Early Childhood Outcomes:

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Early Childhood Outcomes

• Early ACCESS and
• Early Childhood Special Education
• Presented by Dee Gethmann
• Iowa Department of Education
• October 2006
• Dee.Gethmann_at_iowa.gov
• 515-281-5502

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Todays Agenda

• Welcome Please Sign-In and Assign a Person to
  Return Sheet(s) to Dept. of Ed
• What did not Change?
• What did Change?
• Impact on Iowas approach in gathering required
  ECO data
• Changes necessary to meet new requirements
• Timelines for gathering 2006 2007 ECO data
• AEA plans to share information with IFSP and IEP
  Teams

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesPurpose

• Develop and Implement a Statewide Accountability
  System to Measure Outcomes for Infants and
  Toddlers in Early ACCESS and Preschoolers in
  Early Childhood Special Education

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The Essential Question

• Are students with disabilities entering school
  ready to learn at high levels?

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesTarget Population

• Early ACCESS
• Infants and Toddlers
• All infants and toddlers that have an IFSP
• Include children when transitioning at the age of
  3
• Early Childhood Special Education
• Preschoolers
• All preschool children that have an IEP
• Include children when transitioning from ECSE
  services to kindergarten
• Include children receiving ECSE services and
  Kindergarten services (Part-Time/Part Time)
• Do NOT include children that begin receiving
  special education services in kindergarten

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesThree ECO Areas

• Children with IFSP/IEP who demonstrate improved
• Positive social-emotional skills (including
  social relationships)
• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
  (including early language/communication and early
  literacy for preschoolers)
• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesOriginally 3
Reporting Categories

• Percentage of children who
• Reach or maintain functioning at a level
  comparable to same-aged peers
• Improved functioning
• Did not improve functioning
• In each of the 3 ECO Areas

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesChange 5
Reporting 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
• In each of the 3 ECO Areas
• Revised ECO Reporting Categories, August 2006
  SPP/APR Table

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes5 Reporting
Categories

• Percentage of children who
• a.  Did not improve functioning
• Either acquired no new skills or behaviors or
  their functioning regressed while receiving Early
  ACCESS or ECSE services.

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes5 Reporting
Categories

• b. Improved functioning but not sufficient to
  move nearer to functioning comparable to
  same-aged peers
• Acquired new skills and behaviors but no positive
  change in their developmental trajectories
• Acquired new skills at the same or lower rates
  than they had at the time they began Early ACCESS
  or ECSE services

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes 5 Reporting
Categories

•  c. Improved functioning to a level nearer to
  same-aged peers but did not reach it
• Acquired skills and new behaviors at a faster
  rate while receiving Early ACCESS or ECSE
  services
• Positive change in their developmental
  trajectories
• Have not attained functioning comparable to
  same-aged peers

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes 5 Reporting
Categories

• d. Improved functioning to reach a level
  comparable to same-aged peers
• Did not show functioning comparable to same-aged
  peers when they began Early ACCESS or ECSE
  services
• Reached functioning comparable to same-aged peers
  while receiving services

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes5 Reporting
Categories

• e. Maintained functioning at a level comparable
  to same-aged peers
• Showed functioning comparable to same-aged peers
  when they began Early ACCESS or ECSE services
• Continued to demonstrate skills comparable to
  same-aged peers while receiving services

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesDescriptions of
ECO Areas

• ECO Areas Represent Critical Skills that
• Promote positive outcomes for young children
• Support active and successful participation in
  everyday activities and routines, now and in the
  future
• Integrate all areas of development
• Prepare children to enter school ready to learn
  at high levels (The Essential Question)
• Refer to
• Alignment of ECO, IFSP Outcome/IEP Goal Codes and
  Iowa Early Learning Standards, February 2006,
  Iowa Dept. of Education

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Iowas Early Childhood OutcomesHow will data be
summarized?

• All IFSP and IEP Teams will reach consensus on
  the results reported on the
• Early Childhood Outcomes Summary Form
• February 2006 June 30, 2006
• ECO Summary form dated January 2006
• Beginning July 1, 2006
• ECO Summary form dated October 2006

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary
FormOctober 2006

• Comparison to peers or standards
• To what extent does this child show
  age-appropriate functioning in the area of
  positive social-emotional skills across a variety
  of settings and situations

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Comparison to peers or standards
• 7-Point Rating Scale
• Rating is based on
• Current level of functioning demonstrated across
  a range of situations and settings that make up
  the childs day
• Typical functioning, not his/her capacity to
  function under ideal circumstances
• Functioning using assistive technology or special
  accommodations
• Skills and behaviors compared to age appropriate
  expectations based on child development research

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Comparison to peers or standards
• Rating is NOT based on
• A single behavior or skill
• Discrete behaviors
• Demonstration of skills under ideal circumstances
  that not does not reflect everyday situations or
  settings

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Progress
• Has the child shown any new skills or behaviors
  related to positive social-emotional skills since
  the last IEP meeting?

