Transcript Recognition and Response in Connecticut

IDEA
Section 619
IDEA Preschool Grants Program
Maria Synodi, 619 Coordinator
Early Childhood Special Education
State Department of Education
IDEA Section 619
Federal Statute
Federal Regulations
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IDEA 2004 – Legal Landscape
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Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 (Public Law 108-446)
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IDEA has four (4) “Parts”
 Part A: General Provisions
 Part B: Assistance for the Education of All Children
with Disabilities – Includes Section 619*
 Part C: Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
 Part D: National Activities to Improve the
Education of Children with Disabilities
IDEA Part B: Implementing
Regulations: Sub-Parts A-H
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IDEA Implementing Regulations found at 34 CFR Parts
300 & 301: Assistance to States for the Education of
Children with Disabilities and Preschool Grants for
Children with Disabilities
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Sub-Part A: General Provisions
Sub-Part B: State Eligibility
Sub-Part C: LEA Eligibility
Sub-Part D: Evaluations, Eligibility, IEPs and Placement
Sub-Part E: Procedural Safeguards
Sub-Part F: Monitoring, Technical Assistance and
Enforcement
Sub-Part G: Use of Funds
Sub-Part H: Preschool Grants Program* (section 300.800300.818)
IDEA Preschool Grants Program
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IDEA, Part B Statute: Includes Section 619
IDEA 619 Regulations at sections 300.800-300.818
Called the “Preschool Grants Program” or “Section 619”
The Secretary provides grants under section 619 of the Act to
assist States to provide special education and related services
 (a) To children with disabilities, three through five years of
age; and
 (b) At a State's discretion, to two-year-old children with
disabilities who will turn three during the school year.
State Identified IDEA Section 619 Coordinator
Section 619 responsibilities for the implementation of IDEA
Part B for the population of children ages 3 through 5 with
disabilities
IDEA – Special Education
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IDEA Part B:
 Children ages 3 through 21, or graduation from
high school, whichever is first attained
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IDEA Part B, Section 619:
 Children ages 3 through 5 – Regardless of grade
IDEA Preschool Grants Program
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Section 619 Fiscal Responsibilities – State Allocation of
$4,818,610 in 2010-2011 - $3,943,828 to school districts
IDEA 619 grant dollars
 82% is disbursed to school districts (80% minimum)
 13% is set aside by the state for state-level activities
 5% supports 619 in the State Department of Ed
IDEA 619 funds to school districts are spent on the excess cost
of providing special education to children ages 3-5
Annual IDEA 619 grant application for school districts
Federal formula for determining how much each school
district receives is specified in section 619
Annual IDEA 619 funds flat-funded since 1997 (no federal
increase – actual decrease in funding to state)
What Is Special Education?
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IDEA Part B – Purpose (applies to 619*)
The purposes of this part are—
(a) To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to
them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes
special education and related services designed to meet their
unique needs and prepare them for further education,
employment, and independent living;
(b) To ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and
their parents are protected;
(c) To assist States, localities, educational service agencies, and
Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children
with disabilities; and
(d) To assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate
children with disabilities.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1400(d))
IDEA Services = Special Education
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IDEA, Part B = Special Education: means that a free
appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided to a
child with a disability who requires special education
and related services.
Special Education means “specially designed
instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique
needs if a child with a disability including instruction
conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals
and institutions and in other settings.”
Speech and Language Pathology is considered special
education “only if the service is considered special
education rather than a related service.”
IDEA Related Services
Related services include transportation and developmental,
corrective and other supportive services as required to assist
a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and
can include:
 Speech-language pathology
 Audiology
 Physical and occupational therapy
 Interpreting services
 Counseling
 Mobility services
 Social work services in schools
 Parent counseling and training
Who Are The Children 3-5?
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In Connecticut - Section 619
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In 2010-2011, there were 7,933 Children
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In 2010-2011, there were
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2,347 girls (29.59%)
5,586 boys (70.41%)
In 2010-2011, of the 7,933 Children
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2,149 = 3-year-olds (27.09%)
2,813 = 4-year-olds (35.46%)
2,971 = 5-year-olds (37.45%)
4,666 were in preschool (58.82%)
2,848 were in kindergarten (35.91%)
418 were in first grade (5.27%)
Represents approximately 6.3% of the population of
children ages 3 through 5
IDEA Special Education Eligibility
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The determination that a child requires special
education and related services is a decision of each
child’s planning and placement team (PPT) – which
includes the parent(s).
