Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS)

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Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study
(PEELS)

• Elaine Carlson, Westat
• 2005 OSEP National Early Childhood Conference
• Washington, DC
• February 8, 2005

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Overview

• PEELS will follow over 3,000 children with
  disabilities from preschool into their early
  elementary years
• Children were 3 through 5 years old at entry into
  the study (and 1st data collection)
• PEELS will examine childrens
• preschool experiences and outcomes
• transition to kindergarten
• early elementary school experiences and outcomes

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PEELS Study Questions

• What are the characteristics of
• children receiving preschool special
• education?
• What preschool programs and
• services do they receive? What are
• their transitions like - between early
• intervention and preschool and
• between preschool and elementary
• school?

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PEELS Study Questions

• What results do children achieve in preschool,
  kindergarten, and early elementary school?
• What factors help to produce better results?

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Sampling

• Nationally representative sample of 235 LEAs (217
  in 1st data collection, plus 18 more recently
  added)
• LEAs stratified by
• Enrollment size
• Geographic region
• Wealth

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Sampling

• Nationally representative sample of over 3,000
  preschoolers with IEPs (2,906 in 1st data
  collection plus 230 more by 2nd collection

Cohort Age At Entry into PEELS Date of Birth
A 3 years old 3/1/00 through 2/28/01
B 4 years old 3/1/99 through 2/29/00
C 5 years old 3/1/98 through 2/28/99
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Data Collection

• Family Telephone Interview
• Direct Child Assessment
• 13 subtests
• Mail Questionnaires
• SEA administrators
• LEA administrators
• Principals/program directors
• Teachers

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School Year School Year School Year School Year School Year School Year School Year
03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10
Recruit Families X X
Conduct Parent Interviews X X X X X
Assess Children X X X X X
Send Questionnaires to Teachers and Other Service Providers X X X X X
Send Questionnaires to School/Program Administrators X X X
Send Questionnaires to District Administrators X X
Send Questionnaires to State Administrators X
Only in the 18 LEAs added in Wave 2. Only
for Wave 1 nonrespondents.
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Wave 1 Response Rates

• SEA Questionnaire 100
• LEA Questionnaire 90
• Teacher Questionnaire 76
• CATI 96
• Assessment 96
• Principal Questionnaire 40
• Program Director Questionnaire 49
• Field period for these instruments will reopen
  in winter 2005.

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Some Preliminary Wave 1 Results

• Test Results by Age Cohort, Gender, District
  Wealth
• Woodcock Johnson-III
• Letter-Word Identification
• Applied Problems
• Quantitative Concepts
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
• SEA-Reported Areas of Progress and Challenge for
  Preschool Special Education

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Areas of Preschool Special Education from Which
State 619 Coordinators Selected Three Best
Practice, Need to Improve, and Working to
Improve Options

• Transition from early intervention
• Transition to Kindergarten
• Child find
• Assessment and evaluation
• Placement in community-based settings
• Recruitment of qualified personnel
• Retention of qualified personnel
• Developmentally appropriate practices
• Eligibility for services
• IEP/IFSP development

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Areas of Preschool Special Education from Which
State 619 Coordinators Selected Three Best
Practice, Need to Improve, and Working to
Improve Options (cont)

• Building effective technical assistance networks
• Linkages with state early childhood programs
• Collaboration with parents
• Pre-literacy skills and activities
• Serving culturally and linguistically diverse
  families
• Data systems for tracking childrens progress
• Standards-based accountability systems
• Accessing other resources and sources of services
  (e.g., Medicaid, )
• Other (Specify ________)

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Areas of Preschool Special Education SEAs
Commonly Reported as Closest to Best Practice
for 2003-04

• Transition from early intervention (45)
• Child find (29)
• Eligibility for services (28)
• Building effective technical assistance
  networks(28)
• Linkages with state early childhood programs (28)

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Areas of Preschool Special Education SEAs
Commonly Reported as Most Need to Improve for
2003-04

• Placement in community based settings (43)
• Data systems for tracking childrens progress
  (41)
• Serving culturally/linguistically diverse
  families (26)

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Areas of Preschool Special Education SEAs
Commonly Reported as Working to Improve for
2003-04

• Transition from early intervention (51)
• Placement in community-based settings (39)
• Linkages with state early childhood programs
  (29)

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PEELS Web Site

• www.peels.org