CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

Curriculum Based Assessment Critique

Erin Goodridge & Colleen Tullis
Kent State University

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

Overview
The Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS)
is a curriculum based assessment with 40 years worth of research to back it up. This tool assesses
a childs skill level as well as monitors their progress. It can also be used to inform instruction
and intervention. The results can also be used to identify disabilities or determine eligibility for
services. AEPS uses a research methodology referred to as Item Response Theory (IRT) to
allow for the production of valid cutoff scores as well as making it a reliable resource for
determining eligibility. According to the AEPS website, this tool is designed to link assessment,
goal development, intervention, and evaluation. The AEPS is considered a comprehensive
linked system, which means it connects assessment and intervention. Research has proven that
AEPS is able to produce valid and reliable results (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).
AEPS works in a four-step process when implemented correctly. Those four steps include
assessment, goal development, intervention, and evaluation. When professionals use AEPS they
will be assessing a child in the domains of fine and gross motor skills, cognitive, adaptive,
social-communication, and social skills. The information gained from assessing these domains
can then be used to inform IEP or IFSP goals. There is a curriculum and modifications included
within the system to help inform intervention as you go (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).
There are many products included in the AEPS. First there is the Administration Guide,
which gives information about how to use the system correctly. Next is the test booklet, which
includes two versions of the assessment. Then there are two curriculum books, one for birth up to
agevthree and the other for ages three to six. You can also order forms to record data about child
performance on. These forms are available for individual order as well as a package deal on CDROM (English and Spanish) (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

In addition to all of the paper products available, AEPSinteractive (AEPSi) is the online
companion for this tool. AEPSi has many features including ideas for assessment activities in the
home or in a center as well as access to curriculum reference guides. AEPSi also allows
administers to enter scores online. This makes it easier for keeping information organized and for
keeping track of child trends over time.
Finally, AEPS is aligned with many of the countrys state standards. There are 31 states in
which AEPS aligns well with. In addition to the state standards, AEPS for children 3-6 also
aligns with the common core standards for English Language Arts and Math. AEPS is also
aligned with the best practice standards of The Division of Early Childhood, The National
Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Association of Early
Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).
Insight for Professionals and Families
Many professionals both in early intervention and early childhood education settings use
AEPS as their preferred curriculum based assessment. In an interview with Bethanee Davis, a
developmental specialist from the Summit County Board of Developmental Disabilities, she
explained that AEPS has many useful aspects. For example, many of the school districts in the
area use AEPS as their CBA so the transfer of information can run more smoothly. She also likes
that the tool can be used online for quick and easy scoring. She would encourage other
professionals to make use of the strategies provided when children dont meet certain criteria on
the assessment. Bethanee did mention that parts of the website are not user friendly, but other
than that seemed pleased with her use of the tool as a professional (B. Davis, personal
communication, April 25, 2016).

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

If a school or early intervention team decides to use AEPS, there are training materials
available. There are textbook supports, seminars, and online supports. The cost of the program is
based on the number of children who receive the assessment within a years time. The cost starts
at $19.95 per child per year and decreases in cost when the number of children assessed per year
increases significantly. There is an additional $1 per child fee if your organization or district
wants to archive student data. Organizations can also choose to have AEPSi export information
to a program called EasyIEP to help create goals based on the assessment data. This is a flat rate
based on the number of children your organization or school district serves with AEPS ($69.95$249.95+) (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).
When it comes to parents and families, AEPS tracks child progress in a way that allows
them to see how far their child has come. According to the AEPS website, parents who see their
child every day, day in and day out, truly appreciate reminders of their childs growth. The
information discovered by AEPS can easily be shared with parents during early intervention or in
the classroom setting. AEPS focuses on the positives of what the child is doing, which families
find encouraging (Brooks Publishing Co., 2016).
Advantages
There are several advantages to using the AEPS system in early intervention and early
childhood special education. The preferred method of data collection with AEPS, is through
observation of the child in their natural environment, navigating their daily routines. Data can
also be collected by parent/caregiver interview, and/or direct test. In additions, AEPS has a
Family Report portion that can be given to the parent/caregiver to fill out and provide an
additional place for families to be involved and give their input and observations. This aligns
well with DEC Recommended Practices. The AEPS meets recommended criteria for the

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

appropriate and effective assessment of young children (i.e., assessment procedures are
authentic, involve families, and produce comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased information;
Hallam et. al., 2014)
Another advantage of AEPS is that it is a comprehensive tool. As noted earlier, AEPS
covers gross and fine motor, cognitive, social communication, social, and adaptive areas. It can
be administered by an individual, or a team of specialists. If using the team approach, each
specialist can do their area of expertise and then share findings with team for collaboration.
AEPS is organized in a developmental hierarchy (sequence), with the main goal being the
culminating skill. This is useful to match child and intervention where they are at
developmentally. According to their website, The focus of the AEPS is on developmental
hierarchies or sequences rather than on what skills children acquire at specific ages. Goals for
children should be developed in terms of what they need or are ready to learn next
developmentally rather than learning material designated for certain chronological ages
(Brookes, 2016). In collaboration, the family and team can decide what are the priorities,
what skills relating to these priorities are emerging, and what might not emerge without planned
intervention. AEPS additionally has curriculum content to help with ideas to plan interventions
that align with skills the family and team are working on. This curriculum is designed to be used
with the family in their natural environment and during everyday routines.
AEPS is also a very useful tool to monitor and evaluate progress. Allieah Keeley, a
developmental specialist at The Nisonger Center at The Ohio State University said the following
when asked her opinion on using AEPS. The AEPS is easy to use and a great progress
monitoring tool. It is also a great guide to setting developmentally appropriate outcomes. In
addition to its ease of use for monitoring progress, she also noted that she really appreciates how