The determination of a child’s eligibility is based upon
the results and review of each child’s initial evaluation
information.
Child is determined to be eligible for special education
when their educational needs meet one of the IDEA
disability categories and it is determined by reason
thereof, that the child requires needs special
education and related services.
IDEA Special Education
Disability Categories
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Intellectual Disability
Hearing Impairment
(including deafness)
Speech or Language
Impairment
Visual Impairment
(including blindness)
Serious Emotional
Disturbance
Multiple Disabilities
Autism
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Orthopedic Impairment
Traumatic Brain Injury
Other Health
Impairment
Specific Learning
Disability
Deaf-Blindness
Neurologically Impaired
DEVELOPMENTAL
DELAY (for children 3
through 5)
Disability Category: Children 3-5
(2010-2011)
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Intellectual Disability (also
called Mental Retardation =
36 Children (0.45%)
Hearing Impaired = 94
Children (1.18%)
Speech and Language
Impaired = 2,354
Children (29.76%)
Visually Impaired = 18
Children (0.23%)
Seriously Emotionally
Disturbed = 9 Children
(0.11%)
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Other Health Impaired = 182
Children (2.29%)
Learning Disabled = 48
Children (0.61%)
Deaf-Blind = 0 Children
Multiple Disabilities = 98
Children (1.24%)
Autism = 763 Children
(9.62%)
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Traumatic Brain Injury = 5
Children (0.06%)
Developmental Delay =
4,318 Children (54.43%)
Race & Ethnicity: Children 3-5 (ECO)
Race/Ethnicity
Percent
Am. Indian/Native Alaskan
0.4%
Asian
3.7%
Black
10.2%
White
65.0%
Hispanic
20.8%
Time in Pre-K Special Education (ECO)
Time (in Months) Children
Received Special Education in
Pre-K
Percent of Children
6 to 12 months
21.7%
13 to 18 months
24.6%
19 to 24 months
32.0%
25 to 30 months
17.1%
31 to 36 months
3.6%
36+ months
1.0%
Parent Participation &
Satisfaction
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93.7% of parents of children ages 3-5 and 90.0% of parents of children
ages 18-21 indicated that they are satisfied with their child’s special
education program .
94.5% of parents of children ages 3-5 identified that general education
teachers make accommodations and modifications as indicated on their
child’s IEP.
More than 90% of parents of children ages 3-5 agreed that their child
was learning skills that will enable him or her to be as independent as
possible.
Similarly, 93.4% of parents of children ages 3-5 were also most likely to
agree that their child is learning skills that will lead to a high school
diploma, further education or job.
Parents of children with a developmental delay and a speech and
language impairment were the most likely to agree that they have the
opportunity to talk to their child’s teachers on a regular basis (98.0%
and 95.2%, respectively).
Who Provides Special
Education?
