Head Start Child Outcomes Framework
HEAD START CHILD
OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework is intended to guide Head Start
programs in their ongoing assessment of the progress and accomplishments of
children and in their efforts to analyze and use data on child outcomes in program
self-assessment and continuous improvement. The Framework is composed of 8
general Domains, 27 Domain Elements, and 100 examples of more specific
Indicators of children's skills, abilities, knowledge, and behaviors. The Framework
is based on the Head Start Program Performance Standards, Head Start Program
Performance Measures, provisions of the Head Start Act as amended in 1998,
advice of the Head Start Bureau Technical Work Group on Child Outcomes, and a
review of documents on assessment of young children and early childhood program
accountability from a variety of state agencies and professional organizations.
x The Domains, Elements, and Indicators are presented as a framework of
building blocks that are important for school success. The Framework is not an
exhaustive list of everything a child should know or be able to do by the end
of preschool. The Framework is intended to guide assessment of three- to
five-year-old children—not infants, toddlers, and pregnant women enrolled in
Early Head Start or Migrant Head Start programs.
x The Framework should guide agencies in selecting, developing, or adapting
an instrument or set of tools for ongoing assessment of children’s progress. It
is not intended to be used directly as a checklist for assessing children.
x Every Head Start program implements an appropriate child assessment
system that aligns with their curriculum and gathers data on children's
progress in each of the 8 Domains of learning and development. At a
minimum, because they are legislatively mandated, programs analyze data on
4 specific Domain Elements and 9 Indicators in various language, literacy,
and numeracy skills, as indicated with a star ✫ in the chart.
x Information on children's progress on the Domains, Domain Elements, and
Indicators is obtained from multiple sources, such as teacher and home visitor
observations, analysis of samples of children’s work and performance, parent
reports, or direct assessment of children. Head Start assessment practices
should reflect the assumption that children demonstrate progress over time in
development and learning on a developmental continuum, in forms such as
increasing frequency of a behavior or ability, increasing breadth or depth of
knowledge and understanding, or increasing proficiency or independence in
exercising a skill or ability.
4
HEAD START CHILD OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
DOMAIN
DOMAIN
INDICATORS
ELEMENT
x Demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories,
songs, and poems.
Listening
x Shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.
&
✫ Understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.
Understanding ✫ For non-English-speaking children, progresses in listening to and
GE
understanding English.
A
✫ Develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate
information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions and for
other varied purposes.
Speaking
x Progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and
discussions with peers and adults.
LANGU
&
✫ Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary.
Communicating
DEVELOPMENT
x Progresses in clarity of pronunciation and towards speaking in sentences of increasing
length and grammatical complexity.
✫ For non-English-speaking children, progresses in speaking English.
x Shows increasing ability to discriminate and identify sounds in spoken language.
x Shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.
x Progresses in recognizing matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games,
✫Phonological
songs, stories and poems.
Awareness
x Shows growing ability to hear and discriminate separate syllables in words.
✫ Associates sounds with written words, such as awareness that different words begin
with the same sound.
x Shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of
fiction and non-fiction books and poetry.
x Shows growing interest in reading-related activities, such as asking to have a favorite
book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to
✫ Book
take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend-reading with other
CY
Knowledge
children.
&
x Demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and
experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next
Appreciation
in a story.
x Progresses in learning how to handle and care for books; knowing to view one page at
a time in sequence from front to back; and understanding that a book has a title,
LITERA
author and illustrator.
x Shows increasing awareness of print in classroom, home and community settings.
x Develops growing understanding of the different functions of forms of print such as
signs, letters, newspapers, lists, messages, and menus.
✫ Print
x Demonstrates increasing awareness of concepts of print, such as that reading in
Awareness
English moves from top to bottom and from left to right, that speech can be written
down, and that print conveys a message.
&
x Shows progress in recognizing the association between spoken and written words by
Concepts
following print as it is read aloud.
✫ Recognizes a word as a unit of print, or awareness that letters are grouped to form
words, and that words are separated by spaces.
✫Indicates the 4 specific Domain Elements and 9 Indicators that are legislatively mandated.
5
HEAD START CHILD OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
DOMAIN
DOMAIN
INDICATORS
ELEMENT
x Develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a
variety of purposes.
x Begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation,
Early
and in play.
CY .)
Writing
x Experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such
as pencils, crayons, and computers.
(CONT
x Progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using
letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.
x Shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.
LITERA
x
Alphabet
Increases in ability to notice the beginning letters in familiar words.
✫ Identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.
Knowledge
✫ Knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics
that can be individually named.
x Demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means
for solving problems and determining quantity.
x Begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities and written numerals in
meaningful ways.
✫ Number
x Develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.
&
x Begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and
Operations
matching groups of objects.
x Begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less,
greater than, fewer, equal to.
x Develops increased abilities to combine, separate and name "how many"
concrete objects.
