DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 418 517 EC 306 324

TITLE Early Childhood Special Education for Children withDisabilities, Ages Three through Five.

INSTITUTION North Dakota State Dept. of Public Instruction, Bismarck.Div. of Special Education.

PUB DATE 1996-00-00NOTE 125p.; The three main sections have been separately

analyzed, see EC 306 325-327.PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom (055)EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Ancillary School Services; Delivery Systems; *Disabilities;

*Early Childhood Education; Educational Facilities;*Educational Practices; Paraprofessional School Personnel;Personnel; Program Development; Program Evaluation; PupilPersonnel Services; *Special Education; Special EducationTeachers; *State Standards; Student Evaluation; TransitionalPrograms

IDENTIFIERS *North Dakota

ABSTRACTIntended as a reference guide for early childhood special

education personnel in North Dakota, this guide addresses required andrecommended practices related to the delivery of services to children withdisabilities, ages 3 through 5, and their families. The guide was developedby 50 specialists including parents and reflects all segments of the stateservice delivery system, guidelines from other states, and the positionstatements and recommendations of the Division for Early Childhood Educationof the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association for theEducation of Young Children. Each of the three main sections is designed asan independent stand-alone chapter, dealing respectively with: (1) evaluationand assessment, (2) program planning, and (3) staff/facilities. Each sectionprovides subheadings referring to the primary components of the servicedelivery system, a listing of appropriate state regulations relating tochildren requiring special education, guidelines that provide operationalobjectives related to each activity, recommended practices and procedures,and supplemental information in appendices.

********************************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

********************************************************************************

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN WITHDISABILITIES, AGES THREE THROUGH FIVE

Published by

ADAPTIVE SERVICES DIVISIONNORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Wayne G. Sanstead, Superintendent1996

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

a-

PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL

HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

C vw2,,r.

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organization

riginating it.

!VIMinor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD ii

PREFACE iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

PHILOSOPHY 3

3EST COPY AVARLABLE

FOREWORD

Approximately 1200 preschool and kindergarten children (ages three through five) whohave disabilities are assisted each year through programs and services provided byNorth Dakota's local school districts. The North Dakota Department of Public Instructionis committed to these early intervention initiatives to decrease the effects of disablingconditions and reduce the need for special education when these children reach schoolage.

Within the context of the Goals 2000 State Plan, this document represents an importantelement for the Department of Public Instruction. Goal One states that "all children inAmerica will start school ready to learn". The practices required under state regulations,together with the recommendations from constituent state and national agencies andorganizations, are provided in an easy-to-use format.

Eight objectives are considered central to the philosophy that pervades this document.These include: (1) providing opportunities for young children with disabilities to beeducated with same-age peers without disabilities; (2) providing services in a variety ofsettings with an emphasis on utilizing the least restrictive learning environment for eachchild; (3) providing services that reflect interagency and interdisciplinary cooperation andcoordination; (4) actively involving parents in every aspect of the educational process;(5) providing services that are developmentally appropriate and address how the child'sdisability impacts access to those activities; (6) providing services that value culturaldiversity; (7) promoting interagency collaboration to ensure smooth transitions; and (8)utilizing comprehensive program evaluation models to assess anticipated andunanticipated outcomes of local programs.

Some 50 specialists, including parents, worked to make this document a reality. Allsegments of the service delivery system are represented including universities, localschool districts, special education units, state agencies, and the North DakotaInteragency Coordinating Council along with several of its subcommittees. Thecommitment of these individuals to the many youngsters who have disabilities is reflectedthroughout. They have brought to the task the best possible thinking and writing in thefield of early childhood special education.

We welcome feedback on this resource from personnel in local school district programsand other agencies as they work to develop, expand and enhance educationalopportunities for young children with disabilities in North Dakota communities andschools.

Gary Gronberg, Ed.D.Assistant SuperintendentNorth Dakota Department of Public Instruction

.JEST COPY AVAIIILABLE

PREFACE

Early Childhood Special Education for Children with Disabilities Ages Three Through Fiveis designed as a reference guide for special education personnel. It addresses requiredand recommended practices related to the delivery of services to children, ages threethrough five, with disabilities and their families. Public Law 101-476, the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act, and policies adopted by the North Dakota Department ofPublic Instruction are used as a foundation for the recommendations contained in thisguide.

The required and recommended practices contained in this document will invariably beoutdated in a short period of time. Each reauthorization of IDEA has the potential forsignificant impacts necessitating revisions. To accommodate future revisions, a loose-leafnotebook format was selected for the guide. Each of the sections is designed as anindependent chapter that can stand alone. This will allow for revisions to be made tosingle chapters. It will also permit users to store additional handouts and material withinthe guide itself.

Key components of a comprehensive service delivery system have been identified andorganized under five major sections: Assessment; Program Planning; Staff/Facilities;Transition; and Program Evaluation. Each section is organized to provide the reader with:

a table of contentsan introductionsubheadings referring to the primary components of the service deliverysystema listing of appropriate state regulations relating to children requiring specialeducationguidelines that provide operational objectives related to each activityrecommended practices and proceduressupplemental information regarding early childhood special educationpractices in the appendices for each chapter

The position statements and recommendations proposed by the Division for EarlyChildhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the National Associationfor the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and guidelines from other states haveserved as valuable resources in this project.

This document acknowledges the uniqueness of services to preschool children withdisabilities in a very rural state, particularly as these services relate to parent participation,least restrictive environment, and transition. The role of families is central to planning,coordinating, and implementing activities and services for preschool children withdisabilities. Special education personnel are encouraged to share the contents of thisdocument with parents. Rather than address family participation separately, issuesrelating to parents and families are integrated into each chapter. Efforts to increase

opportunities for integration with preschool peers without disabilities as well as efforts toimprove procedures for transition planning are relatively new endeavors. The guidelinesand recommended practices within this document offer a framework for addressingconcerns regarding integration and transition. LoCal school districts and other agenciesserving preschool children with disabilities are encouraged to use these guidelines andrecommended practices in their planning and implementation efforts.

Keith H. GustafsonSection 619 CoordinatorNorth Dakota Department of Public Instruction

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Department of Public Instruction, Office of Special Education, gratefully acknowledgesthe involvement of numerous groups of individuals who participated in the development ofthese guidelines. Their efforts provided critical input through regularly scheduled meetingsover the course of several years. Their expertise and advice regarding the concepts in thisdocument will enhance the quality of early childhood special education services in NorthDakota. Individuals who were involved in some aspect of the development of this document

are listed below.

Program Standards SubcommitteeNorth Dakota Interagency Coordinating Council

Betty Omvig, Chair, WillistonSandy Brown, DickinsonJudy Garber, MinotDeanne Horn, MinotJennifer Ramey, BelcourtJacqualene Trefz, Jamestown

Deb Balsdon, BismarckCheryl Ekblad, MinotKeith Gustafson, BismarckJudy Jacobson, Watford CityBarb Swegarden, FargoBernadine Young Bird, New Town

Evaluation and Assessment SubcommitteeNorth Dakota Interagency Coordinating Council

Mary McLean, Co-chair, Grand ForksDeb Balsdon, BismarckDeanne Home, MinotKathy Lee, MinotPaige Pederson, Bismarck

Mary Stammen, Co-chair, PortlandAlan Ekblad, MinotAlice Johanson, FargoLinda Olson, Grand Forks

Family Involvement SubcommitteeNorth Dakota Interagency Coordinating Council

Deb Clarys, Chair, CarsonDonene Feist, Edge leyDeanne Home, MinotMary Ann Johnson, Devils LakeEvy Jones Hartson, MinotJim Fransen, FargoRuth Antal, LeedsValerie KirkNicole RollerAlan Ekblad, Minot

Tammy Stuart, MayvilleDeb Balsdon, BismarckKeith Gustafson, BismarckJane Nelson, FargoLeanne McIntosh, MinotRosa Backman, JamestownTwyla Bohl, RugbyMary Lindbo, MinotCarolyn Steen, MinotYolanda Fransen, Fargo

Adaptive Services Review TeamNorth Dakota Department of Public Instruction

This document was produced by the Adaptive Services Division, Office of Special Education,North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.

Special acknowledgement is give to Alan Ekblad for his involvement in this project from itsinception. He coordinated the initial preparation of the individual sections of this guide whileemployed at the Department of Public Instruction as the Preschool Coordinator. He

continued with the final editing and publication of the guide in a consultative capacity afteraccepting a position at Minot State University. Alan attended numerous committee meetingsat which countless drafts of each section were reviewed and edited. His determination andsupport of this project are greatly appreciated.

Recognition is extended to Lori Anderson who coordinated all aspects of the editing, printing,and dissemination. The process was greatly facilitated by her experience and excellentorganization and management skills.

Special acknowledgment is also given to Jean Newborg for her diligence and commitmentin the final editing, review and formatting of the guide. Her publishing and technology skillsmade final editing and printing of this document a reality.

Keith H. GustafsonSection 619 CoordinatorNorth Dakota Department of Public Instruction

Early Childhood Special Education for Children with Disabilities Ages Three throughFive was produced by the Office of Special Education, North Dakota Department ofPublic Instruction.

Gary GronbergJean NewborgJan SchimkeCheryl Moch

Brenda OasMary RoseNancy SkorheimDeb PilonMichelle Souther

Keith GustafsonBob RuttenLori AndersonColleen Schneider

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of these guidelines, EarlyChildhood Special Education for Childrenwith Disabilities Ages Three Through Five,is to provide direction for programgrowth in the state. Historically, NorthDakota has recognized the importance ofproviding services to young children withdisabilities since special education ser-vices were mandated in the state in1973. In 1977 the North Dakota legisla-ture added foundation aid support forearly childhood special education pro-grams. In 1985 early childhood specialeducation was included as a area ofdisability covered by North Dakota statestatute. More recently North Dakota'scommitment is evidenced by the state'sintent to provide a unified approach forchildren of ages birth through five, andtheir families. Various efforts have beeninitiated to establish a seamless system,such as the establishment of an Inter-agency Coordinating Council represent-ing agencies serving children birththrough five, the development of a statelevel interagency agreement amongnumerous agencies and programs serv-ing young children, and the developmentof transition agreements and proceduresbetween infant development and earlychildhood special education programs.

Services to infants and toddlers withdisabilities were created as a result ofthe Association for Retarded Citizens(ARC) class action lawsuit against theState of North Dakota in the early 1980s.The state's Department of Human Ser-vices (DHS), through its DevelopmentalDisabilities Division, became the fundingsource for services to this population.Additionally, the DHS contracted withother agencies within each regionalHuman Service Center of the state so

1-1

that eight regional infant developmentprograms provided statewide services toinfants and toddlers with developmentaldelays.

P.L. 99-457 was passed in 1986. Thislaw, later included as Part H of IDEA,mandated services nationwide for pre-schoolers with disabilities, three throughfive years of age, and provided permis-sive legislation with funding for states todevelop programs for infants and tod-dlers with disabilities. Each state wasrequired to have a lead agency assignedas the primary administrative agent forthe program. An option given to stateswas to split the responsibility and haveone agency serve as lead agency forinfants and toddlers with disabilities birththrough two years, and another agencyserve as lead agency for preschoolerswith disabilities, three through five years.North Dakota chose to utilize two leadagencies, since statewide services werein place at that time for both populations.This resulted in a continuation of theprecedent set earlier: the North DakotaDepartment of Public Instruction (NDDPI)was responsible for programs for pre-schooler children with disabilities, agesthree through six years, and the Depart-ment of Human Services was responsi-ble for services to infants and toddlerswith disabilities, ages birth through twoyears. Although the programs are sepa-rated administratively at the state andlocal levels, both adhere to interagencycollaborative approaches at these levels.Both are coordinated through a statelevel Interagency Coordinating Council(ICC), which serves an advisory functionto the lead agencies.

