EarlySteps: Making Informed Decisions The Umbrella of Evaluation and Assessment in EarlySteps

1. Welcome to : EarlySteps: Making Informed Decisions The Umbrella of Evaluation and Assessment in EarlySteps

2. Developed by EarlySteps CSPD University Consortium Members: Gina Easterly-Taylor, Ph.D., CCC-SLP JoAnn Clarey, M.Ed. LSUHSC-HDC, New Orleans, LA Debra Judd, Ph.D., LOTR David L Irwin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP LSUHSC Shreveport, LA Donna Wadsworth, Ph.D. University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA Patricia Snyder, Ph.D. (Project Consultant) Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN These modules are considered intellectual property of CSPD University Consortium members and were produced for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The modules are to be used in accordance with standard expectations and disseminated in their entirety. No revisions may be made without written consent from the authors.

3. EarlySteps: Making Informed Decisions This is the second module in the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development training for providers enrolled in Louisiana’s Part C system. It is a web-supported interactive module that can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection at your convenience. Typically, it takes about 3 hours to complete this module. You will meet the requirements by completing the post exam with at least 70%. The results will provide feedback about what you have learned and provide EarlySteps with data about the effectiveness of the training module.

4. Throughout this module you will be able to click on: Umbrella Icons “cover” required reading materials and helpful information. Several Websites are listed as direct links for more information. The “cloud” is a visual cue provided for you to stop and reflect on the information you have just read. We invite you to journal about what you are learning and how the information applies to your own work as a service provider in EarlySteps. The primary areas of information are listed in order of presentation on the left side of the screen.

5. The learning objectives for Making Informed Decisions are: • Describe the different purposes of making informed decisions in the EarlySteps system • Identify decisions made during the screening process of EarlySteps • Define current eligibility determination criteria, processes, and procedures in Louisiana • Identify data and data gathering tools used for eligibility evaluation

6. Identify data and data gathering tools used for assessment • Describe how assessment findings are linked to intervention goals • Select appropriate assessment instruments and strategies to measure progress of child and family outcomes • Choose information gathering strategies that provide meaningful, reliable, and valid data for making decisions • Apply family procedural safeguards throughout the eligibility determination and assessment processes • Identify language used to communicate findings of evaluations and assessments that is meaningful and understood by all team members

7. These objectives might remind you of those in the first module, EarlySteps: A New Look , and the second module EarlySteps: Spectrum of Child Development These outcomes are designed to help providers acquire the competencies needed to provide supports and services to families enrolled in EarlySteps. The competencies in these modules are based on understanding the role of evaluation and assessment processes in the EarlySteps system and an appreciation for family-centered services and supports provided in their natural environments. These services and supports are designed to enhance the child’s development, learning, and participation in their home and community.