1. Indicator 7: Measuring Preschool Outcomes Cycle II – Cohort 3 Web/Call Training – November 2009
Pat Cameron – Department of Early Education and Care
and
Donna Traynham – Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

2. Review of Indicator 7
Measuring baseline and progress/exit data on preschoolers with disabilities in three developmental domains:
Positive social emotional skills (including positive social relationships)
Acquisition of skills and knowledge (including early language/communication and early literacy)
Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

3. Reporting Baseline Data
Baseline data are:
the percentage of preschool children with disabilities who exhibit skills and behaviors that are comparable to same age peers
the percentage of preschool children whose skills are not comparable to same age peers

4. Assessment Tools
Districts are able to use a wide variety of formative assessment tools that measure a child’s functioning in these developmental domains
IMPORTANT – these three domains may or may not be in the area of disability – so eligibility assessments can not be your only data source and may in fact be irrelevant
Gather data from various sources who know the child (i.e., classroom teachers, related service providers, child care, parents)

5. Early Childhood Outcomes Center
ECO Center has “crosswalked” assessment tools to the outcomes
Crosswalks show which sections of assessment are related to each outcome
The number of items addressing an outcome does not necessarily mean that the assessment captures functioning across settings

7. Children Have Positive Social Relationships
Involves:
Relating with adults
Relating with other children
For older children- following rules related to groups or interacting with others
Includes areas like:
Attachment/separation/ autonomy
Expressing emotions and feelings
Learning rules and expectations
Social interactions and play

8. Children Acquire and Use Knowledge and Skills
Involves:
Thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving
Using symbols and language
Understanding physical and social worlds
Includes:
Early concepts – symbols, pictures, numbers, classification, spatial relationships
Imitation
Object permanence
Expressive language and communication
Early literacy

9. Children Take Appropriate Action to Meet Their Needs
Involves:
Taking care of basic needs
Getting from place to place
Using tools
In older children, contributing to their own health and safety
Includes:
Integrating motor skills to complete tasks
Self-help skills (e.g., dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting, household responsibility)
Acting on the world to get what one wants

10. Functional Outcomes
Functional refers to things that are meaningful to the child in the context of everyday living
Refers to an integrated series of behaviors or skills that allow the child to achieve the outcomes
They are not
a single behavior;
nor are they the sum of a series of discrete behaviors

11. Functional Outcomes, cont.
They cross domains– do not separate child development into discrete areas (communication, gross motor, etc.)
Emphasis is on how the child is able to carry out meaningful behaviors in a meaningful context

12. Thinking Functionally
Uses finger in pointing motion
Knows how to make eye contact
Smiles
Give hugs when prompted
Can imitate a gesture when prompted by others
Takes 4 steps on 6 inch balance beam
Climbs 6 stairs, one foot on each step

13. Using your baseline data
Once you have gathered and reported baseline data – use it to
inform instruction
inform curriculum
identify areas that need improvement and areas of child’s strengths for success
“peer pairing”

14. Why the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)?
No assessment instrument assesses the 3 outcomes directly
Many states will allow local programs to use different assessment instruments, and outcomes data will need to be aggregated
The summary form’s 7 point rating scale defines a child’s current functioning in a metric that can be compared over time to reflect child progress

15. Features of the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)
Not an assessment tool
Uses information from assessment tools and other data sources to determine an overall rating of how the child is functioning in each outcome area, at one point in time

16. Features of the Child Outcomes Summary Form
7-point rating scale
Rating is based on child’s functioning:
How a child functions across settings and situations
Compared to what is expected of a child his/her age

17. Overall Age-Appropriate Completely means: 7
Child shows functioning expected for his/her age in all or almost all everyday situations that are part of the child’s life. Functioning is considered appropriate for his/her age.
No one has any concerns about the child’s functioning in this outcome area. 6
Child’s functioning generally is considered appropriate for his/her age but there are some significant concerns about the child’s functioning in this outcome area. These concerns are substantial enough to suggest monitoring or possible additional support.
Although age-appropriate, the child’s functioning may border on not keeping pace with age expectations.
Overall Not Age-Appropriate
Somewhat
means: 5
Child shows functioning expected for his/her age some of the time and/or in some settings and situations. Child’s functioning is a mix of age-appropriate and not age-appropriate behaviors and skills.
Child’s functioning might be described as like that of a slightly younger child.* 4
Child shows occasional age-appropriate functioning across settings and situations. More functioning is not age-appropriate than age-appropriate.
Nearly 3
Child does not yet show functioning expected of a child of his/her age in any situation.
Child uses immediate foundational skills across settings and situations. Immediate foundational skills are the skills are the skills upon which to build age-appropriate functioning.
Functioning might be described as like that of a younger child.* 2
Child occasionally uses immediate foundational skills across settings and situations. More functioning reflects skills that are not immediate foundational than are immediate foundational.
Not yet means: 1
Child does not yet show functioning expected of a child his/her age in any situation.
Child’s functioning does not yet include immediate foundational skills upon which to build age-appropriate functioning.
Child’s functioning reflects skills that developmentally come before immediate foundational skills.
Child’s functioning might be described as like that of a much younger child.*

