Outcome Measures for IECMHC

States, tribes, and communities are building the evidence that IECMHC works in early care and education. A common question is which tools to use to measure impact.

Use this Choose and Use tool to plan how you'll measure IECMHC outcomes. It summarizes 22 measures used in two or more IECMHC program evaluations, covering impact on children, teachers, teacher-child relationships, and classrooms or programs.

Classroom measures

Narrow the list with the filters, or start over to choose another domain.

Classroom · Measure

Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ (CLASS™ PreK, 2)

Trained observer/trained rater3 languagesDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Measure
Construct: Caregiver-child interactions; Classroom climate
Respondent: Trained observer/trained rater
Language(s): English; Spanish; French
Length: Four cycles of 15-minute observations over at least 2 hours
Description: Based on classroom observations by trained raters, the CLASS assess teacher-student interactions and overall classroom quality in early care and education settings
Subscales: Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support with multiple dimensions (e.g., positive climate, negative climate, teacher sensitivity, teacher regard for student perspectives, behavior management, productivity, and instructional learning)
Published Psychometrics?: Yes See for example: La Paro, K. M., Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. (2004). The classroom assessment scoring system: Findings from the prekindergarten year. The Elementary School Journal, 104(5), 409-426.
Citation for Tool: Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System™: Manual K-3. Paul H Brookes Publishing.
In the Public Domain?: No - Available for purchase through Brookes Publishing

Classroom · Measure

Environmental Rating Scales (ECERS, ITERS, FCCERS, SACERS)

Trained observer/trained rater6 languagesDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Measure
Construct: Classroom quality
Respondent: Trained observer/trained rater
Language(s): English; Spanish; French; Japanese; German; Other
Length: 2.5 to 3 hours; 27 to 33 items
Description: Designed to assess quality in early childcare or school age settings. Measures various classroom interactions between staff and children, staff, parents, and other adults; interactions among the children themselves; and interactions children have with the many materials and activities in the environment, as well as those features (such as space, schedule, and materials) that support these interactions. The original rating scales have been revised over time and a third edition is now available.
Subscales: The third edition of the ITERS and ECERS cover six domains: Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Language and Literacy, Learning Activities, Interaction and Program Structure
Published Psychometrics?: Yes See for example: Perlman, M., Zellman, G. L., & Le, V. N. (2004). Examining the psychometric properties of the early childhood environment rating scale-revised (ECERS-R). Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19(3), 398-412.
Citation for Tool: Harms, T., Clifford, R.M, Cryer, D. & Yazejian, N. (2017). Infant/Toddler Rating Scale (ITERS-3). Teachers College Press, New York. Harms, T., Clifford, R.M, & Cryer, D. (2014). Early Childhood Rating Scale (ECERS-3). Teachers College Press, New York.
In the Public Domain?: No - Available for purchase at https://www.ersi.info/order.html

Classroom · Not specified

Goal Achievement Scale

TeacherCenter/Program DirectorsPublic domainDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Not specified
Construct: Teacher attitudes and beliefs
Respondent: Teacher; Center/Program Directors
Language(s): English
Length: 13 items
Description: A measure designed for IECMHC evaluations to assess teachers’ competencies on general mental health activities or program goals. This measure can be completed by teachers as a self-report measure and/or by directors reporting on their perceptions of the teachers. It has been used to gauge the impact of IECMHC on teachers' knowledge and implementation of positive social-emotional practices.
Subscales: N/A
Published Psychometrics?: No published psychometrics.
Citation for Tool: Alkon, A., Ramler, M., & MacLennon, K. (2003). Evaluation of mental health consultation in child care centers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(2), 91-99.
In the Public Domain?: Yes - See Alkon et al., 2003

Classroom · Screening Tool

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Classroom)

TeacherParent16 languagesPublic domainDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Screening Tool
Construct: Difficult behaviors; Social and emotional competence in the classroom
Respondent: Teacher; Parent
Language(s): English; Afrikaans; Arabic; Chinese; Dutch; Farsi; Hindi; Italian; Japanese; Korean; Punjabi; Russian; Spanish; Thai; Urdu; Other
Length: 5 to 10 minutes; 25 items (plus 31 items for impact supplement, 32 items for follow-up)
Description: A brief mental health screening questionnaire. The optional impact supplement quantifies functional impairment and the follow-up version assesses change over time. This measure can be used to screen an individual child or to gauge the prevalence and impact of behavioral challenges in a classroom.
Subscales: Total difficulties score, prosocial behavior, peer problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity, and conduct problems. In addition, there is an Impact score if the SDQ impact supplement is used
Published Psychometrics?: Yes See for example: Goodman, R., & Scott, S. (1999). Comparing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist: is small beautiful?. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 27(1), 17-24.
Citation for Tool: Goodman, R. (1997). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 38(5), 581-586.
In the Public Domain?: Yes - Available on sdqinfo.org

