1

Assuring the Quality of your COSF Data

2

• What factors work to improve the quality of your data?

• What factors work to lessen the quality of your data?

• How to address these factors?

3

Take Home Message

• If you conclude the data are not (yet) valid, they cannot be used for program effectiveness, program improvement or anything else.

• What do you do if the data are not as good as they should be?

Answer: Continue to improve data collection through ongoing quality assurance

4

Many steps for ensuring quality data

Before completing the COSF

Good data collection/training

During the completion of

the COSF

Ongoing supervisionFeedbackRefresher training

After completing the COSF

Review of COSF recordsData analyses for validity checks

5

Many Steps for ensuring quality data

BeforeGood data collection/Training

6

Promoting quality data

Through training and communication related to: – Understanding the COSF process– Functional assessment– Age expectations for typical child

development

7

Promoting quality data

Through data systems and verification, such as:– Good data entry procedures– Data system error checks

8

Many steps for ensuring quality data

During

•Ongoing supervision•Feedback•Refresher training

9

Promoting quality data

Ongoing staff development:– Video team and child examples– Written child examples– “Quizzes” for ensuring learning

Refresher trainings –Beware of Drift!!

10

Ongoing supervision

Review of the process– Is the process high quality?– Are teams reaching the correct

rating?– Provide feedback to the team

Methods– Observation– Videos

11

Indicators of a quality COSF team discussion

1. All team members participate in the discussion

2. Parent input is considered in the rating

3. The team documents the rating discussion

4. The team discusses multiple assessment sources

12

Indicators of a quality COSF team discussion

5. The team describes the child’s functioning, rather than just test scores

6. The discussion includes the child’s full range of functioning, including skills and behaviors that are age appropriate, immediate foundational, and leading to immediate foundational

13

Quality review throughprocess checks

Provider surveys– Self assessment of competence– Knowledge checks– Process descriptions– Identification of barriers

14

Many steps for ensuring quality data

After•Review of COSF records•Data analyses for validity checks

15

Indicators of quality COSFs

• The COSF is complete• Evidence

– matches the appropriate outcome area– is based on functional behaviors– considers the child’s functioning across

settings and situations

• Ratings are consistent with the evidence

Supplemental Group Activities

• Discussion of factors that influence data quality

• Quality review of a COSF team discussion

• Quality review of family participation in a COSF team discussion

• Review a completed COSF for errors• COSF documentation using supporting

evidence16