Note: Links will open in a new browser window or tab.
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday
The NECTAC State TA Systems meeting will provide an opportunity for participants to network and interact on technology applications and platforms for training and TA, evaluating impacts, mentoring and coaching strategies and child assessment and intervention. State 'spotlights' and strategies will be provided.
In this workshop we will explore popular methods for training and TA on outcomes, such as video, web, and on-line modules. Developers will demonstrate new products and discuss with participants how, why, and when to use them for maximum effect. Interactive activities will help participants experience the products' intended use.
NOTE: a data analysis assignment will be sent to participants prior to the seminar. The participants will share the results of the common analyses and discuss the implications of results. Real state data shared in this session will be kept confidential among those who attend the seminar.
Participants will review hypothetical data analyses to practice using data to identify variables related to child and family outcomes. Hands on activities will include group discussions of possible data interpretations and implications for improvement planning.
The choice is clear. We can curse the darkness of what we don't know or we can collect information to shine some light on what is happening. This session will provide an overview to the meeting by describing a vision for service delivery and the critical role of good data in illuminating what is working and what is not throughout the system. The street that leads to high quality services for young children and their families is long road but it is much easier to walk it in the sunshine.
This session debuts the Family Experiences and Measurement System framework. ECO staff will provide an overview of the self-assessment framework, and states will share examples of how they are beginning to utilize it to assess family experiences in their programs and prioritize areas of improvement. The session concludes with an interactive discussion during which participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the framework and brainstorm applications for its use.
States and local programs are making child and family outcomes measurement more efficient and more effective by integrating those processes with the development of functional IFSPs and IEPs. In this session, several states will share the flow of activities that integrates processes.
The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) and the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children (TACSEI), funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, are engaged in capacity-building efforts to promote the widespread implementation of evidence-based practices to ensure that programs can effectively promote child outcomes. Learn about the linking of practices to promote social, language, and literacy skills, the processes used to build capacity and ensure implementation fidelity, and the many practical resources offered by both Centers.
This session will present a brief update on the status of ENHANCE, a research project investigating the validity of data from the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process and identifying factors related to quality data. Presenters will share preliminary findings from the analysis of state data being conducted as part of ENHANCE. Content will focus on techniques being used in the study for interpreting patterns to understand the validity of the data. Materials will be provided to support states in analyzing the quality, consistency, and meaning of their own COS data.
Video is a powerful tool for documenting and reflecting on young children's learning and development. This session will explore how digital video is being used to increase the effectiveness of many activities in early intervention, preschool special education, and early care and education, including: observation, documentation, assessment, family education/support, self-reflection, reflective supervision, coaching, consultation, professional development, technical assistance, and research.
See and experience new state-developed training and TA products featured in the pre-conference workshop. These include child videos to promote observational and child development skills (Department of Defense), Emotion-Based Digital Stories (MA-Part C), web-based resources, and online training modules on assessment, child development, and use of the Child Outcomes Summary process (NH-Part C, WI-619, IL-Part C). Participate in a discussion of how, why, and when to use these products and methods for maximum effect!
This session provides an opportunity to bring family outcomes data issues to a roundtable discussion for brainstorming with colleagues and technical assistance from ECO staff. Issues related to response rates in special populations, linking child and family data, assessing representativeness, improving data quality, or other family outcomes measurement issues are all welcome topics for discussion.
This plenary will describe a state policy framework for developing coordinated early care and education data systems, discuss the state of these efforts around the country, and highlight a leading state's progress in building and using an ECE data system. Specifically, a representative from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will provide an overview of Pennsylvania's ECE data system, its capacity to capture child assessment data across multiple early childhood programs, and OCDEL's successes and challenges in promoting the use of these data to inform practice and policies.
This workshop will guide participants through a case study of a state using family data to plan for program improvement activities. The session is designed to give participants experience in looking for patterns in their family data, relating family survey data to other data, drawing conclusions about next steps in analyses, and brainstorming improvement activities that address the issues found.
This session will be an informal gathering of states using the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) for child outcomes measurement. Participating states will determine the content of the discussion which may include data analysis, quality assurance process, and using data for program improvement.
A three state panel will engage participants in discussion and share lessons learned about their experiences in collecting, analyzing, and linking early childhood data with public school data. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina are three premier states whose processes for ensuring data collected birth to school age are linked to important K-12 and post-secondary outcomes. The objectives of the session are: (1) experience discourse among colleagues about the importance of quality early childhood data collection and linkage to K-12, including exemplary uses of early childhood data among children with disabilities; (2) hear from state experts about their state early childhood data systems and how they have used data to impact program, funding, and training decisions; and (3) develop an awareness about how different approaches for linking agency data across programs can improve child outcomes and lead to changed local and state policy.
Presenters implementing the pyramid model for social-emotional development will discuss and provide examples of the tools they selected for measuring social-emotional outcomes, the data those tools generate, and how they are using the data for decision making at the child, practitioner, classroom, program, state, and national levels. In this session you will learn how different combinations of assessment data can inform different decisions for improvement at all levels. Participants will also join in a discussion of how this framework for multi-level data collection and use can generalize to other child outcomes and State Performance Plan indicators.
In this session, the presenters will bring together ideas about program quality from the general early childhood field (i.e., QRIS) with ideas about measuring child outcomes from early intervention and early childhood special education. Through presentation and interactive discussion, the session will provide an overview of QRIS quality standards, and discuss the implications for identifying high-quality early care with inclusion of children with disabilities. Representatives from Delaware ECE and ECSE will talk about how they successfully worked together on the QRIS efforts and the benefits and challenges they have experienced.
