Preschool Special Education

1
Preschool Special Education

• A Review of State Performance Indicators and The
  Child Outreach Network

2
State Performance Plan and Annual Performance
Report

• Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act of
  2004
• (IDEA) the US Department of Education, Office of
• Special Populations (OSEP) now requires states to
• develop a State Performance Plan (SPP) and
• annually report its performance to the federal
• government and the public via an Annual
• Performance Report (APR).
• There are three indicators specific to Preschool
  Special Education.

3
Early Childhood Environments

• States are asked to report the percentage of
  children who receive services with their
  typically developing peers.
• In RI, that result was calculated using census
  information from IEPs submitted by districts.
• The percentage for the State was 38.
• Improvement activities will begin with a closer
  look at the data.
• Data will be delineated by disability and by
  district.
• Discrepancies between CRP data and the census
  data will be explored.
• State-wide professional development activities
  will be planned.

4
Early Childhood Outcomes

• New indicator
• States are asked to report the percent of
  children with IEPs who demonstrate improved
• Positive social-emotional skills (including
  social relationships)
• Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills
  (including early language/communication and early
  literacy)
• Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.

5
Early Childhood Outcomes

• CreativeCurriculum.net was determined to be the
  early childhood curriculum-based, research
  driven, criterion-referenced assessment system
  most aligned with the RI Early Learning Standards
  and federal reporting requirements.
• A representative sample of districts were chosen
  for first year implementation Central Falls,
  Coventry, Cranston, Newport, Smithfield, and
  Westerly.
• In this years report, the State was required to
  provide entry data as to the percentage of
  children functioning at or above the level of
  same-age peers and the percentage of children
  functioning below.

6
Early Childhood Transition

• States are required to report the percent of
  children referred by Early Intervention prior to
  age three and found eligible for Part B and who
  have an IEP in place and implemented by their
  third birthday.
• States also need to report the range of days
  beyond the third birthday when eligibility was
  determined and reasons for the delays.
• The Secretary has set the Target at 100.

7
Early Childhood Transition

• Data from 2005-2006, indicated that 55 of
  children referred prior to age 3 and found
  eligible have an IEP in place by their third
  birthday.
• This data comes from matching names submitted by
  Early Intervention to RIDEs special education
  database. Many names were not able to be
  matched.
• The first improvement activity is to get reliable
  data by coordinating with EI to use a shared
  student ID.
• Professional development activities will be
  planned around the improved data.

8
Child Outreach

• In March 2004, RIDE began facilitating monthly
  meetings with The Child Outreach Network,
  comprised of Child Outreach and Early Childhood
  Coordinators in RI.
• The charge for this group has been to clarify
  requirements and establish a system of standards,
  procedures and accountability for the
  implementation of culturally competent, high
  quality screening programs throughout the state.

9
Child Outreach

• Guidelines regarding the implementation of Child
  Outreach Programs will be completed this year.
• Included in the guidelines are purpose and
  content areas for screening, rescreening and
  referral personnel procedures/protocols for
  screening, rescreening, and referral and
  recommendations for psychometrically sound and
  culturally responsive screening instruments.
• The State collects data from each district
  regarding the numbers of children in each age
  group (3,4,5) and compares those numbers to live
  birth data for the district.
• Districts set annual improvement targets in order
  to reach the State goal of 80 of children in
  each age group screened.