These guidelines have been prepared foruse by personnel involved in services topreschool age children with disabilities.The principal audience for this guide isprofessionals in public school programsand supervisory personnel. Although themajority of the sections of the guidelinesaddress only content applicable to ser-vices for preschoolers with disabilities,some of the sections address the sameparameters for both the infant and tod-dler programs (referred to as Part H) andpreschool programs (Part B). This is trueof the evaluation and assessment chap-ter and references infused throughoutother chapters. This serves a trainingpurpose for preschool teachers who areunfamiliar with the experiences that areprovided by the infant/toddler servicesprior to the child's enrollment in a pre-school. This also provides a single re-source guide to professionals who areworking in programs that serve bothpopulations.

It is also expected that the guide willprovide parents, personnel in health,human services and other child serviceagencies with an understanding of thescope and purpose of educational ser-vices for young children with disabilitiesand their families.

This guide is intended to outline a pro-cess for the provision of services foryoung children with disabilities. It is notintended to set all special educationunits on a course of providing identicalprograms. Rather, it is intended to offersuggestions and alternatives from whichpersonnel may choose as they developthe services that best fit the needs of theindividual children.

A PHILOSOPHY

Providing services for young childrenwith disabilities has long been recog-nized as sound planning in North Dakotaschools. Efficacy data in early interven-tion have demonstrated the benefits ofproviding services early in the life of achild to significantly reduce the impact ofa disability during school years. In somecases, the need for special educationcan be prevented. To implement majorgoals of intervention, it is necessary toidentify the disability very early in the lifeof the child. This entails a collaborativeapproach with all community agenciesand professionals providing services tofamilies with young children includingdoctors, nurses, social workers, andother community and business leaders.Once a child has been identified, it isnecessary to create programs that pro-vide the essential support to the childand the family unit to facilitate the goalsof intervention.

Community early intervention programshave provided the needed education andhabilitation services to children withknown disabilities. North Dakota servesthis population through various statelevel agencies. The Department of Hu-man Services (DHS), through the Devel-opmental Disabilities Program, coordi-nates services to infants and toddlerswith disabilities ages birth through twoyears. The Department of Public Instruc-tion (DPI) has the responsibility for localschool programs that serve students withdisabilities from age three through five.The North Dakota Department of Healthand Consolidated Laboratories is alsoinvolved in collaborative interactions withDHS and DPI at the state and local lev-els to implement a comprehensive sys-tem of early intervention in North Dakota.

Recent trends in research findings andbest practices have indicated the need todevelop early intervention programs forthe at-risk population of children. Thesechildren are not currently identified ashaving a disability but are at high-risk ofdeveloping a disability because of vari-ables within their home environmentand/or community. This is the group ofchildren who are served through splint-ered services in our communities. Thereis no comprehensive statewide programto systematically address the needs ofthis group of children. Gaps exist in ourservice delivery system for identificationand location and in intervention to meetthe identified needs. There are a fewpilot programs in some communities inour state that are designed to addressthe needs of these children and theirfamilies on a small scale. However, thereare no programs that have the fundingfor preventative programs on a commu-nity-wide scale. The only means forserving this population at the presenttime is through interagency collaborationat the local and state levels. The sharingof staff, finances, facilities, and otherresources is needed to address theneeds of this group of children.

Quality indicators must be utilized toassess services and ensure that theneeds of the consumers in our state aremet. Service availability alone is notenough. Services must make a differ-ence in the lives of the children andfamily members as well as benefit soci-ety. They must be cost-effective, wellmonitored and evaluated to assure fiscaland programmatic responsibility. Theymust also be valued by parents andcommunity members. Quality indicatorsthat should be considered by programs

in the state in their quest to enhance thequalitative aspects of their service deliv-ery system are presented and discussedbelow.

1. Provide opportunities for youngchildren with disabilities to be edu-cated with same-age peers withoutdisabilities.

There are many early childhood serviceswithin each community in our state.Local services designed to meet theneeds of young infants, toddlers, andpreschool children with disabilitiesshould collaborate with existing providersto maximize the outcomes for all. Dupli-cation of services is often the result of alack of collaboration such as when bud-gets are utilized to provide similar servic-es at the expense of providing new ser-vices that are needed. By pooling re-sources at the local level, the needs ofpreschool children with disabilities canbe served in a more effective and mean-ingful way. This would also enable theprovision of services to an expandedpopulation of students through the inci-dental benefit of co-location.

Obstacles imposed by bureaucracies oflocal service providers must be eliminat-ed or minimized. Obstacles that aremore difficult to address, such as theneed for autonomy, control, and owner-ship of programs by professionals, mustbe eliminated through the continuedlobbying efforts of parents, professionalorganizations, and supervisory personnelat the regional and/or state level. Sincethe primary goal for early intervention isto decrease and, when possible, preventthe need for subsequent placement inspecial education at a later time, it is notjustifiable to isolate these children intosegregated, self-contained programs toreceive the intervention services. The

1-4

outcomes of early intervention can berealized through utilizing childcare facili-ties, Head Start programs, communitypreschool programs, and other locationswhere young children who are not dis-abled receive services. There will alwaysbe a need for more intensive and spe-cialized early intervention programs forchildren requiring a more restrictivelearning environment. The majority of thechildren who need early interventionservices, however, could be appropriate-ly served utilizing sites already availablewithin each community in our state.

2. Provide services in a variety of set-tings with an emphasis on utilizing theleast restrictive learning environmentfor each child.

Diversity is a hallmark of most communi-ties. In addition to alternative settings forshopping, socializing, and worshiping,communities attempt to meet the needsof citizens by providing alternative sup-port programs or services that addressspecialized needs. Family members willtraditionally have had vast experiences inexploring community options and willhave selected the settings, programs,and services that best meet their needsas residents of that community. They willhave a preferred set of stores for shop-ping, a preferred church, social clubs,and childcare facilities or arrangements.When a child is identified as having adisability, family members are oftenasked to accommodate to an entirelynew service involving new personnel,new concepts, and in many cases, anew location for the service. They willinvariably retain their existing communityconnections for meeting the existingneeds of the family and add the . newservice and location to their already busyschedules. An option that would certainlyassist many busy families would be to

have the preschool special educationservices built into one of the existingcommunity supports currently utilized bythat family. It would not require adding anew routine to the parents' busy sched-ule; an existing location or service wouldbe adapted to meet the new need of oneof the family members. An existing rou-tine would be adapted, rather that creat-ing a new routine.

As local programs begin utilizing family-focused approaches, it will require offer-ing the services in a greater variety ofcommunity environments. This will re-quire that the family be extensively in-volved in the process of balancing theelements required by law, and in select-ing the least restrictive learning environ-ment in which to achieve the specifiedoutcomes delineated for the child. Pro-grams are being asked to redefine them-selves. Rather than to conceptualize theprograms as locations, they must bethought of as services or support person-nel who go to different locations to pro-vide services and supports to the child inthe naturally occurring environments thatconstitute the least restrictive learningenvironments.

3. Provide services that reflect inter-agency and interdisciplinary coopera-tion and coordination.

As programs begin serving children andfamilies in new locations within the com-munity, they will come into contact withother agencies, disciplines, and services.Working together with these agencieswill be a natural progression. It will facili-tate the coordination of schedules andservices for the children enrolled in theearly intervention program and will alsoresult in incidental benefit to other chil-dren and families. There are many ser-vices available in most communities.

1-5

Service providers co-located and work-ing together will be in a much betterposition to maximize the services to meetthe needs of the community members aswell as identify unmet needs within thecommunity.

4. Actively involve parents in everyaspect of the educational process.

The model of tailoring services to meetthe unique community routines of thefamily unit will require far more extensiveinvolvement of parents in the planningprocess. They will be involved in a moreprofessional capacity than just beinginvited to attend planning meetings. Theywill be instrumental in the assessmentprocess, identifying community locationsutilized by their family members, andinventorying those environments andservices to determine the feasibility ofadapting or tailoring the services to meetthe new need of the family. Their inputwill also be essential in prioritizing modi-fications that would be the least intrusiveto the family and yet most beneficial tothe child. The family members must bemore involved in selecting the interven-tion outcomes, methodologies, andevaluation paradigms. Since the skillswill be taught within the existing routinesand locations used by the family, theymust facilitate the selection of outcomesthat will be valued by the family andconsidered valid by other communitymembers. They must assist in selectingthe methodologies since they will beinvolved extensively in the implementa-tion of the activities. The evaluation crite-ria selected by the team will be dictatedby the perceived value attached to thatoutcome by the family. Different familiesutilizing the same facility for a variety ofpurposes (different programs) should beworking together to provide comprehen-sive evaluation input to the array of a-

1 3

gencies and programs or services repre-sented in that location.

5. Provide services that are develop-mentally appropriate and address howthe child's disability impacts access tothose activities.

This will be a natural outcome of the co-location process. Personnel who haveworked with preschool children withdisabilities in isolation from other earlychildhood programs often lose theirperspective of developmentally appropri-ate practices. Programs are so busyproviding intensive remedial and habilita-tion services and addressing deficit skillsonly, that the larger picture - how theability to participate in regular educationis impacted by the disability - is lost. Astep back is needed. The children needto be returned to the naturally occurringcommunity environments or to the loca-tions in which they would be living andlearning if they had no disability. Theywould be found in child care facilities, atthe babysitter's or grandparent's house,with the parents at home, or with siblingsin the park.

The focus must be placed on how thedisability impacts the child's ability toparticipate and learn or develop from theactivities within those locations, Interven-tions should not separate the child fromthe normalized daily living activities. Thechild should be supported in those envi-ronments and activities to assure equalassess and opportunity for developingthe "regular education" skills that nondis-abled peers are developing.

6. Provide services that value culturaldiversity.

Cultural diversity should be valued in ourprograms. Rather than tolerating differ-

1-6

ences in the cultural backgrounds ofcommunity members and ethnic groups,the differences should be celebrated andreceive preferential consideration inprogram planning activities. Culturalvariables should be considered whenaddressing family diversity. Cultural,ethnic, and language preferences anddifferences should be viewed as featuresunique to each family unit. The alterna-tive behaviors and symbols that familyand other community members utilize intheir daily living habits, holiday celebra-tions, and other interactions should bevalued. People of diverse cultural heri-tage should be encouraged to sharetheir traditions. In addition to culturalexposure, there are many incidentaloutcomes in the lives of the children andparents. Self-esteem is built and there isan increased sense of community be-longing and being valued by the commu-nity.

7. Promote interagency collaborationto ensure smooth transitions.

Intervention programs should be de-signed and implemented to minimize theneed for transition. Transition involvesmovement from one location to another,from one activity to another, or from oneservice to another. The more separateand isolated our services, the greater isthe need for planning transition activities.Programs that are co-located and operat-ed together will have fewer transitionneeds. Those that have reduced bureau-cratic obstacles find minimal need fortransition. Promoting interagency collab-oration to ensure smooth transitionsmust begin with encouraging and sup-porting professionals to plan, practice,and serve the community memberstogether. The community members willview intervention as one program, withdifferent facets. Transition planning can

then be integrated into the daily opera-tions of the constituent providers.Smooth transitions will occur at everycritical juncture.

8. Utilize comprehensive programevaluation models to evaluate the localprograms in terms of standards forprogram quality.

Concurrent with establishing community-based services for preschool childrenthat have specified outcomes, the effec-tiveness of the interventions offeredshould be examined carefully. Thereshould be an emphasis placed on pro-gram improvement over time. Essentialquestions to address in a program evalu-ation model are stated below.