This session is intended to assist states in using the COMS Self-Assessment Tool, a tool developed as a resource for states to guide outcomes measurement systems improvement activities. New Hampshire will describe the process they followed to help identify their planning priorities and activities to improve their measurement system. Session participants will conduct activities in small groups to explore potential ways of using the tool and reflect on how the tool might be used in their states to improve how data are collected and used.
Specific practices in Part C and preschool special education have the potential to make a difference in child and family outcomes. What are these key practices that go beyond compliance with IDEA? How can we collect different levels of data on quality? I've got to admit it's getting better/A little better all the time.
Two states will share their recent efforts to collaborate with local programs and families to review outcomes data and make decisions related to program improvement. The Delaware Preschool program has conducted site visits where they reviewed and discussed child outcomes data with local districts. The state provided statewide and district level data analyzed by a number of variables for locals to review, identify 'red flags' in data quality, and determine next steps for improvement. A recent New York Part C project focused on sharing family survey data with families in the program. Statewide and county level data were shared and families helped with interpreting and thinking about potential activities for program improvement.
Quality practices are the key to improving outcomes but what is quality in early childhood special education? Do we agree on what quality programs and practices look like? Do we have meaningful and useful ways to measure quality? In this session, presenters will discuss some perspectives on quality ECSE services including recommended practices and frameworks for inclusive practices. Resources addressing quality in ECSE will be shared and session participants will be encouraged to talk about how they think about, measure, and promote quality practices in their programs.
Linking outcome data to characteristics of systems, programs, and children brings meaning to the outcome data. Three states will share how they are able to explore the meaning of their outcome data through various data analyses. They will share the questions they are able to answer with their data, the variables they can link to child outcome data in their data systems, and examples of what they've learned so far.
In this session, participants will hear from four states about their recent experiences preparing for their OSEP on-site results activity scheduled for fall 2011. Each state will share about one or more of the following topics: the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic, Timely) topic they selected, the role of data as a key part of their process, stakeholder involvement, planning their onsite visit, TA resources available, and any pitfalls or lessons learned so far in the process.
This session will enable participants to explore the context and current opportunities for aligning child and family outcomes across health, early learning/development and family engagement. Speakers will share an example of how a shared vision and outcomes helped sustain and leverage funding and system improvement for Louisiana BrightStart, and will facilitate participant discussion of strategies for creating and contributing to shared (cross system) outcomes and results for young children and families.
How do we support providers and teachers in writing high quality IFSP outcomes/IEP goals? Presenters will engage participants in discussion and activities related to conducting functional assessment, developing meaningful IFSP outcomes/IEP goals, measuring the child and family outcomes, and the critical connections between these processes.
The path to achieving high quality services and positive outcomes is long and may even be winding but there are sign posts, maps and starlight to help you navigate where you want to go. If you like the destination and want to stay there, what arrangements need to be made and who can help? This session will look at key elements of systems improvement frameworks that can be used to support and sustain ongoing program improvements that benefit children and families.
Participants will have an opportunity to review and interpret data analyses and discuss implications for improving child outcomes. This mini-workshop session will use a selected subset of the data exercises which were presented at the pre-meeting Analyzing and Interpreting Data Workshop. (It is intended for participants who were unable to attend the pre-meeting workshop.)
Presenters will discuss techniques for improving data quality through assuring that programs are implementing the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process with fidelity. Wisconsin will share how the state is using a fidelity self-assessment to work with programs to help them reflect and improve on COS implementation. The ECO Center will be describing and soliciting input on a planned new online process to verify provider proficiency with the COS process and rating scale.
The presenters will share a brief summary of a study done in TX to better understand the type and amount of services recommended for IFSPs. The session will provide opportunity for participants to discuss such questions as: In times of economic pressures, how much and what kinds of services are "enough" to make a difference? How will you know? What are implications for data analyses, policies, and guidance?
To get significant improvement in child outcomes, we might need to remember who has the biggest influence on their behavior and learning. What are we doing with families during home visits and through our preschool services? Are our supports to families specific and relevant enough to sustain families' implementing interventions as part of parenting? Blood's thicker than mud.
In this session, presenters will share and discuss using data to improve quality practices and results for children and families. The DAC model process for using data for local improvement will be shared as a tool states can use. In addition, a resource document developed to assist states in identifying ways to improve results for children and families participating in Part C early intervention services through implementation of quality practices will be shared. The document lists key quality practices that, when implemented, will have direct impact on child and family outcomes. Two states will describe how they have and/or plan to use the document for improving practices in their states. Ample opportunity for discussion about using data to improve quality practices and results will be provided.
States will discuss issues and challenges associated with reporting local child outcomes data and comparing these data to state targets. Discussants will provide an overview of issues that states have been experiencing and their initial approaches to address these. Examples of issues for discussion include: comparing local data to state targets derived from a "fuzzy" process or incomplete data, dealing with local reporting for programs with small numbers reporting outcomes data when children received services from more than one local program/district, and sharing messages about local data with a variety of stakeholders. Session attendees will participate through facilitated discussion and Turning Point technology.
Is your child outcome measurement process a separate activity from developing your IFSPs or IEPs? Are you looking for strategies to link child outcome measurement with functional assessment conducted for IFSP/IEP development and developing meaningful IFSP outcomes/IEP goals? In this 3 hour workshop, states will share tools and resources they have used in integrating these activities. You will have the opportunity to use several of these strategies to help you analyze your own state's activities and discuss how best to implement an integrated approach.