Wyoming DDD Monitoring Manual

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Measuring Outcomes for Programs Serving Young
Children with Disabilities Lynne Kahn and
Christina Kasprzak ECO/NECTAC at FPG/UNC June 2,
2009
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• Goals for the call
• to provide the latest information on how programs
  are measuring child and family outcomes to meet
  federal requirements
• to provide information about how PTI staff can be
  involved in state efforts to measure child and
  family outcomes

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• Why are state early intervention and preschool
  special education agencies collecting data on
  child and family outcomes?

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• Why outcomes data?
• Accountability
• Federal government (Office of Special Education
  Programs, U.S. Department of Education) requires
  that states submit data on outcomes
• In some states, policy-makers are asking for
  outcome data
• Program Improvement
• State agencies (and local programs) want to use
  data on outcomes to improve services for children
  and families

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Driving force from the federal level

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)
• Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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How Office of Special Education (OSEP) responded
to PART

• Required states to submit outcome data in their
  Annual Performance Report (APR)
• Funded the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center
  in October 2003 to gather input, conduct
  research, make recommendations, and assist states

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Early work of the ECO Center

• Convened stakeholders in 2004 to address what the
  outcomes should be (i.e., what outcomes should
  states be required to report on for Part C and
  619?) and what should be reported about the
  outcomes
• Based on stakeholder input, ECO recommended a set
  of child and family outcomes in February 2005.
  See
• http//www.fpg.unc.edu/eco/pdfs/ECO_Outcomes_4-13
  -05.pdf

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OSEP Requirement Child Outcomes
Percentage of children with IFSPs/IEPs who
demonstrate improved

• Positive social emotional skills (including
  positive social relationships)
• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
  (including early language/communication and
  early literacy)
• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

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State Approaches to Measuring Child Outcomes

• Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)
• Publishers online assessments
• One tool statewide
• Other

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OSEP Requirement Family Indicator

• Percent of families participating in Part C who
  report that EI services have helped the family
• Know their rights
• Effectively communicate their childrens needs
• Help their children develop and learn

Early Childhood Outcomes Center
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OSEP Requirement Family Indicator (3-21)

• Percent of parents with a child receiving
  special education services who report that
  schools facilitated parent involvement as a means
  of improving services and results for children
  with disabilities

Early Childhood Outcomes Center
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State Approaches to Measuring Child Outcomes

• ECO Family Survey
• NCSEAM Family Survey
• State-developed Family Survey
• Combination

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States Reporting of Data

• States submit these data (and other data) to OSEP
  annually in the SPP/APR
• SPP State Performance Plan
• APR Annual Performance Report

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States Reporting of Data

• Feb 2007 1st reported entry data
• Feb 2008 1st reported progress data
• Feb 2009 2nd year of progress data
• Feb 2010 establish baseline

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Work of the ECO Center

• After reporting requirements released, ECO
  focused on helping states build measurement
  systems to collect the data
• Continued to work with OSEP as issues related to
  data collection were uncovered (e.g., FAQs)

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• For more information
• Christina_Kasprzak_at_unc.edu
• Lynne_Kahn_at_unc.edu
• ECO web site www.the-eco-center.org

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