Does the program make a differencein the life of this child?Will this child do better in schoolbecause of our efforts?Does the family feel empowered tobetter address the educational andcommunity living needs of this childbecause of an intervention?Does the community value and sup-port the intervention processes uti-lized?Is there an increase in the capacity ofother service providers to adequatelymeet the needs of the child with adisability and the child's family?What other support services areneeded in our community to meet theneeds of the community residents orto improve the quality of life in thecommunity?

It is readily observable that programevaluation must be comprehensive. It willrequire input from the children them-selves, their parents, siblings, and ex-tended family members. It will requireinvolving community business and ser-

1-7

vice sector leaders. Data must be collect-ed over time for determining long termimpact and cost savings to society.Services should be modified immediatelyas a result of evaluation data. Above all,program evaluation must be a collabora-tive venture with other service providers.The programs and services should bemonitored and evaluated in the samemanner as they are operated. Profes-sionals from different programs mustwork together to improve the quality ofcommunity life for the residents of thatcommunity.

9. Provide ongoing staff developmentinservice training opportunities.

Opportunities for comprehensive staffdevelopment are a critical aspect ofassuring quality in the process of imple-menting early intervention services. Staffshould be provided with support andinservice training to learn new methodsfor evaluating young children, providecomprehensive interventions in the leastrestrictive learning environments, involveparents, apply technology, and partici-pate in 'interagency collaboration. Stafftraining should be directed to all partic-ipants in the early intervention process:parents, teachers, related service provid-ers, administrators, and other communityservice personnel including child careproviders and preschool teachers. Train-ing should not be limited to the initialpresentation of skills or materials. Alter-native models of staff support, such aspeer mentoring, parent-to-parent supportprograms, and collaborative planning,should also be utilized. In addition tofacilitating the acquisition of a high levelof quality in program outcomes, interven-tionists will develop a feeling of compe-tence and efficacy. Staff developmentactivities should be planned and evaluat-ed through the local and state Compre-

1 5

hensive System for Personnel Develop-ment programs and should be alignedwith the program evaluation process orprogram improvement plan.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATIONFOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES,AGES THREE THROUGH FIVE:EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT GUIDELINESFOR YOUNG CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Prepared By

North Dakota Interagency Coordinating CouncilEvaluation and Assessment Subcommittee

Published By

ADAPTIVE SERVICES DIVISIONNORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Wayne G. Sanstead, Superintendent1996

Evaluation and Assessment Guidelines

for

Young Children with Special Needs

Evaluation and Assessment Subcommittee

North DakotaInteragency Coordinating Council

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD iii

INTRODUCTION A-1

OVERVIEW OF THE INFANT DEVELOPMENT ANDEARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS:FEDERAL LAW APPLIED TO NORTH DAKOTA A-2

IDENTIFICATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES A-4

Child Find A-4Screening A-5Evaluation for Eligibility A-6Assessment for Program Planning A-8Timelines A-8Team Process A-10

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT PLANNING PROCESS A-11

Background Information/Child Profile A-11

Family Involvement A-11

Formulation of an Evaluation/Assessment Plan A-12

CONDUCTING THE EVALUATION A-18Arena Evaluation A-18Play-Based Evaluation A-18Parents and Caregivers as a Source of Information A-18

WRITING THE REPORT A-20Infant Development Report A-20Early Childhood Special Education Integrated Written Assessment Report A-21Dissemination of Information A-24

REFERENCES A-25

TABLES

1. Comparison of IDEA Part B and Part H with Regard to Evaluation and Assessment

2. The Process of Location, Identification, Evaluation and Assessment of Children,Birth Through Five, Who Are Eligible for Services

APPENDICES

Appendix A Strategies for Professionals Working with Families from Various Culturaland/or Linguistic Groups

Appendix B Questions for Professionals to Ask When Conducting a Culturally SensitiveScreening and Assessment

Appendix C Selected Evaluation and Assessment Instruments for Early Intervention

Appendix D Types of Test Reliability and Validity

Appendix E Arena Evaluation

ii

FOREWORD

The Evaluation and Assessment Subcommittee of the North Dakota InteragencyCoordinating Council was established in the fall of 1992 to develop guidelines for theassessment of young children with special needs. The work of the subcommittee, whichis represented by this document, covers both the Infant Development Program,administered by the North Dakota Department of Human Services, and the EarlyChildhood Special Education Program (ECSE), administered by the North DakotaDepartment of Public Instruction.

Creating one document that applies to both programs presented special challenges tothe subcommittee due to inherent differences and legislation that supports eachprogram. It is the expectation of the subcommittee members that this document will beuseful as a resource and guide to assessment practices in infant and early childhoodspecial education programs in North Dakota.

Mary McLean and Mary Stammen, Co-chairs

iii21

INTRODUCTION

Public Law (P.L.) 99-457 as re-authorizedby P.L. 102-119 (known as Part H of theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act- IDEA) mandates each state system toensure that each public agency estab-lishes and implements procedures thatmeet the requirements for evaluation asidentified in IDEA. Such evaluations musttake place prior to initial placement of achild with disabilities in a program pro-viding special education and relatedservices. The evaluations must be timely,comprehensive, and multidisciplinary in

A-1

nature. In addition, evaluation and as-sessment procedures should:

1. respect the unique developmentalnature and characteristics of the childand his or her family,

2. include the active participation ofparents and other significant care-givers,

3. be sensitive to cultural and ethnicdifferences, and

4. utilize appropriate assessment proce-dures and instruments.

22

OVERVIEW OF THE INFANT DEVELOPMENT ANDEARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION (ECSE)

PROGRAMS: FEDERAL LAW APPLIED TONORTH DAKOTA

In North Dakota, early intervention ser-vices for children with disabilities agesbirth through five and their families occurthrough state programs of two agencies,the Department of Public Instruction andthe Department of Human Services.State formula grants for infants and tod-dlers with disabilities (Part H of Individu-als with Disabilities Education Act - IDEA)and preschoolers with disabilities (Part B,Section 619 of IDEA) are used to facili-tate the statewide systems developed toaddress these respective populations.

Although Part H and Part B, Section 619are similar in intent and serve popula-tions with similar needs, their focus dif-fers. Part H of the law addresses serviceprovision to infants and toddlers, withdisabilities ages birth through 2 years. Itviews the family unit as the recipient ofthe service. The family centered-ap-proach contained in Part H includes aprovision for the assessment of familyneeds and results in an intervention planaddressing not only the needs of theinfant with disabilities, but also the needsof the family unit. This plan is referred toas an Individualized Family Service Plan(IFSP). Part B, Section 619 of IDEA,addresses service provision to disabledchildren, ages three through five years. Itis consistent with the approach usedthroughout the remaining sections ofIDEA and includes a child-focused ap-proach. The Individualized EducationProgram (IEP) is designed to provideintervention directed to the child. Alth-ough this section of the law also con-

tains provisions for parent involvement,the family unit is not viewed as the recip-ient of the intervention.

The terminology contained in the twosections of the law relevant to the as-sessment process, also varies. This wasnecessitated by the differences in focus-family-focused versus child-focused.

In contrast to Part H, Part B regulationsutilize the terms identify, locate, andevaluate. The terms identify and locaterefer to child find, screening, and referralprocesses, while evaluation refers to allof the procedures used to determinewhether or not a child has a disabilityand to identify the individual program-ming needs of the child.

Congress, in enacting Public Law 101-476 (IDEA), demonstrated the clear in-tent that all children in need of specialservices be identified, located, evaluatedand served. The intent is further en-hanced through strengthened coordina-tion of child evaluation, assessment andservices regulated under Part H andPart B. This promotes a seamless sys-tem of services for children with disabili-ties from birth through five years of ageand their families.

North Dakota meets the federal intentwith its unified approach for childrenages birth through five. Various effortshave been initiated to establish a seam-less system in North Dakota. One sucheffort has been the establishment of an

Under Part H, evaluation re-fers to the information gath-ered to determine eligibility,while assessment addressesthe information gathered todetermine intervention andsupport needs. The assess-ment process under Part Halso specifically addressesfamily resources, prioritiesand concerns. In North Da-kota, the term assessmentprocess is used to encom-pass both evaluation andassessment activities for pre-school and school-age popu-lations.

Interagency Coordinating Council repre-senting agencies serving children birththrough five. Other efforts include thedevelopment of a state level interagencyagreement among numerous agenciesand programs serving children from birththrough five, the development of transi-tion agreements and procedures be-tween infant development and earlychildhood special education programs, acommunity approach to selective screen-ing, and the establishment of a regionalNorth Dakota Early Childhood TrackingSystem -NDECTS).

These efforts have identified a set oftasks and opportunities immediatelyrelevant to evaluation and assessmentthat need to be addressed and resolvedin maintaining a statewide seamlessapproach. These tasks include:

identifying young children with disabil-ities, ages birth through 5 years ofage;

planning evaluation and assessmentstrategies for young children withdisabilities using a multidisciplinaryapproach;

conducting the evaluation utilizingparent input; and

preparing a written report including anintegrated summary.

The reader will notice that these tasks,with their unique programmatic differ-ences, are addressed throughout eachsection of the document.

IDENTIFICATION OF YOUNG CHILDRENWITH DISABILITIES

Identification of young children withdisabilities can be undertaken for a multi-ple of purposes through various activi-ties. Activities such as locating, screen-ing, evaluating, and assessing can bedistinguished as serving definite purpos-es in the identification of young childrenwith disabilities. Each activity has a fo-cused purpose and strategies for imple-mentation, although the overall philos-ophy of evaluation and assessment willbe consistent throughout all activities.

CHILD FIND

The term Child Find refers to North Da-kota's system of procedures for locatingchildren who are in need of early inter-vention. Child Find encompasses theage range birth through 21 years, al-though the emphases in this documentis the birth through five year age range.

The Child Find system encompasses allefforts aimed at identification of childrenwith disabilities including public aware-ness/education activities, screening pro-grams, and interagency efforts. Educa-tion of the general public is an integralpart of identification efforts.

The North Dakota Department of HumanServices, through the Interagency Coor-dinating Council, Child IdentificationSubcommittee, has developed a cam-paign designed to supplement the activi-ty of the Department of Public Instructionthat targets families of children ages birththrough five years. The purpose of thiscampaign is to educate parents and thegeneral public regarding typical develop-ment in young children. The campaign ismultifaceted and includes the develop-

A-4

ment of a universal logo, brochures, andinformational packets. The campaignmaterial may be used by clinics, hospi-tals, public health centers, human ser-vice agencies, educational agencies, andearly childhood programs. Implementa-tion of the campaign is facilitated by theNorth Dakota Early Childhood TrackingSystem, which consists of teams of localand regional agencies serving childrenages birth through five. (See Resourcessection of this document.)

Child Find is an ongoing process thatoperates on a daily basis rather than asa once or twice a year effort. The poten-tial for locating unidentified children withdisabilities is maximized through allpublic awareness and interagency col-laborative efforts. Certain times duringthe year may be designated for specialrecognition of the Child Find system, asis the case during the third week in Sep-tember when the Department of PublicInstruction coordinates activities withlocal agencies in publicizing Child Findefforts.

Ongoing public awareness/education iscritical to the success of Child Find pro-cedures. Activities aimed at increasingpublic awareness of infant and earlychildhood special education services forchildren with disabilities may take manyforms. Formats that may be used includethe printed media, radio, television, andpublic presentations. The State HealthDepartment operates a toll-free tele-phone number for individuals who havequestions or concerns relevant to refer-rals. Ongoing planning and evaluation ofpublic awareness/education efforts willensure an effective Child Find system.

2 5

SCREENING

Community Screening. The purpose ofscreening is to identify children who maybe in need of further assessment. Scr-eening yields only a general evaluationof the child's functioning and answersthe question, "Does a problem exist?"Because of reliance on gross estimatesof performance, screening measures donot provide adequate information foreligibility or placement decisions.

