Champlain Valley Head Start

1
Champlain Valley Head Start

Child Outcomes Assessment in Champlain Valley
Head Start
2
The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework

• Head Start conducts child observation and ongoing
• assessment throughout the childs enrollment in
  the
• program. Using appropriate observation and
  assessment
• procedures, staff and parents follow each childs
  progress
• and experiences from the childs arrival in the
  program to
• the time the child leaves. Through this process,
  they come
• to know each childs strengths, interests, needs,
  and
• learning styles in order to individualize the
  curriculum, to
• build on each childs prior knowledge and
  experiences, and
• to provide meaningful curriculum experiences that
  support
• learning and development. In these ways, staff,
  parents,
• and programs support each child in making
  progress
• toward stated goals.

3

• Head Starts concern with the whole child
  includes social
• competence as part of school readiness. Head
  Start
• programs gather information to document the
  process for
• assuring positive child outcomes. This
  information
• addresses all aspects of development and
  learning,
• including physical, emotional, social, cognitive,
  and
• language, in order to provide an overall picture
  of the child
• from program entry to the culmination of the
  childs
• Head Start experience.

4
Head Start Child Outcomes Assessment focuses on
eight domains of development

• Social and Emotional Development
• Approaches to Learning
• Language Development
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Science
• Creative Arts
• Physical Health and Development

5
Gathering information to assess childrens
progress

• Information on childrens progress in the domains
  of development
• is obtained from multiple sources, such as
• -teacher and home visitor observations,
• -analysis of samples of childrens work and
  performance,
• -parent reports, or
• -direct assessment of children.
• Head Start assessment practices reflect the
  assumption that children
• demonstrate progress over time in development and
  learning on a
• developmental continuum, in forms such as
  increasing frequency of a
• behavior or ability, increasing breadth or depth
  of knowledge and
• understanding, or increasing proficiency or
  independence in exercising a
• skill or ability.

6
Collecting and analyzing the data

• Head Start programs develop a system to analyze
  data on
• child outcomes that centers on patterns of
  progress for
• groups of children over time as they receive
  services
• through the program year. At a minimum, data
  analysis
• compares progress beginning when children enter
• Head Start, at a mid-point in the program year,
  and when
• they complete the program year. Data is also
  analyzed to
• support ongoing services individualized for
  childrens needs.

7
Champlain Valley Head Start uses the Work
Sampling Online System to Manage and Analyze
Child Outcomes Assessment Data
8
The Work Sampling Online System

• Head Start staff work closely with parents,
  collaborative partners, and
• other professionals to observe and record
  childrens progress in the
• domains of development. Childrens progress in
  various skills within a
• domain area is then assessed in terms of whether
  the child
• -has not yet acquired the skill
• -is in process of acquiring the skill or
• -is proficient in the skill.
• These assessments are evaluated three times per
  program year and
• entered into the Work Sampling Online database,
  which is then used to
• generate reports around patterns of progress in
  the domain areas.

9
Data-driven programming and services

• Data analysis on patterns of child outcomes is
  incorporated into
• overall program self-assessment in planning for
  program
• improvements, such as
• -enhanced staff training, mentoring and
  supervision
• -improvements in curriculum and individualized
  services
• -allocation of program resources
• -involvement of volunteers and community
  partners
• -new efforts to support families in enhancing
  childrens
• learning and development and
• -working with community partners, such as
  planning for
• transitions of children from Head Start into
  elementary schools.

10
Champlain Valley Head StartProgram-wide Data
Summary2005-2006Proficiency of 3 year olds
and 4 year oldsin domain areas
11
Proficiency for Period I, Period II Period III
for the 2005-2006 Program YearThree Year Old
Children
12
Proficiency for Period I, Period II Period III
for the 2005-2006 Program YearFour Year Old
Children
13
Data-driven quality improvement

• Based upon child outcomes assessment data, CVHS
  has focused
• enhancements in the following program areas
• Additional staff training around speech and
  language development, early
• literacy, and early math and numeracy skills for
  preschool children.
• Curriculum modifications particularly in the
  areas of early math activities
• and experiences, as well as science and
  exploration activities and
• experiences.
• Collaborative partnerships CVHS is now working
  closely with ECHO Lake
• Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington around
  staff training in
• science-based activities for preschool children,
  and in sponsoring field
• trips for Head Start children to visit the ECHO
  Center.

14
Champlain Valley Head Start