1. NC E ARLY L EARNING N ETWORK IS A JOINT PROJECT OF THE NC D EPARTMENT OF P UBLIC I NSTRUCTION, O FFICE OF E ARLY L EARNING AND UNC F RANK P ORTER G RAHAM C HILD D EVELOPMENT I NSTITUTE Effective Practices Supporting Early Childhood Outcome Measurement Overview of the Child Outcomes System

2. What we will cover Why are we doing this? What are the three child outcomes? What is functional performance and how do we measure it? What is the 7 point rating scale? What is a developmental trajectory? What does this mean to me and my program? 2

3. WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF PROFESSIONALS WHO DO THE COS RATINGS? Reliable and Valid Child Outcome Summary (COS) Ratings 3

4. Required competencies Understand the content of the three outcomes Develop an intentional plan to collect measureable data that will support the ratings Know about and use resources to compare a child’s functional behavior to age expected milestones Know how to use the rating scale Understand the “developmental trajectories” 4

5. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? Measuring and collecting child outcomes data 5

6. Goal of early childhood education Young children with disabilities will receive high quality services and supports that will enable them to be active and successful participants during their early childhood years and in the future in a variety of settings 6

7. Child outcome information will be useful to provide: Information on how programs are making a difference for the children and families; Information to improve early childhood special education services in North Carolina; and Provide data to demonstrate results to all stakeholders at the local, state, and federal level. 7

8. Accountability to federal government Each year LEAs must submit to the state individual child outcome data on children who transition out of their program Each year the state must report data on the three early childhood outcomes to the federal government 8

9. WHAT ARE THE THREE CHILD OUTCOMES? 9

10. “Child Outcomes Step by Step” Edelman, L. (Producer). (2011). Child Outcomes Step-by-Step (Video). Published collaboratively by Results Matter, Colorado Department of Education; Desired Results access Project, Napa County Office of Education; and Early Childhood Outcomes Center. 10

11. Insert video here 11

12. WHAT ARE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES? It’s not just about developmental domains 12

13. Functional Outcomes The three child outcomes refer to actions that children need to be able to carry out and knowledge that children need to use in order to function successfully across a variety of settings. 13

14. What does it look like? Functional outcomes are the “why” of a child’s behavior 14

15. The “Why” of the Behavior BehaviorPurpose Knows how to make eye contact, smile, and give a hug Initiates affection toward caregivers and respond to others’ affection Knows how to imitate a gesture when prompted by others Watches what a peer says or does and incorporate it into his/her own play Uses finger in pointing motion Points to indicate needs or wants Uses a word in multiple situations Says “hot” when the water is hot, the pavement is hot, or the food is hot to protest that he does not like it 15 Functional Outcomes

16. Why not just measure developmental domains? Developmental domains describe children's skills and abilities within specific areas of development. The skills and abilities described by domains are a necessary but not sufficient component of functioning within the routines and activities of early childhood. 16

17. Valid measurement It is NOT about how much progress the child has made in your class, in someone else’s class, or in your therapy sessions. It IS about how does the child’s functional behavior compare to age-expected developmental levels as he/she enters or leaves the program. 17

18. Positive Social Relationships Involves: – Relating with adults – Relating with other children – For older children, following rules related to groups or interacting with others 18

19. Positive Social Relationships Includes areas like: – Attachment/separation/autonomy – Expressing emotions and feelings – Learning rules and expectations – Social interactions and play 19

20. Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills Involves: – Thinking – Reasoning – Remembering – Problem solving – Using symbols and language – Understanding physical and social worlds 20

21. Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills Includes: – Early concepts- symbols, pictures, numbers, classification, spatial relationships – Imitation – Object permanence – Expressive language and communication – Early literacy 21

22. Taking Action to Meet Needs Involves: – Taking care of basic needs, getting from place to place, using tools – Integrating motor skills to complete tasks; taking care of one’s self like dressing, eating, grooming and toileting – Acting on the world in socially appropriate ways to get what one wants 22

23. WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR MEASUREMENT? Functional Behavior and Outcomes 23

24. Initial COS Ratings Recommend that Assessment Teams conduct COS ratings for children who have had a comprehensive evaluation using those results. Recommend that SLPs conduct COS ratings based on their initial assessment information and information from parent interview and child observations. 24

25. Exit Ratings- Classroom Teachers Classroom teachers conduct COS ratings using curriculum-based assessment information, child observation, and input from related service providers and parents. 25

26. Exit Ratings- Itinerant Teachers Collaboratively team with others using: child observations teacher interview classroom curriculum assessment information parent interview 26

27. Exit Ratings- Speech-Language Pathologists When child is in a classroom, collaborate with others using: child observations teacher interview classroom curriculum assessment information and parent interview 27

28. Service Provider Location When a child is driven into a specific location to receive services, the collection of valid and reliable outcomes data can be challenging. You must intentionally plan to collect data from outside the service location at critical times in the year. 28

