ECO Professional Development Training Activities

Select any of the following activities to see the activity description, handouts and trainer materials. You may also scroll down to browse all activities.

Pop Quiz Activity

Estimated Time for Activity: 10 minutes

Description: Participants complete short list of multiple choice questions related to one or more of the content areas (1) Why states have to collect outcomes data, (2) Content of the three outcome areas, (3) Assessing the Three Child Outcomes, (4) COSF rating scale, (5) Looking at Data.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Ask participants to individually read and answer the quiz questions.
  • Review the questions one at a time having participants share their answers.
  • Provide the correct answers along with explanations.


What are ‘Functional’ Skills and Outcomes?

Estimated Time for Activity: 30 minutes

Description: Measuring the three child outcomes requires an understanding of functional skills and behaviors. In this activity, participants review a list and determine whether the skills are ‘functional’ or ‘isolated.’ In a small group, participants discuss their choices, using the handout, ‘What is a Functional Outcome?’ as guidance.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Ask participants to complete the ‘functional skills exercise’ independently.
  • Individually, or in a small group, review each skill listed and discuss the extent to which the skill is ‘functional’ or ‘isolated’
  • Provide the correct answers along with explanations.
  • Review the handout, ‘What is a Functional Outcome?’ and discuss.

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Implementation Issues Activity

Estimated Time for Activity: 20-30 minutes (more time may be needed for a large training)

Description: Small groups discuss the issues they have encountered while implementing the COSF. Debrief as a large group, sharing implementation issues and possible strategies for addressing issues.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

  • (no additional trainer materials needed)

Instructions:

  • Ask participants to break into small groups of 4-5.
  • Give small groups 5-10 minutes to discuss the issues and challenges they have experienced implementing the COSF using the discussion work sheet questions as a guide.
  • Debrief as a large group. Ask each group share at least one key issue they discussed. Invite the whole group to share successful strategies to that might address the issue(s). Identify where more guidance is needed.

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Review of Crosswalks Activity

Estimated Time for Activity: 10-15 minutes, more if reviewing multiple crosswalks

Description: Trainer describes the purpose of the crosswalks and then reviews one or more commonly used assessment tools.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Describe the purpose and structure of the crosswalk documents.
  • Review one of the crosswalk documents with the group asking participants to think critically about the crosswalk and instrument
  • What do you notice about the crosswalk?
  • Which outcome area(s) have the most items? Which the least?
  • To what extent are the items functional vs. discrete skills?
  • What types of information would you want to know in each outcome area that is not included in the assessment?
  • What are implications for the need for other data sources?

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Demonstration of COSF Team Discussion

Estimated Time for Activity: 40-50 minutes

Description: Trainer guides a participant or group of participants in a discussion about a child's skills and behaviors related to each of the three outcome areas and determines an appropriate rating using the Child Outcome Summary Form 7-point scale.

The decision tree, recommended for use with this activity, was created as a tool for training in the use of the COSF. The tree represents a series of questions about the extent to which a child exhibits age-appropriate skills and behaviors. Responses guide the user to a specific rating category on the 7-point scale. The decision tree has been updated based on input from the COSF Training Consortium.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials & Instructions:

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Written Child Example

Estimated Time for Activity: 40-60 minutes

Description: Small groups read a child example, discuss assessment information, and decide on COSF ratings. Debrief as a large group, discussing the ratings and rationale, including the suggested ratings and rationale from the ECO center.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials/ Instructions:

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Small Group COSF Practice

Estimated Time for Activity: 30-40 minutes

Description: Participants work in small groups. One individual in the group shares information about a child with whom s/he works. The group discusses the child's functioning in the three outcome areas and together they decide on COSF ratings.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

  • Beforehand, invite participants to bring information about a child they know to the training. Sample paragraph below:

"Please come prepared to discuss and describe the functioning of at least one child with whom you work, who has entered services in the last 2 or 3 months, and whom you know fairly well. Bring any information you have about the child or children, including recent assessment data, observation notes, or other records that might help you remember and think about the child's functioning. We will be using the example in an exercise to practice thinking about the child's social relationships, learning and problem solving, and ability to get his or her needs met across various settings. You will NOT be sharing the records or any written materials with others, so one copy is enough, and you may remove the child's name from any files you bring if you are worried about revealing confidential information."

