EFgoPRO™ makes it possible to identify children in need of additional executive function (EF) skill development, track the development of those EF skills, and evaluate the effects of EF training, programs, activities, and curricula.
For children to successfully participate in the school experience as engaged and competent learners, Executive Function skills need to be developed from infancy through adolescence along with social-emotional learning. Since children are not born with these skills, they must be fostered, assessed, practiced, and understood so that each child can meet their full potential.
The Assessment
EFgo™ is an engaging card-sorting game that gives a direct behavioral measure of a child’s Executive Function (EF) skills. Children are asked to sort object cards into the appropriate box based on the cards features, such as size, shape, or color. With each level, there is a rule change, which challenges a student’s EF skills!
Levels:
EFgo™ features seven (7) levels of increasing difficulty, each with its own sorting rules and complexity. EFgo™ will recommend a starting level for each child determined by their age in months.
Trials:
There are ten (10) trials within each level. Children advance to the harder, higher levels if they meet the passing threshold of at least 80% (8 out of 10) of trials. A child will continue to advance levels until they no longer meet the passing threshold (ceiling). If children do not meet the passing threshold on their starting level, EFgo™ will adapt and take them down to an easier, lower level until they are able to meet the passing threshold.
Key Features:
- EFgo™ is the first objective, normed measure of Executive Function for ages 2 years and older
- Developed at the University of Minnesota after more than 9 years of research and via $1.3 million of funding from the National Institutes of Health
- The time to administer the assessment averages 4-5 minutes, whether delivered to one of multiple children.
- There are multiple forms for repeated administration in order to measure change over time
- EFgo™ is adaptive to a student’s current skill level of EF and adapts accordingly
- The assessment scoring is automated and the results are immediately available upon completion.
- EFgo™ includes clear guidelines for using and interpreting the data
- The assessment has been proven both reliable and valid
- It has been normed currently comprising over 53,000 children and 1,800 adult
- It is currently offered in English and Spanish with more languages forthcoming/
The Intervention Activities
Once an assessment is completed, EFgoPRO™ will recommend both classroom and digital activities to use with your student(s).. Results on EFgo™ are grouped and children are assigned personalized activities based on their performance.
Research suggests that when using EF activities, they should be practiced for approximately two weeks to ensure that children have had the time to exercise and strengthen their EF skill level. For long-term effectiveness, the intervention activities must be applied to daily practice. This provides the repetition necessary for students to integrate EF skills into all areas of their life.