Indicator 7:
Measuring Preschool Outcomes
Sarah Geldart – MA ESE
Sarah.Geldart@doe.mass.edu – 781.338.3364
Additional Contact:
Lauren Viviani – MA 619 Coordinator
lviviani@doe.mass.edu 781.338.3372
Agenda
Overview of State Performance Plan/Annual
Performance Report (SPP/APR)
Indicator 7
Data submission requirements
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SPP/APR Information
 17 indicators of performance or compliance in
special education
 State identified targets for performance indicators
 MA ESE set targets for Indicator #7 based on data &
feedback from stakeholders
 Data for the state and districts is publically reported.
 Massachusetts’ state profile can be found here:
https://osep.grads360.org/#communities/pdc/documents/
8133
 Individual district data can be found here:
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/special_ed.aspx
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Indicator 7: Preschool Outcomes
Percent of preschool children aged 3 through 5 with
IEPs who demonstrate improved:
A. Positive social-emotional skills (including social
relationships);
B. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
(including early language/communication and
early literacy); and
C. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs
(20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(A))
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Outcome A: Children Have Positive
Social Relationships
Involves:
 Relating with adults
 Relating with other children
 For older children: following rules related to groups or
interacting with others
Includes areas like:
 Attachment/separation/autonomy
 Expressing emotions and feelings
 Learning rules and expectations
 Social interactions and play
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Outcome B: Children Acquire &
Use Knowledge & Skills
Involves:
 Thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem-solving
 Using symbols and language
 Understanding physical and social worlds
Includes:
 Early concepts – symbols, pictures, numbers, classification,
spatial relationships
 Object permanence
 Expressive language and communication
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 Early literacy
Outcome C: Children Take Appropriate
Action to Meet Their Needs
Involves:
 Taking care of basic needs
 Getting from place to place
 Using tools
 In older children, contributing to their own health and safety
Includes:
 Integrating motor skills to complete tasks
 Self-help skills (e.g., dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting,
household responsibility)
 Acting on the world to get what one wants
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Indicator 7: Preschool Outcomes
Five Progress Categories for Each Outcome
The percent of children who:
a) did not improve functioning
b) improved functioning but not sufficient to move nearer
to functioning comparable to same-aged peers
c) improved functioning to a level nearer to same-aged
peers but did not reach it
d) improved functioning to reach a level comparable to
same-aged peers
e) maintained functioning at a level comparable to sameaged peers
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Summary Statements
 OSEP has taken the five categories and collapsed
them into two summary statements
 Summary Statement 1: Of those children who
entered the program below age expectations in each
Outcome, the percent who substantially increased
their rate of growth by the time they exited the
program.
 Summary Statement 2: The percent of children
who were functioning within age expectations in each
Outcome by the time they exited the program.
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What is the Child Outcomes
Summary (COS) Process?
A team process for reviewing child assessment
data from different sources culminating in the
‘rating’ of a child’s functioning on a scale of 1-7
Considers the child’s functioning across
situations and settings
At home, in a play group, at the library, in child
care, at community events, in preschool, etc.
Compares child’s functioning to same age
peers
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Why was the process developed?
For federal reporting on child outcomes
No method to synthesize child outcomes data
from multiple sources
Different programs would be using different
assessment instruments, and outcomes data
would need to be aggregated across programs
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Purposes of the COS
It is not an assessment tool
It uses information from multiple sources,
including assessment tools, observations, and
family interview to get a global sense of how
the child is doing at one point in time
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Features of the COS
 7-point rating scale
 Rating is based on the child’s functioning:
 What the child does across settings and situations
 Compared with what is expected given the child’s age
 The Child Outcomes Summary Form is used for
each child to collect this data:
http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/outcomes.asp#COS
FormandInstructions
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The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process
Children ages 3-5 start special education services
(Aug. 1 – Dec. 31)
Data is collected about functioning across settings and
situations (including from families)
The COS team meets to discuss functioning, complete
the COS Form, and assign a rating for each outcome
(ideally within 4-6 weeks of starting services)
January – Entry data from the COS Forms is entered
into the data collection spreadsheet and submitted to
ESE
June– Exit data is collected as students exit the
program and reported annually to ESE in June
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Completing the COS Process
Please review the free ECTA Modules on the COS
Process:
http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/outcomes.asp#COSProc
essModule
or
The ESE webinars on the process available on the ECSE
webpage:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/ecse/StrategicAreas.html
#OUTCOME
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Fall Submission Requirements
Indicator 7 – Data Collection
Schedule
2015-2016
Fall
Cohort 1
Spring
2016-2017
Fall
Spring
Exit data
Exit data
Cohort 2 Entry data Exit data
Exit data
Cohort 3
Exit data
No data
No data
Cohort 4 No data
No data
Entry data
Exit data
2017-2018
Fall
No data
Spring
2018-2019
Fall
Spring
No data
Entry data Exit data
Exit data
No data
No data
Entry data Exit data
Exit data
Exit data
Exit data
2019-2020
Fall
Spring
Exit data
Entry data Exit data
Exit data
No data
No data
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For information on your district’s assigned cohort:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/spp/datacollection.html
District Responsibilities
Collect entry (baseline) data for children with
disabilities aged 3-5 starting special education
services August 1st-December 31st
Collect exit data for any child with an IEP
exiting preschool the following spring for
whom entry data was collected
Continue collection of exit data each spring
until all children who were part of entry data
collection have exited the program
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Data Collection Requirement
The Special Education Planning and Policy
Office (SEPP) requires ENTRY and EXIT data
for students
As a best practice districts should collect annual
progress data
Progress data should not be submitted to ESE
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Children to Include in Entry
Data Collection
 Children who transition from an early intervention
program to an IEP at age 3
 or
 Any child ages 3-5 who starts receiving special education
services August 1st-December 31st
 Include a maximum of 40 children
 Include children regardless of the type of services they
receive or the location in which they receives those
services. Including those receiving services at home or
from a service provider.
