1. e-EDI Teacher Information & Training Session THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENT (EDI)

2. Today’s Presentation 1. Developmental Health 2. Early Development Instrument (EDI) 3. Using e-EDI system 4. Completing the questionnaires

3. EARLY YEARS MATTER: They set the stage for further development

4. Binocular vision 01237654 High Low Years Habitual ways of responding Language Emotional control Symbol Peer social skills Relative quantity Central auditory system Hertzman, 2007 ‘Sensitive periods’ in early Brain Development

5. EARLY YEARS MATTER: Child’s experiences in the early years of life are pivotal for how the genes that govern many aspects of neurobiological development are expressed Child’s capacity to learn when they enter school is strongly influenced by the neural wiring that takes place in the early years

6. Trajectories - Continuation of Differences Hypothetical growth trajectories Simple continuation of differencesIncreasing differences

7. Target for interventions Hypothetical growth trajectories School-based interventions Desired results

8. Target for interventions Hypothetical growth trajectories School-based interventionsFrequently-achieved results

9. Target for interventions Hypothetical growth trajectories Pre-school-based interventionsDesired results

10. Key Principles… The later you attempt to change a trajectory the more energy that is required Therefore a major effort has to be made in the early years when neural systems are most plastic and compromises or constrictions are most readily overcome

11. Readiness to learn concept Children are born ready to learn: the neurosystem is pre- programmed to develop various skills and neuropathways, depending on the experience it receives.

12. Developmental Health at School Entry Refers to the child’s ability to meet the task demands of school, such as: being comfortable exploring and asking questions, listening to the teacher, playing and working with other children, remembering and following rules. In short, it is the ability to benefit from the educational activities that are provided by the school.

13. Development Health at School Entry School – understood as Grade 1 Many marked differences between curriculum in Kindergarten and Grade 1 Kindergarten provides transition between play-based preschool and home environment to the academically-based environment of grade school

14. A large number of children at a small risk for school failure may generate a much greater burden of suffering than a small number of children with a high risk (Based on Rose 1992, Offord et al. 1998)

16. What is the EDI? The EDI is teacher-completed checklist that assesses children’s developmental health when they enter school. In other words, it measures the outcomes of children’s pre-school (0-6 years) experiences as they influence their readiness to learn at school. As a result, the EDI is able to predict how children will do in elementary school.

17. A Population-Based Measure The EDI is designed to be interpreted at the group level. The EDI does not provide diagnostic information on individual children.

18. Teacher Perception Data Perception is good Teachers are educated experts Teacher intuition is extremely accurate Grades, report cards, parent-teacher conferences Scientific evidence, both from the EDI and other studies, that teachers’ rating of children are actually more reliable in predicting children’s future academic success than direct tests

19. EDI Benefits Results from the Early Development Instrument (or EDI) will enable us to: Look forward – adjust school programs to meet the current needs of incoming students (schools). Look backward – adjust early childhood programs to help ensure children are ready to learn and make it easier for them to make the transition to school (community).

20. Benefits cont’d… Schools use EDI data by itself for program planning and resource allocation Community uses EDI data in conjunction with other information (e.g., EQAO results, population statistics, other community information) to identify neighbourhoods where additional early years supports may be required. Advocacy for families and children.

21. How the EDI works The EDI assesses children’s developmental health when they enter school by looking at five key areas of child development:

22. 1) Physical health and well-being

23. 2-3) Maturity 2) Emotional health and maturity 3) Social knowledge and competence

24. 4) Language development and thinking skills

25. 5) Communication skills and general knowledge

26. The EDI is…….. –A population (or large group) measure –A way to understand trends in the development of kindergarten children The EDI is not…….. –An individual child or diagnostic measure –A way to evaluate teachers or individual programs

27. WHO IS USING IT?

28. Across Canada

29. Around the World

30. COMPLETING THE e-EDI QUESTIONNAIRES

31. Implementation Timelines & Deadlines 1.Teachers receive e-EDI Training 2.Teachers complete EDI questionnaires on-line 3.Teachers “lock in” each child’s questionnaire as they are completed - Today! -Today until XXXXX

32. Time It will take approx 20 minutes to complete each questionnaire. However, once you have completed a few, it should take closer to 10 minutes per questionnaire. Best students and struggling students completed quickly….middle ground students require more thought.

33. Tip # 1 Due to the “learning curve” involved, it is considerably more efficient to complete all the questionnaires in one sitting. One sitting may involve 2 or 3 consecutive days, depending on the number of students you have.