Classroom · Measure

Teaching Pyramid Tools (TPOT, TPI-TOS)

Trained observer/trained raterDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Measure
Construct: Fidelity of Pyramid Model implementation
Respondent: Trained observer/trained rater
Language(s): English
Length: 2 hours for the classroom observation, 15 to 20 minutes for the interview with the teacher, and 30 to 45 minutes for scoring
Description: This observational measure assesses implementation of classroom practices that promote young children’s social and emotional competence and address challenging behavior in the infant/toddler or preschool classroom. Specifically, it measures how well teachers are implementing the three tiers of the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence of Infants and Young Children.
Subscales: N/A
Published Psychometrics?: Yes See for example: Snyder, P. A., Hemmeter, M. L., Fox, L., Bishop, C. C., & Miller, M. D. (2013). Developing and gathering psychometric evidence for a fidelity instrument: The Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool–Pilot version. Journal of Early Intervention, 35(2), 150-172.
Citation for Tool: Fox, L., Hemmeter, M. L., & Snyder, P. (2009). Teaching pyramid observation tool for preschool classrooms: Pilot version. Unpublished instrument and manual. Hemmeter, M. L., Carta, J., Hunter, A., & Strain, P. (2009). The pyramid infant toddler observation scale (TPITOS). Unpublished assessment. Hemmeter, M. L., Fox, L., & Snyder, P. (2014). Teaching pyramid observation tool for preschool classrooms: Research edition. Baltimore: Brookes.
In the Public Domain?: No - Available through Brookes Publishing

Classroom · Screening Tool

Teaching Pyramid Tools (TPOT, TPI-TOS) Short Forms

Mental health consultant (short form)Public domainDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Screening Tool
Construct: Teacher behaviors to promote social and emotional development; Social and emotional competence in the classroom
Respondent: Mental health consultant (short form)
Language(s): English
Length: 2 hours of classroom observation; 24 items
Description: This screening tool is a modification of the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool. This observational measure was designed to help mental health consultants learn more about how adult behavior and the design of the child care classroom environment support the social emotional development of young children in early education settings.
Subscales: N/A
Published Psychometrics?: No published psychometrics.
Citation for Tool: N/A
In the Public Domain?: Yes

Classroom · Measure

The Climate of Healthy Interactions for Learning and Development (CHILD) Tool

Trained observer/trained raterDetailsClose

Level: Classroom
Type of Tool: Measure
Construct: Classroom climate
Respondent: Trained observer/trained rater
Language(s): English
Length: No data available
Description: An observational assessment of the mental health (or social and emotional) climate of early care and education settings. The mental health climate is characterized by warmth, developmentally appropriate and child-centered practice, equitable treatment of children, and practices that foster children’s psychosocial well-being and whole-child development. Observations include interactions between and among staff and children, as well as verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Linked with resources for strengthening caregover-child relationships. A prior version of this measure was called the Preschool Mental Health Climate Scale.
Subscales: N/A
Published Psychometrics?: No Preliminary pilot data available on measure website https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/policy/zigler/focusareas/child/
Citation for Tool: Gilliam and Reyes, 2017. Unpublished.
In the Public Domain?: No - Available through Yale University https://medicine.yale.edu/childstudy/policy/zigler/focusareas/child/

Disclaimers

Don't limit your data collection to these measures. They are outcome measures: they show how IECMHC affects children, classrooms, and programs. Also collect implementation data (how IECMHC is delivered) and process data (the near-term changes that lead to those outcomes).

Many families who use IECMHC face wide racial and ethnic disparities in access to opportunity. Programs and systems leaders should always collect demographic data, and always break down outcome, process, and implementation data by race/ethnicity, income, language, and disability status.

Make evaluation decisions in light of your program's theory of change, setting, and the people you serve. Where you can, choose measures normed on the populations you serve and available in a language families understand.

In addition to using the Choose and Use Guide, we recommend you also contact the CoE to request technical assistance to refine your decisions about which tools to select.

Need help choosing?

Request technical assistance from the Center of Excellence to help you decide which tools to use.

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