Transcript Visions, Practices, and Measures: International

Visions, Practices, and Measures:
International Experiences on Achieving
High Quality Inclusion
Camille Catlett, John Forster, & Elena Soukakou
Agenda
Building the
Framework:
Establishing a
Vision for High
Quality
Inclusion
Quantifying
What’s Really
Important: Using
the Inclusive
Classroom
Profile to
Measure Quality
Inclusion
Achieving the
Vision: EvidenceBased Practices
That Support
Inclusion
Defining Inclusion
Early
Childhood
Inclusion:
A Joint Position
Statement of
DEC and NAEYC
Definition
Early childhood inclusion embodies the
values, policies, and practices that support
the right of every infant and young child and
his or her family, regardless of ability, to
participate in a broad range of activities and
contexts as full members of families,
communities, and society.
… desired results of inclusion
The desired results of inclusive experiences for
children with and without disabilities and their
families include
 a sense of belonging and membership,
 positive social relationships and friendships,
 development and learning to reach their full
potential.
… three defining features of inclusion
ACCESS
PARTICIPATION
SUPPORTS
Visions, Practices and
Measures: International
experiences on achieving
high quality inclusion
John Forster CEO
Noah’s Ark Inc
Melbourne, Australia
8
Developing a shared vision:
What relationships will make
your work in inclusion more
successful?
Case study: Developing a joint
statement on inclusion between
professional sectors in Australia
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
9
Overview
Vision
and Relationships
Australian context
Development of Statement
Reflections
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
10
How important is
shared vision?
Connections
in learning
experiences
Connections in work
experiences
Importance of relationships to
inclusion
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
11
What makes inclusion work?
Positive
attitudes and
beliefs
Flexible programs
Good professional support
Access to resources
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
12
Why are shared vision and
strong relationships important?
Short term: maximises existing capacity
Long term:
 builds skills and knowledge
 creates rationale for greater investment
 supports from communities and cultures
 positive policies and budgets
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
13
Australian Context
 Government:
6 States and 2
mainland territories
 Landmass: five per cent of world
 Population: almost 23 million
 States / Territories: responsible for
health and education
 Australian Government: responsible
for Child Care
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
14
15
16
17
18
Australia: The Good News
 Early
Childhood Education and
Care Reforms
 National Quality Framework
 Universal 4 year old program of 15
hours
 National Disability Strategy
 National Disability Insurance
Scheme
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
19
Australia:
The Reality Check
 Vastly
different experiences
 Lack of Bill of Rights
 Lack of professional development
 Poor rating by OECD
 Resources inconsistent/ limited
 Lack of data
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
20
Brief Cultural Comparison
USA
AUSTRALIA
Founders: Pilgrims
Founders: Convicts
Purpose: Selfimprovement
Purpose: Avoid getting
caught
Better oneself
Stick with your mates
Measures of performance Don’t let boss know
Individual celebration
Tall poppy syndrome
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
21
Shared Vision:
Joint Statement on Inclusion
USA
AUSTRALIA
DEC
ECIA
NAEYC
ECA
Early Childhood
Intervention Australia
Early Childhood
Australia
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
22
Shared Vision: Process
Listening
sessions (7)
Expert panels (2)
National survey (1403)
Drafting Team (2+2)
Consultation to branches (15)
Final Drafting
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
23
Joint Statement Structure
Position
Statement
Underlying beliefs: Rights,
Principles, Ethics
Rationale: Why do we need a
statement?
Actions: Professional bodies,
services, institutions
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
24
Joint Statement: Actions
 Attitudes
 Workforce
 Collaboration
 Lack
of cross sector
understanding
 Quality of early childhood
services
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
25
Joint Statement: Rights
ECA
ECIA
Rights of the child
• Convention on the
Rights of Persons
with a Disability
• Statements on
Inclusion in
mainstream
education
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
26
Joint Statement: Principles
ECA
ECIA
Best interests of
child
Social Inclusion
Diversity
Equity
Importance of
families
High Expectations
for every child
Evidence-based
practice
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
27
Joint Statement: Rationale
Children’s
services and
institutional care
Segregated EI services
Human Rights and access
Outcomes for every young
child
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
28
Position Statement
 Our
position is that children with a
disability have the same rights as all
children and additional rights
because of their disability. They
share with all children the right to be
valued as individuals and as
contributing members of families,
communities and society.
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
29
Position Statement
 Every
child is entitled to access and
participate in ECEC programs which
recognise them as active agents in
their own lives and learning,
respond to them as individuals,
respect their families as partners
and engage with their diverse
backgrounds and cultures.
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
30
Position Statement
 This
means that ECEC services and
support professionals must be
resourced and supported to the
level required to fully include
children with a disability and to
achieve high quality outcomes for
all children.
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
31
Reflections: Developing
relationships
Process needs patience:
Telling the stories
Agreeing the
principles/values
Agreeing the position
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
32
Reflections: Sector
relationships
Shared expertise vital for:
Professional development
Individualized programs
Positive attitudes
Utilisation of resources
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
33
Reflections: Future action
How
do we ensure that the
shared ECA and ECIA vision
becomes a reality?
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
34
Reflections: Your reflections
Shared
Vision: What
relationships will make your
work in inclusion more
successful?
copyright Noah's Ark Inc 2012
+Quantifying
What’s
Really
Important:
Using the Inclusive
Classroom Profile
(ICP) to Measure
the Quality of
Inclusion
Elena Soukakou
FPG Consultant
Research Fellow, Oxford University
+ How Do We know If We Are
Practicing High Quality
Inclusion?
+
How Do States Address
Special Needs with QRIS?
 Several
states with statewide QRIS have
included standards for the care of children
with special needs but there is no standard
approach
(NPDCI, 2008; NCCIC, 2010)
37
+
Grassroots Perspectives on QRIS &
Inclusion
 Survey of child care directors (n=48) in 8 states
about benefits and challenges of participating in
QRIS indicated concern about this issue
(Schulman, Matthews, Blank, & Ewen, 2012)
 Childcare directors discussed “the importance not
only of standards appropriate for children with
special needs, but also of assessors with
knowledge in special education who could
recognize appropriate practices for children with
special needs”
(Schulman, Matthews, Blank, & Ewen, 2012, p.27)
+
Young children
with disabilities
can experience
low quality in
classes that are
otherwise rated
as being of
high quality
Wolery, et al., 2000
+
Need for ‘Inclusion-Specific’
Quality Indicators
To
assess new knowledge on
evidence-based inclusive practices

