Partners Roni Bader-Tables, Mike Conte, Dr. Juanita De La Cruz, Betty Key, Dr. Clarence Jones, Dr. Jerome Levitt, Nancy Musselwhite, Judith Parker Ana Pizano, Blythe Robinson, Bethany Sands, Evelio Torres, Mary Williams Dr. Chuck Bleiker, Evelyn Borrell, Dr. Wendy Cheyney, Dr. Gail Gregg, Beatriz Hernandez, Dr. Louis Manfra, Walkiria Oliver, Linda Soden, Kathy Suarez-Espinosa Elif Bor, Kristin Cooper, Jennifer Crane, Mike Feder, Sue Hartman, Lindsey Hutchison, Jessica Johnson, Yoon Kim, Amy Madigan, Amy Mattingly, Dr. Henry Tran Child Development Services - Iliana Acosta, Maria Binelo, Daisy Hensley, Edith Humes-Newbold, Theo Jackson, Porta Thompson

Partners (Continued) Douglas Blomberg, Laurie Citraro, Nikki Giroux, Kathy Snyder Ann de las Pozas, Karen Kluger, Lisa Fowler, Rosalyn Laney, Olivia Moya, Diane Simmons

What are Child Assessments ? Systematic ways of collecting/documenting information about a child’s developmental progress and their strengths/weaknesses in a variety of areas (i.e., cognitive, motor, social, language) for the purposes of identifying those in need of intervention, curriculum planning, and/or evaluation of programs/interventions.

Why Do Child Assessments?  Parents like to get information about their children  Teachers can use the info for planning activities and determining which areas to target  Can increase parent-teacher communication/ collaboration  Useful for identifying individual children (or subgroups) in need of special services or intervention  Needed as evidence of the effectiveness of early childhood programs or interventions

Why Do Child Assessments? (Cont.)  Center directors/agencies can use the info to determine professional development goals/needs  Helps answer teachers’ research questions - what is working and what is not working  Helps teachers become more reflective and aware of important domains of child development  Adds legitimacy/science to ECE - shows with data what you have been saying/knowing all along - that we are doing good things and helping the children

Five-Year Overview - Child Data - Miami Year 1 (“Cohort A”) (4s Completed K in 03-04) Subsidized Care 4’s DECA & LAPD - PRE & POST MDCPS Pre-K DECA & LAPD - MID MDCPS Pre-K SPED 3-4’s Full Battery - PRE & POST Year 2 (“Cohort B”) (4s Completed K in 04-05) Subsidized Care 3’s DECA & LAPD - PRE Subsidized Care 4’s DECA & LAPD - PRE & POST MDCPS Pre-K DECA & LAPD - PRE & POST MDCPS Pre-K SPED 3-4’s Full Battery - PRE & POST Year 3 (“Cohort C”) (4s Completed K in 05-06) Same as Year Year 4 (“Cohort D”) (4s Completed K in 06-07) Subsidized Care 3’s DECA & LAPD screen - PRE Subsidized Care 4’s DECA & LAPD - PRE & POST MDCPS Pre-K DECA & LAPD - POST MDCPS Pre-K SPED 3-4’s Full Battery - PRE & POST Year 5 (“Cohort E”) (4s in K now) Subsidized Care 1-5’s ASQ - POST Subsidized Care 3’s DECA PRE-POST, LAPD screen PRE Subsidized Care 4’s DECA PRE-POST, LAPD screen PRE + Random Sample LAPD PRE & POST MDCPS Pre-K DECA PRE-POST, LAPD screen PRE + Random Sample LAPD PRE & POST

Child Assessments  Learning Accomplishment Profile–Diagnostic (LAP-D; Nehring, Nehring, Bruni, & Randolph, 1992 ) - Language - Cognitive ( Thinking, counting, matching ) (Expressive/Receptive) (Expressive/Receptive) - Fine Motor - Gross Motor ( Body, balance, hop ) ( hands/pencil )  Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA: LeBuffe & Naglieri, 1999 ) (Parent and Teacher Surveys)  Initiative + Self-Control + Attachment/Adult Closeness = Total SocioEmotional Protective Factors  Behavioral Concerns (lower numbers desired) (English or Spanish) (Pre and Post) (Web reports printed and distributed at the child, classroom, center, and agency levels)