29. HOW DO YOU GATHER RELIABLE DATA TO SUPPORT THE RATINGS? Functional Behavior and Outcomes 29

30. Observation: data from you 30

31. Scripted observations 31

32. Interpreting observations 32

33. Documenting observations Objective: observable behavior not influenced by opinion or emotions Subjective: cannot be verified based on opinion and emotion 33

34. Objective and specific 34

35. Observing Nathan 35 Activity: Watch a video of a child in play Write down everything you see Nathan do in this video tape clip Note his exact actions and “script” them in objective language

36. Insert Nathan Video here 36

37. Collecting data from other sources Classroom data from portfolio collection and curriculum assessment process Interviews that collect data about the child’s functioning in everyday routines 37

38. Activity Organizing the data HO: Teacher Completed Observational Notes for Nathan. 38

39. Classroom data to be collected 39

40. Classroom portfolio data 40 Taking a picture of a writing sample, or a video of the child writing

41. Classroom portfolio data 41 Take a picture of how these children worked together to build a structure

42. Classroom portfolio data 42 Take a picture and write exactly what the child said to his friend when they were cooking together

43. Classroom portfolio data- family input 43

44. How those classroom teachers do it! Embed the video of Amy from Cabarrus 44 Use what they’ve already got!

45. Collecting data through interviews 45 PARENTSPARENTS TEACHERSTEACHERS

46. HOW DO I MEASURE THIS DATA? 46

47. Age anchoring the data Apply the TPBA age tables other validated age referenced developmental skill charts Handout: NC Age Referencing by Early Childhood Outcome Handout: Nathan’s observation script organized into the three child outcomes 47

48. NOW, HOW DO I DO THE RATING? 48

49. COS 7 point scale 7 point rating scale- comparing child’s functioning to what is expected at his/her age level. Team summarizes multiple data sources to determine rating Rating is not an assessment 49

50. 50 NC Early Childhood Outcomes Brochure

51. Collaborative teaming Ratings should be based on information from multiple people and multiple sources Importance of gathering interview questions from classroom teachers and parent, and Related service providers 51

52. Supporting documentation Monitors should be able to review a child’s file and conduct a COS rating based on the information in the COS documentation Then they should see a comparable rating: inter-rater reliability 52

53. Child Outcome Summary Form (COSF) 53

54. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 54

55. Accountability  Assumption: Children can be described with regard to how close they are to age expected functioning for 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, we are trying to move children closer to age expected behavior 55

56. Demonstrating growth It takes at least two ratings to demonstrate growth NC compares the entry and exit ratings for each child and determines what developmental trajectory pattern they fell into. 56

57. 57

58. Birth Age 6 Developmental Progressions 58

59. Entry ( e.g., age 3) 59 Chronological Age

60. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 60 Chronological Age

61. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 61 Chronological Age

62. Developmental Trajectory A Children who did not improve functioning  Children who acquired no new skills or regressed during their time in the program  Didn’t gain or use even one new skill  Children with degenerative conditions/ significant disabilities 62

63. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 63 Category A Chronological Age

64. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 64 Category A Chronological Age

65. Developmental Trajectory B Children who improved functioning, but not sufficient to move nearer to same aged peers 65

66. Entry ( e.g., age 3Exit ( e.g., age 5) 66 Category B Chronological Age

67. Entry ( e.g., age 3Exit ( e.g., age 5) 67 Category B Chronological Age

68. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 68 Category B Chronological Age

69. Developmental Trajectory C Children who improved functioning to a level nearer to same-aged peers but did not reach it  Acquired new skills but accelerated their rate of growth during their time in the program  Made progress toward catching up with same aged peers but were still functioning below age expectations when they left the program  Changed their growth trajectories & “narrowed the gap” 69

70. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 70 Category C Chronological Age

71. Developmental Trajectory D Children who improved functioning to reach a level comparable to same-aged peers  Children who were functioning below age expectations when they entered the program but were functioning at age expectations when they left  Started out below age expectations, but caught up while in services 71

72. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 72 Category D Chronological Age

73. Developmental Trajectory E Children who maintained functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers  Children who were functioning at age expectations when they entered the program and were functioning at age expectations when they left  Entered the program at age expectations and were still up with age expectations at exit 73

74. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 74 Category E Chronological Age

75. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 75 Category E Chronological Age

76. Entry ( e.g., age 3)Exit ( e.g., age 5) 76 Category E Chronological Age

77. HAVE YOU CHARTED DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES? For children you are currently serving? 77

78. Discussion How could you use this information to inform what you are doing with your children? Do you do ratings at different points in time and chart their trajectories? 78

79. HOW IS THIS INFORMATION BEING USED? For our own programs and the state? 79

80. For the state Beginning to use this data to inform the process of school system self-assessment and continuous improvement. Currently trying to develop better ways to monitor school systems data by identifying ways to determine meaning differences between school data and the state data 80

81. For each school system Should begin to use this data to inform the process of school system self-assessment and continuous improvement Need to identify which practices, modes of service deliver, frequency of services, and other factors are tied to improved child outcomes 81

82. For each provider Need to begin to chart your children’s developmental trajectory growth to see if your practices are making a true difference in their overall outcomes! It’s not just about IEP goals anymore! 82

83. Questions? 83