For in-depth assessment of
inclusive practices
To
assess differentiated implementation
for accommodating individual needs
+
Moving Beyond Global Quality
The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP)

Designed to complement existing
classroom quality measures &
standards

Focus on inclusive practices that
support the individual needs of
children with disabilities
+
The Inclusive Classroom Profile
(ICP)

Structured Observation

1-7 point Rating Scale

12 Inclusive Practices
+
How Can the ICP Be Used?
As
a research tool, to gather
information about inclusive
practices.
As
As
one component of QRIS
a basis for PD to support quality
improvement efforts.
1. Adaptation of Space and Materials
2. Adult Involvement In Peer
Interactions
3. Adult Guidance Of Children’s Play
4. Conflict Resolution
5. Membership
6. Relationships between Adults and
Children
7. Support for Communication
8. Adaptation of Group Activities
8. Adaptation of Group Activities
9. Transitions between Activities
10. Feedback
11. Family-Professional Partnerships
12. Monitoring Children’s Learning
3. Adults’ guidance of children’s play (O)
1
2
3
Inadequate
Minimal
1.1 No free time set aside in
the daily schedule for children
to play. (O)
3.1 Children have some
opportunities to decide on play
topic, activities, playmates, and
explore toys that they like during
free-play and center time. (O)
1.2 Children are not allowed
to choose play topic, activities,
playmates, or explore toys of
their choice during free-play
and center time. (O)
3.2 The classroom environment
is set up to promote social play
and activities (e.g., classroom set
up includes pretend play corner;
adults provide social toys and
props). (O)
1.3 Adults make no attempts
to become involved in
children’s play and activities
(e.g., adults are too
preoccupied with classroom
management and preparing for
upcoming routines and ignore
children’s play). (O)
3.3 Adults monitor children’s
involvement in play and, when
needed, help them become
involved (e.g., adult helps child
wondering around to join a play
area; adult suggests activities to a
child; adult redirects child from
self-stimulatory behaviors to more
purposeful play). (O)
4
5
Good
5.1 Adults show enjoyment when engaging
with children in free-play and various
activities of their choice. (O)
5.2 Adults actively encourage social play and
activities using strategies such as initiating social
games and activities (e.g., adult initiates dancing
game during free-play time); suggesting to
children various social activities in which they can
engage (e.g., at the beginning of center time,
adults remind children of various social games
they can engage in); or inviting children to join
social activities. (O)
5.3 Adults scaffold children’s individual or
social play and activities using strategies such as:
a) prompting/asking questions about their play;
b) modeling (e.g., adult models for child how to
use materials symbolically); c) involving peers to
help children engage in play and; d) using visual
supports (e.g., adult works with child in block
area using a visual model of a block tower and
provides the necessary physical assistance to help
child build his tower). (O)
6
7
Excellent
7.1 Adults’ availability, enjoyment
and involvement enable most
children to sustain their play and
activities of their choice
(individual and/or social). (O)
7.2 Adults consistently scaffold
children’s play and activities
(individual and/or social) relative to
each child’s developmental level.
(Consider recommended
scaffolding practices listed in 5.4).
(O)
+
Who Is Being Observed?

Children with identified disabilities
in the context of classroom activities
and social interactions with adults
and peers

Teachers, co-teachers, specialists
+
Administration

Observation

Teacher
interview

Document
review
+
Adult Guidance of Children’s Play
+
Pilot Studies on the ICP

1st pilot study in the UK showed
promising results on reliability &
validity (Soukakou, 2012)

2nd pilot study in the US replicates
findings in collaboration with:
NC Department of
Instruction,
Exceptional Children
+
Research Questions

Did assessors learn to use the ICP as
intended to be used?

What is the evidence for reliability
and validity of the ICP?

Did assessors find the ICP useful for
rating quality within QRIS?
+
Sample

51 inclusive classrooms in one state

Public Pre-K (5), Head Start (13),
Developmental Day programs (13),
Other child care centers (20)

150 children with disabilities
+
Procedures

51 ICP assessments

50 ECERS-R assessments

Assessor Survey for gathering
data on ICP functionality
+
Key findings

Assessors established adequate reliability
proficiency upon training.

Evidence for construct validity.

Differences in quality of inclusion across
types of programs.

Assessors found the ICP easy to use and
useful for integration with QRIS.
+
Next Steps
Assessment
tool  developing
effective training approaches for users
Professional
development tool 
developing professional development
materials
Shifting Paradigms
Know & •be able to do
•EvidenceEvidence based practices
Research Synthesis Points on Inclusion
and on Quality Inclusive Practices
Evidence-Based Practices that Support
Inclusion handouts
Putting Access, Participation, and
Supports into Action
Questions? Comments?