18. Helping Children Move Toward Age-Expected Functioning
Assumption: Children can be described with regard to how close they are to age-expected behavior in each of the 3 outcomes
By definition, most children in the general population demonstrate the outcome in an age-expected way
By providing services and supports, Early Childhood Special Education is trying to move children closer to age-expected behavior

19. Measuring Functioning Compared to Age-Expectations
Documenting children’s movement toward age-expected development is one type of evidence that program services are effective
The Child Outcome Summary Form (COSF) was designed to measure this type of progress

20. Essential Knowledge for Completing the COSF
Team members need to know:
The child’s functioning across settings and situations
Age-expected child development
Content of the 3 outcome areas
How to use the rating scale

21. Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)

22. A Domain Score on an Assessment Tool Does Not Necessarily Translate Directly into an Outcome Rating
Ratings require
Looking at functional behaviors, and
Collecting and synthesizing input from many sources familiar with the child across different settings and situations.

23. Summary Ratings are Based on…
Types of Evidence
Curriculum-based assessments (e.g., HELP)
Norm-referenced assessments (e.g.,BDI-2)
Developmental screenings (e.g., Ages and Stages)
Parent and professional observation and report
Sources of Evidence
Parents and family members
Service providers
Therapists
Physicians
Child care providers
Teachers
People familiar with the child in all the settings and situations that he/she is in

24. Ratings on the 3 Child Outcomes
Ratings on all 3 outcomes should be reported for every child enrolled
Ratings are needed in all areas even if:
No one has concerns about a child’s development
A child has delays in one or two outcome areas, but not in all three outcome areas
Even if the domain is not in the area of disability

25. Assistive Technology Considerations
Ratings should reflect the child’s level of functioning using whatever assistive technology or special accommodations are present in the child’s typical settings
Children who could benefit from assistive technology but don’t have it will get lower scores
This does not reflect on the child’s inability inasmuch as the fact the child does not have the necessary equipment/services

26. Summary Ratings (1-7)
Provide an overall sense of the child’s current functioning in 3 areas
Reduce rich information from assessment and observation into a rating to allow a summary of progress across children
Information at this detailed level will be more helpful for intervention planning purposes

27. Summary Ratings are not:
They are not:
Information on the services provided themselves
The family’s satisfaction with services
An explanation of why the child’s functioning is at that level
Do not provide specific information for planning for the individual child

28. What about the Speech only kids?
How are articulation difficulties impacting the child in each of the outcome areas?
social relationships?
acquisition of skills and knowledge?
ability to communicate wants and needs?
Necessary for the SP/L staff to look at these three areas and seek data from other sources.

29. Including Parents in the Discussion
No consensus around the country on whether parents should be included in deciding on the summary rating. Even parent groups don’t agree
Some states are including parents to help reach a rating
Others states are deciding on a rating without parent input
Parent input about the child’s functioning is critical
Family members see the child in situations that professionals do not
Need to ask family members about what the child does at home
Need a way to learn about what family members know about the child
No expectation that parents will be able to determine if what they are seeing is age appropriate

30. Coming in the Spring….
You’ll report progress data on each child in the sample as long as they have been with the program for 6 months. At progress, children’s scores will fall within five (5) categories Percentage of children who: ▪ Did not improve functioning ▪ Improved functioning, but not sufficient to move nearer to functioning comparable to same-aged peers ▪ Improved functioning to a level nearer to same-aged peers but did not reach it ▪ Improved functioning to reach a level comparable to same-aged peers ▪ Maintained functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers

31. Summary Statements
OSEP has taken the five categories and collapsed them into two summary statements
Summary Statement 1: Of those children who entered the program below age expectations in each Outcome, the percent who substantially increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.
Summary Statement 2: The percent of children who were functioning within age expectations in each Outcome by the time they exited the program.

32. Setting Targets
States will be required to set targets in the upcoming Annual Performance Report (APR) due to OSEP in February 2010.
Targets will be based on aggregate data from LEAs and LEAs will be setting their own targets.
More information is available at

33. Logistics Selecting sample of 40 students
Prioritize the youngest, then
A representative sample
across disability categories
across settings
mixed gender
Review the excel reporting form
SASIDs
DOB
“exit date”
Baseline data
Review the security portal

34. Timelines Gather baseline assessment data now through mid-December
Your file will be available through the Security Portal on or about December 11
Complete the Excel spreadsheet and upload it back into ESE security portal by December 23
Be thinking of setting targets and how these data can be used now
Spring – progress data gathering in late May, reporting progress through the security portal in June.