1. Educational Outcome Measures for Courts
January 19, 2012
Nora Sydow, J.D.
National Center for State Courts
National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues

2. Outcome Areas
The Focus Group created measures in these six outcome areas:
School placement stability;
Academic performance;
Early education;
Special education;
Social behavior; and
Postsecondary entrance rates.

3. Education Measures: School Stability
Percentage of children under court jurisdiction who did not have a school change when they had a change in living placement
Median number of school transfers while under court jurisdiction
Median number of school days between the last day attended at old school to first day attended at new school

4. Education Measures: Academic Performance
Percentage of school-aged children performing at or above grade level at case closure
Percentage of children who drop out of school while under court jurisdiction
Percentage of children who attended at least 95% of school days while under court jurisdiction

5. Education Measures: Early Education
Percentage of children ages 3-5 who have been enrolled in an enriched early education childhood program while under court jurisdiction

6. Education Measures: Special Education
Percentage of children ages 0-3 who have been evaluated for early intervention programs while under court jurisdiction Time from referral for special education services to assessment Time from completion of special education services assessment to delivery of services

7. Education Measures: Social Behavior
Percentage of children under court jurisdiction who have received school disciplinary actions

8. Education Measures: Post-Secondary Education
Percentage of high school graduates/GED holders under court jurisdiction who have been accepted into a post-secondary education program

9. Education Measures: Multiple Outcome Areas
Percentage of ASFA hearings where the child’s education was addressed Percentage of hearings where the child’s education decision-maker was present

10. Focus Group Considerations
The Focus Group sought to develop measures courts would actually implement. With that goal, the measures were designed to be:
Relevant and meaningful to courts;
Tied to education outcome areas; and
Feasible.

11. Prioritizing the Measures
The Focus Group identified four “key measures”
Percentage of children under court jurisdiction who did not have a school change when they had a change in living placement
Percentage of ASFA hearings where the child’s education was addressed
Percentage of children ages 3-5 who have been enrolled in an enriched early education childhood program while under court jurisdiction
Percentage of high school graduates/GED holders under court jurisdiction who have been accepted into a post-secondary education program
How did the group prioritize?

12. What’s next for these measures?
Continue to work with jurisdictions to pilot the measures
Forthcoming article in Family Court Review, July 2012 issue
Added to the full set of court well-being measures, developed in June 2011