eNotes
February 27, 2015In this Issue:
- New IDEA Data Website and 2013/2012-13 IDEA Data Files Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs - February 20, 2015
- Newly Updated QRIS State Map and Contact Information Source: QRIS National Learning Network - February 27, 2015
- Three New Videos Illustrate Family Guided Routines Based Intervention Source: Iowa Department of Education and Florida State University - February 24, 2015
- Two New WWC Quick Reviews of Recent Early Childhood Studies Source: What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences - February 26, 2015
1. New IDEA Data Website and 2013/2012-13 IDEA Data Files
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recently launched a new website to publicly report the Individual's with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 618 Data on children with disabilities. The new site includes IDEA Section 618 data files (historical and newly released data), data documentation files with information about the data elements and format of the data files, data notes associated with the data files, and links to other sites that provide data and information on children with disabilities. The website includes ten new IDEA Section 618 data files for 2013/2012-13.
2. Newly Updated QRIS State Map and Contact Information
The QRIS National Learning Network recently updated its QRIS State Map and Contact Information, which provides information on states' Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS), including status, program name, website, implementing agency, primary contact and alternate contact.
3. Three New Videos Illustrate Family Guided Routines Based Intervention
Early ACCESS in Iowa in collaboration with the Distance Mentoring Model at Florida State University recently published three new videos illustrating Family Guided Routines Based Intervention (FGRBI). The first two videos show what FGRBI looks like during early intervention home visits, and is narrated by providers and family members who reflect on a number of key strategies and themes. In the third video, a parent offers her perspective on the use of toy bags by home visitors.
- A Home Visit with Kris and Kiyah (10:50)
- A Home Visit with Brandon's Family (7:55)
- Parents Talk About the Toy Bag (2:00)
4. Two New WWC Quick Reviews of Recent Early Childhood Studies
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently conducted quick reviews of two studies that have received significant media attention.
Full-Day vs Part-Day Preschool Intervention Quick Review - This quick review looked at a study finding that children in a full-day preschool program scored higher than children in a part-day preschool program on four of the six school readiness indicators from the standardized Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment System (language, math, social-emotional development, and physical health). The WWC quick review finds that the study does not meet WWC group design standards, because when the children were selected to participate in the full-day program, 4-year-olds were given priority over 3-year-olds, so the groups were not equivalent.
"Tools of the Mind" Quick Review - This quick review looked at a study finding that kindergarten students who were exposed to "Tools of the Mind" had improved math skills, response time on cognitive flexibility tasks, working memory, and cognitive processing speed at the end of kindergarten relative to the comparison students. The WWC quick review finds that some children in the sample were not effectively randomly assigned to the treatment or comparison groups. Therefore, the study cannot meet WWC standards without reservations. The study can meet WWC standards with reservations if the authors provide additional information to determine whether the intervention and comparison groups were similar at baseline.