I am completing the EDI, what training materials are available?
We have a number of resources available to help you with the completion of the EDI. Some of these resources vary slightly based on your province because of slight changes to the EDI across different provinces. We provide an EDI Guide, e-EDI Teacher’s Manual, EDI Training Video, a variety of presentations, as well as additional materials. All these resources are available under the Implementation Resources section of the website.
What if I have to delete a student?
If you need to delete a student because you added a new student by accident please contact us. If a student has moved out of your class you should not delete them. Instead, please select either “moved out of class” or “moved out of school”, whichever is most appropriate, in the student status question of the demographics section. The system will prompt you to lock and submit your questionnaire and you will not be required to complete any other question for that student.
What happens when teachers co-teach? Who should complete the EDI?
Ideally, in order to keep things as consistent as possible, only one teacher should fill out the EDI on the students.
What do I do when a student has moved and is no longer in my class?
If a child has moved away, a teacher should select either “moved out of class” or “moved out of school” in the student status question of the demographics section. At that time, he/she will be prompted to lock and submit the questionnaire to McMaster.
What do I do if I completed a questionnaire for a student for whom I do not have parental consent?
You do not have to worry about erasing any of the questions you filled out. If you are a teacher in Alberta, you would select “no consent” in the student status question of the demographics section. For all other provinces/territories, you would select “other” under the student status question in the demographics section. At this point you will be prompted to lock and submit your questionnaire to McMaster. The student’s questionnaire will then be excluded from any and all analyses.
How do I enter a new student into the e-EDI system?
The e-EDI system will automatically generate a new EDI ID for any new student you add to your class list. All you need to do is go to the very bottom of your class list where you will find a blank line (the EDI ID will be pre-filled). You will then be required to enter the student’s local ID as well as the demographic information (DOB, postal code, etc.). Make sure you enter the student’s local ID as soon as you add a new student. The system will not allow you to enter it after clicking “add student”.
When entering a new student into the e-EDI, where do I find his/her local ID?
Please contact your local coordinator for that information. The Offord Centre for Child Studies only generates the EDI IDs, not the local IDs.
I teach French Immersion, should I base my responses on a child’s abilities in French or English?
French Immersion teachers are asked to respond to the EDI questions based on their observations of the children’s abilities in English. It would be unfair and inaccurate to measure the children’s ability in French because for most students this is their first exposure to the language. The EDI measures the outcomes of the first five years of development, and for most children that would be the experience with English.
We ask that teachers use their best judgement in the questions where perhaps they have not had the opportunity or it is not part of the philosophy to test/observe the abilities or behaviours in English.
Acquisition of a second language is strongly based on the success of the child’s acquisition of their first language and many of the skill sets are interchangeable. The questions on the EDI reflect skills and abilities which are transferable; therefore if the child has mastered these skills in French they have most likely also achieved this in their first language, English.
Why is the EDI collected in the second half of kindergarten?
First, by the second half of the school year, teachers will have grown to know their students very well and can easily and efficiently complete the instrument. Second, a lot of children who may have showed some weaknesses at the beginning of the school year due to lack of exposure to the school environment or to the language of instruction, will be able to catch up with their peers within a few months.
Is the EDI used to evaluate teachers?
The EDI is not used to evaluate teachers. There are no questions on teaching techniques, teacher behaviour, teacher knowledge, rapport with students, or any of the teacher qualities that they could conceivably be evaluated upon.
Is the teacher training questionnaire used to evaluate teachers?
The teacher training questionnaire is not used to evaluate teachers. The information gathered is examined as a whole, not on an individual basis. These surveys are intended to determine teachers’ satisfaction with the EDI and the training that accompanies it. We are always striving to find ways to make implementation run smoother and getting teacher feedback is a very important part of this process.
Have a question that isn’t answered here? Please visit our teacher resources section for more information or contact us directly via e-mail at edisrl@mcmaster.ca or telephone at 905-525-9140 ext. 21470 or 21465