Child and Family Outcomes
This section includes information about:
In April 2005 the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) announced new reporting requirements for child and family outcomes.
States will begin reporting outcomes data in the Annual Performance Report (APR) due February 2007 and continue to report annually
each February.
For child outcomes, state Part C programs must report the percent of infants and toddlers with IFSPs who demonstrate:
- Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships);
- Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication);
and
- Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
State 619 programs must report the percent of preschool children with IEPs who demonstrate:
- Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships);
- Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy); and
- Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
For family outcomes, state Part C programs must report the percent of families participating in Part C who report that early
intervention services have helped the family:
- Know their rights;
- Effectively communicate their children's needs; and
- Help their children develop and learn.
State 619 programs must report the 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.
Many resources on this page are available through The Early Childhood Outcomes
(ECO) Center. The ECO Center is an OSEP-funded project providing national leadership in assisting states with the implementation
of high-quality outcome systems for early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) programs. The ECO Center
conducts activities in three major areas of outcomes measurement- knowledge development; technical assistance and dissemination; and
leadership and coordination.
OSEP Requirements
State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR)
Resources to support states in implementing the SPP/APR
requirements are available on The Right IDEA Web site under 'Submission Tools' for both
Part C and
Part B/619.
FAQs Regarding the SPP/APR (2007)
(PDF: 171kb)
This document answers common questions related to SPP/APR for Part C Indicator #3 and Part B Indicator #7.
Child Outcomes
Reporting Timelines (2008) (PDF: 35kb) (PDF: 24kb)
This document was developed and approved by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). It describes the requirements for
reporting child outcome data to OSEP for each APR through 2012, and outlines the 3 child outcome areas and the five reporting
categories.
ECO Suggested Formats
The ECO Center has created suggested formats for annual reporting on the child and family outcomes indicators. Formats are provided
for B7, C3 (two versions) and C4.
Target Setting
The ECO Center has additional resources available to states on target setting for the child outcomes indicators. Links are provided
for webinars and presentations, target setting recommendations, and the summary statement calculator.
State Activities Related to Child and Family Outcomes
State Approaches
Each year the ECO Center compiles information about the approach used in each state for measuring child and family outcomes. For
child outcomes, tables show assessment tools used, definitions for entry and exit, and approach to measurement (i.e. COSF, online
publisher, etc) for all states. Family data includes type of survey used (i.e. Family Outcomes Survey, NCSEAM, etc.) family
population surveyed, and information on representativeness.
State Outcomes Websites
Measurement Tools
Multiple Data
Sources or Single Data Source (2005) 
(DOC: 33kb)
This draft summary outlines the possible pros and cons of choosing multiple data sources or a single data source for measuring child progress.
Norm-referenced or Curriculum Based (2005)
(DOC: 39kb)
Possible pros and cons of choosing norm-referenced or curriculum based assessment tools for measuring child progress are outlined in this file.
Early
Childhood Measures Profiles (2004) (PDF: 3,647kb)
This file, authored by Lisa J. Bridges, Daniel J. Berry, et al., provides information about more than 40 instruments developed to assess early childhood
development in reference to participants': approaches to learning, general cognition, language ability and literacy, mathematical skill, and social-emotional
development. It also describes instruments which can be used for ongoing observational assessment and those employed by Early Head Start. Each instrument is
described in reference to its overall purpose and major constructs, age range, status as norm or criterion referenced, and reliability and validity, as well as
the administrator training required, length of administration, and cost.
Meetings and Conference Calls
ECO/NECTAC National TA Meeting: Measuring and Improving Child and Family Outcomes (September 18-21, 2011)
View the meeting agenda with links to presentations and materials from this working TA meeting. Sponsored by NECTAC and the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center.
Using Data for Program Improvement: Call series sponsored by the Outcomes Priority Team (February-May, 2011)
This call series presented a number of tools developed by federally funded TA providers to help states and local programs use their data to plan for program improvement.
ECO/NECTAC National TA Meeting: Measuring Child and Family Outcomes
(July 30-31, 2010)
View the meeting agenda with links to presentations and materials from this working TA meeting. Sponsored by NECTAC and the Early
Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center. The TA meeting provided opportunities for participants to learn about other states' strategies for
measuring child and family outcomes, hear the latest guidance from the Early Childhood Outcomes Center and the Office of Special
Education Programs, and discuss common challenges and effective practices.
ECO/NECTAC National TA Meeting: Measuring Child and Family
Outcomes (June 22-23, 2009)
View the meeting agenda with links to presentations and materials from this working TA meeting. Sponsored by NECTAC and the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center.
ECO/NECTAC National TA Meeting: Measuring Child and Family
Outcomes (August 27-28, 2008)
View the meeting agenda with links to presentations and materials from this working TA meeting. Sponsored by NECTAC in collaboration with the Early Childhood Outcomes
(ECO) Center.
The ECO Center also maintains an Archive of Presentations (including webinars, conference calls, audio
recordings, and PowerPoint slides). Materials are organized by year, with the most recent at the top.
Additional ECO Center Resources
Professional Development Resources
Materials available here address general outcomes topics (e.g. "Why Collect Outcomes Data?" and "Understanding the Three Child
Outcomes"); and using the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) (e.g. "COSF Refresher" and "Involving Families in the COSF Process").
PowerPoint slides, activity descriptions and materials, and sample training agendas are all available to download.
ECO Center Learning Communities
The ECO Center facilitates several learning communities on child and family outcomes-related topics. The learning communities meet regularly via conference call and
webinar. Information about each of the comminutes, along with information about how to join each group.
ECO Papers
Papers authored by ECO staff can be found on the webpage, and additional publications on child and family outcomes topics can be found in the related resources
section under
Publications and Reports.
Projects and Organizations
The Early Childhood Outcomes Center provides links to websites for federal agencies, national organizations, and research projects and initiatives related to child
and family outcomes measurement topics.
Links on this site are verified monthly. This page content was last updated on 2/28/2012 CF.
