How well does your educational program support learning, development, and participation for children on the autism spectrum? Find out with the APERS-PE, an in-depth assessment that evaluates the quality of educational programs for preschool and elementary students with autism.
How well does your educational program support learning, development, and participation for children on the autism spectrum? Find out with the APERS-PE, an in-depth assessment that evaluates the quality of educational programs for preschool and elementary students with autism. Filling the need for a reliable tool focused specifically on the unique learning needs of autistic children, the APERS-PE draws on observations, interviews, and reviews of student records to yield ratings of 10 key domains that make up overall program quality. Program leaders will use this invaluable snapshot to document their program’s strengths and make a data-informed plan to address areas for improvement.
WHY APERS-PE?
HOW IT WORKS
The APERS-PE contains 62 assessment items organized in 10 domains critical to program quality:
To complete the assessment, a trained APERS rater—such as an autism specialist or a school psychologist—visits the program. The rater reviews student records for two to three focal students with autism, interviews school personnel and parents of the focal students, and observes the students during their school day, taking notes throughout the process. Then the rater completes an electronic scoring tool, which automatically generates item scores, overall program scores, scores for each domain (and dimensions within the domains), and graphs that provide a visual snapshot of the program. The rater writes up a report and shares results with school personnel for use in quality improvement.
Also included is the optional APERS-PE Self-Assessment, a shorter, faster assessment used by teachers and other service providers to guide them in program improvement plans. It can also be used as part of performance reviews and as a tool for communicating with families about program features.
Training recommended: Training is strongly recommended for all APERS-PE raters. APERS-PE training is provided through Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About the Downloads
About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale
Chapter 2: Getting Started: APERS Training and Administration
Chapter 3: Scoring the APERS
Chapter 4: Using APERS Information
Chapter 5: APERS Self-Assessment
Chapter 6: Understanding the Empirical Foundations and Research Uses of APERS
Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary
References
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