Aligning Child Outcome Measurement to Early Learning Standards

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Aligning Child Outcome Measurement to Early
Learning Standards

• NECTAC Outcomes Meeting
• Monday, August 27, 2007

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Indianas Accountability Tool Alignment to Early
Learning Standards and Child Outcome Measures
Sheron Cochran, Early Education
Consultant Indiana Department of
Education Division of Exceptional
Learners scochran_at_doe.state.in.us
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Topics

• Why Alignment is important
• Why ISTAR was selected as Indianas
  Accountability Tool
• Multiple Levels of Alignment
• Current Alignment and Validation Activities
• Next Steps

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Indiana Academic Standards, Foundations to
Indiana Academic Standards and Functional
Indicators
CHILD
Learning Experiences and Interventions
Continuous Assessment of Student Progress
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In the category ofWhat is the ISTAR
Assessment?

• ISTAR is a web-based assessment system provided
  free of charge by the Division of Exceptional
  Learners, Indiana Department of Education.
• It utilizes teacher ratings to measure the
  progress of students. It uses a 3 point rubric.
• It is not a test but rather was developed as an
  authentic measure of continuous progress.
• The assessment elements are aligned to the Birth
  to Five Foundations for Young Children
  (http//www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/welcome.htm)
  and the Academic Standards for K-9
  (http//www.doe.state.in.us/standards/welcome.html

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Indiana selectedISTAR because it..............

• Is an authentic assessment for ALL children.
• Is capable of measuring SPP/APR indicators as
  well as requirements of the No Child Left Behind.
• Supports on-going assessment.
• Provides parents and teachers with graphic
  representation of the progress of the child.
• Helps guide instruction.
• Is intended to make progress monitoring
  meaningful.

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ISTAR Content andExtensions to the Standards

• Content Areas
• English/language arts
• Mathematics
• Functional Achievement Skills
• -Social Emotional
• -Physical Skills
• - Personal Care Skills
• Four levels of progress prior to kindergarten
• Basic 1 (B1) Birth to two years of age
• Basic 2 (B2) Two years of age
• Foundations 1 (F1) Three years of age
• Foundations 2 (F2) Four years of age

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ISTAR Speech Interface.

• Contains 4 areas of skills
• social interaction
• Comprehension
• expressive communication
• speech intelligibility
• Students receiving both speech and early
  childhood services are assessed by the teacher in
  areas of math, English, and functional skills.
  The SLP rates communication skills through the
  SLP interface.
• When the sole service is speech, the SLP
  completes the speech interface.
• OSEP and ECO Center have advised that these four
  areas must be more robust in order to better
  cover the 3 child outcomes.

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Multiple Levels of Alignment

• The Foundations to the Indiana Academic Standards
  for Young Children Birth to Age 5 are aligned to
  the kindergarten academic standards (2002).
• ISTAR is aligned to
• the Foundations See copy of English and Math
  alignment to kindergarten standards
• the academic standards (2003)
• ISTAR serves as Indianas accountability measure
  for reporting SPP and APR requirements to OSEP in
  the 3 child outcomes. (2004)
• the OSEP indicators are aligned to ISTAR. (2006)

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OSEP Outcomes Aligned to ISTAR..

• Positive social-emotional skills
• Social-Emotional in Functional Skills
• Acquisition and use of knowledge and Skills
• English/Language Arts Foundations that include a
  listening and speaking foundation
• Mathematics Foundations
• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet needs.
• Physical Skills in Functional Skills
• Personal Care Skills in Functional Skills

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Multiple Levels of AlignmentCurrent Alignment
Activities

• The State of Indiana received a federal GSEG
  (General Supervision and Enhancement Grant from
  OSEP) in 2006 for development of a comprehensive
  statewide assessment.
• This effort is in collaboration with First Steps
  with the intention of creating an integrated
  system that measures the progress of students
  from Part C to Part B, simplifying transition
  processes.

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Current Alignment Activities

• Assessment and Validation Activities
• Alignment of ISTAR indicators to AEPS
  (Assessment, Evaluation, Program System)
• Validation of alignment of ISTAR indicators
  Foundations to kindergarten standards
• Alignment of performance indicators to outcomes
  (item alignment)
• Establish reliability and validity of performance
  indicators
• Extend skill indicators in speech interface to
  cover all 3 child outcomes.
• Validate norms for typically developing children

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NEXT STEPS

• Extend skill indicators in speech interface to
  adequately cover all 3 child outcomes
• Revise ISTAR based on results of studies
• Incorporate changes into web-based reporting
• Statewide Training

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Categories of Reporting

• Maintained peer level
• Achieved peer level
• Improved near peer
• Improved not near peer
• Did not Improve