play-based assessment

| Play-Based Assessment | May 2019

Play-Based Assessment: A Guide to Support Preschool Special Education Programs

DEVELOPED AND PRINTED WITH SUPPORT FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE OF EARLY LEARNING AND SCHOOL READINESS

CENTER NAME – ARIAL NARROW 10 ALL CAPS


Play-Based Assessment: A Guide to Support Preschool Special Education Programs

May 6, 2019

Developed and printed with support from the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning and School Readiness


Play-Based Assessment Work Group Members

The Ohio Department of Education developed this guidance with support and input from the Early Childhood Assessment Work Group members listed below. The Department greatly appreciates their expertise and time commitment.

Teresa Brown State Support Team Region 4

Merrie Darrah State Support Team Region 4

Sarah Jackson State Support Team Region 8

Susan Korey-Hirko State Support Team Region 9

Leeann Weigman State Support Team Region 9

Melanie Peloquin State Support Team Region 11

Helene Stacho State Support Team Region 11

Dr. Jennifer Grisham-Brown University of Kentucky


SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION It often is challenging for preschool special education programs to organize the evaluation activities required for special education eligibility while using the assessment practices we know yield the most accurate information about young children. Evaluation teams find that meeting timelines and following required assessment activities can jeopardize the use best of practices for evaluating young children. This guidance document offers preschool special education evaluation team’s recommendations on how to complete required aspects of evaluation activities while incorporating the high standards for assessment practices needed to maximize the effectiveness and usability of the information. This guide refers to the framework teams use to implement connected, relevant and accurate assessment practices as play-based assessment and defines it as “a process characterized by using transdisciplinary teams, observing children in natural environments and actively involving the family.” This document offers guidance primarily on assessment activities that occur before, during and after evaluation for preschool special education services. Assessment is part of the work professionals in the preschool special education field take on to support many aspects of daily activities with young children. Collecting information, monitoring progress, uncovering developmental patterns and analyzing data have become important standards of practice to ensure services and supports foster positive outcomes for young children. Especially related to special education activities, assessment makes an impact on educators’ abilities to determine eligibility and the nature of services children need. Assessment also identifies key skills to help monitor progress on children's individualized education programs. Often, educators find it challenging to consider how various assessment activities fit together and build on each other, rather than accepting the isolated ways in which they are sometimes completed. Identifying the assessment tools, practices and procedures that best serve an assessment’s purpose calls for another layer of decision-making that also can make assessment challenging (Gettinger, 2001). The Ohio Department of Education created this document for individuals involved in activities to support determination of children’s eligibility for preschool special education services and who are familiar with the state and federal requirements that govern these services. The Department does not intend for its guidance to replace any current requirements for assessment and special education rules outlined in Ohio’s Operating Standards for Education of Children the Disabilities (2014). Instead, it is meant to help evaluation teams use an assessment process that is meaningful, supports the children and families involved, and ensures accurate, reliable data or other information. While this document will highlight important considerations for assessments that occur outside the evaluation period, it also will support preschool special education evaluation teams as they reflect on their current practices and procedures and consider how to strengthen assessment activities to best support decision-making in the evaluation process. When a school suspects and determines a child’s eligibility for special education services, it should view the phases of that process as integrated activities, since each element of data collected builds on and supports key decisions along the way. An evaluation team’s picture of the whole child helps team members understand the child’s need for special education services eligibility, informs the development of an individualized education program and must be linked to the information used to support instructional decisions thereafter. The goal of assessment is to present an accurate picture of the child’s strengths, areas of need and current development. These are key pieces of information to support next-step decision-making.


Assessment at a Glance Assessment is a process of gathering information to understand more about a child, so educators can make decisions about educational activities the child can learn from (Grisham-Brown & Pretti-Frontzcak, 2011). Not all decisions or reasons for assessment are the same. The purpose of an assessment must be clear to educators for it to be effective and efficient and yield accurate, reliable results. Depending on the assessment’s purpose, tools and guidelines have been established to ensure the assessment activities yield data and information that can be used to meet the intended purpose. In this document, evaluation teams will find considerations for quality of practice and implementation in the following: Referral and Screening; Evaluation; Program Planning; Progress Monitoring; Accountability; and Program Evaluation. Moving Toward Effective Practices in Evaluation To develop this guidance document, the Early Childhood Play Based Assessment Work Group used the guiding principles and best practices outlined by the Northwest Evaluation Association (Jiban, 2013) and the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (2007). These two resources help ensure the guidance on assessment supports successful educator practices and honors what we know and understand about the needs and development of children in their early years. The authors of, Early Childhood Assessment: Implementing Effective Practice (Jiban, 2013), outlined three central ideas in early childhood assessment that are echoed throughout this guidance document. Purposeful assessment The design of assessment activities must reflect a clear purpose, and the tools and procedures used in the assessment must be validated for that purpose. When evaluation teams are planning play-based assessments, knowing the purposes of assessment activities will help them make important decisions about what educators need to observe and understand about a child. Knowing their purposes also helps teams develop clear plans for the assessment tools they will use to collect the needed information. Instructionally aligned assessment Aligning assessment activities to instruction encourages evaluation teams to see past assessment as a means of making eligibility decisions. It also prompts them to consider how the information they collect can be a starting point for instructional decisions if, and when, they must decide on children’s eligibility for services. Beneficial assessment Beneficial assessment helps evaluation teams think about how to maximize their resources, time and staffs to optimize the use of the time spent with children and their families for assessment. It is important to have a focused plan when structuring play-based assessments to ensure the time spent is productive for evaluation teams.