Some community early interventionteams provide large-scale, communitywide mass screening activities. Theseactivities are sponsored for all children ofa targeted age group within that commu-nity. Agencies commonly involved in-clude public health, social services, andeducation. The targeted ages varyacross communities. Some communitiesattempt to identify three year old childrenwith disabilities; others screen those whoare four years old. Some communitiesprovide mass screening to all childrenwho will be enrolling in kindergarten.Although special education personnelmay be involved in these screeningactivities, they should be viewed assupplemental contributions to the com-munity's responsibility. The mass screen-ing cannot replace existing selectivescreening procedures and cannot besupported by federal funds earmarkedfor special education children.

Selective Screening. Selective screen-ing is the process of screening onlythose children suspected of having adisability who are referred due to identi-fied risk factors. This screening will de-termine the significance of the risk condi-tions to the child's growth and develop-ment or academic performance. Theresult of the screening process is a sys-tematic collection of information for each

A-5

child that helps determine whether thereis a need for further evaluation by amultidisciplinary team.

In all cases, two procedures must be fol-lowed. First, parents must be notifiedthat their child has been referred forscreening and must provide writtenconsent for the child to participate in theselective screening process. The noticemust include a description of the con-cern, the procedures to be used, thedate, time and location of the screening,and who will be involved (See Guide-lines: Parent Rights, Prior Notice, andParent Consent Procedures, July 1993).Parents must provide written consent forthe child to participate in the selectivescreening process.

Second, parents must also receive awritten summary of the screening results.The team that reviews the results of thescreening will determine whether thechild should be referred for a completeevaluation by school, other agency ormedical personnel, should be re-screened at a later date, or does notneed further evaluation. If the results ofthe screening indicate the need for anevaluation because of a suspected dis-ability, parent consent must be obtainedand an explanation of procedural safe-guards given before proceeding withfurther evaluation and assessment.

Many agencies that provide services toyoung children (e.g., Head Start andEarly Periodic Screening Diagnosis andTreatment (EPSDT) program), haveresponsibility for screening children agesbirth through five years. Local programsare encouraged to work together toreduce duplication in screening activitiesfor families by providing community ormulti-agency screenings.

2E

EVALUATION FOR ELIGIBILITY

The process of identifying children withdisabilities consists of two components:evaluation and assessment. Part H regu-lations (IDEA, or 34 CFR §303.322 ofPart H) define the evaluation process asseparate from the assessment process.Part B regulations (IDEA, 34 CFR §300.-530) do not differentiate between evalua-tion and assessment; rather both areaddressed under "Preplacement Evalua-tion" regulations.

As defined in IDEA, evaluationis the procedure used by ap-propriate qualified personnel togather information that will beused to determine a child'sinitial and continuing eligibility,consistent with the legal defini-tion of infants and toddlers orpreschoolers with disabilities.Additionally, Part H includes inthe definition the procedures fordetermining the status of thechild in each developmentalarea. Evaluation can be de-scribed as a systematic processof collecting information on achild's health status, medicalhistory. and current level offunctioning, which is used inthe determination of eligibility.(IDEA, 34 CFR §303.32: ofPart H, and IDEA, 34 CFR§300.530 of Part B)

Table Al presents a comparison of PartB and Part H language and requirementsrelative to evaluation and assessment.

For infants and toddlers ages birththrough two years, information gatheredthrough the evaluation process is corn-

For children ages birth throughr.vo. the evaluation and assess-,ment of each child must:

be conducted by personneltrained to utilize appropriatemethods and procedures;be based on informed clini-cal opinion;include a review of pertinentrecords related to the child'scurrent health status andmedical history;include an evaluation of thechild's level of functioning ineach of following develop-mental areas: cognitive de-velopment; physical devel-opment, including vision andhearing; communicationdevelopment; social or emo-tional development; andadaptive skills:include an assessment of theunique needs of the child ineach of the above develop-mental areas, including theidentification of services ap-propriate to meet thoseneeds.

(IDEA, 34 CFR §303.322 ofPart H)

piled in a written report and presented tothe regional Human Service Center Eligi-bility Determination Team. This teamdetermines eligibility for DevelopmentalDisabilities case management services.The information gathered from evaluationprocedures is also used during the as-sessment process. When a child hasbeen determined eligible for early inter-vention services, assessment procedurescan be continued to identify child andfamily needs for intervention.

A-6ca

Table Al. Comparison of IDEA Part B and Part H with regard to Evaluation and AssessmentIDEA 34 CFR §300.322 OF PART H

INFANT TODDLER, BIRTH THROUGH TWO YEARS

§303.322 Evaluation and assessment.

(a) General.(1) Each system must include the performance of a timely, comprehensive,

multidisciplinary evaluation of each child, birth through age two, referred forevaluation, including assessment activities related to the child and the child's family.

(2) The lead agency shall be responsible for ensuring that the requirements ofthis section are implemented by all affected public agencies and service providersin the State.

(b) Definitions of evaluation and assessment. As used in this part(1) "Evaluation" means the procedures used by appropriate qualified personnel

to determine a child's initial and continuing eligibility under this part, consistentwith the definition of "infants and toddlers with disabilities" in §303.16, includingdetermining the status of the child in each of the developmental areas in paragraph(c)(3)(ii) of this section.

(2) "Assessment" means the ongoing procedures used by appropriate qualifiedpersonnel throughout the period of a child's eligibility under this part to identify

(i) The child's unique strengths and needs and the services appropriate to meetthose needs; and

(ii) The resources, priorities, and concerns of the family and the supports andservices necessary to enhance the family's capacity to meet the developmental needsof their infant or toddler with a disability.

(c) Evaluation and assessment of the child. The evaluation and assessment of eachchild must

(1) Be conducted by personnel trained to utilize appropriate methods andprocedures;

(2) Be based on informed clinical opinion; and(3) Include the following:(i) A review of pertinent records related to the child's current health status and

medical history.(ii) An evaluation of the child's level of functioning in each of the following

developmental areas:(A) Cognitive development.(B) Physical development, including vision and hearing.(C) Communication development.(D) Social or emotional development.(E) Adaptive development.(iii) An assessment of the unique needs of the child in terms of each of the

developmental areas in paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section, including theidentification of services appropriate to meet those needs.

(d) Family assessment.(1) Family assessments under this part must be family-directed and designed

to determine the resources, priorities, and concerns of the family related toenhancing the development of the child.

(2) Any assessment that is conducted must be voluntary on the part of thefamily.

(3) If an assessment of the family is carried out, the assessment must(i) Be conducted by personnel trained to utilize appropriate methods and

procedures;(ii) Be based on information provided by the family through a personal

interview; and(iii) Incorporate the family's description of its resources, priorities, and

concerns related to enhancing the child's development.

(e) Timelines.(1) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, the evaluation and

initial assessment of each child (including the family assessment) must be completedwithin the 45-day time period required in §303.321(e).

(2) The lead agency shall develop procedures to ensure that in the event ofexceptional circumstances that make it impossible to complete the evaluation andassessment within 45 days (e.g., if a child is ill), public agencies will

(i) Document those circumstances; and(ii) Develop and implement an interim IFSP, to the extent appropriate and

consistent with §303.345(bX1) and (b)(2). (Approved by the Office of Managementand Budget under control number 1820-0550)(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1476(b)(3); 1477(a)(1), (a)(2), (d)(1), and (d)(2))

Note: This section combines into one overall requirement the provisions onevaluation and assessment under the following sections of the Act: (1) section676(b)(3) (timely, comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation), and (2) section677(a)(1) and (2) (multidisciplinary and family-directed assessments).

The section also requires that the evaluation-assessment process be broad enough toobtain information required in the IFSP concerning (1) the family's resources,priorities, and concerns related to the development of the child (section 677(d)(2)),and (2) the child's functioning level in each of the five developmental areas (section677(d)(1)).

IDEA 34 CFR §300.530 OF PART BPRESCHOOL THREE THROUGH FIVE YEARS

Before any action is taken with respect to the initial placement of a childwith a disability in a program providing special education and related services,a full and individual evaluation of the child's educational needs must beconducted in accordance with the requirements of §300.532.(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(5)(C))

§300.532 Evaluation procedures.

State educational agencies and LEAs shall ensure, at a minimum, that:(a) Tests and other evaluation materials(1) Are provided and administered in the child's native language or other

mode of communication, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so;(2) Have been validated for the specific purpose for which they are used;

and(3) Are administered by trained personnel in conformance with the

instructions provided by their producer.(b) Tests and other evaluation materials include those tailored to assess

specific areas of educational need and not merely those that are designed toprovide a single general intelligence quotient.

(c) Tests are selected and administered so as best to ensure that when a testis administered to a child with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills, thetest results accurately reflect the child's aptitude or achievement level orwhatever other factors the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting thechild's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where those skillsare the factors that the test purports to measure).

(d) No single procedure is used as the sole criterion for determining anappropriate educational program for a child.

(e) The evaluation is made by a multidisciplinary team or group ofpersons, including at least one teacher or other specialist with knowledge in thearea of suspected disability.

(f) The child is assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability,including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status,general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motorabilities. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(5)(C))

Note: Children who have a speech or language impairment as their primarydisability may not need a complete battery of assessments (e.g., psychological,physical, or adaptive behavior). However, a qualified speech-languagepathologist would (1) evaluate each child with a speech or language impairmentusing procedures that are appropriate for the diagnosis and appraisal of speechand language impairments, and (2) if necessary, make referrals for additionalassessments needed to make an appropriate placement decision.

§300.533 Placement procedures.

(a) In interpreting evaluation data and in making placement decisions, eachpublic agency shall

(1) Draw upon information from a variety of sources, including aptitudeand achievement tests, teacher recommendations, physical condition, social orcultural background, and adaptive behavior;

(2) Ensure that information obtained from all of these sources isdocumented and carefully considered;

(3) Ensure that the placement decision is made by a group of persons,including persons knowledgeable about the child, the meaning of the evaluationdata, and the placement options; and

(4) Ensure that the placement decision is made in conformity with the LRErules in §§300.550-300.554.

(b) If a determination is made that a child has a disability and needs specialeducation and related services, an IEP must be developed for the child inaccordance with §§300.340-300.350.(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(5)(C); 1414(a)(5))

Note: Paragraph (a)(1) of this section includes a list of examples of sourcesthat may be used by a public agency in making placement decisions. Theagency would not have to use all the sources in every instance. The point ofthe requirement is to ensure that more than one source is used in interpretingevaluation data and in making placement decisions. For example, while all ofthe named sources would have to be used for a child whose suspected disabilityis mental retardation, they would not be necessary for certain other childrenwith disabilities, such as a child who has a severe articulation impairment as hisprimary disability. For such a child, the speech-language pathologist, incomplying with the multiple source requirement, might use (1) a standardizedtest of articulation, and (2) observation of the child's articulation behavior inconversational speech.

§300.534 Reevaluation.

Each SEA and LEA shall ensure(a) That the IEP of each child with a disability is reviewed in accordance

with §§300.340-300.350; and(b) That an evaluation of the child, based on procedures that meet the

requirements of §300.532, is conducted every threeyears, or more frequently if conditions warrant, or if the child's parent orteacher requests an evaluation.(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(5)(c))

A-7

2&'3}EST COPY MANIA3

For preschoolers ages three through fiveyears, the local school gathers informa-tion using the state assessment processfor determination of a disability (seeGuidelines: Assessment Process). Thisinformation, along further further assess-ment data, is used to identify furtherprogramming needs.