Child Assessments (Cont.) Learning Accomplishment Profile–Diagnostic (LAP-D) 3-, 4-, 5-yr-old Screener Learning Accomplishment Profile–Diagnostic (LAP-D) 3-, 4-, 5-yr-old Screener Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (ELAP - Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (ELAP - for children younger than age 3) MDCPS SPED Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ; Bricker & Squires, 1999 ) Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ; Bricker & Squires, 1999 ) - Teacher and parent complete one form together based on child’s age on developmental milestones (communication, problem age on developmental milestones (communication, problem solving, gross motor, fine motor, personal/social) solving, gross motor, fine motor, personal/social)

Questions Answered Today 1) 1)How are children in various types of early childhood education programs doing at age 4 and are they making gains toward school readiness? 2) 2)How are the children doing when they get to kindergarten, first, and second grade? 3) 3)Are the assessments done at age 4 related to children’s later school readiness and performance in early elementary school? 4) 4)Are interventions and quality curricula making a difference for children? 5) 5)How important are children’s social skills and behavior for early school performance? 6) 6)What does all of this mean for me as a parent, teacher, or center director?

Children in poverty receiving subsidies to attend community-based childcare are at some risk as preschoolers but they make excellent progress toward school readiness during their 4-yr-old year in childcare. Language, behavior problems, and closeness with adults are relatively weaker areas and are thus good targets for intervention. Parent support and education are key. How are children doing at age 4?

National Percentile Scores Average LAP-D Scores at PRE & POST for 4-Yr- Old Children in Subsidized Care - Yr3 ( )

Average Teacher-Reported DECA Scores at PRE & POST for 4-Yr-Olds - Subsidized Care Yr5 ( ) National Percentile Scores

Average Parent-Reported DECA Scores at PRE & POST for 4-Yr-Olds - Subsidized Care Yr5 ( ) National Percentile Scores

Sustainable improvements have been made over the years in terms of each cohort of 4-year-old children starting and ending the year slightly higher than the year before on cognitive, language, and fine motor skills. Such improvements are likely due, at least in part, to improvements made in the Miami community over the years in the quality of community-based childcare, and to increased teacher knowledge gained from these assessments. Are we making progress over the years as a community?

Yr 1 ( ) PRE-POST compared to Yr 4 ( ) PRE-POST - Subsidized Care - LAPD Cognitive National Percentile Scores

Yr 1 ( ) PRE-POST compared to Yr 4 ( ) PRE-POST - Subsidized Care - LAPD Language

Yr 1 ( ) PRE-POST compared to Yr 4 ( ) PRE-POST - Subsidized Care - LAPD Fine Motor National Percentile Scores

Children who attend public school pre-k programs also make excellent gains from the beginning to the end of their pre-k year in all domains. Children not in poverty who pay fees for their pre-k programs, as expected, start and end the year in better shape than children in poverty. Children in poverty who attend Title-1 supported MDCPS pre-k programs show greater gains in some areas than similarly low-income children attending center-based childcare in the community. MDCPS Pre-K Programs Compared to Childcare [Title 1 (Poverty) vs. Fee-Supported]

LAP-D Cognitive Total ( ) (Same pattern for Language and Fine Motor) Percentile

DECA Teacher - Total Protective Factors ( ) Percentile

DECA Teacher - Behavioral Concerns ( ) Percentile

Children with special needs enrolled in MDCPS pre- k SPED programs are making impressive gains, even those with very serious developmental disabilities. Typically developing “role-model” children enrolled in MDCPS pre-k SPED programs are also making excellent progress and in terms of socio-emotional skills, they appear to be even stronger than typical children in regular settings. What Progress are Children with Special Needs in MDCPS SPED (ESE) Programs Making?