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

the system allows for adaptation and modifications. Having the flexibility to gather data in so
many ways makes the assessment process much more naturalistic and authentic. She feels this
also allows AEPS to be easily generalized across settings, materials, and people. (A. Keeley,
personal communication, April 25, 2016)
AEPS can be used successfully with different populations (children at risk, those with
disabilities, and those typically developing). It can also be used in home based, community
based, and school based settings. It is currently available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Finnish,
French, and Korean. AEPS is also currently being translated into other languages. As languages
are added, they will be added to AEPS research and development updates website as they
become available. This website can be found at http://aepslinkedsystem.com. Having a version
on line that can be used to easily input and track data, as well as analyze trends and patterns, and
recommend resources and activities, is also an advantage.
Disadvantages
One disadvantage noted in regards to AEPS was the time investment needed. Since AEPS
is comprehensive, there are lots of components that will need to be assessed. This initial
assessment generally takes the longest. Subsequent assessments are not usually as long, as you
already have a list of mastered items. There, during monitoring and reassessment, focus can be
on family priority areas and emerging and non-existent skills. Time involved in gathering data
can also affected by age and skill level of child, as well as the testers familiarity with the tool.
The methods used to collect data may also be more time consuming. For example, observation
may be more time consuming than direct test or parent/caregiver interview, since you are waiting
to see the skill vs. just asking or setting up the scenario.

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

Another disadvantage noted was the level of training needed to perform the AEPS.
Individuals administering the tool need an in depth knowledge of child development. They also
need to be knowledgeable in working with families. To be a useful tool, they also need to know
how to score and interpret findings to help create appropriate goals and outcomes.
(alleiah) Not norm referenced so no age equivalent, scores are not very meaningful as a stand
alone number, but are useful when comparing them from month to month (or how many times
throughout year), to show progress.
Aeps interactive, while convenient and easy to use, also has some disadvantages.
According to Haylee DeSonne and Bethanee Davis, both developmental specialists at Summit
County, they loved the convenience, but felt they could not use the information to the full extent.
For example, they both reported that while the interactive version would interpret data and give
ideas of activities to use during daily routines, there was no way to share that information with
the families. They both felt having a format that would allow the information to be printed out or
emailed to families would be beneficial (B. Davis and H. DeSonne, personal communication,
April 25, 2016). Another secondary issue I heard about with the online version, was in regards
to access of information. For the last several years, an agency that was using AEPS had been
inputting all their clients AEPS reports online. Recently, a billing discrepancy came up between
AEPS and the agency. This discrepancy resulted in the agencies service being suspended until
the issue is worked out. In turn, the agency has lost access to all previous reports and information
that had been input over the past several years. While in theory, you can save a copy of the report
to your own personal work file, this did not occur to them as a step that was necessary to take.
They now have no access to the information until this issue is resolved.
Recommendations for Use

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

After researching and reviewing the AEPS system, it is recommended to be used for
assessment, goal development, intervention planning, progress monitoring, and evaluation in
both early intervention programs as well as preschool programs. The AEPS tool was designed to
be a comprehensive linked system, and appears to do that efficiently. Comprehensive data is
collected on how children function, play, and interact during their typical daily routines with
familiar people and in familiar surroundings. The data received can be displayed and presented
in numerous formats. There are numerical scores, visual summaries, and narrative descriptions.
It clearly shows children's strength and emerging skills, which is critical information to have
when working with families on planning successful interventions that meet their goals and
priorities. These qualities align with NAEYC and DEC recommended practices.
There is also a growing body of evidence that the AEPS could be used for eligibility
criteria as well. The AEPS test is a well-established, authentic and comprehensive early
childhood assessment measure. It is one of the better studied and respected measures for use
with young children with disabilities (Bricker et.al., 2008) Several studies have been conducted
in order to see if using the AEPS could accurately identify children in need of services. In
general, the answer to this was yes, it could. In two studies by Bricker et. al., the findings
provide preliminary evidence that AEPS Test is likely to identify children who should receive
services; however, it may also over identify children who might not qualify for services (Bricker
et. al., 2008). Further research in this area needs to be done. Using AEPS to determine
eligibility has several advantages. The main being, it gives a clear picture of what skills the child
has, as well as ones that are still emerging or not there yet at all. This information is usable to
develop functional goals and outcomes. When using norm-referenced criterion for eligibility, the
information you get is how the child's abilities compared to same aged peers. While this

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information may be useful in identifying a need, it is not useful in determining what functional
areas the family and child may need support in. If the AEPS can consistently identify a need, as
well as provide crucial developmental information, it could reduce the time spent on assessments
and increase the time the family is receiving services.

References

CURRICULUM BASED ASSESSMENT CRITIQUE

Bricker, D., Clifford, J., Yovanoff, P., Pretti-Frontczak, K., Waddell, M., Allen, D., &
Hoselton, R. (2008). Eligibility Determination Using a Curriculum-Based Assessment: A Further
Examination. Journal of Early Intervention, 31(1), 3-21. doi:10.1177/1053815108324422
Brooks Publishing Co. (2016). AEPS. Retrieved from http://aepsinteractive.com/
Hallam, R. A., Lyons, A. N., Pretti-Frontczak, K., & Grisham-Brown, J. (2014).
Comparing Apples and Oranges: The Mismeasurement of Young Children Through the
Mismatch of Assessment Purpose and the Interpretation of Results. Topics in Early Childhood
Special Education, 34(2), 106-115. doi:10.1177/0271121414524283
McLean, M. E., Hemmeter, M. L., & Snyder, P. (2014). Essential elements for assessing
infants and preschoolers with special needs. Boston, MA: Pearson.