Section 2 Referral A well-defined, differentiated referral process sets the foundation for accurate, meaningful assessments of young children. Effective evaluation practices are grounded in referral processes that engage families, identify concerns and are culturally and linguistically sensitive. Such referral and evaluation processes include distinct steps to help educators differentiate between children who display significant developmental concerns consistent with disabilities and children who have developmental weaknesses that home- or community-based intervention may be able to address. Effective referral systems are responsive and transparent, clearly defining steps families and district staff members can readily access and navigate. When handling referrals, if districts view them as opportunities to build and foster relationships with the families they serve, they strengthen those referral processes. Intended Outcomes Differentiated referral processes support consistent procedures among staff and across agencies that assure young children with disabilities are evaluated and identified in a manner both appropriate and timely. Additionally, these systems aim to prevent over-identification of young children with disabilities, as well as disproportionate representation by race or ethnicity. Indicators of Recommended Practices and Effectiveness Process for receiving referrals: An effective referral system clearly defines the process for receiving and acting on referrals from a variety of sources, including:

● Part C Early Intervention (formerly Help Me Grow);

● District-initiated Child Find activities, such as public screening;

● Outside referrals from families, caregivers and agencies, such as Head Start; and

● Internal referrals from district staff members. Districts develop procedures to ensure they respond to each referral promptly, whether these referrals are based on written requests or phone calls. To establish consistent procedures for referrals from local early childhood agencies, such as Head Start Part C Early Intervention and departments of developmental disabilities, districts must hold ongoing, collaborative planning meetings that guide policy development. Date of referral: The date of a written or verbal request for evaluation is the referral date. Districts document the nature of the concern and the referral date using the Referral for Evaluation form (PR-04). The district is allowed 30 days to determine whether it suspects a disability and whether to initiate an evaluation. The date of referral instigates this and all subsequent timelines. It is important to understand the date of the Early Intervention transition planning conference meeting scheduled through Part C Early Intervention constitutes a referral date. Districts, therefore, must plan for appropriate staff members to attend each transition meeting so they can gather background information and meet with the families to make informed decisions about next steps in the process.


Process for responding to referrals: Effective referral systems offer predetermined steps that guide practitioners in the decision-making process. Districts initiate evaluations based on their suspicions that a child has a disability. All referrals, including those from early intervention staffs, must be considered to determine whether further assessment data is needed to determine that a disability is suspected. A referral triggers one of three responses: 1. Conclusion that a disability is suspected:

The information gathered about the child clearly indicates or suggests the presence of a disability. In this instance, the case is immediately routed for parent consent and evaluation.

TIMELINE: Within 30 days of the referral date, the district provides written notice announcing its intent to evaluate (PR-01), gets parental consent to conduct the evaluation (PR-05) and completes the evaluation plan.

2. Conclusion that more information is needed:

More information is needed for the team to determine whether it suspects the child has a disability. In this scenario, the team collects that information through a screening process that may occur in a variety of settings and using a variety of screening tools selected according to the child’s characteristics.

TIMELINE: Within 30 days, the district conducts screening activities, interviews and observations to determine whether a disability is suspected. The district must get permission to conduct any assessment activities that are not considered part of a record review or not administered to all children in the setting. If screening information leads the district to suspect a child has a disability, all remaining timelines, shown above in #1, apply. If the district does not suspect a disability, it should proceed as outlined in #3 below.

3. District does not suspect a disability

The information available indicates the child is developing within age expectations. In this case, the district notifies the child’s parent or guardian in writing that it will not conduct an evaluation (PR-01). At this time, the district also offers the parent or caregiver additional information for home- and community-based intervention resources that could help address any concerns.