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Responsibility for Special
Education
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In Connecticut, school districts are responsible for the
provision of special education and related services to
the eligible population of children ages 3-21,
including children ages 3 through 5
In IDEA, school districts are referred to as LEAs –
local educational agencies
In Connecticut, there are approximately:
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169 towns
143 school districts for 619
13 regional school districts for 619
1 state school district: USD II, DCF for 619
Child Find
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Child Find is the obligation to “locate, identify and evaluate”
children who have a disability or who are suspected of
having a disability
Child Find is an obligation of Part C and Part B – an
overlapping responsibility of the two systems
The Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC) serves as
the statewide Child Find agent on behalf of the IDEA, Part B:
Special Education, including 619
The Child Development Infoline (CDI) serves as the
statewide Child Find agent on behalf of Part C and 619
Referrals received for children nearing the age of 3 are
referred on to the responsible school district
MOA between Birth to Three and SDE on Child Find
Referral, Evaluation, Eligibility, IEP
Referral
 Can be made by Birth-3,
the parent, MD, child care
 School district
completes appropriate
forms, sends notice,
procedural safeguards
 School sends invitation
to planning and placement
team (PPT) meeting
Convene PPT
 PPT discusses referral
 PPT reviews available information
and parent concerns
 PPT determines evaluation is
needed – identifies “existing data”
 Maybe: PPT designs “initial
evaluation”
 If PPT proceeds to evaluation,
parent written consent obtained to
conduct
Evaluation Conducted
Convene PPT
 PPT reviews
evaluation results
 PPT determines
this is a child with a
disability under the
IDEA
 PPT identifies the
IDEA Disability
Category
 PPT develops IEP
based upon
evaluation [FAPE By
Age 3 for B-3
children]
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Special Education Plan: IEP
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IEP = Individualized Education Program (IEP)
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IEP means a written statement for a child with a
disability that is developed, reviewed and revised in
accordance with the IDEA
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IEP Team – In Connecticut, a planning and placement
team (PPT) – a group of individuals that is
responsible for developing, reviewing and/or revising
an IEP for a child with a disability
Location of Services
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Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
 To the maximum extent appropriate, children with
disabilities, in public or private institutions or other
care facilities, are educated with children who are
not disabled; and
 Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal
of children with disabilities from the regular
educational environment occurs only if the nature
or severity of the disability is such that education in
regular classes with the use of supplementary aids
and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
LRE for 3-5 In Connecticut (2010-2011)
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70.40% or 4,259 children, ages 3-5, spent 80-100% of time with
non-disabled peers
There was an increase of 800 children, ages 3-5, or a 3.7% increase
in spending 80-100% of time with non-disabled peers from the
prior year
6.60 % or 594 children were spending 40-79% of their time with
non-disabled peers
2.90% or 296 children were spending 0-39% of their time with
non-disabled peers
13.60% or 1,206 children were served in an ECSE program
5.20% or 371 children were served in a provider location
0.06% of children were served in a separate school
0.04% were served in a residential facility
0.02% of children were served at home
Children with IEPs Participate in …
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Public Schools, integrated early childhood programs
Magnet Schools, Charter Schools with Pre-K
Programs
School Readiness
Head Start
State-Funded Child Care
Private Nursery Schools, Preschools
Parochial Schools
Participation may or may not be a part of a child’s IEP
Inclusion: Access, Participation and Benefit
Where Is The
Accountability?
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Monitoring, Accountability
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State Performance Plan (SPP) & Annual Performance
Report (APR) – 20 Indicators (3 of which are 619)
Federal monitoring of state (OSEP visit 11/2011)
State monitoring of school districts (e.g., LEAs) – State
‘general supervision’ responsibilities
Fiscal Accountability for 611 and 619 Funds
Focused Monitoring – 2010-2011 = Academic Achievement
Complaints, Mediations and Due Process
Identification and correction of non-compliance within 12
months
Monitoring of district improvement activities
Annual public posting of school district APRs
Results Based Accountability (RBA)
Indicator #12: A Free Appropriate Public
Education (FAPE) By Age 3
Indicator #12
This indicator measures the
percent of children who were
referred by the Birth to Three
System and who had an IEP
developed and implemented by
their third birthday. This is a
compliance indicator, meaning
that the IDEA requires 100% of
all children referred by the
Birth to Three System to have
an IEP in place by their third
birthday, or for children with a
summer birthday, by the start
of the school year. The graph
represents the state’s trend
data, indicating substantial to
full compliance, on this
indicator for the last five years.
Indicator #6: LRE for Children 3 through 5
Indicator #6
This indicator measures the
percent of children who spend
time in programs that comprise a
class composition of no less than
50% of children without
disabilities. This data represents
the 2010-2011 school year. The
data has yet to be reported in the
SPP/APR. The 2010-2011 data
indicate that 70.40% of children,
ages 3 through 5, spend 80100% of time with non-disabled
peers. This data represents time
with non-disabled peers
(TWNDPs) that includes, but is
not limited to, the setting that a
child with an IEP receives their
special education and related
services.
