The Case for the EDI as an International Outcome Indicator of Early Child Development

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The Case for the EDI as an International Outcome
Indicator of Early Child Development

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• Clyde Hertzman
• Director, Human Early Learning Partnership
• Head, Global Knowledge Hub in ECD
• Commission on the Social Determinants of Health,
  WHO

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Sensitive periods in early brain development
Binocular vision
Central auditory system
Habitual ways of responding
Language
Emotional control
High
Symbol
Peer social skills
Relative quantity
Sensitivity
Low
0
1
2
3
7
6
5
4
Years
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One Approach -- Create an Infant Mortality Rate
of ECD

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• Philosophy
• no measurement, no data no data, no
  problem
• do not let the best be the enemy of the
  good

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The Early Development Instrument (EDI)

• The EDI is a checklist that primary school
  teachers (age 5) complete for each child in their
  class after they have known them for several
  months.
• EDI is filled out on the individual child, but
  results are interpreted at the level of the group
  school or neighbourhood.
• EDI has been demonstrated to be internally
  consistent and have strong scale reliability.
  EDI has face, concurrent, and predictive validity
  (re school success).

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Early Development Indicator
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• The EDI has 5 scales, that map onto the domains
  of ECD recognized in the Convention on the Rights
  of the Child
•  physical health and well-being.
•  social competence,
•  emotional maturity.
•  language and cognitive development,
• communication skills and general knowledge.

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Use 1Monitoring the State of ECD at the level
of the population

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Proportion of Students vulnerable on the Physical
Health and Well-Being Subscale of the EDI
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Percent of Children Deemed VulnerablePhysical
Health and Well-being Scale of the EDI
(Provincial Cutoffs)
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PhyRisk
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Use 2Judging the resilience of communities in
supporting childrens development

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Map 4.4.2 Emotional Maturity and Socioeconomic
Status in BC
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Map 4.4.2-Highlight1 Emotional Maturity and
Socioeconomic Status in BC
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Map 4.4.2-Highlight2 Emotional Maturity and
Socioeconomic Status in BC
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Map 4.4.2-Highlight3 Emotional Maturity and
Socioeconomic Status in BC
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Map 4.4.3-Highlight1 Emotional Maturity and
Socioeconomic Status in Vernon
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Use 3Evaluating change in ECD over time

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(No Transcript)
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graph
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Average Score Language and Cognitive Development
scale of the EDI, Cycle 2
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Proportion of Students Vulnerable Language and
Cognitive Development scale of the EDI Based on
Provincial cutoffs, Cycle 2
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Use 4Understanding the state of ECD in special
populations

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Proportion of Students vulnerable on one or more
subscales of the EDI
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Proportion of Aboriginal Students vulnerable on
one or more subscales of the EDI
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Use 5Anchoring developmental trajectories

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Cost of Vulnerability Failing to Meet
Expectations Not Passing on Grade 4 FSAs
of Vulnerabilities Failing to MEs Not
Passing Numeracy 0 7.5 12.3 1
11.8 22.2 2-3 18.7 33.8 4-5 27.5 55.6
Reading 0 13.6 17.8 1 26.7 33.9 2-3
29.5 43.1 4-5 48.4 68.3
(Grade 4)
(EDI)
(Grade 4)
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Understanding C-B Ratios
FSA FSA
PASSED NOT PASSED
EDI NOT VULNERABLE
EDI VULNERABLE
Lets see how these deflections appear
graphically
A
B
D
C
off diagonals
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Calculating C-B Ratios
Recall that Recall that FSA FSA
PASSED NOT PASSED
EDI NOT VULNERABLE A B
EDI VULNERABLE C D
/ ( )
/ ( )
C
C
D
Using the above coding
In essence, the C-B ratio represents the ratio of
positive to negative deflections
A
B
B
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Range of C-B Ratios Neighbourhoods 40 Children
Numeracy Reading
High Ratio 31.4 27.6
Low Ratio 3.2 1.7
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Vancouver
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Howe Sound
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Use 6Informing community development and
policy for ECD

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• over 300 community-based initiatives in last 4
  years

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Use 7Creating the basis for international
comparison

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(No Transcript)
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Advantages

• covers internationally recognized domains of
  ECD
• population-based usable for international
  comparisons
• valid at level of the group
• successfully implemented in high/middle income
  countries
• benchmarks established
• not very expensive and adjustable to local
  economies
• sensitive to socioeconomic determinants
  change over time
• stimulates intersectoral community development
• useful for high level planning
• raises consciousness of teachers/school systems

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Challenges

• no consensus in ECD community on value of
  measurement
• need access to primary teacher at age 5
• content of ECD domains may vary among countries
• need functional organization to get
  population-based data
• age 5 is later than we would ideally want
• best when mapped who has the skill?
• perverse uses -- denial of school entry
• how to fit with household surveys (e.g. MICS,
  DHS)?

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Full map set and presentation at
http//ecdportal.help.ubc.ca