LAP-D Age Equivalent Scores for MDCPS SPED and Role Model Children ( ) Age Equivalent (Months)

Teacher-DECA Percentile Scores for MDCPS SPED and Role Model Children ( ) Age Equivalent (Months)

Deviation from Chronological Age: LAP-D Cognitive - MDCPS SPED ( ) 0 = Average for actual age Score = Distance in actual child functioning from that expected by chronological age (in months) Age Equivalent (Months)

Deviation from Chronological Age: ELAP Language and Cognitive ( ) Lower Functioning ESE 0 = Average for actual age Score = Distance in actual child functioning from that expected by chronological age (in months)

Children in poverty in Miami receiving subsidies to attend community-based childcare are entering kindergarten ready to learn and they are on par with county-wide averages. Children who attended MDCPS pre-k programs enter kindergarten with a slight school readiness advantage compared to those in community-based care. Emerging literacy is the area where children in poverty are most challenged. How are the children doing when they get to kindergarten, first, and second grade?

Kindergarten Assessments Early Screening Inventory- Revised (ESI- K) standardized school readiness screening Early Screening Inventory- Revised (ESI- K) standardized school readiness screening Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Overall end of Kindergarten year MDCPS student grades/progress reports Overall end of Kindergarten year MDCPS student grades/progress reports

Early Screening Inventory - Revised (ESI-K) Standardized School Readiness Screening Test Includes: - Visual-Motor (Shape copying, Tower building, Person drawing) - Language & Cognition (Counting,Verbal Expression, Verbal Reasoning, Auditory Memory) - Gross Motor (Balance, Hop, Skip) Overall Score (0-28, bigger is better) 1 of 3 outcome categories based on child age and score (Refer, Re-Screen, OK/Ready)

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS ) Measures early literacy development Measures early literacy development - Initial Sounds - Letter Naming Overall scores (bigger is better) Overall scores (bigger is better) 4 categories for literacy achievement: 4 categories for literacy achievement: - Above average - Above average - Low risk - Moderate risk - High risk

End of the Year School Grades Overall end of year student grades/progress report for Kindergarten and Grade 1 Overall end of year student grades/progress report for Kindergarten and Grade 1 Average across all 11 subjects/categories that appear in progress report (Language Development, Handwriting, Science, Pre-Reading, Math, Social Studies, Music, Art, PE, Spanish/ ESOL, Home Language Arts) Average across all 11 subjects/categories that appear in progress report (Language Development, Handwriting, Science, Pre-Reading, Math, Social Studies, Music, Art, PE, Spanish/ ESOL, Home Language Arts) 3-point Scale - Excellent (E) = 3, Satisfactory (S) = 2 3-point Scale - Excellent (E) = 3, Satisfactory (S) = 2 (K) Unsatisfactory (N) = 1 5-point Scale - A = 5, B = 4, C = 3, D = 2, F = 1 5-point Scale - A = 5, B = 4, C = 3, D = 2, F = 1 (Grades 1, 2) (Grades 1, 2)

Kindergarten Fall 2005: SRUSS ESI-K Readiness Determination Not Ready Getting Ready Ready Now Subs Care 4%12%85% MDCPS Title 1 2%10%88% MDCPSFee-Supported1%4%95% District-Wide(N=24,000)4%11%85%

SRUSS DIBELS Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) Functioning in Kindergarten

FLKRS DIBELS Initial Sound Fluency (ISF) Functioning in Kindergarten 2006

ECHOS Total Skills Status in Kindergarten - FLKRS 2006

Children in poverty in Miami receiving subsidies to attend community-based childcare finish kindergarten in pretty good shape and they are essentially on par with county-wide averages in terms of performance. Children with greater economic means perform better in the grades K, 1, and 2, and on standardized tests in grade 2 than children who were in poverty during preschool. How about at the end of Kindergarten?

Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 Performance (4 yr-olds in ) Subs Care MDCPS Title 1 MDCPSFee-S.DISTRICT Average Grades in K M = 2.24 (75% of tot possible) M = 2.31 (77% of tot possible) (77% of tot possible) M = 2.47 (82% of tot possible) (82% of tot possible) M = 2.29 (76% of tot possible) (76% of tot possible) (NOTE - K grades = 3-point scale

Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 Performance (4 yr-olds in ) Subs Care MDCPS Title 1 MDCPSFee-S.DISTRICT Average Grades in K M = 2.24 (75% of tot possible) M = 2.31 (77% of tot possible) (77% of tot possible) M = 2.47 (82% of tot possible) (82% of tot possible) M = 2.29 (76% of tot possible) (76% of tot possible) Average Grades in 1st M = 4.01 (80% of tot possible) M = 4.12 (82% of tot possible) M = 4.55 (91% of tot possible) M = 4.12 (82% of tot possible) (NOTE - K grades = 3-point scale, Grade 1,2 grades = 5-point scale)

Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 Performance (4 yr-olds in ) Subs Care MDCPS Title 1 MDCPSFee-S.DISTRICT Average Grades in K M = 2.24 (75% of tot possible) M = 2.31 (77% of tot possible) (77% of tot possible) M = 2.47 (82% of tot possible) (82% of tot possible) M = 2.29 (76% of tot possible) (76% of tot possible) Average Grades in 1st M = 4.01 (80% of tot possible) M = 4.12 (82% of tot possible) M = 4.55 (91% of tot possible) M = 4.12 (82% of tot possible) Average Grades in 2nd M = 3.94 (79% of tot possible) M = 3.98 (80% of tot possible) M = 4.45 (89% of tot possible) M = 4.06 (81% of tot possible) (NOTE - K grades = 3-point scale, Grade 1,2 grades = 5-point scale)

Grade 2 SAT-10 Standardized Test Scores (Cohort A - 4-yr-olds in ) Subs Care MDCPS Title 1 MDCPSFee-S.DISTRICT Math M = 46%ile M = 48%ile M = 70%ile M = 51%ile Reading M = 48%ile M = 52%ile M = 68%ile M = 49%ile

The DECA and LAPD are reliable and valid assessment tools for the Miami early childhood community and they are sensitive to both developmental change and change due to intervention. The DECA and LAPD child assessments do indeed identify children at risk for later problems - children who score low on the assessments at age 4 are more likely to have trouble later on in kindergarten through grade 2. Are the assessments done at age 4 related to children’s performance in early elementary school?

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a Total LAPD.42* DECA T TPF.27* DECA T BC-.22* DECA P TPF.16* DECA P BC-.11*

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a DIBELS ISF in K b DIBELS LNF in K b Total LAPD.42*.29*.40* DECA T TPF.27*.15*.18* DECA T BC-.22*-.12*-.15* DECA P TPF.16*.10* DECA P BC-.11*-.08*-.10*

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a DIBELS ISF in K b DIBELS LNF in K b K Grades a Total LAPD.42*.29*.40*.39* DECA T TPF.27*.15*.18*.29* DECA T BC-.22*-.12*-.15*-.27* DECA P TPF.16*.10*.19* DECA P BC-.11*-.08*-.10*-.14*

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a DIBELS ISF in K b DIBELS LNF in K b K Grades a Grade 1 Grades b Total LAPD.42*.29*.40*.39*.38* DECA T TPF.27*.15*.18*.29*.22* DECA T BC-.22*-.12*-.15*-.27*-.16* DECA P TPF.16*.10*.19*.14* DECA P BC-.11*-.08*-.10*-.14*-.10*

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a DIBELS ISF in K b DIBELS LNF in K b K Grades a Grade 1 Grades b Grade 2 Grades a Total LAPD.42*.29*.40*.39*.38*.46* DECA T TPF.27*.15*.18*.29*.22*.25* DECA T BC-.22*-.12*-.15*-.27*-.16*-.28* DECA P TPF.16*.10*.19*.14*.18* DECA P BC-.11*-.08*-.10*-.14*-.10*-.18*

Associations Between Preschool Assessments and Early School Performance ESI-K In K a DIBELS ISF in K b DIBELS LNF in K b K Grades a Grade 1 Grades b Grade 2 Grades a Grade 2 SAT Math a Grade 2 SAT Read a Total LAPD.42*.29*.40*.39*.38*.46*.52*.46* DECA T TPF.27*.15*.18*.29*.22*.25*.20*.23* DECA T BC-.22*-.12*-.15*-.27*-.16*-.28*-.22*-.25* DECA P TPF.16*.10*.19*.14*.18*.14*.18* DECA P BC-.11*-.08*-.10*-.14*-.10*-.18*-.11*-.15* a Cohort A data b Cohort B data * p <.05 Still true within pre-k program type (reduce by 5 or so for childcare only) Still true when control for gender, $, and Mat. Educ. ( but reduce by 25%)

Interventions sponsored by the ELC and implemented by CDS and MDCPS have been successful in leading to greater school readiness gains for children. Given the associations between age 4 assessments and later outcomes, it is important to intervene early. Are interventions and quality curricula making a difference for children?