Recommendations for Implementation The Department recommends that when a district is developing or revising a differentiated referral process, district administrators and evaluation teams reflect on district data and current practices and discuss the following:

● The extent to which procedures and legal timelines are clearly documented, communicated to staff and consistently implemented;

● Strategies used to engage and inform families and community providers about referral procedures;

● Whether English learners are referred in a culturally and linguistically considerate manner;

● Incorporation of strategies that focus on identifying a child’s needs in the home and in typical settings and services provided in the community;


● How family participation is supported, such as through times of meetings, language and transportation;

● The degree to which staff are familiar with child development and language acquisition;

● Reflection on district data to determine:

○ Past and current adherence to timelines;

○ Percentage of young children identified with disabilities to avoid over identification; and

○ Whether district administrators and evaluation teams should address disproportionate identification.


Section 3: Screening Developmental screening provides a quick, effective way for a district to determine if a child’s growth and development merits concerns about health, social-emotional, cognitive, communication, fine motor, gross motor or adaptive behavioral skills. The National Association for the Education of Young Children defines screening as “the use of a brief procedure or instrument designed to identify, from within a large population of children, those children who may need further assessment to verify developmental and/or health risks,” (NAEYC, 2003, pg. 68). Ideally, the screening process includes data from multiple means of assessment, which may include data from parent reports, observations and direct testing. Screening results are used to determine if the child is demonstrating skills and behaviors that would be expected at his or her age. When screening activities create red flags, teams determine next steps. These may include monitoring, providing intervention, collecting additional information or evaluating. The results of screening activities cannot be used beyond the purpose of ensuring educators are aware of a concern. Screening results may not be used to determine eligibility. Districts may conduct screenings for a variety of purposes such as required annual screenings, part of the Child Find process or in response to referrals for evaluation. Therefore, screenings may occur in a variety of settings, including preschool centers, medical offices, community events and home visits. Screening can occur when a team needs more information to determine whether it suspects a disability. In cases where a team has enough information to suspect a disability, screening may not be needed. When a team needs more information to determine the suspicion of a disability, screening activities can be effective and informative parts of the decision process. According to the Division for Early Childhood, “Children should never qualify for special education or related services based on screening information or based on a single test score. Such a practice violates the nondiscriminatory principle included in special education law (IDEA, 2004),” (2007). Indicators of Recommended Practices and Effectiveness Technical Adequacy While there are different areas to consider when choosing appropriate screening tools, any tool that is used for the purpose of screening should be standardized, valid and reliable. Program- or district-created screening tools have not been subjected to validity and reliability studies, which negatively affects the technical adequacy of these tools. Combining parts of different assessments also will result in inaccurate data. The assessment used must have been developed for screening purposes and meet technical adequacy requirements. The Department recommends districts do not use locally developed or reconstructed screening tools. Training and Administration The Department recommends staff be trained in administering screening tools, as recommended by screening developers. Programs should examine how much training and support they need for staff members to administer each tool effectively. In addition, districts or programs should determine the length of time to administer and score a screening tool, ease of interpreting results and all associated costs.


Parent Participation Parents should be involved in the screening process. If the screening is not part of a universal program practice, such as annual health and developmental screenings, parents must give their consent before any screening activities are conducted. Districts should give parents information on the use of the screening tool, including how the child will be screened, how the results will be communicated, and how the district or program will use the screening to determine the need for further evaluation. The involvement of parents improves assessment accuracy and, therefore, is a vital part of the assessment process. Follow-up Practices Districts should use screening results to determine next steps.

If no concerns are detected, the district could continue high-quality programming and share developmentally appropriate activities with parents so they can continue to promote healthy growth and development;

If a team has some concerns and it is still within the 30-day timeline, the team may choose to continue monitoring and collecting additional information before determining if a disability is suspected.

If the team has significant concerns, a formal evaluation process is initiated per Ohio’s Operating Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities.


Section 4: Evaluation Purpose and Intended Outcomes The purpose of evaluation is to determine a child’s eligibility for special education services. Recommended practice for evaluating young children is authentic play-based assessment. This process is characterized by using transdisciplinary teams, observing children in natural environments and actively involving families. Transdisciplinary teaming uses collaborative assessment practices that involve families and result in team members sharing goals and roles across disciplines. Play-based assessment also uses authentic evaluation that occurs in the context of ongoing activities and routines. Finally, the play-based assessment process actively involves families by gathering information from them before the assessment, having them present during the assessment and involving them in summarizing assessment information. The purpose of this section on evaluation is to offer a framework for completing authentic play-based assessment to determine a child’s eligibility for special education services. It is always best to us an assessment process that incorporates outcomes from multiple measures, multiple settings (most importantly those with which the child is familiar and comfortable) and multiple informants (people who know the child well, such as family members and people familiar with a child’s culture) (Jiban, 2013; Neisworth & Bagnato, 2000; Snow & Van Hemel, 2008). The process also must gather data to help the team determine a child’s eligibility for services. A team must determine eligibility for special education and related services for a preschool child on the basis of multiple sources of information. Examples include:

