THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT
INSTRUMENT (EDI)
Ysleta Independent
School District (YISD)
Teacher Orientation
2012-2013
Updated 10-22-12
THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT
INSTRUMENT (EDI)
Teacher Orientation
2012-2013
Updated 10-22-12
Preface to EDI Teacher Orientation
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
Audience: Kindergarten teachers completing EDIs

Intention: Supplement in person orientation conducted by your local EDI
coordinator

Local Logistics: There are a number of logistics that are unique to your
community and should be provided to you by your local EDI coordinator.
These include:
–
Confirmation that your community is participating in the EDI project
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Guidelines on how parents are receiving the EDI parent letter
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Indication of when you have the green light to begin filling out the EDI’s online for your class
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Provision to you of a hard copy of a class list from your district or school
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Any local deadlines for when the EDI work should be completed
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Instructions on how to receive compensation for your time IF you are completing EDIs
during off school hours.
–
Who to contact locally for questions about these types of logistical issues
Objectives of the EDI Orientation
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
Describe the Early Development
Instrument (EDI)

Review steps for teachers in
completing the EDI

Walk through how to use the EDI
software

Provide contact information for
questions
National Partnership
EDI Data
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Engage Community
around Informed
Planning and
Improvement
Use of EvidenceBased Practices
Improved
Developmental
Outcomes
What You Know and Can Help Share

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The EDI results can help quantify and
bring attention to what you already know
–
Children are born ready to learn
–
The quality of children’s earliest
environments and experiences are crucial
to determining the brain’s development
–
The early years lay the foundation for
long term health and education
Early Development Instrument (EDI)
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
Provides a community measure of the developmental strengths
and vulnerabilities of children

Results from the EDI enable us to
–
Look forward to adjust school programs to meet the current needs of
incoming students (schools)
–
Look backward to adjust early childhood service systems to help ensure
children are ready to learn (community)

EDI is reported on groups of children. It is not intended to be
used as a diagnostic tool to screen or identify individual children

Individual child information is confidential and cannot be shared
with anyone, including parents
EDI Continued
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
Research has found the EDI to be a valid and
reliable measure for children’s development

Based on a checklist completed by kindergarten
teachers on each child in class

104 questions grouped into five domains

Takes an average of 15 minutes per child
EDI: Five Developmental Domains
Domain
Physical Health and
Well-being
Number of Items and
Subdomains
Child is healthy, independent,
ready each day
Items: 13
Subdomains: 3
Social Competence
Child plays, gets along with others
and shares, is self-confident
Items: 26
Subdomains: 4
Emotional Maturity
Child is able to concentrate, help
others, is patient, not aggressive
or angry
Items: 30
Subdomains: 4
Child is interested in reading and
writing, can count and recognize
numbers, shapes
Items: 26
Subdomains: 4
Language and
Cognitive
Development
Communication Skills
and General
Knowledge
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Description
Child can tell a story,
communicate with adults and
children, articulate
themselves
Items: 8
Subdomain: 1
How Data is Reported
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
Confidential school report shows how children are
doing developmentally in that school

Community Profile Report shows how children are
doing developmentally by neighborhood
EDI School Report Template
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EDI Community Profile Report Uses
GIS Maps

The EDI data maps allow stakeholders to compare
children’s development
–
By geography to identify areas of greatest need
–
To socio-economic indicators, to help understand the
reasons for observed outcomes
–
To service data to identify where there are service gaps
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Anticipated Outcomes
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
Increase community awareness on the importance of early
childhood development

Inform planning and improvement activities

Improve grant making, needs assessments and other activities
that benefit from real local data

Gain public support and political will to grow and sustain
resources dedicated to early childhood

Improve early childhood services and systems

Improve outcomes for children
3 Steps for Teachers
1. Ensure that before you begin completing the EDIs
on your students that the parent information letter
has been sent.
2. Gather and review essential materials
–
–
–
–
Class list from district for each class you teach
Teacher Guide
Teacher Instruction Sheet for US-EDI Software
Sample EDI Checklist
3. Log into US-EDI teacher portal to complete the EDI
forms
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Filling out the EDI – General Guidelines

Kindergarten teachers complete the EDI Checklist online

Each EDI takes an average of 15 minutes to complete

The EDI is based observational recall and on the teacher’s
perception of the child’s development

EDI is completed on every kindergartener except
–
–
–
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If teacher has known this child for less than 1 month
If child is no longer in the class
Other, such as the parent “opts out”
If any of these exclusions exist, you will document it in question
14 and the survey for that child will end
Filling out the EDI: Accuracy
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
It is very important that the EDI is answered in an accurate and
consistent way across the country

When answering the EDI, we ask you to consider the following:
–
Your observations of the student should reflect his/her CURRENT
developmental status unless otherwise noted
–
Base your answers on expected skills and behaviors for this phase of
development rather than how the child is doing relative to peers
–
Focus your observations on the specific skills or behaviors listed
–
Be guided by your first impressions when the checklist does not allow you
to give a qualified answer
–
Answer questions to the best of your knowledge
–
Use “I don’t know” as a last resort only. EDIs with too many “don’t knows”
or “missing” cannot be used in the analysis or reports
Assessing Dual Language Learners
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
Language proficiency in English is a key part of later school
success

For Section B of the EDI on children’s language and cognitive
domains:
–
Some items in this section require knowledge of a child’s language abilities
(e.g. B15 - Is able to read simple sentences) and some items do not (e.g. B4
- Ability to take part in imaginative play).
–
For items that require knowledge of a child’s language abilities, you should
assess the child’s ENGLISH abilities, regardless of the child’s primary
language or whether the child is in a dual language immersion.
–
The items that should be based on children’s English language abilities are
listed in the introduction to Section B of the Teacher Guide.
Cultural Influences
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
Teachers and children alike come from diverse cultural
backgrounds

Your personal culture, values and perceptions may influence
your expectations for your students

To help you avoid cultural bias in your EDI responses, items
that require a heightened level of cultural sensitivity are
indicated with a flag

The teacher guide provides supplemental information on the
flagged items regarding how to answer these questions in a
way that avoids cultural bias
Tutorial of the
US-EDI Teacher Portal
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The US-EDI: Simple to Use
Step 1: Log in
Step 2: Agree to Consent Form
Step 3: Create Permanent/Confidential Password
Step 4: Check Class Roster
Step 5: Complete EDI Questionnaires
Step 6: Fill Out Teacher Feedback Forms
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Step 1: Login
Initial Password is
USEDI2013
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Step 2: Agree to Consent Form
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Before you can enter the system, you must consent to the terms.
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Step 3: Create Permanent/
Confidential Password
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Step 4: Check Class Roster
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Adding a Student is Simple
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Click the Add Child Button
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Click on the EDI for that Child
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Fill out the student info and complete
the Checklist
Demographics
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Step 5: Complete EDI for All Students
Demographics
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Demographics
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Click the “Check for Completeness” button
to see if you missed any sections
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Select the hyperlink and you will be taken
to the unfinished section of the EDI
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Demographics
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Status Indicators:
Green = Done
Yellow = In progress
White = Not started
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Step 5: Fill out the Teacher
Feedback Form
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Who to call for questions
Questions about how to complete the EDI or use
the US-EDI software,
–
Contact: USEDI@mednet.ucla.edu
For all other questions please contact your local
EDI Coordinator/ Education Specialist:
Gail Gale M. Ed. ggale@unitedwayelpaso.org
533-2434 x 232
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