Children Participating in any ELC-Supported Intervention Show Greater Socio-Emotional Gains Compared to No Intervention Percentile Point Gains (Post-Pre)

Children Participating in IMPACT Show Greater Gains Compared to No Intervention Percentile Point Gains (Post-Pre)

Children Participating in Finesse Show Greater Gains in Multiple Domains Compared to Children Receiving No Intervention Percentile Point Gains (Post-Pre)

Children at Circle TeachScape Centers Make Greater Gains in Cognitive Skills Compared to TeachScape Control Children LAPD Cognitive National Percentile Scores

Children at Circle TeachScape Centers Make Greater Gains in Language Skills Compared to TeachScape Control Children LAPD Language National Percentile Scores

Cognitive Gains Made by Children at Circle TeachScape Centers Were Specifically Due to the Mentoring Component LAPD Cognitive National Percentile Scores , by TeachScape Intervention Group

Gains Over 2 Years in Teacher-Reported Child Social Skills for 3-Yr-Old Red Flag Children in NEED Centers Compared to No Intervention Percentile Points

Gains Over 2 Years in Parent-Reported Child Social Skills for 3-Yr-Old Red Flag Children in NEED Centers Compared to No Intervention

Language Gains Made for Children at Centers with a Literacy Program in Place (ELLM or EAP) Over 2 Years (Fall 2003-Spring 2005) Compared to Controls National Percentile Gains

Very Important Children whose preschool teacher was concerned with their social skills at age 4 are four times more likely to be considered “not ready” for school according to the ESI-K screen compared to other children. Children in the “concern” category on teacher-reported behavior problems in preschool at age 4 are 13 times more likely to be considered “not ready” for school than those whose behavior in the preschool classroom a year earlier was OK. How important are children’s social skills and behavior for early school performance?

ESI-K Readiness Determination in K by Teacher DECA Social Skills Category at age 4

ESI-K Readiness Determination in K by DECA Teacher Behavior Concern Category at age 4

What does all of this mean for me as a parent or teacher of a preschooler? The preschool years are critical for helping children get ready for, and succeed in, school. Child care quality is important. Select high quality preschool programs for your child. Visit and observe centers to you assess center quality. What teachers do with the children during preschool affects children’s outcomes. Interventions conducted in classroom do help children be more ready for school. Child assessments during preschool, although time- consuming, are very important for informing parents and teachers about children’s strengths and weaknesses and for identifying children in need of additional assistance.

Get help for children who are identified by the assessments as struggling. Use county services (Child Find, FDDLRS) to help identify areas where your child may need help, and talk with your child’s teachers who can be a big help. Make sure parents and teachers receive the child assessment reports back on the child so they can be helpful. Good communication between parent and teacher is very important and beneficial for children’s growth Have your child’s hearing and eye sight checked to rule out any problems in that area What does all of this mean for me as a parent or teacher of a preschooler?

Reading together with children is very important for school readiness. Read and do other literacy-related activities at home and at school (talk about books, create books, read recipes together while cooking, read signs together) Visit your child’s elementary school early, register early for Kindergarten, meet the future teacher, and become familiar with the school setting - all of these help children make successful transitions to school. Children receiving subsidized childcare are doing very well and entering school ready to learn, and so the high expectations that we have for all of our children are accurate. What does all of this mean for me as a parent or teacher of a preschooler?

Centers should make sure they have a literacy curriculum in place and should target language and cognitive skills in their curriculum. Parents need to understand that they should be concerned if their preschool teacher tells them their child is having behavior problems in the early childhood classroom. Social skills and behavior problems are just as important as traditional pre-academic skills for preschool children’s school readiness. Child assessments are helpful for centers to track children’s progress, communicate with parents, determine areas for remediation, and refer out young children in need of additional assessment/intervention. What does all of this mean for me as a parent or teacher of a preschooler?