Information from Part C for a child transitioning from Early Intervention services;

Structured observations in more than one setting and multiple activities;

Information provided by the parent or caregiver; and

Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced evaluations. The play-based assessment process is most appropriate for use by teams of professionals and family members. Play-based Assessment Process Step 1: Preparing for the Evaluation Preparation is a critical component to the evaluation process. The purpose of the preplanning process is to:

a. Gather information about the child and family; b. Organize team members and roles; and c. Complete state-mandated forms (planning and consent).

A. Gather Information About the Child and Family Through this process, the team begins to establish a relationship with a child’s family that will set the stage for all future interactions. It begins with a conversation with the family based on a determination that a child needs an evaluation. Those involved in the process may include evaluation team members, parents, the Part C Early Intervention service coordinator or primary service provider, and administrator. To gather information about the child and family, the program can use a published tool, other structured, family interview process, or develop a tool of its own.


Intended outcomes of the interview process include:

Establishing a relationship with the family;

Gathering background information about why the family is concerned about a child’s development, what previous interventions have occurred and what supports the family has in place;

● Learning about the family’s perceptions of a child’s strengths and needs in the suspected area of developmental delay;

● Learning what the child likes and dislikes, for example, foods, toys, games and activities; ● Learning what the evaluation team can do to make the child feel as comfortable as possible during

the evaluation process. This conversation with the family also can be used to fulfill the structured parent interview requirement. For children transitioning from Part C Early Intervention services, the program should gather as much information as possible from a review of Part C documents, including recent evaluations, the Routines-Based Interview and the Individual Family Service Plan.

B. Organize Team Members and Roles Team members will be assigned roles during the evaluation process. Using a transdisciplinary approach that includes role sharing is important. For example, a speech-language pathologist may be assigned the role of child facilitator and the intervention specialist the role of observing team member. Possible team member roles include the following:

● Family facilitator: The role of the family facilitator is to gather information from the parent or family member who knows the child best. The family facilitator will give the family a chance to confirm or refute the information being collected on the child. The family facilitator collects the information from any family assessment instrument that can be used before the child is assessed;

● Child facilitator: The child facilitator will be responsible for preparing the child for the play-based assessment. The child facilitator will engage the child in planned activities that offer opportunities for the observing team members to collect information on assessment items. During the assessment, the facilitator prompts the child’s use of targeted skills by following the child’s lead and engaging the child in the planned activities that the child selects.

● Observing team members: These individuals will collect information during the play-based assessment. Observing team members will coach the child facilitator, providing suggestions on how to elicit information on assessment items or how to modify the environment to get information.

C. Complete State-Mandated Forms Before conducting the play-based assessment, the team will determine what assessment information it needs to collect and the best tool or tools to use. For preschool children, part of the information for the evaluation process must be collected using these four methods: interview, observation, criterion-referenced assessment and norm-referenced assessments. A program can integrate its completion of the state-mandated forms (Evaluation Planning Form PR-04 and Consent for Evaluation PR-05) into this process at any point it determines appropriate. A parent consent form (PR05) must be completed before a program conducts any required evaluation assessment activities (including observation and structured interview). Any information a program collects before the parental Consent for Evaluation form is completed should be included in the background of the Evaluation Team Report. However, this information may not be used to meet any of the required evaluation activities, such as interviews, observations, norm-referenced assessments or criterion-referenced assessments.


Step 2: Planning and Conducting Play-based Assessment A program also should consider what it will need to inform the play-based assessment process. During Step 2, the team:

a. Selects a play-based assessment model;

b. Defines the responsibilities of roles during play-based assessment;

c. Develops assessment activity practices and procedures; and

d. Discusses opportunities for norm-referenced data collection.

