Head Start National Reporting System Update

1
Head Start National Reporting System Update

• 2nd Annual AIANPB National Conference
• September 23, 2004
• Tom Schultz, Head Start Bureau
• 202-205-8323 tschultz_at_acf.hhs.gov

2
NRS UPDATE

• Thank You
• Why Another Assessment of Head Start Children?
• What Have We Learned From the First Year?
• Whats Next?

3
Thank You

• AIAN programs completed nearly 16,000 NRS
  assessments in 2003-4.
• 8452 fall assessments
• 7545 spring
• 145 grantees entered CBRS information.
• 123 grantees completed fall assessments.
• 113 grantees completed spring assessments.

4
Why Another Assessment?

• Mandates from Congress the President
• Complements Existing Assessments - Ongoing
  Child Assessments
• - Research Evaluation Studies

5
1998 Congressional Mandates

• 11 performance standards and measures
• Increased vocabulary understanding usage
• Progress towards acquisition of English for
  non-English background children
• Identify at least 10 letters of the alphabet
• Use child outcomes information in program
  self-assessment improvement and federal program
  monitoring reviews.

6
Presidents Good Start, Grow Smart Early
Childhood Initiative

• All Head Start programs assess standards of
  learning in early literacy, language and
  numeracy.
• NRS to assess all preschool children at the
  beginning and end of the year.
• Use NRS in staff training, program improvement
  and accountability.

7
NRS Complements Ongoing Child Assessments

• Ongoing child assessment helps teachers plan
  curriculum planning, individualize and
  communicate with parents.
• Covers full range of curriculum goals
• Local program chooses assessment to match
  curriculum and children.
• Observational methods no burden for children

8
NRS Complements Ongoing Child Assessments

• NRS provides comparable information on childrens
  progress in all Head Start Programs.
• Ongoing child assessments arent comparable
  because programs use a variety of instruments.
• Creative Curriculum Brigance
• High Scope Portage
• DIAL III High Reach
• LAP Galileo

9
NRS Complements Head Start Research Studies

• Longitudinal data on program quality child
  outcomes in Head Start kindergarten.
• Nationally representative sample of programs
  children.
• Broad range of standardized measures of child
  development and program quality.

10
NRS Complements Research Studies

• Shows childrens progress in typical HS programs
  and links to program quality practice
• Findings dont address progress of children in
  each local program.
• NRS provides information on progress of children
  in all Head Start programs.

11
NRS assessment has unique purposes, strengths
limitations

• Common standardized measures provide comparable
  information on all programs.
• NRS can link with program characteristics
  practices.
• Limited assessment scope and lag time in
  reporting.

12
What Have We Learned?

• Numbers of Completed Assessments
• Quality of Year I Assessments
• Fall Spring Assessment Results

13
2003-4 Assessment Effort

• 436,209 completed fall assessments
• 412,939 completed spring assessments
• 382,000 assessed in English (spring)
• 90,000 completed Spanish assessments
• 69,000 children assessed in both English and
  Spanish
• 342,650 children completed both fall spring
  assessments.

14
Status of Assessments

• 93 assessments completed successfully
• 99 of all programs participated
• Reasons for failing to complete (fall)
• 2.4 dropped out 1.8 prolonged absence
• 1.4 parental refusal
• .8 repeated noncooperation
• .4 severe disability or prohibited by IEP

15
Characteristics of Assessors

• 20,081 total assessors
• 34 completed by childs own teacher
• 61 by managers and other staff
• 5 by consultants/graduate students
• 52 of assessors have AA, BA or graduate degree
  in early childhood education

16
2003-4 Quality Assurance Study (QAS)

• Fall, 2003 spring, 2004 site visits to diverse
  sample of 40 programs
• Observed 346 assessments 109 assessors (fall
  spring)
• Interviewed 250 staff and program managers.
• Results used to revise NRS assessment, materials
  and training.

17
Quality of English Assessments

• 78 of fall assessors and 87 spring assessors
  met certification standard.
• Very high accuracy in NRS assessments
• - 94 for fall assessments
• - 97 for spring assessments

18
Program Concerns

• How data will be used nationally
• Time and resources
• Will results accurately reflect childrens
  abilities and programs performance
• Could NRS adversely affect programs or children

19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
Next Steps

• Implement Year II with existing assessments.
• Report 2003-4 assessment results.
• Improve NRS for the future
• Secretarys Advisory Committee on Head Start
  Accountability and Educational Performance
  Measures
• Field-testing additional measures.

29
Next Steps Help Programs Use NRS Information

• Interpreting NRS reports, ongoing child
  assessments other data on program outcomes
  quality.
• Using assessment data to improve curriculum,
  professional development, teaching, and parent
  education efforts.

30
Next Steps Helping Programs Use NRS Information

• Head Start Leaders Guide to Positive Child
  Outcomes
• Mentor-Coach Instructional Design Project
• New Materials, Training Technical Assistance

31
Next Steps Local Programs

• Request materials for fall NRS assessments
• Train assessors
• Register children in CBRS
• Complete and check assessments
• Mail assessments
• Strive to assess all children with high quality
• Review 2003-4 NRS report

32
Where to Get Help with NRS

• On NRS materials 1-866-763-6481 or
  www.headstartinfo.org
• On CBRS assistance 1-800-669-2170 or
  nrstechhelp_at_xtria.com
• On assessment training 1-888-847-1176 or
  hsnrshelp_at_westat.com