ATI In the News
As seen in Children and Families, Spring 2002 VOL. XVl No.2
Tech Talk--THE WHAT, HOW, AND WHY OF YOUR PROGRAM'S
TECHNOLOGY NEEDS
Reprinted with permission from the National Head Start Association.
Child Outcomes, PRISM, and the Electronic Management of Learning
Jason K. Feld
In recent years, there has been a significant change involving accountability in early childhood education. The emphasis once placed on the measurement of factors associated with quality (such as teacher-child ratio, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and teacher training) has now shifted toward measured results or outcomes for children. The Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework make accountability for achieving results an essential element of high-quality early education.
The early years represent a fertile period of development during which children are highly receptive to new learning opportunities and eager to explore their world. As young children's first introduction to learning, early childhood programs and families play a vital role in creating environments that promote healthy development. Setting goals, making and implementing plans, and evaluating the extent to which those plans have been successful in achieving educational goals are essential elements of high-quality early education.
In PRISM 2002, a common thread throughout the document is that accurate information on children's abilities and progress is an essential precursor to effective management and the provision of high quality services. This interconnection between management systems, information on children's learning, and program services is reflected in questions 4, 5, 6, 10, and 12 in the PRISM review process. These questions address the following five management activities related to the delivery of results-based, high-quality early education: record keeping and reporting, ongoing monitoring, self-assessment, individualization, and curriculum implementation and assessment. The overall goal of linking these management activities is to ensure that data on children's learning is gathered in a consistent, credible way throughout the program year; that the data is analyzed and made accessible to decision makers in a timely fashion; that the analysis of the data can be used for self-assessment; that the results of self-assessment can be used in the management of learning at all levels of program operation; and that this information is used to make program improvement and generate successful outcomes for children.
Linking management to technology
In response to the shift toward measured outcomes, extensive innovations using technology as a tool for the management of learning are taking place. The electronic management of learning (EML) uses technology to facilitate the gathering, organizing, aggregating, analyzing, and reporting of data on children's learning and those factors influencing learning. This data can then be used throughout the year to set goals, make and implement plans, evaluate outcomes, and modify plans as needed.
The shift toward the use of EML in Head Start has its roots in the early 1990s when technology-based assessment tools became available for use in Head Start and began to replace static paper-based instruments. The introduction of assessment technology in Head Start provided programs with the capability to electronically automate the process of data collection and reporting. This innovation served to empower local programs by giving them access to information about children's learning that could be used to guide decision-making at various program levels. For instance, program administrators could use electronically generated reports that documented the learning that had occurred in each classroom to quickly and easily determine where additional resources, guidance, and attention was needed to achieve goals that support the developmental needs of children.
Web-based applications and CD software for a variety of purposes including assessment, learning, management, and training have found a welcome home in Head Start. And now as we embark on a new journey into the 21st century, even more resources are available. Internet-based tools for EML in Head Start are now coming of age.
What to look for
The Electronic Management of Learning (EML) is the process of collecting, organizing, accessing, and analyzing information on children's learning and those factors that influence learning. To ensure high standards of quality and credibility when selecting a system for the Electronic Management of Learning, it is important to make informed decisions by asking critical questions. When looking at systems, ask the following questions:
- Does the system offer administrators and policy-maker rapid access to data for decision-making to promote learning?
- Does the system help to establish meaningful educational goals for children and provide plans to achieve these goals?
- Is the system aligned with Head Start Child Outcomes Framework in all eight development domains?
- Does the system offer comprehensive, adaptable developmental assessment?
- Is the system based on an ongoing research program?
- Does the system offer extensive reporting capabilities at the child, classroom, center, agency and multi-agency levels?
- Does the system offer e-lesson planning?
- Can the system provide aggregated data at any point in time?
Making the transition to EML
One important benefit of EML is that it enables directors, supervisors, staff members, specialists, and families to collect, organize, access, and analyze data on children's learning. A second benefit of EML is that it enables stakeholders to obtain rapid and continuous access to information at a variety of levels, including child, class, center, agency, and multi-agency levels. With this capability in hand, vital data for educational decision-making gets to the right person at the right time. EML also offers programs a powerful and practical blueprint for effective decision-making. A fourth benefit of EML is that it is useful in fulfilling ACYF requirements complementing the PRISM review process in its "integrated approach to data collection, analysis and decision-making."
Programs that use the EML process should begin by establishing meaningful educational goals for the children. In order to see results, goals also need to be set at the class, center, and program levels. Once goals have been set, programs must develop and implement plans to achieve those goals. Using the data generated using EML, a program can then conduct an assessment to determine if the goals have been met and whether the plans have been successful.
While federal legislation requires data collection on child outcomes three times a year, Head Start programs actually need to have access to information for decision-making throughout the entire program year. A well-designed EML system can provide multi-level data aggregation as often as needed throughout the year so that both federal requirements and local needs are being met. Essentially, an effective EML system can offer these in administrative, policy-making, and teaching roles rapid access to data for use in decisions designed to promote learning - and that's good for children!