A. Select a Play-based Assessment Model There are three models for conducting the evaluation a program can chose from: Episodic, Ongoing and Group. The team will determine a play-based assessment model considering resources available and characteristics of the program. It should give special consideration to which model the team wants to use based on availability of staff and the child’s family, where the evaluation will be conducted, and specific needs of the child being evaluated. Episodic. An episodic play-based assessment occurs at one specific time in an early childhood setting, for example, on a day when preschool is not in session or at the end of the school day. The team develops assessment activities that allow team members to observe areas of concern during the assessment. Once the assessment begins, the child facilitator engages the child in a series of activities while observing team members collect assessment information. Ongoing. An ongoing transdisciplinary assessment occurs over several days in the child’s preschool classroom. The team identifies specific activities that are part of the preschool schedule and that allow team members opportunities to gather needed assessment information. The teacher or another person who knows the child well engages him or her in classroom activities and routines while team members collect assessment information. The ongoing transdisciplinary assessment takes place over a series of days. A program administrator implementing the ongoing model will need to address availability of space and the paperwork required for the child to participate in the classroom during the play-based assessment process. The program administrator also may need to consider transportation to the classroom. Group. When a team wants to complete transdisciplinary, play-based assessments on a group of children, it can arrange for a group play-based assessment. Assessment activities are arranged in a classroom, and a team member stays at each station. That team member is responsible for gathering assessment information for each child as the child is involved with that station. For example, a speech-language therapist might facilitate a snack activity; a physical therapist might oversee an obstacle course; an occupational therapist might lead a sensory activity; and the teacher might facilitate interactions in the dramatic play area.


Play-based Model Considerations for Use

Episodic

● Allows for all team members to observe the child at one time.

● Allows for team members to see the impact of one area of need on another.

● Requires the ability to have all team members present at one time.

● May be used in places where ongoing play-based assessment is not possible.

● May be especially useful for children who need to be evaluated in many areas.

● May not be an appropriate model for children in which the area of social development is a focus of evaluation.

● Family involvement in this model is strongly supported.

Ongoing

● Represents the most authentic model for conducting a play-based assessment.

● Requires a system in place for accommodating referred children in a classroom.

● All team members likely will not observe the child at one time.

● Might be the optimal way to evaluate children with social-emotional needs, as they would have natural opportunities to interact with other children.

Group

● Allows the team to evaluate many children at the same time.

● Requires all team members to be present at one time.

● Requires that classroom space be available for the assessment during a weekday.


B. Roles and Responsibilities During Play-based Assessment During the play-based assessment, the observing team members, family facilitator and child facilitator each have responsibilities for knowing what information they are to collect and for ensuring their planned activities are implemented.

As the observing team members are completing the criterion-referenced assessment, they also are identifying prompting information for the child facilitator. As the child facilitator interacts with the child or group of children, the observing team members document the needed information.

While the child facilitator and observing team members are gathering information about the child, the family facilitator is responsive to the needs of the child and the family. This may include answering questions for the family, getting additional information through an interview with family members and preparing the family for the entire assessment process. The family has the option to stay with the child during the play-based assessment, if appropriate. If the family does not attend the play-based assessment, the family facilitator will need to identify a way to collect the information he or she needs from the family.

C. Develop Assessment Activity Protocols Assessment activities are a way to make collecting information for a curriculum-based assessment more efficient by embedding assessment items into commonly occurring home and classroom activities (Grisham-Brown & Pretti-Frontczak, 2011). Steps for developing assessment activities include the following:

1. Use information gathered during the preplanning process to identify activities that are motivating and interesting to the child or group of children being assessed. These activities should offer opportunities for the child to demonstrate skills related to several areas of development.

2. Choose skills to embed in the identified activities. Consider skills that are a natural part of an activity and can be observed easily (for example, a modeling clay activity in which a teacher likely can observe fine motor skills, social skills and social communication skills). If assessment team members need to gather information about specific items from a test, they should use the test to identify skills they want to observe during the assessment activities

3. Identify materials needed for activities that will help the student demonstrate skills, for example, different colored modeling clay or shaped cookie cutters he or she can use to help team members assess the child’s recognition of colors and shapes.

4. Identify how the team will collect information during the activity. Each observing team member may use a copy of the assessment activity procedure and collect data on all developmental areas, or each observing team member can collect data on an assigned area of development.


D. Discuss Opportunities for Norm-Referenced Data Collection

During preplanning, the team will determine the areas of concern for which it needs a norm-referenced assessment. Norm-referenced assessments typically consist of standardized administration procedures, for example, scripts, materials and scoring that cannot be completed as part of a play-based assessment. However, it may be possible to collect some of the norm-referenced assessment data during the play-based assessment portion of the evaluation. For example, there are many items on the Battelle Developmental Inventory that can be scored through observation. Also, many items in the self-care portion of the assessment can be scored by observing the child as he or she takes part in ongoing activities and routines, such as feeding oneself and expressing the need to use the toilet. In the fine motor skills area, most early writing skills can be assessed through observation. For norm-referenced assessment items that do not allow completion during play-based assessment, individual team members can complete the items following the play-based portion of the evaluation if the child is able to continue. If the child does not have the stamina to take part in additional assessments, additional testing should be scheduled for another time.