34. Getting Started: Your EDI Package 1)Additional Explanatory Notes / FAQ 2)EDI Guide 3)ClassList from OCCS 4)Local Class List 5)e-EDI Instructions You will receive an EDI package containing the following items: (One per teacher) (One per class) (One per teacher)

35. EDI Guide Intended to facilitate completion of the EDI; based on comments from teachers. Please read the whole Guide once before starting to complete the questionnaires. While completing the e-EDI you can click on the Guide button and a pdf version of the EDI Guide will pop up

36. Tip # 2 Read the entire EDI GUIDE once before starting on the questionnaires. After you have read the EDI Guide, consult it if in doubt.

37. e-EDI Teacher Instructions for Completion Provides information – steps to guide the on-line completion of EDI questionnaires Open to further comments: If you have comments pertaining to either of the guides, please write them on a separate sheet of paper and enclose with your completed questionnaires. e.EDI General Teachers Guide.doc

38. Before you Begin the e-EDI 1.Review the e-EDI questions 2.Get your login and password. 3.Have your class lists available. 4.Ensure that all the children in your class(es) have a local ID and are included on your list. 5.Review any background materials 6.If applicable, list student’s whose parent’s/guardians have declined permission 7.Good luck and thank-you!

39. Accessing the e-EDI In your Internet browser type in: www.e-edi.ca

40. Signing In Teacher’s email here The initial password is the Teacher’s EDI ID Ensure that ENGLISH is chosen

41. Teacher Menu

42. YOU ARE NOW READY TO TACKLE THE QUESTIONNAIRES!

43. General Instructions Responses to the questions should be based on your observations of the students reflecting his/her CURRENT developmental status. (The child does not need to be present) Use ‘I don’t know’ as a last resort only, especially in the student demographic page (page 1). Questionnaires received with too many ‘I don’t knows’ cannot be used in the final analysis.

44. EDI Questionnaires

45. Class List AM Class PM Class

46. Step 1: Identify the child At the top of every questionnaire page there is an 11-digit child identification number (generated by McMaster University) called the EDI ID#.

47. Local Class List Match the corresponding Local ID# with the Local Class List (which contains children’s names) to ensure you are thinking about the right child.

48. Enter into the Questionnaire

49. Child Demographic Page

50. Missing or incorrect label information If any of the information is incorrect or missing, enter the correct information on the Child Demographics page of the e-EDI Click Save EDI

51. IMPORTANT!! Q 7 - Special Needs – Cannot be left blank

52. Q 9 ESL Refers to a child for whom English is NOT their first language AND who needs additional instruction in English. A child is NOT considered ESL if his/her first language is English, or the child is able to speak another language apart from English, but whose English is fluent, or a child whose first language (developmentally) is not English but whose English is fluent. IMPORTANT!!

53. Q 14 Student Status – cannot be left blank Child must be currently in your class If the child has: –been in class for less than one month –moved out of class –moved out of school –other –is a “registered non-attender” …Indicate this and DO NOT COMPLETE ANY FURTHER! IMPORTANT!!

54. Tip # 3 Continuously save as you work! After 15 minutes of inactivity you will be automatically logged off the system and all your unsaved changes will be lost

55. Remainder of the EDI Questionnaire Complete Sections A – E by selecting the appropriate response for each question

56. Section B

57. Answer these questions to the best of your knowledge. Use data from the students file if available. If you do not know the answer to the question please indicate ‘Don’t Know’. Once completed, click Check for Completeness Section E

58. Finishing and Checking SECTION E

59. Go back to incomplete sections and fill in any answers you missed You are done! Click here If the system tells you…

60. Locking a Questionnaire You will get a message asking if you are sure that you want to continue with locking the child. If so, click OK. You will be returned back to the Class Information page.

61. Adding a student Type child’s Local ID Click Add Student Remember to add all of the student’s information on the Student Demographic screen

62. Done? Remember to fill out your Teacher Participation Form & Teacher Training Feedback Forms (from the main menu)

63. Teacher Participation Form Helps us keep everything organized when you return the questionnaires to us. It also provides information on the general characteristics of the population of teachers and their experience with the EDI. It is not intended for evaluation of any sort. The information will be examined as a whole, not on an individual basis.

64. Privacy and Confidentiality All information collected is kept completely confidential and used for statistical purposes only NO CHILD OR TEACHER IS EVER IDENTIFIED IN OUR REPORTING

65. YOUR SCHOOL’S EDI CONTACT

66. QUESTIONS?