ASSESSMENT FORPROGRAM PLANNING

Assessment is defined as the ongoingprocedure used by appropriately quali-fied personnel throughout the period ofa child's eligibility to identify the child'sunique needs and the nature and extentof intervention services that are neededby the child and family. The outcome ofassessment activities is the identificationof special services needed by the childand family and the delineation of inter-vention objectives as specified in theIndividualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)for children birth through two years ofage, and the Individualized EducationProgram (IEP) for children who are threethrough five years of age. In the InfantDevelopment Services, as indicatedpreviously, the evaluation process willprecede the assessment process. How-ever, in Early Childhood Special Educa-tion Services, evaluation and assessmentare included in the same process.

TIMELINES

Part H and Part B of IDEA identify spe-cific, but different, timelines for the com-pletion of certain activities when a childis being evaluated and assessed. UnderPart H, a referral source has two workingdays to refer a child to the regional Hu-man Service Center. The evaluation,assessment, and the Individualized Fami-ly Service Plan (IFSP) must be complet-ed within 45 days of the referral to the

A-8

Human Services Center. This timeline isto protect children and their families fromundue delay that could be harmful andto make the process responsive to fami-lies. If an initial or interim IFSP is post-poned beyond the 45 days at the re-quest of the family, this should be docu-mented by the service coordinator and isacceptable under the law. However, apostponement due to a shortcoming onthe part of the service delivery system islegally unacceptable.

Part B states that a public agency has 30days from point of determination of adisability to hold a meeting to developthe written Individualized EducationProgram (IEP) for a child. Service mustbegin "as soon as possible" followingthe IEP meeting. Although federal regula-tions do not address the time span be-tween date of referral and completion ofthe evaluation, the North Dakota Depart-ment of Public Instruction recommendsthat the evaluation be completed within30 days from receipt of the referral. Inexceptional circumstances, such aswhen the child/family cannot be reached,the total assessment process may gobeyond the specified timeline. To justifythis extended timeline, public agenciesmust document the circumstances thatmake meeting the deadline impossible.Upon completion of the assessmentprocess and determination of a disability,an IEP is developed. At the conclusion ofthe IEP, a placement decision will bemade and the child may begin receivingspecial education services, if appropriate.If further assessment needs are identi-fied, additional information can be gath-ered and the results considered in revi-sion of the IEP as appropriate.

Table A2 summarizes the location, identi-fication, evaluation and assessmentprocess for young children.

TABLE A2. The Process ofLocation, Identification, Evaluation and Assessment

of Children, Birth Through Five,Who Are Eligible for Services

Activity Pu e Personnel Activities

Child Find To create awarenessof typical and atypicalchild developmentamong the generalpublic

State personnel,public healthprofessionals,volunteers, con"-munity members,early childhoodpersonnel, parents,caregivers

Census taking, post-ers, brochures,media publicity,referral to tracking

SelectiveScreening

To identify childrensuspected of havinga disability who mayneed further diag-nostic assessment

Professionals,parents, para-professionals

Administration ofscreening instru-ments, medical scr-eening/examinations, hearing and visiontesting, parent ques-tionnaires, andreview of records

Evaluationfor Eligibility

To determineexistence of delay ordisability,

Multidisciplinary teamof educators,psychologists,parents, clinicians,physicians, socialworkers, therapists,nurses, caregivers

Formal and informaltesting, parent inter-view, home orschool observation,team meetings

Assessmentfor ProgramPlanning

To determine/identifychild and familystrengths and needs,individual educa-tion/family servicesneeded interventionactivities, andawareness ofprogram setting op-tions.

Parents, teachers, as-sessment teampersonnel, otherprofessionals

Home and/orprogramobservation, informalassessment,development ofinterventionobjectives

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Adapted from Meisels and Provence (1989)

A-9 30

TEAM PROCESS

Both Part B and Part H require that eval-uation and assessment be multidisciplin-ary team efforts. The manner in whichteam members organize themselves toaccomplish the evaluation is most impor-tant. Best practice suggests that evalua-tion should be a collaborative team pro-cess. The individuals involved shouldcoordinate their efforts and function as ateam rather than as separate individuals.The family is an integral part of the team.

Multidisciplinary Model. According toIDEA, "multidisciplinary means the in-volvement of two or more disciplines orprofessions in the provision of integratedand coordinated services, includingevaluation and assessment activities."(IDEA, 34 CFR §303.17 of Part H). Varia-tions of this model of team functioningthat have been recommended for earlyintervention include both the interdisci-plinary and transdisciplinary model.

Interdisciplinary Model. Under the inter-disciplinary model the child is assessedindividually by members of several disci-plines. A meeting is then held so that theevaluation summary and recommenda-tions will reflect a team consensus.

Transdisciplinary Model. Under thetransdisciplinary model, the child is eval-uated simultaneously by multiple profes-sionals. A common sample of behavior isthe basis from which all members of theteam complete the evaluation. A teammeeting is held to formulate an integrat-ed report that represents the consensusof the team.

The transdisciplinary team approach is amodel that is highly recommended forevaluation and assessment of youngchildren. Further information on thisapproach can be found in the sectionconducting the Evaluation and in Appen-dix E.

Training for those who serve on evalua-tion/assessment teams for young chil-dren must include the skills necessaryfor coordinated, informed teamwork. Onesingle source of information and/or ex-pertise cannot provide a complete pic-ture of the young child's characteristics.It is essential that professionals developthe skills necessary to work along withthe family as members of a team.

31A-10

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT PLANNING PROCESS

The purpose of an evaluation/assess-ment plan is to identify questions that willassist in the determination of whether achild has a disability as well as to de-scribe the child's unique needs. Planningshould also incorporate the family'spriorities and concerns.

The evaluation/assessment plan cannotbe developed by one individual. Inputmust be obtained from persons who,because of their expertise or their rela-tionship or position in the child's life, canobserve, gather data, and evaluate allaspects of the child's functioning. Theplan will be developed by the evaluationteam that is composed of the family andprofessionals from each of the disci-plines from which information is neededabout the child's development and cur-rent level of functioning.

The steps involved in evaluation/assess-ment planning include:

obtaining all background informationto develop a child profile;

determining family goals and involve-ment for evaluation/assessment; and

formulating the evaluation/assessmentplan.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION/CHILD PROFILE

The team should begin the process bygathering all pertinent information al-ready known about the child by each ofits members. With this information, theteam will develop a profile of the child.Information can be gleaned from a vari-ety of sources including health records,

A-11

teacher reports, information from a cu-mulative file, and parent information. Inaddition, those factors that precipitatedthe referral should be noted as a signifi-cant part of the child's profile. Evidenceof abilities and strengths as well as pat-terns of weakness provide informationrelevant to a child's developmental pat-tern, but the same information raisesnew questions as well. Such informationreflects the child's learning characteris-tics and will provide direction for theevaluation plan. Early Childhood SpecialEducation Services will follow referenceguides put forth by the Department ofPublic Instruction (see Guidelines: As-sessment Process).

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

Family Involvement in the PlanningProcess. Family involvement assumes apartnership between the family and theprofessionals serving that family. For thepartnership to be successful there mustbe an understanding that each memberwill contribute to the final outcome in adifferent way, and each contribution willbe valued. Family involvement will differwith each family based on the family'sperception of their role, the knowledgelevel of the family regarding child devel-opment, and cultural factors. For exam-ple, many American Indian families preferto involve the grandparents and otherextended family members in the evalua-tion process.

Family involvement in the evaluationplanning process is very important. Theevaluation process itself, as well as thetest instruments and procedures select-ed, should be based on input from thefamily. Families should be invited to

contribute information to the planningprocess in the following areas:

questions or concerns family mem-bers have about the child's develop-ment;

preferred times and locations for theevaluation (i.e., times when the childwill be most alert and locations wherethe child will be most comfortable);

special toys or materials which mighthelp in comforting or motivating thechild; and

the manner in which the family mem-bers would like to be involved (i.e.,participating in the evaluation by hold-ing the child; providing information tothe team about the child's behavior,etc.).

When the evaluation procedures andinstruments have been identified, thefamily should be fully informed about theinstruments that will be used and theprocedures to be followed. The familycan greatly facilitate the evaluation bymaking sure the child is comfortable andby providing the team with information.To assist in the evaluation process,however, the family must be informedabout what to expect during the evalua-tion. Options should be presented givingthe family suggestions on how theymight become involved. Families shouldthen be allowed to determine the extentof their involvement in the evaluationprocess. Some families may opt for afamily-directed process in which theyhave a leadership role, whereas othersmay prefer a collaborative process withshared decision-making.

Assessment of Family Concerns, Re-sources and Priorities. Under Part H,the family will be involved in an assess-ment to identify the resources, priorities,and concerns of the family that relate toenhancing the development of the child.This assessment must be voluntary onthe part of the family and must be direct-ed by the family. Personnel involvedshould be trained to conduct the assess-ment through a family interview process.

It is suggested that family members beinvited to share their concerns about thechild's development during the evalua-tion process to determine eligibility. Moreindepth information on family prioritiesfor intervention and resources related toenhancing the child's development maybe obtained during the assessmentprocess as information is gathered toplan intervention.

FORMULATION OF AN EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT PLAN

The evaluation process is utilized togather and synthesize information for avariety of purposes. Although in the pasta disproportionate emphasis was placedon evaluation for program eligibility pur-poses, the focus appears to be shiftingto include a more comprehensive modelof assessment. Areas that should receiveequal emphasis include evaluating pro-gram implementation variables such ashow the child learns best, what is rein-forcing to the child, and whether thechild maintains and generalizes skills.Ecological variables include family sup-port needs and community environmentsto include as settings for service. Instruc-tionally relevant information that shouldbe determined through the evaluationprocess consists of problem solvingstrategies the child has learned to utilize,psychological processing strengths and

A-12

33

discrepancies, responsiveness to instruc-tional styles and materials, and the chil-d's learning curve. Other topical areasmight consist of curriculum referencedassessment across domains, effective-ness of prior interventions, responsive-ness to intervention techniques andformats, efficacy data collection, and pro-gram evaluation.

Considering the potential comprehen-siveness or scope of an evaluation pro-cess, it is important to articulate clearpurposes for individual evaluations.When evaluation/assessment is to deter-mine whether the child has a disability,one of the purposes must be to obtainrelevant child data for this decision.Actual benefits of child evaluation, how-ever, are much broader. Even thosechildren who are determined not to havea disability will benefit from the processsince information obtained may lead toother services that might be provided.

In the evaluation planning process, ques-tions regarding the child's developmentwill be formulated. Questions shouldrelate to the suspected disability, thechild's style of learning and the learningenvironment. It is also important to focusquestions on the areas of health, social-cultural background, sensory functioning,and emotional development to assurenon-biased assessments. The morespecific the questions are, the greaterthe likelihood that assessment proce-dures will be selected that will providedevelopmentally and educationally rele-vant data. Based upon the questionsasked, the team constructs a plan forgathering relevant information and out-lines specific procedures to be followedin gathering the information. The list ofquestions that have been formulated andstill need to be answered will also deter-mine who will gather the data, and whe-

ther additional persons need to be add-ed to the evaluation team.

The content of the evaluation plan will bedetermined by the kind of data alreadyavailable and the information that stillneeds to be gathered. The assessmentplan will vary from child to child. In addi-tion, the range of concerns reported, thecomplexity of those concerns, and theage of the child will determine the typeand amount of evaluation required. Ifduring the evaluation process the teamdetermines that information in any areais incomplete, a plan to gather the miss-ing information should be outlined andcarried out as part of the assessmentprocess. Skillful and careful observationsare required to recognize clues in thechild's performance signaling that not allof the pertinent information is known.

For children ages three through five, theteam's plan must be documented. Awritten plan will become a working docu-ment for each team member and willserve as a reference for accountabilitypurposes. The Guidelines: AssessmentProcess document prepared by DPIshould be followed by preschool teams.