Step 3: Debriefing Post-Evaluation The outcomes of the debriefing phase of the process include:

An opportunity for the team to report on what occurred during the play-based assessment and parent interview;


Completing the debriefing matrix to help with Evaluation Team Report and/or individualized education program development, if the child qualifies for services;

Opportunities for the parents to share their perspectives and ask questions; and

Outlining and discussing additional evaluation activities.

The evaluation team should schedule enough time to debrief immediately following the play-based assessment. Everyone who was part of the evaluation should take part in the debriefing, and the debriefing can include the family. It is important to remember that the team does not provide an eligibility determination until the formal Evaluation Team Report meeting, and the family attends this meeting and takes part in the conversation. Any discussion of a child’s eligibility before the evaluation team meeting could be considered predetermination, which is a violation of the family’s rights. Debriefing/Post-Evaluation Components

1. Provide a summary of the assessment (one-two minutes);

2. Identify the child’s strengths and needs (five minutes);

3. Identify priorities for instruction based on family interview information and evaluation (five minutes); and

4. Complete the planning matrix (10 minutes).

During the debriefing meeting, the team will discuss the child’s strengths and needs, priorities for intervention and activities. The team also may talk about any support the child may need and identify instructional strategies that may be useful. Figure X shows a matrix the team can complete during the post-evaluation discussion.


Completing the matrix outlined above leads to connections, both to the development of the Evaluation Team Report and the individualized education program, if the child is found eligible for special education services. In the Evaluation Team Report, the Priorities section will be included in the description of educational needs, and the Support and Instructional Strategies sections will be included in the Implications for Instruction and Progress Monitoring. The team must use the Priorities and Activities sections of its report to develop individualized education program goals and objectives. The Support section will become Section 7 of the individualized education program, outlining related services, accommodations, modifications, assistive technology and support for school personnel. The team will use the Instructional Strategies box to develop the Specially Designed Instruction in Section 7 of the individualized education program.


Priorities Make requests using pictures and/or two-word utterances

Activities Snack – request food or drink Centers – request center Arrival/departure – request help putting on a jacket or backpack

Supports Teacher Teaching assistant Peers Family Speech-language pathologist Training on Picture Exchange Communication System Boardmaker pictures

Instructional Strategies Picture Exchange Communication System Enhanced Milieu Teaching including environmental strategies and prompting strategies (for example, Mand Model)

Once the team has compiled the results of the evaluation, it should schedule a meeting with the family to review the formal Evaluation Team Report and determine eligibility.


Section 5: Programming

Purpose The purpose of this section is to explain how information gathered during the play-based assessment and evaluation can be used to guide instruction. Making programming decisions is easier when a program uses curriculum-based assessment as the criterion-referenced assessment during the evaluation process. Assessment data is critical to understanding a child’s strengths, emerging skills, needs, interests and preferences. This information is necessary to design instruction to match the child’s development level.

Intended Outcomes By using a curriculum-based assessment for multiple purposes, a program can:

● Write functional individualized education program goals and objectives;

● Identify where instruction should begin;

● Monitor progress on individualized education program goals, objectives and instructional targets;

● Complete state reporting (the Early Learning Assessment and Child Outcomes Summary Process);

● Eliminate duplicate assessments that serve the same purpose;

State and Federal Requirements A team can use information collected through the curriculum-based assessment to inform decisions and activities associated with these state requirements and initiatives:

● Quality indicators associated with curriculum adoption and progress monitoring in Ohio’s tiered quality rating and improvement system, Step Up to Quality;

● Sharing evidence to support scoring decisions within the Early Learning Assessment; and

● Supporting decision-making in the Child Outcome Summary process.

Recommendations for Implementation There is a five-step process for using a curriculum-based assessment to inform instruction:

1. The team begins by collecting data across time and from different people. It collects materials to get an accurate picture of the child’s strengths, emerging skills and needs.

2. The team documents the child’s performance by using counts, tallies and work samples. The team uses documentation to score items on the curriculum-based assessment.

3. The team summarizes using guidance provided for the tool used. Team members may use visual summaries, such as graphs or charts; numerical summaries on the test or narrative summaries of the data collected.

4. The team analyzes the summaries and looks for patterns and trends in a child’s development. For example, team members should look for behaviors that are interfering with the child’s development, emerging skills and strengths.

