Margaret Gillis

The long-term goal of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and other federal and state early intervention and early childhood education initiatives is improved child and family outcomes. States play a critical role in supporting practitioners in the use of evidence-based practices to improve child and family outcomes. When practitioners implement evidence-based practices as intended (i.e., with fidelity), positive outcomes for children and/or families can be expected. Positive outcomes should not be expected when evidence-based practices are not implemented with fidelity. Therefore, it is essential for states and local programs to collect, analyze, and use data on the extent to which practitioners are implementing evidence-based practices as intended. Having high quality data on implementation, decision-makers can identify implementation successes and challenges and target valuable resources appropriately.
This tip sheet series provides concise guidance for collecting and analyzing high-quality data on the implementation of evidence-based practices. The content was designed for staff of state and local early intervention (IDEA Part C) and preschool programs for children with disabilities (IDEA Part B 619), but it is relevant for anyone evaluating the implementation of evidence-based practices. The tip sheets address topics that state personnel identified in webinars and workshops the DaSy and ECTA Centers offered in partnership with the National Center for Systemic Improvement and the IDEA Data Center. The tip sheets are not intended to be comprehensive; readers are encouraged to consult the resources listed in each tip sheet and to obtain support from federally funded technical assistance centers such as DaSy and ECTA, university partners, and others with evaluation expertise.

The Child Find Self-Assessment (CFSA) is a valuable tool for State IDEA Part C programs seeking to improve their child find efforts. Developed by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) with support from the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) and the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA), the CFSA can help states identify strategies to promote efficiency in their Part C child find systems, with the goal of ensuring children eligible for services are referred and enrolled. States can use the CFSA as a monitoring tool to ensure they have met the regulatory components of a comprehensive child find system, and as an informational tool to assist with identification and implementation of best practices for child find. The CFSA is voluntary and intended to support states in their child find efforts.

This brief provides guidance and examples for creating strong alignment between project evaluation plans and logic models. The project logic model graphically displays the project investments, planned activities, and expected results. It guides a project’s design and implementation and can provide the foundation for a strong evaluation plan. Whereas a theory of change or theory of action may depict complex relationships and confounding factors, the logic model generally provides a more linear, simpler depiction of the process of change expected. The evaluation plan is the blueprint for assessing how well the project components have been implemented and analyzing the extent to which project objectives and outcomes have been achieved. An evaluation plan that is aligned to your logic model will help you target evaluation resources and focus your energy.
For more specific information about developing a logic model or evaluation plan, see the CIPP resources listed at the end of this document. This document can be used in conjunction with those resources to ensure your logic model and evaluation plan are aligned, accurately reflect your project, and are of high quality.