ECO Resources: Child Outcomes Summary Process

Background

In 2005, ECO created the Child Outcomes Summary Process as a way for states to summarize data on children for federal reporting purposes. States use the Child Outcomes Summary Form to document children's functioning in three outcome areas.

Starting in 2011, the ECO Center began using the term "Child Outcomes Summary Process" (rather than the Child Outcomes Summary Form or COSF) to emphasize that this measurement approach is a team process, not just a form. Our website still reflects both terms (COSF and COS) as we are currently revising our web pages and materials to reflect the change to the COS Process.

ENHANCE: Validating the COS for Use in Accountability Systems

A series of validation studies on the Child Outcomes Summary Process is currently funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. The project will carry out five studies to examine and increase the validity of data from the COS process. The 4-year project started on July 1, 2009.For additional information on this project, please visit the ENHANCE website: http://enhance.sri.com.

For additional materials related to the COS process, please visit the following pages:

COS Form and Instructions

In 2005, ECO created the Child Outcomes Summary Process as a way for states to summarize data on children for federal reporting purposes. States use the Child Outcomes Summary Form to document children's functioning in three outcome areas.

Starting in 2011, the ECO Center began using the term "Child Outcomes Summary Process" (rather than the Child Outcomes Summary Form or COSF) to emphasize that this measurement approach is a team process, not just a form. Our website still reflects both terms (COSF and COS) as we are currently revising our web pages and materials to reflect the change to the COS Process and COS Form.

Overview and Instructions

In this overview, frequently asked questions and answers illustrate the ECO Center's thinking on the use of the Child Outcomes Summary Form.

The following paper provides instructions on how to use the Child Outcomes Summary Form including: basic directions for filling out the form, definitions of the outcomes ratings, and scoring methods and considerations.

The following document provides definitions for each of the 7 ratings on one page. COS teams may wish to use the one-pager as a reference during rating discussions. The definitions were updated in May 2009, with input from the COS Training Consortium. The definitions are also available in the Instructions on the Use of the COS, as described above.

The Decision Tree

The decision tree was created as a tool for training in the use of the COS Form. The tree is a series of questions about the extent to which a child exhibits age-appropriate skills and behaviors in each outcome area. Responses guide the user to a specific rating category on the 7-point scale. The decision tree was updated in May 2009 based on input from the COS Training Consortium. In January 2011, the decision tree without numbers was developed for programs wishing to de-emphasize the numbers on the scale, to be used in particular when families are directly involved in the team discussion that describes their child’s level of functioning. This version replicates the original decision tree with the exception that the numbers of the rating scale, 1-7, were removed.

Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Form

The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Form affords a means by which providers can summarize information collected from multiple sources to address the three child outcomes. The form's 7-point rating scale is used to determine the extent to which a child's functioning on each outcome is appropriate given his or her age, and whether that child made progress toward age appropriate behavior. The summary form is intended for local, state, and federal data collection, reporting, and program improvement. The contents of the questions, rating scale, and definitions for the scale should not be adapted.

  • The Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Form with Evidence Organized by Level of Functioning
    ECO developed the COS Form with Evidence Organized by Level of Functioning based on feedback from users of the original form who requested additional guidance in documenting the rating. Please see also Guidance for Documenting the Rating on the Childhood Outcomes Summary (COS) Form with Evidence Organized by Level of Functioning This document guides the user in writing specific examples of functioning, depending upon the rating given, in the supporting evidence boxes.


  • The original Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Form

For COS process training materials, please see the ECO Professional Development Resources page and the State-Developed COS Materials page.

Calculating Progress

How Data from the Child Outcomes Summary Process Can Be Used to Address the OSEP Reporting Requirement

These documents explain how the information produced from the Child Outcomes Summary process can be used to classify a child into one of the 5 reporting categories that make up the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) reporting requirement on child outcomes.

COS Calculators: Getting from COS Ratings to the OSEP Reporting Categories 
  • Tutor Version - The Excel file below was designed to show what OSEP reporting categories are generated from all possible combinations of COS ratings at entry and exit.  Open the file and be sure you are in the worksheet labeled "Tutor." Follow the instructions to see how different combinations of COS ratings leads to one of the 5 OSEP reporting categories.  The tutor allows you to experiment with various combinations of outcomes ratings and progress question answers to see what OSEP category each combination produces. 

  • COS Calculator Model 2.0 - Analytic Versions with Expanded Descriptive Output and Summary Statements- The Excel files below can be used (or adapted for use by someone who knows Excel) with large data sets of COS ratings. They will use summary form ratings data to generate OSEP progress category information on child outcomes (i.e., the data that must be submitted to OSEP every February), summary statement percentages, charts showing entry and exit COS ratings, descriptive information on "a" and "e" progress categories across all three outcomes, and some basic descriptive information about the data. Before using the COS calculator, please download and read the guidance document for information about warning messages when opening the file, and how to enter data and add data rows and columns to the file. The guidance document also describes changes between this version of the calculator (Model 2.0) and the previous version as well as instructions for using the calculator.

    • Please Note:

    • When downloading the calculator: begin download, choose "save" and save the file with a new name on your computer. Do NOT click on open & "save as" after the fact.
    • If you have trouble opening the file once the file is downloaded, remember you may need to select "enable macros" (see guidance document, above).
    • If the file opens, but you do not see contents when you first open the file, try going to "view" on the menu toolbar and select "full screen."
    • Please send comments or feedback to staff@the-eco-center.org.

  • COS Calculator Model 1.0 for 150 Cases. The Excel file below can be used to generate OSEP progress category information on child outcomes for up to 150 cases. To add additional rows to your data, press and hold the "Ctrl" and "R" keys. This version has been revised to allow users enter 2010 dates. For the most recent COS calculator, please use the "COS Calculator Model 2.0", above.
  • COS Calculator Model 1.0 for 4500 Cases. The Excel file below can be used to generate OSEP progress category information on child outcomes for up to 4500 cases. To add additional rows to your data, press and hold the "Ctrl" and "R" keys. This version has been revised to allow users to enter 2010 dates. For the most recent COS calculator, please use the "COS Calculator Model 2.0", above.
Getting from COS Ratings to the OSEP Reporting Categories: COS to OSEP Summary Tables

The following document contains 3 tables. The first two tables show the OSEP reporting category generated from all possible combinations of COS ratings at entry and exit. The third table presents combinations of entrance and exit ratings that are impossible and provides explanations for why.

Professional Development

ECO COS Professional Development Resources