Abbotsford s 2005 Early Development Instrument (EDI) Maps. Prepared by Amy Rossa Understanding the Early Years Project Assistant

Transcription

1 Abbotsford s 2005 Early Development Instrument (EDI) Maps Prepared by Amy Rossa Understanding the Early Years Project Assistant

2 School Readiness All children are born ready to learn, but not all children arrive in kindergarten ready for school. Children who start school not ready are at a disadvantage and often face the challenge of never catching up. Measuring children s readiness for school reflects their early development and can predict their performance later in life.

3 What is the EDI? The EDI is a questionnaire, completed by Kindergarten teachers, designed to measure children s school readiness. It is an assessment or a snapshot in time AND NOT a test. Designed by Drs. Dan Offord and Magdalena Janus of the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University. The results of the EDI research are reported at the group level, NEVER at the individual level children s independent results are never analyzed or reviewed. The EDI has been designed to reflect children s early development and is in no way a direct reflection of school systems or teacher performance.

4 What does the EDI measure? The EDI contains approximately 120 questions measuring children s readiness for school in the following subscales: Physical health and well-being Social competence Emotional maturity Language and cognitive development Communication skills and general knowledge

5 Mapping the EDI The data from each questionnaire is cleaned-up and aggregated at the school and the neighbourhood level. Abbotsford s EDI results are reported based on 17 neighbourhoods. The neighbourhoods DO NOT reflect school catchment areas. The EDI results are also reported by elementary schools to assist the Abbotsford School District in their planning. This report is confidential. Analyzing EDI results by neighbourhoods allows us to better plan for early childhood services providing opportunities where they are most needed to ensure all of our children have the best possible start.

6 Mapping the EDI Cont d The aggregated neighbourhood level data is divided into quintiles and is compared to provincial results. Provincial cut-offs are established by the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) based on the range of EDI scores. For each EDI scale there is a score, somewhere between 0 and 10, that serves as a vulnerability threshold. This threshold enables us to determine the bottom 10%, or areas where children are considered potentially at risk on one or more subscales in relation to their school readiness.

7 EDI Colour cut-offs The average score is determined by adding all the sampled children s scores and dividing the result by the total sample. Average score colour classes are based on provincial means as determined by HELP. The percent vulnerable is calculated by dividing the sum of children vulnerable in a neighbourhood by the sum of children vulnerable in Abbotsford. Percent vulnerable colour classes are based on the bottom 10% of provincial scores and further based on quintiles.

8 EDI Colour cut-offs Cont d Dark green represents the upper quintile (highest scores or % most ready for school). Dark red represents the bottom most quintile (lowest scores or % least ready for school with the bottom 10% being vulnerable or at risk ) provincial vulnerability cut-offs by EDI scale: Physical health and well-being 6.92 Social competence 5.58 Emotional maturity 5.83 Language and cognitive development 5.38 Communication skills 3.89

9 Map Cartogram and Legend Cartogram The sizes of the circles are proportional to the number of Kindergarten children surveyed. These circles are then shaded according to their neighbourhood EDI values. Legend and Notes The legend shows the value for each neighbourhood, the map title and subtitle, and the source of the data mapped.

10 2005 EDI RESULTS BY SUBSCALE

11 Physical Health and Well-being Measures physical readiness for school, physical independence, general health, gross and fine motor skills, etc. Some community factors that may impact this subscale are: access to formalized recreation services; food security; and access to safe, outdoor play spaces. Sample EDI questions for this subscale: How would you rate this child s proficiency at holding a pen, crayons, or a brush? How would you rate this child s ability to climb stairs?

12 Cartogram Legend Neighbourhood Boundary Notes

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14 Social Competence Measures overall social competence, responsibility and respect, approaches to learning, readiness to explore new things, sharing, etc. Some community factors that may impact this subscale are: access to quality child care and structured community programs; parent education programs; and neighbourhood cohesion with localized access to services. Sample EDI questions for this subscale: How would you rate this child s ability to get along with peers? Would you say that this child is able to follow class routines without reminders?

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17 Emotional Maturity Measures pro-social and helping behaviour, the ability to concentrate, patience, lack of anxiety, fearful or aggressive behaviour, etc. Some community factors that may impact this subscale are: access to diverse environments (i.e. mixed housing with residents of varying socio-economic status and cultures); access to quality child care; and informal opportunities to interact with peers. Sample EDI questions for this subscale: Would you say that this child comforts a child who is crying or upset? Would you say that this child has difficulty awaiting turn in games or groups?

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20 Language and Cognitive Development Measures basic literacy, interest in reading, recognition of numbers and shapes, awareness of time concepts, etc. Some community factors that may impact this subscale are: literacy programs including young children and adults; accessible library services; and partnerships between early childhood development programs and schools. Sample EDI questions for this subscale: Would you say that this child knows how to handle a book (e.g. turn a page)? Would you say this child is able to read simple sentences?

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23 Communication Skills and General Knowledge Measures the ability to clearly communicate one s own needs and understand others, active participation in storytelling, interest in general knowledge about the world, etc. Some community factors that may impact this subscale are: proportion of the population that speaks English as a second language; and access to rich oral language environments. Sample EDI questions for this subscale: How would you rate this child s ability to tell a story? How would you rate this child s ability to understand on first try what is being said to him/her?

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26 Neighbourhood Vulnerability 2 out of 17 neighbourhoods show 1 out of 2 children vulnerable on one or more subscales (Aberdeen 66% and Babich 50%). 8 out of 17 show 1 out of 3 or 1 out of 4 children vulnerable on one or more subscales. Kilgaard (11.8%) and Sandy Hill (11.9%) indicate the lowest percentage of children deemed vulnerable on one or more subscales, followed by Abbotsford (20.4%).

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