SRCD State Policy Fellow Portfolio Abstracts: Rachel C. Katz, Ph.D.

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Portfolio Entry 1: 2019 State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) Federal Report

Project Overview:

Background: For over 30 years, there has been a strong focus on compliance and program quality related to Federal regulations for Early Intervention and special education. However, there is still a need to systemically improve results for these children as many states are not seeing improvements in outcomes of interest. The State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) is a multi-year process to drive innovation in the use of evidence-based practice in the delivery of services to children with disabilities and delays. It is mandated by the United States Department of Education, and in Massachusetts, is intended to promote children’s positive social-emotional development. The SSIP provides information about how states plan to focus on results and what these data look like, leading to data informed action and positive child development.

Goal: Complete the 2019 State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) Federal Report: Phase III, Year 3: Evaluation

Contributions of Fellow:

Reviewed/refined past data analysis and visual representations of data
Organized and analyzed all data
Created data-related graphics to present results and compare multi-year findings
Wrote up evaluation results and incorporated data and graphics into report
Presented data and research findings in a variety of settings

Activity Focus Keywords: Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Disseminate Findings, Document Review, Evaluation, Presentation, Written Report
Policy Area Keywords: Early Intervention, State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR), State Identified Measurable Result (SIMR), Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), IDEA Part C Services

Portfolio Entry 2: Battelle Development Inventory (BDI-2) Projects

Project Overview:

Background: The Battelle Development Inventory (BDI-2) is the comprehensive developmental assessment tool used to determine Early Intervention eligibility in Massachusetts and is also used for federal child outcome reporting. In response to stakeholder concerns about non- uniform administration and inaccurate data for child outcome measurement, improvement strategies and activities have been implemented to ensure fidelity of administration, accurate assessments of children, and increased data quality.

Goal: To assess adherence to administration fidelity and ensure quality of data used to measure outcomes is accurate and reliable

Contributions of Fellow:

•Reviewed and refined data entry process and analytic techniques
Organized and analyzed BDI-2 data
Compared data across years
Determined impact of supports used by programs on fidelity of administration
Used data to identify specific areas of improvement for more effective, targeted, and individualized assistance across programs
Contributed to discussions about data-informed action/research-based practice in EI status calls, staff meetings, and regional meetings
Participated in task group to help EI staff gain a stronger understanding of findings and ways to best utilize evaluation data

Activity Focus Keywords: Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Disseminate Findings, Document Review, Evaluation, Presentation
Policy Area Keywords: Data Management, Early Intervention, State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), Practice Quality & Consistency, Data Quality, Fidelity of Administration, IDEA Part C Services

Portfolio Entry 3: Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Projects

Project Overview:

Background: The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a working document that outlines the Early Intervention outcomes and services to be provided with the child and family. Outcomes are considered to be high quality if they meet the following criteria: 1) The wording of the outcome is jargon-free, clear, and simple; 2) The wording of the outcome emphasizes the positive; 3) The outcome avoids the use of passive words; 4) The outcome is necessary and functional for the child’s and family’s life; 5) The outcome is discipline-free; and 6) The outcome reflects real-life contextualized settings. Assessing the quality of the IFSP process/outcomes at all programs is necessary to improve program practice, provide continuous quality improvement, and ensure the development of high-quality, functional IFSP outcomes.

Goal: To evaluate IFSP outcomes and improve data quality and reliability

Contributions of Fellow:

Reviewed/refined data entry process, data examination procedures, and analytic techniques
Developed measures to improve data quality and reliability
Organized and analyzed all data
Created data-related graphics to present results and compare findings across multiple years
Analyzed data based on the type of support that programs received
Worked with staff to encourage data quality improvement and data-informed action
Helped staff gain a stronger understanding of findings and ways to best utilize evaluation data

Activity Focus Keywords: Data Management, Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Disseminate Findings, Document Review, Evaluation, Presentation, Inter-Rater Reliability
Policy Area Keywords: Early Intervention, State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), Practice Quality & Consistency, Data Quality, IDEA Part C Services