Instructions:

  • Ask participants to break into small groups of 4-5 individuals for 20-30 minutes.
  • Ask small groups to have one person present information about a child with whom s/he works. Then, as a group, they should discuss the child's skills and behaviors in each outcome area relative to age expectations. The group should collaborate to determine COSF ratings.
  • Debrief as a large group. Ask small groups to share how their small group process. What was easy? What was hard?
  • (It may be helpful to remind participants that in a real COSF team rating, all team members at the table would know the child's skills and abilities.)

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Factors that influence data quality

Estimated Time for Activity: 15-20 minutes

Description: Small groups discuss factors related to improving quality.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

  • none

Instructions:

  • Ask participants to break into small groups of 4-5 individuals for ~5 minutes.
  • Ask small groups to discuss factors that influence data quality, using their worksheets to guide the conversation and take notes.
  • Debrief as a large group. Ask small groups to share the factors they discussed. Ask the whole group what are implications for the COSF process?

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Quality review of COSF team discussion (video example)

Estimated Time for Activity: 15-20 minutes

Description: Trainer describes indicators of a quality COSF team discussion. Then, participants watch a video clip of a COSF team and review the quality of that team discussion.

Participant Handout(s):

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Beforehand, identify which video clip(s) you plan to show.
  • Describe indicators of a quality COSF team, using the 'Reviewing the Quality of a COSF team discussion' worksheet.
  • Introduce the video clip and ask participants to answer the worksheet questions during the video.
  • Show a video clip of a team discussion.
  • Debrief the video by reviewing the worksheet questions and asking participants to share their responses.

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Quality review of Family Participation (video example)

Estimated Time for Activity: 15-20 minutes

Description: Trainer describes the importance of family participation in the COSF team discussion. Then, participants watch a video clip of a COSF team and review the quality family participation based on the questions on the worksheet

Participant Handout:

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Describe the importance of family participation in the COSF team discussion.
  • Review the 'Including Families in the COSF Discussion' worksheet.
  • Introduce the video clip and ask participants to answer the worksheet questions during the video.
  • Show a video clip of a team discussion.
  • Debrief the video by reviewing the worksheet questions and asking participants to share their responses.

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COSF Quality Review

Estimated Time for Activity: 15-20 minutes

Description: Small groups review a completed COSF and identify possible errors. Large group debrief of possible errors identified in the sample COSF.

Participant Handouts:

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Describe indicators of a quality COSF using the 'Guidance for Reviewing Completed COSFs' worksheet.
  • Review the 'COSF Review Worksheet' and directions.
  • Ask participants to break into small groups of 4-5 individuals for ~10-15 minutes.
  • Ask small groups to review the COSF and answer the questions on the COSF Review Worksheet.
  • Debrief as a large group by walking through the worksheet questions and having participants share their responses. Provide explanations (Trainer Notes provide guidance).

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COSF to Federal Progress Categories

Estimated Time for Activity: 10 minutes

Description: Individuals review sample COSF entry and exit rating scores for several children and then determine which federal reporting category each child is reported in.

Participant Handouts:

Trainer Materials:

Instructions:

  • Provide brief review of the OSEP Reporting Categories.
  • Ask participants to complete the exercise on converting the COSF data to progress categories, individually or in pairs.
  • Review the exercise, one example at a time. Ask participants to share their answers. Provide correct answers and explanation, as needed.

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Evidence-Inference-Action Activity

Estimated Time for Activity: 15-20 minutes

Description: Small groups review child outcome data (evidence) and discuss possible inference and action.

Participant Handout:

Trainer Materials:

  • (No additional trainer materials needed)

Instructions:

  • Review information about evidence, inference and action (ppt slides available).
  • Ask participants to break into small groups of 4-5 for ~ 15 minutes.
  • Ask small groups to review the 'evidence' provided on the Evidence-Inference-Action Worksheet and discuss the possible inferences and actions.
  • Debrief as a large group. Discuss the possible inferences and actions that might be made based on the evidence. Remind participants that one possible inference is 'the data are not quality data' and the corresponding action(s) would relate to improving the quality of the data.

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