Identification and evaluation of Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) build on our previously selected general growth outcomes.  We intend to craft indicators of individual children's growth within each outcome area.

These indicators resemble a "thermometer" used by a pediatrician to gauge a child's general health status effectively, efficiently, and quickly.  High readings from a thermometer will alert you that a child has a fever without telling you why s/he has a fever or what you can do to reduce the fever.  Additional assessment will be required to understand the source of the fever and to generate ideas for reducing it. Similarly, our IGDIs will provide a relatively quick but effective and efficient reading of a child's status and growth within multiple developmental areas, alerting educators and families to the need to intervene on behalf of children whose trajectories do not meet expectations.

To qualify as an Individual Growth and Development Indicator, a measure must meet the following criteria:

• measures key elements of the general growth outcome;
• can be used easily and efficiently;
• can be used in a standardized way by multiple evaluators (e.g., teachers, parents) and across time;
• focuses on "authentic" or natural child behaviors to the greatest extent possible;
• meets typical standards of reliability and validity; and
• is sensitive to growth over time and sensitive to the effects of intervention.

While continuity of indicators across children within the age range of birth to eight remains an important goal of the Institute, we have initially divided work on developing indicators according to the age groups listed below (the team responsible for developing indicators for the age group appears in parentheses):

Birth to three-years-old (b - 3)
(Juniper Gardens Children's Project)
Three- to five-years-old (3 - 5)
(University of Minnesota)
Five- to eight-years-old (5 - 8)
(University of Oregon)

During the 1998-99 academic year, staff at all three sites studied prospective indicators of young children's status and growth within the following outcome: Child uses gestures, sounds, words, or sentences to convey wants and needs or to express meaning to others.

During the 1999-2000 academic year, Institute staff studied prospective indicators of the following outcomes:

• Child interacts with peers and adults, maintaining social interactions and participating socially in home, school, and community settings.
• Child understands and uses concepts related to early literacy skills.
• Child moves in a fluent and coordinated manner to play and participate in home, school, and community settings.

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This page was updated on 12/26/2008
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