Educational Outcome Measures
for Courts
January 19, 2012
Nora Sydow, J.D.
National Center for State Courts
National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Outcome Areas
The Focus Group created measures in these six
outcome areas:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
School placement stability;
Academic performance;
Early education;
Special education;
Social behavior; and
Postsecondary entrance rates.
Education Measures: School Stability
Percentage of children under court jurisdiction who
did not have a school change when they had a
change in living placement
Median number of school transfers while under
court jurisdiction
Median number of school days between the last
day attended at old school to first day attended at
new school
Education Measures: Academic Performance
Percentage of school-aged children performing
at or above grade level at case closure
Percentage of children who drop out of school
while under court jurisdiction
Percentage of children who attended at least
95% of school days while under court
jurisdiction
Education Measures: Early Education
Percentage of children ages 3-5 who have been
enrolled in an enriched early education
childhood program while under court
jurisdiction
Education Measures: Special Education
Percentage of children ages 0-3 who have been
evaluated for early intervention programs
while under court jurisdiction
Time from referral for special education services
to assessment
Time from completion of special education
services assessment to delivery of services
Education Measures: Social Behavior
Percentage of children under court jurisdiction
who have received school disciplinary actions
Education Measures: Post-Secondary Education
Percentage of high school graduates/GED holders
under court jurisdiction who have been
accepted into a post-secondary education
program
Education Measures: Multiple Outcome Areas
Percentage of ASFA hearings where the child’s
education was addressed
Percentage of hearings where the child’s
education decision-maker was present
Focus Group Considerations
The Focus Group sought to develop measures
courts would actually implement. With that
goal, the measures were designed to be:
• Relevant and meaningful to courts;
• Tied to education outcome areas; and
• Feasible.
Prioritizing the Measures
The Focus Group identified four “key measures”
(1) Percentage of children under court jurisdiction who did not
have a school change when they had a change in living
placement
(2) Percentage of ASFA hearings where the child’s education was
addressed
(3) Percentage of children ages 3-5 who have been enrolled in
an enriched early education childhood program while under
court jurisdiction
(4) Percentage of high school graduates/GED holders under
court jurisdiction who have been accepted into a postsecondary education program
What’s next for these measures?
• Continue to work with jurisdictions to pilot
the measures
• Forthcoming article in Family Court Review,
July 2012 issue
• Added to the full set of court well-being
measures, developed in June 2011