The evaluation planning process willculminate in a written document thatspecifies instruments and procedures tobe used, family members, caregivers andprofessionals to be involved, toys orother materials to be used, and the loca-tion and times for conducting the evalua-tion. It's important to remember thatevaluation and assessment planning isan ongoing process because new ques-tions may arise during evaluation whichcall for additional procedures.

In deciding on the instruments and pro-cedures to be used, the team will reviewthe background information available on

A-13

34

the child and consider the questions andconcerns identified by the family and theprofessionals on the team. Specific in-struments and procedures will be individ-ually selected to determine whether thechild has a disability and to answer thequestions that have been identified.

There are at least three other aspects ofevaluation which should also be consid-ered at this time:

evaluation and assessment proce-dures must be nondiscriminatory;

instruments and procedures usedshould be reliable and valid; and

evaluation procedures should be cul-turally appropriate.

Each of these aspects will be discussedbelow.

Nondiscriminatory Procedures. Eachstate agency is required to adopt nondis-criminatory evaluation and assessmentprocedures for children birth through fiveyears of age.

The law requires that tests and otherevaluation materials:

be provided and administered in thechild's native language or other modeof communication;

be validated for the specific purposefor which they are used;

be administered by trained personnelin conformance with the instructionsprovided by the producer of the mate-rials;

include instruments tailored to assessspecific areas of educational needs,

A-14

and not merely those that are de-signed to provide a single generalintelligence quotient; and

be selected and administered to bestensure that when a test is adminis-tered to a child with impaired sensory,manual, or speaking skills, the testresults accurately reflect the child'saptitude or achievement level, or what-ever other factors the test purports tomeasure, rather than simply reflectingthe child's disability (except, ofcourse, in cases in which the effectsof the disability are the specific factorsthat are being measured).

No single procedure may be used as thesole criterion for determining an appro-priate educational program for a child,and the evaluation must be done by amultidisciplinary team that includes atleast one specialist with knowledge inthe area of suspected disability. Addition-al information is contained in Appendix Aand B.

Reliability/Validity. Standardized andcriteria-referenced or curriculum-refer-enced tests should have been developedby test publishers through a process ofdevelopment, field-testing, and refine-ment. Unfortunately, some instrumentsare published and advertised which havenot been adequately field-tested. There-fore, the professional must be skilled injudging the quality of instruments andknowledgeable about the characteristicsof the instruments used.

Tests are typically evaluated accordingto reliability and validity. (Refer to Appen-dix D for information on reliability andvalidity.) A test is reliable if it consistent-ly yields the same or similar results. Atest is valid if it actually measures what itpurports to measure.

3;3

Culturally Sensitive Evaluation. RichardN. Roberts in the Workbook for Develop-ing Culturally Competent Programs forFamilies of Children With Special Needs(1990), views cultural competence as "aprogram's ability to honor and respectthose beliefs, interpersonal styles, atti-tudes, and behaviors both of familieswho are clients and the multicultural staffwho are providing services" (page 1).This well-rounded definition takes intoaccount influences of both the family andthe service provider and will be usedthroughout the following discussionfocusing on evaluation and assessmentas a process that is culturally sensitive.

The influence of the culture on familyfunctioning and child rearing practices isnot easily separated from the impact ofa disability on a child and family mem-bers. Family members often can bestidentify how a child functions in a varietyof natural settings and can describe theimpact of the child's disability on skillacquisition and general growth anddevelopment. Eliciting this informationoften becomes pivotal in facilitating thegathering of comprehensive informationabout the child. This becomes morecomplex when the family is of anotherculture.

The evaluation and assessment process,therefore, must acknowledge and recog-nize the critical roles of the family andtheir cultural and linguistic background.Cultural variables to be acknowledgedinclude:

language and communication in thehome, such as who speaks what lan-guage, when, and for what purpose;

child rearing practices of the family;

A-15

how family is defined within a particu-lar culture; and

cultural beliefs regarding what is con-sidered healthy and what is consid-ered a disability.

The cultural effects on a child's learningstyle, values, and self-concept must alsobe taken into account.

Children with multicultural backgroundsoften appear to be acculturated to thedominant culture. However, they mayhave multiple cultural biases that aremasked by the influences of the domi-nant culture. It is important to under-stand how closely the family is adheringto and is influenced by a traditionalculture. Even when the child showsadequate use and understanding of thedominant culture, one must consider theamount of experience and practice thechild/family has had with the dominantculture in relation to their traditional cul-ture.

Standardized assessment tools are notnormed to accommodate diverse culturalpopulations. Use of such instruments isextremely limited and fails to reflectaccurate developmental information forthose from diverse backgrounds. Modifi-cations of standardized tools negates theforming value of the tools, making themsituation specific. Information gatheredfrom formalized tests, to be valuable,must be reinforced and augmented byother information gathering methods.

For diverse populations, evaluation andassessment cannot be defined merely asgathering standardized information thatcan be used to project future growth anddevelopment. To most adequately identi-fy the special needs of a child and his /-her family, the process must be unique

3E

to the situation. Within this context, theassessment approach becomes an indi-vidualized, comprehensive view of thechild's environment, rather than being anexercise in formal testing. This approachto evaluation and assessment, becauseof its individualized nature, will promotethe use of developmentally appropriatepractices throughout the process.

When a myriad of family and culturalfactors are evident, evaluation/ -assessment planning is imperative andvital in making the process culturallysensitive. Planning activities include athorough analysis of background infor-mation, observations in the natural set-ting, interactions with culturally signifi-cant others to determine what adapta-tions and modifications will provide accu-rate information regarding other possibleculturally relevant factors that may affectthe assessment of the child and family.

Accurate information for the previouslymentioned areas may be gathered inone or more of the following ways:

talking directly to individuals of a par-ticular culture;

reviewing written material pertaining tocertain cultures;

observing family interactions and ac-tivities; and

participating in other cultural activities.

Professionals need to accept that theirunderstanding of culture is influenced bytheir own basic core beliefs and values.Every individual is rooted in a culturethat sets core beliefs and values andserves as the primary influencer of atti-tudes toward other cultures. To effective-ly work with other cultures, not only must

one neutralize one's own biases, butgather actual information about othercultures, discarding stereotypes andbiased beliefs.

To establish credibility within the minorityculture, the professional must becomeculturally competent, accept parents asequal team members and advocates fortheir child, and show a strong belief in atruly integrated society with equal oppor-tunity for all. One must show a genuinesensitivity to and appreciation for theuniqueness of each child, the child'sfamily and their needs. In doing so,communication between the cultures isenhanced and respect from the minorityculture attained.

On an individual basis, professionals willneed to evaluate their own level of cultur-al competence. To do so, the followingquestions must be critically pondered.

To what extent do I accept and valuediversity of beliefs, behavior, and val-ues?

Do I have the capacity for cultural self-assessment?

To what degree am I aware of thedynamics that occur when culturesinteract?

How much cultural knowledge have Igained or do I have for the minoritycultures with which I interact?

What adaptations have I developed toaccommodate diversity when workingwith young children and their families?

The answers to these questions will giveinsight into how impartial and unbiasedone's system is for working with othersfrom diverse backgrounds.

There may be times when, due to cir-cumstances or limited cultural compe-tence, it may be beneficial to use culturalmediators or interpreters. Often they arebetter able to make language adapta-tions during communication efforts, andthey may be able to gain a sense of theproficiency the child holds for both lan-guages to which he/she may be ex-posed. Interpreters or cultural mediatorsare often viewed as neutral by the family,gain the family's trust quickly, and estab-lish a good working relationship with thefamily.

Appendix A of this guidebook is a factsheet entitled "Strategies for Profession-als Working with Families from VariousCultural and/or Linguistic Groups." Theten strategies discussed will assist pro-fessionals in working effectively withchildren and families of other cultures.

Appendix B of this guidebook is a factsheet entitled "Questions for Profession-als to Ask When Conducting a CulturallySensitive Screening and Assessment."The ten questions will assist profession-als in making the screening and assess-ment process culturally sensitive.

CONDUCTING THE EVALUATION

The best way to undemtand thedevek) at of children 1$ to

rye their behavior in naturalsettings while they are interact-ing with familiar adults over aprolonged period of time" iaronfen ner, 1977)..

The above statement should serve as aguide for conducting evaluation andassessment procedures with infants,toddlers and preschoolers. Althoughstandardized instruments may need tobe used, the child's involvement shouldbe as natural and nonthreatening aspossible. Procedures that can facilitatethis process are the arena evaluation,play-based evaluation, and using parentsand caregivers as a source of informa-tion.

ARENA EVALUATION

Arena evaluation is the simultaneousevaluation of the child by multiple pro-fessionals of differing disciplines (Foley,1990). This procedure is representativeof a transdisciplinary model of teamfunctioning. An example is when a physi-cal therapist, an occupational therapist,an educator, and a speech therapist allevaluate the child simultaneously. In-stead of each professional working withthe child separately, the team of profes-sionals works together with the childobserving a common sample of behaviorand immediately sharing expertise andinformation. The rationale for arena eval-uation is based on the relative difficultyof separating physical, cognitive andsensory domains of development in theyoung child. The advantages of this

BEST COPY AVAILABLEA-18

approach extend to everyone involved -child, family and professionals. Since allprofessionals are working together, theamount of actual time spent in evaluationby the child and family is reduced. Fami-ly members can provide informationonce rather than possibly having toprovide the same answers to each pro-fessional in turn. Professionals have theadvantage of immediate access to theskills and knowledge of their teammates.In addition, consensus building is facili-tated since a common sampling of be-havior has been the basis of evaluationfor all team members. Further informa-tion on arena evaluation is included inAppendix E.

PLAY-BASED EVALUATION

Procedures have also been identified forevaluation procedures based on obser-vation of the child in more informal, play-based situations. Toni Linder has devel-oped a system for evaluating child func-tioning across developmental domains inan arena format which involves the childin informally structured activities. TheTransdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment(TPBA) method (Linder, 1990) relies onclinical observation and interpretation ofthese observations by the team of pro-fessionals to determine eligibility and toguide the development of the IFSP orIEP. The TPBA provides useful guide-lines for the clinical observation of childbehavior and may be used in addition toother instruments.

PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS AS ASOURCE OF INFORMATION

In recent years, there has been in-creased interest in involving family mem-

bers and caregivers in the evaluationand assessment process. The impor-tance of involving families in decision-making is emphasized in the most recentlegislation - P.L. 99-457 and P.L. 102-119. Professionals also realize the impor-tance of gaining information from thefamily about the child's behavior in avariety of situations.

A-19

Information from family members andcaregivers can be obtained by interviewsor by asking parents or caregivers tocomplete standardized measures, ratingscales, or checklists. Many pre-screeninginstruments, such as the Infant Monitor-ing Questionnaire (IMQ) (Bricker, 1987),are completed by parents. The recentlypublished Ages and Stages (Bricker,1995), which is used for program plan-ning, includes a scale called The FamilyReport which is completed by families.

4 5

WRITING THE REPORT

Upon the completion of the evaluation/assessment process, the team will jointlydevelop a written integrated summary.The purpose of the written report maydiffer between infant development andearly childhood special education pro-grams; however, a thorough and com-plete written integrated report is neces-sary to ensure an appropriate interpreta-tion of the assessment information.

The written integrated summary shouldbe written in terms families can under-stand. If educational or medical termsmust be used, definitions should begiven. The summary should include:

identifying information;

reason for referral and referral source;

medical and developmental history;

evaluation/assessment procedures;

interpretation of evaluation/assess-ment results; and

conclusions including statement ofdisability and need for specializedinstruction.

