Early Childhood Development (ECD) Scales: Overview & Lessons Learned Dr. Ghazala Rafique Aga Khan University Pakistan Regional Consultative Meetings on SEAMEO Basic Education Standards (SEA-BES) & SouthEast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) 4 - 5 November 2014 Penang, Malaysia

Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) Early Learning and Development standards (ELDS) have been developed by a number of countries in East Asia and Pacific with the support of UNICEF Standards developed for all domains of child development (as defined by the countries) They include competences that children are expected to acquire in each domain

ELDS Domains Physical development and well-being Socio-emotional competencies Intellectual development Creative and aesthetic Cultural and spiritual development

Cultural, Contextual Early Learning and Development Assessment Culturally and contextually appropriate assessment of ECD is important to: Monitor child development in the context of school readiness and learning outcomes Track the development of vulnerable and at-risk children Improve teaching- learning process and materials Analyze the impact of early childhood policies and programs on children

Genesis of East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scale (EAP-ECDS) Many countries in East Asia Pacific supported that the assessment of children should encompass all dimensions of children’s learning and development No globally accepted ECD assessment tools existed that could inform about what children understand, know and can do Developing a culturally and conceptually appropriate assessment tool to validate that learning and development goals, as defined in each country’s ELDS/Curricula, are achieved

Initiation of East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales (EAP-ECDS) Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) initiated the development EAP-ECD scale to equip East Asian and Pacific countries with a common measurement tool that can assess the holistic developmental progress of children ranging in age from 3 to 5 years. Multi-country initiative managed by ARNEC with support from UNICEF EAPRO and the Open Society Foundation and implemented by the University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Phase I: Development of the Scale Selection of items to be used in a tool to assess early child development in the EAP region These items were based on a comprehensive desk review of the Early Learning and Development Standards from 7 countries in the Region

Source: HKU Research Team EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014

Determined # of indicators Developed categories + Development of the Items Converted indicators to items Form a 100-item measure Selected indicators in each category To construct a 100-item regionally-sensitive measure Determined # of indicators in each category Based on the proportion of the total # of indicators in each category Developed categories + sub-categories 7 categories Established an Indicator Database 1738 indicators for children aged 3, 4, and 5 from seven countries’ ELDSs Source: HKU Research Team EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014 Focus on rationale and process

Phase II: Revision and Refinement of the Scale (Pilot Studies) Pilot testing of selected items in children aged 3-5 from three countries (Fiji, Mongolia, and China) Scale modification based on the results Development of a final revised version of EAP-ECDS

Field Consultancy Support Pilot study Mongolia Fiji China Modification Field trials Sent draft to countries Translation & checking Field Consultancy Support Source: HKU Research Team EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014

Evaluating Effectiveness of the Scale Reliability Cronbach’s alpha: > .70 Validity Content validity: expert review Age Validity: older children scoring significantly higher than younger children Age Appropriateness Cross-cultural differences Item discrimination Item facility

The Revised Scale after Phase II 1. Approaches to Learning 7 items 21 items 2. Cognitive Development 10 items 3. Cultural Knowledge and Participation 16 items 4. Language and Emergent Literacy 7 items 5. Motor Development 9 items 6. Health, Hygiene and Safety 15 items 7. Socio-Emotional Development Source: HKU Research Team EAP-ECDS Dissemination Workshop Oct 1-3, 2014 85 items Total

Phase III: Final Validation of the Scale Construct norms across the region on representative samples from each country Assess psychometric properties such as test-retest reliability Comparisons across different domains and groups (age, gender, urban/rural) Correlations between parent ratings and EAP-ECDS domains and total scores ‘

EAP-ECDS - Way Forward Data Analysis with the provided dataset to address country-specific research questions Fine-tuning ELDS Curriculum revision Mainstreaming EAP ECDS for National Research Initiatives and M&E mechanism Feed into ECCD policy framework development Improve coordination among existing systems – ELDS, curriculum, teacher training, etc.

Challenges for Developing new Scales Defining and implementing learning and development goals require systematic efforts and country commitment (from national, sub-national levels to schools and teachers) Another challenge in developing a scale for multiple countries is the issue of item bias and it is crucial to ensure that items are fair to children with different cultural background