5. Finally, the team interprets the data to make instructional decisions. It can accomplish this by sorting the data collected and determining skills that are: 1) part of the general education curriculum; 2) can be taught with additional practice or minor adaptations; and 3) foundational or prerequisite skills or barriers to learning that are preventing the child’s access to and participation in making progress toward the general education curriculum.

Additional Resources Early Learning and Development Standards Alignment resources


Section 6: Progress Monitoring The purpose of progress monitoring is to determine if instructional decisions are promoting growth and development and how assessment information can be collected in an authentic, play-based way and used to monitor all children’s progress. Educators strive to minimize the amount of time preschool teams engage in assessment while maximizing the time for interactions with children. To accomplish this goal, a team should try to use the same tool for as many purposes as possible. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) requires that a student’s individualized education program include a statement of how the child’s performance toward annual goals will be measured and how parents will be regularly informed of the child’s progress toward the goals that enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. Recommendations for Implementation A tiered progress monitoring model offers a framework to match the frequency and intensity of data collection efforts with the need and instruction (Grisham-Brown and Hemmeter, 2017). The figure below shows a tiered progress monitoring model.

Grisham-Brown, J., & Pretti-Frontczak, K. (2011). Assessing Young Children in Inclusive Settings: The Blended Practices Approach. Tier One: Tier one includes common outcomes that all children are expected to achieve. In Ohio, these common outcomes include Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards. At tier one, early childhood teams monitor progress using a curriculum-based assessment at least twice a year. Teams use informal, periodic data collection to gather information on outcomes used to score the curriculum-based assessment. Examples of informal data collection include observations, checklists, work samples, video/audio recordings and pictures. The Early Learning Assessment also is used in conjunction with the curriculum-based assessment to make scoring decisions that document children’s progress at tier one.

Tier Two: Tier two includes targeted outcomes related to a component of a common outcome or skill that calls for a boost in instruction to help the child reach the expected level of mastery. At tier two, early


childhood teams monitor progress on select groups of children who have similar needs and may collect weekly or monthly data on identified skills to determine how the children are responding to instruction. Tier Three: Tier three includes individualized outcomes for children who are missing foundational or prerequisite skills needed to make progress at tier one. Individualized education program goals can be considered tier three outcomes. At tier three, early childhood teams monitor progress consistently, depending on the skill. For example, they can monitor minute by minute, daily or use hourly counts/tallies, daily narratives or daily works samples. Additional Resources Grisham-Brown, J. L. & Pretti-Frontczak, K. (Eds.). (2011). Assessing young children in inclusive settings. The blended practices approach. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Grisham-Brown, J.L., & Hemmeter, M.L. (Eds.). 2017. Blended practices for teaching young children in inclusive settings, second edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes, Publishing Co. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education. (NAECS/SDE)(2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC.


Section 7: Accountability Purpose and Intended Outcomes

Accountability reporting provides a systemwide look at key early childhood indicators. It can provide trend data and consolidate information regarding outcomes. When appropriate measures and assessment tools are selected and in place, accountability systems can chart program progress, identify areas that need enhancement and improve programs to ensure young children receive the education they need to succeed. The purpose of this section is to provide guidance and recommended practices for how to utilize assessment information for accountability reporting.

State and Federal Requirements There is an expectation to document child outcomes, especially for children with disabilities who are participating in early intervention and special education programs. The federal government created the Child Outcome Summary process as a way for states to summarize data on children for federal reporting purposes. Each state has developed its own requirements for schools to use the data to document children’s functioning in three outcome areas using the Child Outcome Summary form. For more information about Ohio’s requirements, see the Child Outcomes Policy on the Ohio Department Education website at: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Preschool-Special-Education. Indicators of Recommended Practices and Effectiveness To assess a young child’s strengths, progress and needs, the team should use assessment methods that are developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive, and connected to the child’s daily activities. The assessment approach should include the child’s family and connect to specific, beneficial purposes such as: (1) making sound decisions about teaching and learning; (2) identifying significant concerns that may require focused intervention for the individual child; and (3) helping the programs improve its educational and developmental interventions. Adapted from: Resources and Activities to Integrate the Child Outcomes into the IEP Process. ECTA Center 2014 Additional Resources ECTA Center Instrument Crosswalks: http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/crosswalks.asp Division for Early Childhood’s Recommended Practices for Assessment The recommended assessment practices (2014) outlined by the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children offer evaluation teams standards of practice for young children with disabilities and the individuals supporting them. The recommended practices, listed below, serve as key guidance in each section of this document:

● Practitioners work with the family to identify the family’s preferences for assessment processes; ● Practitioners work as a team with the family and other professionals to gather assessment

information; ● Practitioners use assessment materials and strategies that are appropriate for

the child’s age and level of development and accommodate the child’s sensory, physical, communication, cultural, linguistic, social and emotional characteristics;