INFANT DEVELOPMENT REPORT

At the conclusion of an assessment ofinfants and toddlers with disabilities, anevaluation report will be written andforwarded to the Regional Human Ser-vice Center Eligibility DeterminationTeam. This team determines eligibility forDevelopmental Disabilities Case Manage-ment System Services which may in-clude Infant Development Services if theparent chooses. In the written report the

A-20

evaluation team will make a recommen-dation regarding services in the infantdevelopment program. It is necessary forthe report to include a rationale for thisrecommendation based on both qualita-tive and quantitative information derivedfrom the evaluation. Information regard-ing a physical or mental diagnosis and apercentage of delay in any of the fivedevelopmental domains (cognition; re-ceptive and expressive communication;gross and fine motor, physical; social-emotional; or adaptive)) must be includ-ed in this report.

Other issues that may not be directlyrelated to eligibility determination mayalso be addressed in the evaluationprocess. For instance, information thatwould be helpful in planning the inter-vention program should be included.Furthermore, questions about the child'sfunctioning that may have been identifiedduring evaluation and require furtherassessment should also be included.

The evaluation report should be theresult of team discussion. Informationfrom tests, observations and interviewsshould be synthesized to present a com-prehensive picture of the child's needs.

The term "informed clinical opinion" ispart of the regulatory requirements ofeligibility determination under Part H. Theuse of informed clinical opinion refers tothe process of making a clinical judg-ment in those cases where test scoresdo not provide a comprehensive pictureof a child's development. It is used as asafeguard against eligibility that is deter-mined solely on test scores or isolatedinformation. Informed clinical opinion isused by the evaluation team to make a

recommendation relative to eligibility forservices. It makes use of qualitative andquantitative information in forming adetermination regarding difficult-to-mea-sure aspects of current developmentalstatus and the potential need for earlyintervention. The training and previousexperience of the evaluation team, in-cluding the parents, form the basis forassuring an informed clinical opinion inthe evaluation process. According to theNational Early Childhood Technical As-sistance System, cited in Biro, Daultonand Szanton (1991), this opportunity tointegrate observations, impressions, andevaluation findings of the team facilitatesa "whole child" approach to evaluationand assessment that goes beyond areporting of test scores. In this way, thefunctional impact and the implications ofnoted delays or differences in develop-ment can be discussed and consideredby the team in determining eligibility anddeveloping the intervention plan.

Adjusting for Prematurity. When InfantDevelopment Program staff are evaluat-ing an infant who was born prematurely,the child's chronological age is adjustedto reflect the expected date of birth rath-er than the actual date. This adjustmentis made if the infant is born more thanfour weeks prematurely and continues tobe made until the chronological age oftwelve to eighteen months (based onactual date of birth).

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIALEDUCATION INTEGRATED WRITTEN

ASSESSMENT REPORT

The team will write a report that inte-grates findings from all sources. Thereport will verify agreement that all cur-rent data have been gathered to makedisability determination decisions. Theintegration of all assessment data en-

A-21

sures that attention has been given toobservations and other informationshared by each team member. In addi-tion, the integration process protects thechild from being labeled inappropriately.Decision-making by one person or onthe basis of one procedure or situationincreases the chance of inappropriatelabeling and is prohibited by regulations.The report needs to be written in a man-ner that is understandable to parentsand other professionals; a reiteration oftest scores is not meaningful to parentsand others.

Each of the areas listed below should beconsidered during the team's analysis ofthe assessment findings and is dis-cussed further in the pages that follow:

determination of disability;

input from all assessment team mem-bers that reflects all areas of thechild's functioning;

observational information relating tochild's learning;

impact of disability on education;

nondiscriminatory procedures;

relationship between the assessmentsummary and strategies for individualprogram development;

attention to immediate needs;

signatures of all team members/agreement; and,

statement of disagreement (if applica-ble).

4 2

Determination of Disability. At the con-clusion of the meeting to review theassessment results, the team will deter-mine whether the unique educationalneeds of the child are due to a disabilityas defined by IDEA or Section 504 of theVocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973.The report must include a statement asto whether the child has a disability andwhat that disability is as defined in IDEAor Section 504. The categories used inNorth Dakota are: specific learning dis-ability, hearing impairment, deafness,visual impairment including blindness,deaf-blindness, mental retardation, seri-ous emotional disturbance, orthopedicimpairment, other health impairment,traumatic brain injury, autism, andspeech or language impairment. If thechild is not eligible under IDEA, theassessment report will determine if thechild is considered "handicapped" underSection 504 of the Vocational Rehabil-itation Act of 1973. This assures theprovision of parental rights, proceduralsafeguards, and an individual accommo-dation plan, which are afforded underSection 504.

Section 504 applies to pre-schoolers when:

t are enrolled in a HeadStart programthey are in a kindergartenprogramthe publio school sponsors aprogram for all 3, itt or a yearolds.

For children not requiring special educa-tion or services under Section 504 butfor whom the existing regular educationcurriculum has not fostered successful

A-22

learning, the school will need to plan forsatisfactory changes in the regular edu-cational program.

The written findings need to reflect therelationship of observational informationto the child's learning/functioning. Atleast one professional other than thechild's regular teacher shall observe thechild's performance in the preschoolsetting or in an environment appropriateand familiar to the child, such as home.A summary report based on team analy-sis ensures that observations are notonly recorded and shared but that atten-tion is given to the effect these observa-tions have on the child's ability to pro-cess information, express an idea, orperform a skill. Since observational datamay either support or conflict with con-clusions based on other assessmentprocedures, the inclusion of such data iscritical.

An integrated written report enables allassessment team members, includingthe parents, to know whether the obser-vation and other assessment informationthat they shared was considered. Achild's unique patterns of functioning,particularly for children whose problemsare complex, will emerge only after theteam's joint analysis of all input ratherthan individuals drawing conclusions inisolation.

The conclusions drawn by the team arederived from the assessment data andrecorded in the written report. Input fromall assessment team members and allparameters of functioning must be con-sidered. If some interfering factors aredue to disabilities in addition to the pri-mary disability, the written report ensuresthat such secondary disabilities are iden-tified and addressed.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Assessment findings from evaluatorsoutside the school district or specialeducation unit should be given equalconsideration. Their findings should bediscussed by the team in conjunctionwith all other findings and integrated intothe written report. All information gath-ered during the assessment process isimportant, whether conducted by schoolpersonnel or outside evaluators.

Evaluation data generated by InfantDevelopment Programs should be uti-lized. The transition process (see sectionon transition) addresses the roles ofmultiple agencies during the evaluationprocess or the transition from InfantDevelopment to public school preschoolprograms.

Nondiscriminatory Procedures. Carefulconsideration should be given to nondis-criminatory assessment procedures toassure that the child is not identified ashaving a disability when the child's edu-cational concerns are primarily related tocultural, environmental, sensory, or eco-nomic issues. These considerations mustbe included in the written report so thatthey can be considered when makingdecisions regarding the determination ofdisability.

Information for Program Development.The integrated written assessment reportshould serve as a resource document forall planning teams. Recommendationsregarding instructional needs may beincluded in the report as further explana-tion of the child's performance withinareas of strength or need. Such recom-mendations may be implemented regard-less of whether there is an identifieddisability.

The report will not establish whetherspecial education or related services are

required or who is responsible for anyresulting services; it will only determinewhether the child has a disability and if itis appropriate to develop an IEP. It isimportant to remember that when a childhas been determined to have a disability,the IEP process (rather than the assess-ment process) determines whether thechild in is need of special education andrelated services. When the assessmentfindings have been adequately analyzedby the assessment team and the signifi-cant information summarized in thereport, the IEP team will be able to drawdirectly from the report in preparing thepresent level of functioning statementsfor the IEP.

It is important to provide immediateattention to areas in need of modifica-tions or adaptations that may not berelevant to eligibility or placement deci-sions. Examples of such situations aregiven below.

Medical and other health-related prob-lems as well as environmental circum-stances that are physically threateningor otherwise affect a child's physicalwell-being need to be addressed. Re-sponse to such needs often requiresa referral to specialists or other agen-cies.

Classroom situations that impair learn-ing or achievement and require atten-tion regardless of placement can beaddressed immediately. For instance,if a hearing impairment is reportedand preferential seating is necessary,a change in seating arrangementshould not be delayed until the devel-opment of the IEP. Any immediatechanges implemented at this time willbenefit the child and be advantageousto the assessment and program plan-ning process.

The assessment report should indicateneeds that are specifically setting-related. Examples include: physicalaccessibility; distractions (e.g., audito-ry, visual, spatial) that interfere withfunctioning; teacher style; classroomclimate; number of personnel withwhom the child will be expected torelate; and number and age of chil-dren in classroom. When assessmentshows that setting-related factorsmake a critical difference, the observa-tions should be noted in the report.

The sharing and analysis of the assess-ment data occur separate from andpreceding the IEP meeting. However,procedures in local schools may be suchthat many of the same persons functionon the multidisciplinary team for bothassessment and IEP development. If so,the sharing and analysis of assessmentinformation may precede IEP develop-ment during the same meeting.

Consensus Statement. The team needsto gain consensus on how all findings,including those from evaluators outsidethe district or special education unit,relate to the questions asked during theassessment planning process as well asif there is a significant impact on thechild's learning. The procedures requirethat team members sign the report toverify that the report reflects their conclu-sions. If a team member disagrees withthe report, that team member must at-tach a dissenting statement to that effect.

DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION

Immediate feedback should be given tothe family following an evaluation orassessment, if possible. A face-to-faceconference at a later time would be analternative as would a telephone confer-ence. A last choice would be a letter tothe family reporting results. The first twoalternatives allow questions to be an-swered and misconceptions to be re-solved. Every effort should be made torespond to the family's questions withhonesty and conciseness and withoutthe use of educational or medical jargon.The child's family should be made awareof the factors that form the basis formaking a recommendation.

Personally identifiable information con-cerning a child, the child's parent, orother family members is confidential.Program staff must receive parentalconsent before sharing information aboutthe family and the child with other agen-cies or professionals in private practiceunless authorized to do so under theFamily Educational Rights and PrivacyAct.

REFERENCES

Biro, P., Daulton, D., & Szanton, E. (1991).Informed clinical opinion. Nectas Notes,4, 1-4.

Bricker, D.(1993). AEPS measurement forbirth to three years. Baltimore: Paul H.Brookes Publishing Company.

Bricker, D. (1987). Infant monitoring ques-tionnaire for at risk infants 4 to 36months. Eugene, OR:University of Oregon Center on Human

Development.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward anexperimental ecology of human devel-opment. American Psychologist, 32,513-531.

Foley, G. M. (1990). Portrait of the arenaevaluation: Assessment in the trans-disciplinary approach. In E. Gibbst & D.Teti (Eds.), Interdisciplinary assessmentof infants: A guide for early interventionprofessionals. Baltimore: Paul H. Broo-kes.

Linder, T. (1990). Transdisciplinary play-based assessment. Baltimore: Paul H.Brookes.

Meisels, S., & Provence, S. (1989). Screen-ing and assessment: Guidelines foridentifying young disabled and develop-mentally vulnerable children and theirfamilies. Washington, DC: NationalCenter for Clinical Infant Program.

APPENDICES

4

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX A-A. Strategies for Professionals Working withFamilies from Various Cultural and/or Linguistic Groups

APPENDIX A-B. Questions for Professionals to Ask WhenConducting a Culturally Sensitive Screening and Assess-ment

APPENDIX A-C. Selected Evaluation and AssessmentInstruments for Early Intervention

APPENDIX A-D. Types of Test Reliability and Validity

APPENDIX A-E. Arena Evaluation

APPENDIX A-A

Strategies for Professionals Working with Families fromVarious Cultural and/or Linguistic Groups

1. Individualize the screening and assessment process for parents as well as forchildren. Children and other family members may be at various levels of accultura-tion and may require similar or varying degrees of modifications, adaptations, orsupport, such as language interpretation.

