A FAMILY GUIDE TO

Ecological Assessment

COACH Reference Guide

Overview to the Process of Ecological Assessments
Adaptation by Deidre Becker
September 2014

Ecological Assessment Guide

Introduction
This guide is to be used by educators and families to help as we work together
through the process of an ecological assessment with your child. The COACH
(Choosing Outcomes & Accommodations for Children) manual is a great resource for
educational planning for students with disabilities. Page number references from the
manual will be noted for further explanation. The COACH model has Part A, with
Steps 1-3, and Part B, Steps 4-6. Part A works through determining a students
educational program, and Part B translates the family-identified priorities into
goals and objectives.
This guide refers to the Part A: Determining a Students Educational Plan and the
first three steps of the assessment.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 1
Family Interview
Purpose: To determine family-selected learning priorities for the student
through a series of questions asked by an interviewer

Step 2
Additional Learning Outcomes
Purpose: To determine learning outcomes beyond family priorities

Step 3
General Supports
Purpose: To determine what supports need to be provided to the student

Ecological Assessment Guide

Step 1
Family Interview
Step
Step
Step
Step
Step

1.1:
1.2:
1.3:
1.4:
1.5:

Valued Life Outcomes

Selecting Curriculum Areas to be Explored During the Family Interview
Rating Learning Outcomes in Selected Curriculum Areas
Prioritizing Learning Outcomes in Selected Curriculum Areas
Cross-Prioritization

The Family Interview (p.21-23)

Face to face with 1 or 2 parents, student, where appropriate, and special
educator & teacher
Help family select most important learning priorities for year
Teachers, parents get to know family and student
Parents are prepared for the interview, introduced to 6 categories of
information to be shared before being asked questions
Interviewer to complete 1. Preparation Checklist, 2. Introducing the Family
Interview
Step 1.1: Valued Life Outcomes (p.24)
Parents asked to review a list of valued life outcomes, then rate the most
important ones
Valued Life Outcomes include: Safety & health, A home now & future,
Meaningful relationships, Control over personal choices, Meaningful
Activities in various & valued places
Questions are broadly written, so families can attach their own meanings to
them
Parents can decline to answer any question, interviewer must be sensitive to
cultural differences, and must respect if a family feels topic too personal,
unnecessary to discuss
Rating important for educators to assist in planning, w.r.t. family wishes
Step 1.2: Selecting Curriculum Areas to be Explored During the Family Interview
This step provides family opportunity to consider 9 curriculum areas &
which subset should be explored further (up to 4) (p.25,26,27)
Curriculum areas include: communication, socialization, personal
management, recreation, access academics, applied academics, school,
community, vocational
General Education Curriculum (math, science etc.) is covered in step 2.2
Parents can skip an area if not important for this year, there may be

Ecological Assessment Guide

Step 1.2 continued

Overlap with general education curriculum
Parents who have hard time narrowing, concerned that too much might be
left behind can have areas addressed in Step 2.2, additional outcomes
Step 1.3: Rating Learning Outcomes in Selected Curriculum Areas (p.29-32)
Provides lists for the 9 curriculum areas, & corresponding learning
outcomes considered in the family interview
Outcomes made up of clusters of skills that facilitate student
participation with those who do not have disabilities
Facilitator will individualize the language & outcomes for each
situation
Parents asked to say how student does on each learning outcome ie. 1.
Early/emerging skill, 2. Partial skill, 3. Skillful
Think of what the student can do, rather than cannot
Scoring system gets across what family perceives, not necessarily
consistent with team members
Ask parent if it is a priority this year. Cannot assume anything.
Step 1.4: Prioritizing Learning Outcomes in Selected Curriculum Areas
Prioritizing allows for family to rank what they feel is important as an
outcome for their child
Parents consider: priorities, strengths, needs, frequency of use,
practicality, future use, & effect on future outcomes
Rankings are transferred to Step 1.5
Step 1.5: Cross-Prioritization (p.32-33)
Using same criteria as Step 1.4, parents are asked to rank 6 overall
top priorities, result is a short, individualized set of priorities
Provides the opportunity to reconsider potential priorities
Family & team feel confident about selections after the process is
complete, parents can verify
Some priorities will end up as IEP goals, some not written, but still
noted as important

Ecological Assessment Guide

Additional Learning Outcomes

Step 2.1: Additional Learning Outcomes from COACH
Step 2.2: Additional Learning Outcomes from General Education
Some teams go directly from the interview into Step 2.2 because of a strong
emphasis on general education curriculum. In any case, both steps are to be
completed and order is less important due to the structure of COACH.
Step 2.1: Additional Learning Outcomes from COACH
This step ensures that important selections from the interview, but not
part of the IEP are revisited, and not forgotten
A checklist format presents all the learning outcomes
Step 2.2: Additional Learning Outcomes from General Education
Ensures that students with disabilities are provided with the same
opportunities as their classmates without disabilities -broad-based,
and exposure to all subjects
Learning outcomes should be individualized and at an appropriate
level
Promote inclusiveness
Format: checklist

General Supports
COACH gives a simple method of documenting general supports that need to
be provided to the student. Supports allow for participation in the general
education program, and identify what other people need to do to assist the
student in broad terms. 5 Categories (p.38) of general supports are
listed as follows:
1. Personal needs (feeding, dressing, medication)
2. Physical needs (therapeutic positioning, specialized equipment)
3. Teaching others about the student (emergency situations, procedures)
4. Sensory needs (braille, batteries for hearing aids)
5. Providing access and opportunities (community, native language)

Ecological Assessment Guide

Format: checklist
Classroom teachers, special educators, related services personnel,
family members may provide general supports
Peers may also provide some levels of supports, when mutually
beneficial, respectful & appropriatecaution
Do not place in status-diminishing situations

Conclusion
COACH has been successfully used to plan educational programs for
students with disabilities. It uses research-based theory, is nonjudgmental, and uses fact-finding questions (not open-ended). COACH
allows families to select learning priorities, by providing more than one
time to address an area, and then the desired outcomes can be narrowed to
the most relevant (p.38-42).