The Rhode Island Child Outcomes (RICO) Project is a new statewide initiative, created in 1999, to define and assess outcomes across children's programs. The initiative involves collaboration among teachers and administrators in Head Start, the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Head Start Quality Improvement Center, and RI Kids Count. Efforts to date have moved the groups closer together to develop a shared vocabulary and a general agreement on important areas of development for Rhode Island's children.

The three key functions of the project are:

• Assisting local programs in developing a common set of practical, relevant outcomes that can be used to determine the impact of classroom practices on Head Start children.
  
• Drawing on the knowledge of teachers to identify indicators of learning and achievement as children exit Head Start and enter school prepared to learn.
  
• Using data on child outcomes to guide efforts to improve teaching practices and to target plans for staff development

The RICO Project predates the development of the Head Start Child Outcome Framework but the efforts overlap the intent of the Head Start Bureau to develop a picture of child competency.

Developing Outcomes: Three Phases

Over a four month period, from April – June 2000, the Project evolved in three phases:

Phase 1: Defining Developmental Domains and Child Outcomes
Phase 2: Gathering Data as Examples of Indicators
Phase 3: Pilot Study of RICO Outcomes

Phase 1: Defining Developmental Domains and Outcomes

The project began in April 2000. At the first meeting a group of Head Start teachers and Education Coordinators reviewed a preliminary list of assessment items extracted from the Head Start Performance Measures and from a survey of assessment instruments used in Rhode Island programs. After analyzing the assessment items, the group agreed on four general domains for outcomes: Literacy and Language Skills, Cognitive and Numeracy Development, Attitudes toward Learning, and Social and Emotional Well-being, along with a set of subcategories within each domain. The process of synthesizing developmental domains and subcategories from formal, validated assessment tools ensured that the RICO inventory was consistent with established knowledge and practice in the field. The preliminary list of RICO domains and subcategories was then compared to the child assessment measures used by local programs and found to be compatible.

The participants were asked to translate the RICO domains and subcategories into a form that would be useful in a Head Start program. They defined each general domain and subcategory in terms of specific outcomes and indicators evident in a Head Start classroom. For example, in discussing the domain of Attitudes toward Learning, the indicator 'Initiative' was described as, "The child plans for and makes choices about learning." The indicator, 'Investigates', under Cognitive and Numeracy Development, was further defined as, "The child explores, investigates, asks questions and makes predictions about the surrounding environment." The collaborative process involved in crafting the RICO definitions required participants to articulate the competencies they considered essential in the development of young children and their school readiness.

Phase 2: Gathering Data as Examples of Indicators

The group left the first meeting with the task of working with teachers in their programs to collect classroom observations illustrating how a child might demonstrate competence according to the RICO indicators. Teachers from seven rural and urban Head Start agencies gathered examples of child activity, along with information about the elements of teaching that contributed to the child's behavior. Each teacher noted how the classroom environment, the activities taking place, or specific interactions with the child may have affected the child's behavior. This phase tied the process of developing outcomes to teachers' observations and reflections.

Once observations were collected across programs, the teachers and Education Coordinators analyzed the data at a second statewide meeting. They matched behavior episodes to indicators. For example, behavior that related to the Cognitive and Numeracy Development subcategory 'Investigates' included: types of questions children ask, how children explore measurement at the sandbox, and categorizing collections of materials from a nature walk. The subcategory 'Initiative' was exemplified by: how children negotiate the choice board, assume roles in the housekeeping area, and direct stories at a puppet show.

Because the observation data were collected by teachers, the examples were immediately familiar, useful, and specific to the experience of Head Start classrooms. When similar observations related to one indicator were collected from different programs, the overall understanding of the indicator was reinforced. In other instances, the contribution of unique examples of child activity led to a deeper, more broadly defined indicator.

Phase 3: Pilot Study of RICO Outcomes

At the third and final statewide meeting, project participants met to devise ways to pilot the RICO. They suggested integrating the RICO instrument into the local assessment tools as a first step. As a result, programs will be able to identify specific RICO domains and indicators that are exceptionally challenging for teachers to observe and conceptualize. Then statewide or local program training can address these needs.

It was also decided that pilot studies will map the RICO domains and indicators onto the eight Domains and related Elements of Domains of the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework. Once data on children are collected using the RICO, it will be possible to determine other training needs related to program improvement.

Benefits of the RICO Approach to Defining Outcomes

The impact of the RICO Project was immediate. After the first meeting, participants were surprised to realize that everyone approaches assessment from different perspectives. As a result, several made changes in their program's child assessment instrument to address gaps identified from a comparison of their system with the expanded list of RICO outcomes and indicators. Other participants realized that some assessment items on their program's instruments were too broad to assess effectively. They drew upon the list of RICO indicators to further define and narrow those items.

The process of developing outcomes also became an informal needs assessment related to teacher training. Several participants acknowledged that requiring the teachers to reflect upon their teaching had helped staff realize that many small decisions are made each day to support children's learning. Some teachers were able to gather rich observations and to make the connection between their teaching strategies, the child activity they observed, and the RICO indicator. Other teachers recognized that they needed assistance in collecting observations or in articulating the impact of their decisions on child development and learning.

Involvement of Head Start teachers, administrators, state personnel, and researchers and consultants in the RICO Project created a multilayered applied research project. At each level, participants worked alongside each other to clarify their understanding of developmental theory, articulate their priorities for how children learn and develop, and analyze the teaching required to realize outcomes. This was a positive learning experience for all.

Including data from observations of Head Start children considered "typically developing" ensured that the process of determining outcomes was grounded in and enhanced by teachers' knowledge. Teachers became part of the process of identifying significant child outcomes rather than acting simply as agents of assessment.

Conclusion

In sum, the RICO Project represented a collaborative team approach to understanding outcomes that extended from the state level into the classroom. The process will surely lead to improvements in program outcomes and child progress. At the conclusion of the RICO pilot studies, Head Start programs will decide whether to use the RICO as the assessment tool with the Head Start Child Outcomes.

Barbara B. Rosenquest is an Assistant Professor of Education at Wheelock College. T: 617-879-2158; E: brosenquest@wheelock.edu.