● Practitioners conduct assessments that include all areas of development and behavior to learn about a child’s strengths, needs, preferences and interests;

● Practitioners conduct assessments in the child’s dominant language and in additional languages, if the child is learning more than one language;

http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Preschool-Special-Education

http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/Preschool-Special-Education

http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/crosswalks.asp


● Practitioners use a variety of methods, including observation and interviews, to gather assessment

information from multiple sources, including the child’s family and other significant individuals in the child’s life;

● Practitioners obtain information about the child’s skills in daily activities, routines and environments such as home, early childhood center and community;

● Practitioners use clinical reasoning, along with assessment results to identify a child’s current functioning levels and to determine both the child’s eligibility and a plan for instruction;

● Practitioners implement systematic, ongoing assessment to identify learning targets, plan activities and monitor the child’s progress to revise instruction as needed;

● Practitioners use assessment tools being sensitive to detect child progress, especially for a child with significant support needs;

● Practitioners report assessment results so they are understandable and useful to families.

INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH PROGRAMMING SECTION Indicators of Recommended Practices and Effectiveness Two sources are useful in identifying recommended practices for programs planning assessment. First, the Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices (2014) provide guidance. Specifically, the three recommended practices following:

A9. Practitioners implement systematic, ongoing assessment to identify learning targets and activities and to monitor a child’s progress so instruction can be revised as needed. A10. Practitioners use assessment tools being sensitive to detect child progress, especially for the a with significant support needs. A11. Practitioners report assessment results so they are understandable and useful to families.

Bagnato, Neisworth, and Pretti-Frontczak (2010) also describe important characteristics of assessments for program planning as follows:

Acceptability – Social worth and detection;

Authenticity – Natural methods and contexts;

Collaboration – Parent-professional teamwork;

Evidence – Disability designed/evidence-base;

Multi-Factors – Synthesis of ecological data;

Sensitivity – Fine content and measurement gradations;

Universality – Equitable design and special accommodations; and

Utility – Usefulness for instruction.


ASSOCIATED WITH ACCOUNTABILITY SECTION: Recommendations for Implementation

Assessment Purpose Considerations for Alignment with Child Outcomes Summary Process

Screening and Referral ● Review and revise child identification and referral procedures to include child outcomes as a framework for child-gathering information throughout child identification and referral.

● Review and revise forms and processes to include prompts to gather information about the child in the three outcome areas during child identification and referral.

● Develop talking points and prompts for practitioners responsible for child identification and referral response to gather some basic, additional information about the concern the child’s parent (or the referral source) has about the child according to the three outcome areas.

Evaluation ● Develop procedures to ensure information gathered during child evaluation is made available to the team for use with the COS rating.

● Develop probes for gathering information on strengths and concerns in the three outcome areas practitioners can use when talking to a child’s family.

● Review and update evaluation and assessment procedures to support gathering information on present levels of skills, as well as functional information for all three child outcomes.

Program Planning ● Develop guidance for developing functional, measurable individualized education program goals that support a child in meeting early learning standards and progress in the three global outcomes.

● Develop guidance documents and training to explain the connection between the three global outcomes measured for federal Office of Special Education Programs and individualized education program goals written for an individual child.

● Develop guidance that includes framing service delivery according to the child outcomes, focusing on successful participation in appropriate activities now and in the future.


Progress Monitoring ● Develop provider procedures that include the expectation that providers use functional assessment procedures as part of ongoing progress monitoring and summarize the child’s progress, including new functional skills and behaviors according to the three child outcomes.

● Develop discussion prompts for providers to gather information from family members about the child’s progress according to the three child outcomes and their perceptions.


References Division for Early Childhood (2007). Promoting positive outcomes for children with disabilities: Recommendations for curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. Missoula, MT. Gettinger, M. (2001). Development and implementation of a performance monitoring system for early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(1): 9-15. Grisham-Brown, J. & Pretti-Frontzcak, K. (2011). Assessing young children in inclusive settings: the blended practices approach. Baltimore, MD: Brookes. Jiban (2013). Early childhood assessment: implementing effective practice. Portland, OR: Northwest Evaluation Association. National Association for the Education of Young Children (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation. Washington, D.C. Neisworth, J.T. & Bagnato, S.J. (2000). Recommended practices in assessment. In: Sandall, S., McClean, M.E., Smith, B.J., eds. DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education. Longmont, CO: Sopris West: 2000:17-27. Ohio Department of Education (2014). Ohio operating standards for the education of children with disabilities. Columbus, OH.

play-based assessment

Documents