TICS
x Begins to recognize, describe, compare and name common shapes, their
parts and attributes.
x Progresses in ability to put together and take apart shapes.
Geometry
x Begins to be able to determine whether or not two shapes are the same size
&
and shape.
THEMA
x Shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series and regrouping objects
Spatial Sense
according to one or two attributes such as color, shape or size.
MA
x Builds an increasing understanding of directionality, order and positions of objects,
and words such as up, down, over, under, top, bottom, inside, outside, in front and
behind.
x Enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate and extend simple patterns using a
variety of materials.
Patterns
x Shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects accord-
&
ing to one or two attributes such as shape or size.
Measurement
x Begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute.
x Shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of
objects.
x Begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather
information, investigate materials and observe processes and relationships.
Scientific
x Develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences and
comparisons among objects and materials.
Skills
x Begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw
&
conclusions and form generalizations.
x Develops growing abilities to collect, describe and record information through
Methods
SCIENCE
a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps and charts.
x Begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations and generalizations
based on past experiences.
✫Indicates the 4 specific Domain Elements and 9 Indicators that are legislatively mandated.
6
HEAD START CHILD OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
DOMAIN
DOMAIN
INDICATORS
ELEMENT
x Expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe and discuss the natural
.)
world, materials, living things and natural processes.
x Expands knowledge of and respect for their body and the environment.
Scientific
(CONT
x Develops growing awareness of ideas and language related to attributes of time and
Knowledge
temperature.
x Shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and
SCIENCE
cause-effect relationships.
x Participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music
activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.
Music
x Experiments with a variety of musical instruments.
x Gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for
creative expression and representation.
TS
x Progresses in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other art creations
that are more detailed, creative or realistic.
Art
x Develops growing abilities to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and
persistence in a variety of art projects.
x Begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences.
TIVE AR
x Expresses through movement and dancing what is felt and heard in various
musical tempos and styles.
Movement
x Shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat and rhythm
in music.
CREA
x Participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and
Dramatic
complex.
x
Play
Shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming
different roles in dramatic play situations.
x Begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities,
characteristics and preferences.
Self
x Develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines,
AL
and tasks.
Concept
x Demonstrates growing confidence in a range of abilities and expresses pride in
accomplishments.
TION
x Shows progress in expressing feelings, needs and opinions in difficult situations and
conflicts without harming themselves, others, or property.
Self
x Develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to
accept the consequences of their actions.
Control
x Demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials
purposefully, safely, and respectfully.
x Increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing and discussion.
x Shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing and
DEVELOPMENT
resolving conflicts with peers.
Cooperation
x Develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns
SOCIAL & EMO
in games or using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive
or directive.
✫Indicates the 4 specific Domain Elements and 9 Indicators that are legislatively mandated.
7
HEAD START CHILD OUTCOMES FRAMEWORK
DOMAIN
DOMAIN
INDICATORS
ELEMENT
x Demonstrates increasing comfort in talking with and accepting guidance and
.)
Social
directions from a range of familiar adults.
x Shows progress in developing friendships with peers.
AL
Relationships
(CONT
x Progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who are in need, upset, hurt, or
angry; and in expressing empathy or caring for others.
x Develops ability to identify personal characteristics including gender, and family
Knowledge of
TION
composition.
Families
x Progresses in understanding similarities and respecting differences among people,
such as genders, race, special needs, culture, language, and family structures.
SOCIAL &
&
x
EMO
Develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.
Communities
x Begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography in the
DEVELOPMENT
contexts of their classroom, home and community.
x Chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.
Initiative
x Develops increased ability to make independent choices.
&
x Approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination and
O
inventiveness.
Curiosity
x Grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas and
tasks.
x Grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects
Engagement
and experiences.
CHES T
&
x Demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on
A
plans.
Persistence
O
x Shows growing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a task, question,
set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions.
LEARNING
x Develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task or
Reasoning
problem.
APPR
&
x Grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including
trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.
Problem Solving x Develops increasing abilities to classify, compare and contrast objects, events
and experiences.
x Develops growing strength, dexterity and control needed to use tools such as
scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.
x
Fine Motor Skills
Grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles,
reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads and using scissors.
TH &
x Progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing and art tools including
pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.
x Shows increasing levels of proficiency, control and balance in walking, climbing,
Gross Motor
running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching and galloping.
Skills
x Demonstrates increasing abilities to coordinate movements in throwing, catching,
kicking, bouncing balls, and using the slide and swing.
x Progresses in physical growth, strength, stamina, and flexibility.
x Participates actively in games, outdoor play and other forms of exercise that
Health Status
enhance physical fitness.
&
x
DEVELOPMENT
Shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition and personal care when eating,
dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth and toileting.
Practices
x Builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire
PHYSICAL HEAL
safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially
harmful objects, substances and activities.
✫Indicates the 4 specific Domain Elements and 9 Indicators that are legislatively mandated.
8