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Example - Cody
Cody’s parents referred him for special
education services prior to his 3rd birthday
His IEP was signed on 8/15 and he began
receiving speech therapy on 8/17.
His COSF was completed on 12/1
Cody’s entry date is August 17th
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Example – Miguel
Miguel was receiving EI services and turned 3
on July 1st
Miguel’s IEP Team decided that he did not
need summer services
The IEP was signed June 30th
Miguel started preschool September 1st and
the COSF was completed September 15th
Miguel’s entry date is September 1st
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Example - Samantha
Samantha attended the preschool program in
the 2014-2015 school year and was not on an
IEP
In October 2015 she was referred to special
education and after the IEP was signed she
started receiving special education services on
November 1st, 2015
Her COSF was completed on November 30th
Samantha’s entry date is November 1st
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What if I have no students to report?
If no students with disabilities enter your
program during the entry data collection
period please email Sarah Geldart a statement
to that effect prior to January 22nd.
Sarah.geldart@doe.mass.edu
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Data Submission
January 22
Entry data due to ESE, via the Security Portal
File Name:
District Name_Indicator Seven_Entry_LEACode.xls
 Will be uploaded in September of the previous year
After entry data submission:
ESE may request a random sample of COSF forms
for review
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Completing the Data
Collection Spreadsheet
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Data Collection Spreadsheet
Entry Data Fields
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Data Collection Spreadsheet
Required Fields for each student:
•SASID
•District Name
•LEA Code
•DOB
•Entry Date (Date the student entered
the program or IEP is implemented)
•Outcome ratings for all three
outcomes
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Data Collection Spreadsheet
Date the student
started special
education services
Ratings on each
Outcome from the
COSF
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Frequently Asked Questions
 What does “exit exception” mean?
 Yes/no question
 “Y” for yes when a student unexpectedly leaves a program
without the ability to collect exit data or was in the program less
than six months.
 This should be blank at entry
 What should I put for the exit date?
 Blank at entry.
 Date the student transitions to kindergarten, leaves the program,
or stops receiving IEP services due to no longer being eligible
 Please do not “predict out” exit dates in the future for students
who have yet to exit
 What does “progress” mean?
 Has the child gained at least one new skill in this outcome area?
 Yes/no question
 Answered only at exit.
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Resources: Early Childhood
Technical Assistance Center
 Outcomes Measurement PD Resources:
 http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/training_resources.asp
 Overview of the COS Process from ECTA:
 http://ectacenter.org/eco/assets/docs/COSF_overview.rtf
 The Child Outcomes Step-by-Step Video:
 http://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/videos.asp
 Outcome Rating Definitions:
 http://ectacenter.org/eco/assets/pdfs/Definitions_Outcome_Ratings.pdf
 The Ratings Decision Tree:
 http://ectacenter.org/eco/assets/docs/Decision_Tree.doc
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Data Submission Timeline
August 1-December 31st Collect entry data on
children aged 3-5 starting special education
services who are not yet in kindergarten
January 22nd– Entry data due to DESE via
Security Portal
Spring – ESE may request copies of COSFs
June – First round of exit data due to ESE via
Security Portal
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Contact Information for Indicator 7
Primary Contact:
Sarah Geldart
Sarah.Geldart@doe.mass.edu – 781.338.3364
Additional Contact:
Lauren Viviani
lviviani@doe.mass.edu – 781.338.3372
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