An Introduction to the Early Years Evaluation for Speech and Language Pathologists

March 11th, 2013

Plans to Support Improved Student Achievement

The Early Years and Student Achievement & Supports Branches are collaborating with school divisions (SDs) to provide:

Guidance for SD student assessment, policies and procedures;

Strengthening of teaching, learning, and achievement; and,

Enhanced communication with families regarding their children’s development and learning.

Overview: Early Years Assessments

Prekindergarten

• Early Years Evaluation – Direct Assessment

• 4-year-old cohort only

• Fall Assessment Only

• “Help me tell my story” Assessment of Oral Language

Kindergarten

• Early Years Evaluation – Teacher Assessment

• “Help me tell my story” – Assessment of Oral Language

• Early Development Instrument (EDI)

What is the EYE – Direct Assessment?• The EYE-DA assesses four domains closely

associated with readiness to learn at school:

• Awareness of Self and Environment - a child's understanding of the world and his or her ability to make connections with home and community experiences.

• Cognitive Skills - a child's basic math and pre-reading skills and his or her ability to solve problems.

• Language and Communication - a child's understanding of spoken language and his or her ability to express thoughts and feelings.

• Physical Development:

• Fine motor - a child's ability to perform small movements that require hand-eye coordination.

• Gross motor - a child's ability to perform large movements that involve arms, legs, and body.

What is the EYE – Direct Assessment?• Administration Time: 45 minutes per child

• Scoring: Online data entry site allows for immediate data entry, scoring, and feedback.

• Reports are generated at the parent, school, district, and provincial levels. The EYE-DA results are depicted using three color codes: • green, denoting appropriate development;

• yellow, experiencing some difficulty; and,

• red, experiencing significant difficulty. 

• The scoring takes into account a child’s age at the time of the assessment.

• Ages/Grades: The EYE-DA is ideally suited for children ages 3 to 5 years as they prepare for and make the transition to school.

EY

E:

Teac

her

Che

ckli

st

EY

E-T

A is

an

obse

rvat

iona

l ass

essm

ent.

Guide for navigating the Teacher Checklist:1. Domain name2. Item number3. Preface for each question4. Item being evaluated5. Student names will be inserted upon confirmation of the class list6. Teacher rating scale7. Choose the appropriate rating (scale of 1 to 4) for each child on each item8. * (asterisk) denotes the availability of an assessment plate

Scoring

Student performance is rated on a 4 point scale ranging from a low of 1 to a high of 4. Response categories by domain are outlined below:Domains Response Categories

A: Awareness of Self and EnvironmentC: Cognitive SkillsD: Language and CommunicationE: Physical Development

1. Unable to do it2. Can do it partially or sometimes3. Can usually do it4. Can do it consistently

B: Social Skills and Approaches to Learning

1. Strongly disagree2. Somewhat disagree3. Somewhat agree4. Strongly agree

Assessment of Language & Communication on the EYE-TA

• Sample Items:

• Follow 2-step commands

• Listen to and comprehend classroom stories read by the teacher

• Understand the teacher’s instructions and questions

• Understand the meaning of action words (hop, spin, march, clap, etc.)

• Communicate orally in 5-7 word sentences others can understand

• Use picture cues to tell a story in proper sequence with minimal prompting

• Verbalize how they are feeling

• Predict what will happen next in a story

Overview of Provincial Implementation Plans for the EYE-DA and EYE-TA

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten EYE Phased Implementation Plan – Winter/Spring 2013

• School division confirmation of commitment to spring implementation

• Early Years Branch resources for family engagement and school division implementation in February

• Training for division and school level users provided in February/March/April by KSI Research International

• March/April/early May administration of EYE for self-selected school divisions

• EYE-Direct Assessment (EYE-DA) for 4-year-old Prekindergarten cohort

• EYE-Teacher Assessment (EYE-TA) in Kindergarten

• Data and reporting workshop in May

Which SD Personnel Will Require EYE Administration Training?

Prekindergarten and Kindergarten teachers

School based administrators

School based student support services teachers

Division Early Years Coordinators/Consultants

All division student support personnel who work with early years teachers and children in PreK and K; This includes:

◆ Speech Language Pathologists

◆ Occupational Therapists

◆ English as an Additional Language (EAL) consultants

◆ Psychologists

11

Aiming for Successful Implementation What are the indicators of a successful

implementation?

• Growth in teacher understanding of assessment as it relates to children’s development and learning

•Development of best practices in assessment procedures

•Implementation of strategies that support student development by teachers & professional support providers (PSPs)

• Strong positive teacher-family relationships to support children’s learning at home and at school

And……

And….

Improved allocation of division and school resources

Growth in children’s development and learning

Key considerations to optimize effectiveness of the EYE

assessments.

EYE data provides one piece of the image of the child as a learner.

16

It is important to remember that:

The EYE is designed to assess:

• Awareness of Self and Environment

• Cognitive Skills

• Language and Communication

• Physical Development

• Social Skills and Approaches to Learning (EYE-TA only)

The EYE is NOT designed to:

• Label Children

• Diagnose specific learning problems

• Identify children who are intellectually gifted

The EYE is:

Not about….

“what we have taught the child”

But…..

“where is the child today”

And…..

“where will we take the child”

EYE Reports Individual Reports

Classroom Reports

EYE-Teachers Assessment

Opportunities for Interprofessional Collaboration

• Working as a collaborative team, it is highly recommended that analysis, interpretation, reports and plans are in response to whole classes of children, then small groups of children and as needed, individual children.

Learning from Other Jurisdictions• Videos from Edmonton Catholic

Schools

• Using books to pre-teach and highlight

• Choices and Contrasts

• Using objects as visual supports

• Slide in Beside

• Using peer models

• Collaborative Team Meeting – Action Planning Forms – Example from the Calgary Board of Education

Available Resources

• Information on the EYE:

• http://earlyyearsevaluation.com/EN/

• Information on assessment in the Early Years:

• http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/ELCC/Prekindergarten

• Early Learning Universal Designs for Learning – Videos on classroom-based interventions

• http://www.inclusiveeducationpdresources.ca/early-learning/broadbased.php

Discussion, questions & sharing of experiences

For those of you that have had the opportunity to use the EYE, how has it informed your practice?

Discussion, questions & sharing of experiences

What is the role of families in the achievement initiative? EYE implementation?

How can family engagement be facilitated and supported?

How can the ministry support school division implementation of the EYE?

Thank you!

Contact Information:

Laurie Hudyma

• Policy/Program Consultant

• Early Years Branch

• Ministry of Education

• laurie.hudyma@gov.sk.ca

• Phone: 787-9518

Ron Nowlan

• Educational Consultant

• Student Achievement & Supports Branch

• Ministry of Education

• ron.nowlan@gov.sk.ca

• Phone: 798-1885