Topical COS Professional Development Activities
These activities focus on aspects of the COS Process providers frequently need additional training and support. The COS Process Online Module prepares Part C and Part B, Section 619 staff to use the COS process to describe how children are doing on the Three Child Outcomes.
Before You Begin
- These materials are not "stand-alone" training activities. Participants must first complete the COS Process Online Module for neccesary context.
- Prior to selecting an activity, PD staff must ensure content is consistent with the state's COS policies and procedures, and adapt if necessary (for example, adding information about the state's COS policies and procedures).
- ECTA staff can provide technical assistance to PD staff on how to use these materials, or to individualize training for specific audiences or formats.
COS Topics
Each topic includes activities, instructions, and handouts that you can use to enhance early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) practitioners' understanding of a specific aspect of the COS process. Some activities are applicable to an EI or ECSE audience, and some are applicable to both. Most activities can be adapted to present to both audiences simultaneously.
PD activities are available for following topics:
- General COS Activities: Background information for those new to child outcomes measurement and/or the COS process.
- Assessing Functional Skills: Gathering and using information about a child's functional skills in everyday settings and across daily activities/routines.
- Age Anchoring: COS teams comparing the child's functioning to age-expected development.
- COS Ratings: Understanding the 7-point rating scale.
General COS Activities
| Activity Title | Learning Objective | EI, ECSE or Both | Instructions, Handouts, and Supplemental Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why Collect Child Outcomes Data? | Participants will identify the various purposes and uses of child outcomes measurement. | Both |
For trainer:
For participants:
|
| Understanding the Three Child Outcomes |
Participants will:
|
Both |
For trainer:
|
| Assessing the Three Child Outcomes |
Participants will:
|
Both | For trainer: For participants: |
Assessing Functional Skills
| Activity Title | Learning Objective | EI, ECSE or Both | Instructions, Handouts, and Supplemental Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Assessment Data in the COS Process: Jack's Narrative |
Participants will demonstrate their ability to apply information from assessment of skills to the COS process, including identifying assessment information that is valuable to the process and information that is still needed about the child's functioning in an outcome area. Activity time: 30 minutes |
EI | For trainer: For participants: |
| What are Functional Skills and Behaviors? |
Participants will identify the difference between isolated (discrete) skills and functional skills to better understand and assess children's every day functioning. Activity time: 30 minutes |
Both | For trainer: For participants: |
| Child Outcomes Instrument Crosswalks |
Participants will review assessment tools and extract meaningful information from them for each of the three outcomes. Activity time: 30 minutes |
Both | For trainer: For participants: |
| Authentic Assessment: Table Talk |
Participants will examine their program's current practices related to authentic assessment. Activity time: 30 minutes |
Both | For trainer: For participants: |
Age Anchoring
| Activity Title | Learning Objective | EI, ECSE or Both | Instructions, Handouts, and Supplemental Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Anchoring Guidance for Determining Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Ratings |
Participants will obtain answers to commonly asked questions about age anchoring children’s functional skills for the COS process and have access to examples of how the guidance applies in practice. |
Both | |
| Understanding Age-Expected Skills and Behaviors |
Participants will age anchor skills and behaviors for a 30-month old using an age-expected child development resource/tool. Activity time: 30 minutes |
EI | For trainer: For participants: |
| Age Anchoring Tyler's Skills and Behaviors (13 months) |
Participants will demonstrate the ability to age anchor a 13-month-old child's skills and behaviors in the three outcome areas using video observations and age anchoring tools and resources. Activity time: 20 minutes |
EI | For trainer: For participants: |
| Age Anchoring Nolan's Skills and Behaviors (36 months) |
Participants will demonstrate the ability to age anchor a 36-month-old child's skills and behaviors in the three outcome areas using video observations and age anchoring tools and resources. Activity time: 25 minutes |
ECSE |
For trainer:
|
COS Ratings
| Activity Title | Learning Objective | EI, ECSE or Both | Instructions, Handouts, and Supplemental Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who Wants to be a 7-Point Rating Scale Millionaire? |
Participants will demonstrate understanding of the criteria for ratings on the COS 7-point rating scale, including the definitions of age-expected, immediate foundational and foundational skills. Activity time: 30 minutes |
Both | For trainer: For participants (optional): |
| 7-point Rating Scale Jeopardy! |
Participants will demonstrate understanding of the criteria for ratings on the COS 7-point rating scale. Activity time: 15 minutes |
Both | For trainer: For participants (optional): |
| 7-Point Rating Scale Face-Off |
Participants will identify the rating on the COS 7-point rating scale that describe written examples of children's functioning. Activity time: 30 minutes |
EI | For trainer: For participants: |
| Small Group COS Process Practice Activity (or Make Your Own COS Case Study) |
Participants will practice team rating discussions based on information about actual children provided by other participants. |
Both |
Handouts:
|