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Childs Progress is based on any of the
  following
• Acquisition of a new skill or behavior since the
  last IFSP or IEP meeting
• More independently demonstrates mastery of a
  skill or behavior
• Progress made toward achieving IFSP Outcomes or
  IEP Goals
• Improve skills and behaviors to a level nearer to
  age-appropriate functioning

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Supporting Evidence for Outcome Rating and
  Progress in Positive Social-Emotional Skills
• Information gathered from various procedures and
  multiple sources of data
• RIOT
• Progress monitoring data
• IFSP and IEP Results data
• Age appropriate expectations
• Other relevant information regarding childs
  functioning across a variety of settings and
  everyday situations

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes ECO Summary Form

• Completing the ECO Summary form
• Complete for each ECO area, despite services
  receiving or areas of concern
• Initial IFSP or IEP meeting for infants, toddlers
  or preschool children
• Annually as a part of the IFSP or IEP meeting,
• Complete ECO Summary form until the child no
  longer receives Early ACCESS or ECSE services
• MUST complete when child leaves services (i.e.
  exits services, transitions at age 3 or into
  kindergarten)

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes Timelines

• Beginning February 1, 2006
• Initial IFSP or IEP Meetings
• Comparison to Peers or Standard
• Beginning July 1, 2006
• Annual IFSP and IEP Meetings Exit Meetings, and
  Re-evaluation IEP Meetings
• Comparison to Peers or Standard
• Progress
• Supporting Evidence
• SPP Baseline and Targets will be based on
  these data!

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Iowas Early Childhood Outcomes Timelines

• IFSP and IEP Meetings held between July 1 to
  November 10, 2006
• Teams have until Friday, December 1 to complete
  the new ECO Summary form
• Beginning November 10, 2006
• Teams complete the new ECO Summary form at the
  time of the IFSP and IEP Meetings

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Early Childhood OutcomesWhat is the Quality of
the Settings?

• Iowa Quality Preschool Study
• Study Goal
• Describe the quality of Iowa preschool classrooms
  serving children on IEPs
• Iowa Department of Education
• Mary Schertz and Dee Gethmann
• Iowa State University Dept of Human Devt
  Family Studies
• Dr. Susan Hegland and Lesia Oesterreich

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Iowa Quality Preschool Study

• From 620 Iowa classrooms serving children with
  disabilities (on IEPs), we randomly chose
• 50 early childhood, inclusive classrooms (more
  than 50 children typically developing)
• 50 early childhood special education classrooms
  (50 or more children with disabilities)
• Classroom Settings
• 80 in public schools
• 10 Head Start programs
• 10 Community child care or preschool programs
• Completed observations and interviews with
  teachers in Spring 2005

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Iowa Quality Preschool StudyWhat did we assess?

• Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised
  (ECERS-R) Areas
• Space and Furnishings
• Personal Care Routines
• Language-Reasoning
• Activities
• Interaction
• Program Structure
• Parents and Staff
• Early Child Environment Rating Scale Extended
  (ECERS-E) Areas
• Literacy
• Math

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Iowa Quality Preschool Study

• Finding
• Most classrooms were mediocre in quality
• (Average score lt 5 and ? 3)

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Iowa Quality Preschool Study

• Finding Majority of teachers do not use a
  comprehensive, evidence-based assessment tool
• Over 10 of teachers reported their only form of
  monitoring childrens progress was through
  monitoring IEPs

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Iowa Quality Preschool Study

• Finding 42 public school teachers reported that
  they did not use a curriculum
• Myth The best preschool teachers use
  locally-designed curricula and locally-designed
  assessments.
• Reality Our research - Best Predictors of
  Quality
• Comprehensive, evidence-based curriculum AND
  assessment measure aligned with Iowa Early
  Learning Standards
• Examples
• High/Scope
• Creative Curriculum

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Early Childhood OutcomesResources and Support

• ECO Work Group
• Need a representative from each AEA and Urban
  Education Area
• Purpose
• Determine the Technical Assistance needs for
  completing the ECO Summary form
• Develop materials to support IFSP and IEP Teams
  in determining the Child Outcome Rating, Progress
  and Supporting Evidence
• Time commitment Three one-day meetings in DSM
• AEAs and UENs Submit the name of the
  representative to Dee Gethmann by November 3.

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Early Childhood OutcomesAEA Action Plan

• AEA are responsible for training the IFSP and IEP
  Team
• Please keep the AEA or UEN representative on the
  ECO Work Group informed of the activities to
  train as well as resources needed

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• What questions or comments do you have about ECO?

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