1. Child Outcomes Summary Process April 26, 2017

2. 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. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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?

8. Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process

9. 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

10. Barriers to “Objective” Decision Making

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. What resources are available to complete the COS Process?

14. 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.
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.

15. Could do a scavenger hunt

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

20. Knowledge Needed… Outcomes… Typical Development…

21. When is the COS process completed?

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. Completing a Rating on a Child

27. 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

29. 7 Point Rating Scale Jeopardy

30. EXIT Was there Progress?
ECTA Online Course
Go to Session 8
Complete “Just for Me” activity
Link to Module: 

32. 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?