Early Childhood Outcomes Project

By 2010, all school districts in the country must be reliably measuring the following outcomes for all their preschoolers who have an IEP:

  • Positive Social and Emotional Skills – percent of preschool children who reach or maintain functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers, who improve functioning, and who do not improve functioning.
  • Appropriate Behaviors to Meet their Needs – percent of preschool children who reach or maintain functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers, who improve functioning, and who do not improve functioning.
  • Acquisition and Use of Knowledge and Skills – percent of preschool children who reach or maintain functioning at a level comparable to same-aged peers, who improve functioning, and who do not improve functioning.

To assist school districts with this task, a number of materials have been prepared for district use.

 

Core Materials

This section contains materials that the Washington's Early Childhood Outcomes Project pilot sites used and those they found most useful in implementation of the new data collection system. Among these are the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) that all Washington sites are to use for data collection. In addition, you'll find materials developed by the national technical assistance agency, the Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO) Center, and materials developed or refined specifically for our state. With the exception of materials developed by the ECO Center, these materials underwent review and revision based on the feedback from district users and will continue to be revised. So, do check this website each year for revisions. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) also maintains a helpful web site at www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/EC.aspx.

  • Washington State's Early Childhood Outcomes Project: Overview (PSESD-revised 4/9/2009) Word or PDF
  • Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) - blank Word or PDF
  • Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF)- Sample for Wesley Smith (Auburn School District) Word or PDF
  • Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF) - Instructions (from the ECO Center) Site or PDF
  • Decision Tree for Summary Rating Discussions (from the ECO Center) Site or PDF
  • The Washington Early Childhood Outcomes Project FAQ (PSESD-newly revised 4/7/2009) Word or PDF
  • Determining COSF Ratings for Children Who Qualify in Only One Area (UW/PSESD-revised 5/14/2008) Word or PDF

 

Reporting Form

The form for reporting district-wide entry and exit data to OSPI is located on the OPSI web site. Click here to access a copy.

 

Supplemental Materials

The materials in this section are those that district staff may find helpful in implementing early childhood outcomes data collection. These materials also reflect review and revision based on feedback from the initial project year.

Training Materials
General
  • Checklist for Planning (PSESD, 2008) Word or PDF
  • Age-Expected Child Development from Birth to 5 Years (from the ECO Center) Site
  • Resources on Child Development (2006) Word
  • Typical Development (Kansas) PDF
Brochures for Families:
  • Sample from View Ridge Elementary in the Everett School District (2006) PDF
  • Sample from the Nebraska Early Childhood Outcomes Project (2006) Word or PDF

 

Early Childhood Outcomes Center

The ECO Center is a 5-year project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, in October 2003. It is a national technical assistance project designed to help states in the implementation of early childhood outcomes data collection, including the state of Washington. A variety of papers, instrument crosswalks and other materials are available at their website: www.fpg.unc.edu/~ECO.