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70.40% of children spend 80-100% TWNDPs
6.60% of children spend 40-80% of TWNDPs
2.90% of children spend 0-40% of TWNDPs
13.60% of children are in ECSE classrooms
.06% of children are in a separate school
.04% of children are in a residential facility
.02 of children are served at home
5.20% of children receive services in a service provider location
Positive Social Emotional Skills
Indicator #7: ECO
Progress in the development of positive social
emotional skills, including positive social
relationships is measured by the percent of
children who:
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Attained growth near same-age peers, and
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Attained developmental and functional
skills within age expectations.
The graph represents data from the school year
2008-2009, the year in which baseline data was
established and the school year 2009-2010, the
first year of progress data on this indicator.
The 2009-2010 state target reflecting the
percent of children who attained growth near
same-age peers was 56.0%. The state did not
meet that target, with data indicating that only
54.3% of children grew to near same age peers.
The 2009-2010 target for children who attained
age expectations was 52.0% and the state data
exceeded the target with data identifying that
55.5% of children attained age expectations.
Acquisition & Use
of Knowledge and Skills
Indicator #7: ECO
Progress in the development of children’s acquisition
and use of knowledge and skills, including the areas of
early language and literacy is measured by the percent
of children who:
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Attained growth near same-age peers, and
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Attained developmental and functional skills
within age expectations.
The graph represents data from the school year 20082009, the year in which baseline data was
established and the school year 2009-2010, the first
year of progress data on this indicator.
The 2009-2010 state target reflecting the percent of
children who attained growth near same age peers
was 59.0%. The state exceeded the target with data
indicating that 63.8% of children grew closer to same
age peers. The 2009-2010 state target for children
who attained age expectations was 31.0% and the
state data exceeded the target with data identifying
that 33.9% of children attained age expectations.
Use of Behaviors to Meet Needs
Indicator #7: ECO
Progress in the development of children’s use of
behaviors to meet their needs is measured by the
percent of children who:
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Attained growth near same-age peers, and
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Attained developmental and functional skills
within age expectations.
The graph represents data from the school year
2008-2009, the year in which baseline data was
established and the school year 2009-2010, the
first year of progress data on this indicator.
The 2009-2010 state target reflecting the percent
of children who attained growth near to same age
peers was 48.0%. The state exceeded the target
with data indicating that 50.7% of children grew
nearer to same age peers. The 2009-2010 target
for children who attained age expectations was
24.0% and the state data exceeded the target with
data identifying that 26.1% of children attained
age expectations.
IDEA 619 and Links to
Early Childhood Cabinet
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Workforce & Professional
Development
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619 and work with Bureau of Certification on certification
regulations for teachers (translates to work with higher
education institutions)
619 and CCAC: Inclusion Strand, Inclusion Saturday Series
619 and Professional Development
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Offering stipends, fee waivers for EC personnel to attend
professional development events focused on inclusion and
supporting children with disabilities in EC settings
PD Offerings designed to include general and early childhood
special education: literacy, behavior, etc.
619 partnership with Birth to Three offering birth-5 PD
619 specific PD
TWW statewide conference – multi-agency, organization
planning and delivery of conference
Tiered Quality Rating System
(T-QRIS)
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619 funds to CCAC and AFP for NAEYC accreditation
(2-year MOA)
Funds pay for accreditation, re-accreditation
Eligible programs provide an integrated early
childhood opportunity
Training and technical assistance is available
In 2009-2011:
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85 early childhood programs received financial support
70 programs attained accreditation
15 program in the accreditation process
5,462 children
646 children were children with disabilities (an IEP)
NAEYC accreditation also supports workforce
Curriculum & Instruction
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Approximately one quarter of children who receive
special education receive a single service (e.g., speech
only)
Districts offer integrated early childhood programs
through a variety of options – part-day; full-day
Average length of hours per month = 36.5
District operated early childhood special education
programs are delivered by a certified teacher
Department supports the use of the PCF and PAF for all
children, as appropriate
Department supports a preschool curriculum for all
children to be implemented with the appropriate
accommodations, modifications, supports
Data and Data Interface
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State Department of Education Data Systems:
Registration System; Public School Information
System (PSIS); Special Education Data Application
and Collection (SEDAC) and Preschool Information
System (PKIS);
State Assigned Unique Student Identification
Numbers (SASID Numbers);
State Department of Education provides a SASID
Number to every child receiving early intervention;
Data used for federal reporting, accountability;