2. Do a self-assessment of your own cultural background, experiences, values, andbiases. Examine how these factors may impact your interactions with people fromother cultural groups.

3. Begin the screening and assessment process with the parents - their concern,reasons for coming to you, and expectations of what you can provide.

4. Take time to establish the trust needed to fully involve the family in the screeningand assessment process.

5. Use bilingual and bicultural staff, or mediators and translators whenever needed.Try to maintain a consistency of providers to allow the family to establish anongoing communication.

6. Allow for flexibility of the process and procedures. Meet with parents at their jobsite, or call them when they return home from their job, if necessary. Modify testitems to ensure cultural relevancy.

7. Conduct observations and other procedures in environments familiar to the child.These may be at the home of his/her grandmother, outdoors, or at the parents'work site.

8. Provide assistance and be flexible in establishing meetings with parents. This mightinclude providing for childcare of the siblings, transportation to a meeting site, ormeeting the family in their home.

9. Participate in staff training on cultural competence skills in screening andassessment. Strive to achieve standards for professional cultural competence.

10. Conduct ongoing discussions with practitioners, parents, policymakers, andmembers of the cultural communities you serve.

APPENDIX A-B

Questions for Professionals to Ask When Conducting a Culturally SensitiveScreening and Assessment

1. With what cultural group was this screening or assessment tool normed? Is it thesame culture as that of the child I am serving?

2. Have I examined this screening and assessment tool for cultural biases? Has it been

reviewed by members of the cultural group being served?

3. If I have modified or adapted a standardized screening or assessment tool, have Ireceived input on the changes to be certain is it culturally appropriate? If using astandardized tool or one to which I have made changes, have I carefully scored andinterpreted the results in consideration of cultural or linguistic variation? Wheninterpreting and reporting screening and assessment results, have I clearly referencedthat the instrument was modified and how?

4. Have representatives from the cultural community met to create guidelines for culturallycompetent screening and assessment for children from that group? Has informationabout child-rearing practices and typical child development for children from thatcommunity been gathered and recorded for use by those serving the families?

5. What do I know about the child-rearing practices of this cultural group? How do thesepractices impact child development?

6. Am I aware of my own values and biases regarding child-rearing practices and thekind of information gathered in the screening and assessment process? Can I utilizenondiscriminatory and culturally competent skills and practices in my work withchildren and families?

7. Do I utilize parents and other family members in gathering information for thescreening and assessment? Am I aware of the people with whom the child spendstime, and the level of acculturation of these individuals?

8. Do I know where or how to find specific cultural or linguistic information that may beneeded for me to be culturally competent in the screening and assessment process?

9. Do I have bilingual or bicultural skills, or do I have access to another person who canprovide direct service or consultation? Do I know what skills are required of a qualityinterpreter or mediator?

10. Have I participated in training sessions on cultural competence in screening andassessment? Am I continuing to develop my knowledge base through additionalformal training and by spending time with community members to learn the culturalattributes specific to the community and families I serve? Is there a network of peerand supervisory practitioners that is addressing these issues, and can I become aparticipating member?

APPENDIX A-C

SELECTED EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTSFOR EARLY INTERVENTION

Developmental Screening

Amassment11144111tOrtt

DonminstCoMPOtteat

Age DesedstisaI

Pubfl8her

BattelleDevelopmentalInventory ScreeningTest

Personal-socialAdaptiveMotorCommunicationCognitive

birth - 8 years Nationally standard-ized screening test;abbreviated version offull scale

Riverside Publishing Co.8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Denver Developmen-tel Screening Test -Revised (DDST)

Gross motorFine motorPersonal-socialLanguage

1 month - 6 years Screening instrumentthat assesses 4 areas(including a pre-screening form)

DDM, Inc.PO Box 20037Denver, CO 80220

Minnesota PreschoolInventory

Developmental ScalesAdjustment Scales

2 - 6 years Screening instrumentprofiles current func-tioning levels

Behavior SciencePO Box 1108Minneapolis,MN 55440

Developmental Incli-cators for the Assess-ment of Learning -Revised (DIAL-R)

Gross motorFine motorConceptsCommunication

2 1/2 - 5 1/2 years Standardized; identi-fies potential learningproblems

Mirdell-Czudnowski &GoldenbergChildcraft EducationCorp.Edison, NJ 08818

Comprehensive !den-tification Process(CIP)

Cognitive-verbalMotorLanguageSensorySocialMedical history

2 1/2 - 5 1/2 years Standardized; identi-fies potential learningproblems in childrenin need of specialservices

Scholastic TestingServices480 Mayer RoadBensonville, IL 60106

Developmental Activi-ties Screening Inven-tory, II (DASI)

Fine motorInitiative behaviorIdentificationClassificationMatchingNumber conceptsResponse to com-mands

6 months - 5 years Assesses sensorymotor behavioracross 55uncategorized devel-opmental tasks

Testing Resources Corp.50 Pond Park Rd.Illingham, MS 02025

Developmental ProfileII

PhysicalSelf-helpSocialAcademicCommunication

birth - 12 years Estimates currentlevel of performancein 5 areas

Psychological Develop-ment7150 Lakeside Dr.Indianapolis, IN46278

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

APPENDIX A-C (continued)

Standardized Developmental and Intellectual Assessments

Assessment Instrument

_..._ ...._Domains Age Description Publisher

Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scales ofIntelligence (WPPSI)

Verbal SkillsPerformance Skills

4 years - 6 1/2years

Yields verbal,performance andfull scale deviationIQ's

PsychologicalCorporation757 Third Ave.New York, NY 10017

Stanford-BinetIntelligence Scale

Vocabulary, Compre-hension Absurdities,Quantitative, PatternAnalysis, Copying,Bead Memory,Memory for Sentences

2 - 18 years Yields mental ageand IQ useful forpredictingacademic achieve-ment

Riverside Publishing Co.1919 S Highland Ave.Lombard, IL 60148

Kaufman AssessmentBattery for Children (K-ABC)

Sequential processingSimultaneous process-ingMental processingAchievement

2 1/2 - 12 years Yields scores in fiveareas; norm-refer-enced/standardized;Sensitive to minori-ties;Assesses 5 areas

American GuidanceSvcs., Inc.Publishers Bldg.Circle Pines, MN 55014

Leiter InternationalPerformance Scale andthe Arthur Adaption

GeneralizationDiscriminationAnalogiesSequencingPattern Completion

2 - 18 years Yields mental ageand IQ;Measuresintelligence throughnonverbal, blockpattern-matchingresponse;Assesses 5 areas

Western PsychologicalServices12031 Wilshire Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90025

McCarthy Scales ofChildren's Abilities

VerbalPerceptual-performanceQuantitativeMotor memory

2 1/2 - 8 years Yields mental age,standard score,and percentile;.Determines generalintellectual levels,strengths, andweaknesses;Norm-referenced/standardized

PsychologicalCorporation757 Third Blvd.New York, NY 10017

Battelle DevelopmentalInventory

Personal-socialAdaptiveMotorCommunicationCognitive

birth - 8 years Nationally standard-ized; Yields ageequivalent scoresstandard scores;Determines relativedevelopmentalstrengths andweaknesses;Assesses 5 areas;Spanish versionavailable

Riverside PublishingCompany8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Griffiths Mental De-velopmental Scales

LocomotorPersonal-socialLearning & SpeechEye & hand perform-ancePractical reasoning

birth - 2 years2 - 8 years

Offers an infant anda preschool scale;Standard scores indevelopmentalareas and a totalscore

High WycombEngland

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

J4"

APPENDIX A-C (continued)

Behavioral/Social Emotional

A**Imiginenttfistrunumt

Moak* Age Ces Origlosi

....

PO Bihar

Vineland AdaptiveBehavior Scales,

Self-helpSelf-directionOccupationCommunicationLocomotionSocialization

birth - adult Assesses progresstoward social-maturi-ty, competence orindependence;Interview formatYields social age,social quotient;Assesses 6 areas

American Guidance Svcs., Inc.Publishers BldgCircle Pines, MN 55014

Burk's BehaviorRating Scale

18 categories of be-havior

birth - 6 years Identifies behaviorproblems andpatterns of problemsshown by children;Standardized;Assesses 18categories ofbehavior

Western PsychologicalServices12031 Wilshire BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90025

Topeka Associationfor RetardedCitizensAssessmentInstrument for Se-verely HandicappedChildren (TARC)

Self-helpMotorCommunicationSocial

3 - 16 years Measures adaptivebehavior;Appropriate for themore severely dis-abled;Assesses 4 areas

II & II EnterprisesBox 3342Lawrence, KS 66044

AAMD Adaptive Be-havior Scale

13 categories of be-havior

birth - adult Measures adaptivebehaviors;Assesses 13 areasof behavior

Edmark CorpPO Box 3903Dellevue, WA 98009-3503

Balthazer Scales ofAdaptive Behavior

Self-helpAdaptive and copingbehavior

5 - adult Measures adaptivebehavior;Assesses 6 areas ofbehavior

Research Press CoCFS Box 3327Champaigne, IL 61820

LEST COPY AVAILAUE

APPENDIX A-C (continued)

Communication

AssessmentInstrument

Domain /Components

Age Description Publisher

Receptive ExpressiveEmergent LanguageScale (REFEL)

Receptive, expressivelanguage

birth - 3 years Standardized test thatyields 3 scores: ex-pressive, receptiveand combined

Paul II. BrookesPO Box 10624Baltimore, MD21285-0634

Test of LanguageDevelopment(TOLD)

Receptive, expressivelanguage

4 - 8 years Standardized test thatyields language age,percentiles, subteststandard scores

Riverside Publishing Co.8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Language Develop-ment Scale (LDS)

Receptive, expressivelanguage

birth - 60 months Standardized test thatyields language ageequivalent;Appropriate for hear-ing impairment

Ski Hi OutreachUtah State UniversityLogan, UT 84322

Peabody Picture Vo-cabulary TestRevised (PPVT)

Receptive language 2 1/2 - 40 years Standardized test thatyields a standardscore and ageequivalents

American Guidance Ser-vicePublisher's BldgCirde Pines, MN55014

Clinical Evaluation ofLanguageFundamentals -Revised (CELF-R)

Oral expression K - 12 Standardized test thatyields age equivalentsand percentiles

Psychological Corp757 Third AveNew York, NY10017

Carrow Elicited Lan-guage Inventory(CELT)

Oral expression 3.0 - 7.11 years Standardized test thatassesses languageproblems

Riverside Publishing Co.8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Preschool LanguageScale

Verbal abilityAuditory comprehen-siveLanguage

1 - 7 years Evaluates strengthsand deficiencies ineach area;Provides 'languageage' description ofperformance;Spanish version avail-able

Charles E. Merrill Publ.1300 Alum Creek DriveColumbus, OH 43216

5 4

APPENDIX A-C (continued)

Listening Comprehension

AssessmentInstrument

DOsTrairtel

fArve,enta.Age ire tipticrt

............. .... .........

Publisher

Test of AuditoryComprehension ofLanguage (TACL-R)

Receptive language 3.0 - 9.11 years Standardized;Assesses auditorycomprehension oflanguage

Riverside Publishing Co.8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Test of Early Lan-guage Development(TELD)

Receptive language 3.0 - 7.11 years Standardized;Assesses languagecontent, form anddevelopment;Yields language quo-tients and ages

Riverside Publishing Co.8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Boehm Test of BasicConcepts -Preschool Version

Basic conceptsUnderstanding

K - 2 Assesses child'sbeginning schoolknowledge of basicconcepts

PsychologicalCorporation757 Third AveNew York, NY 10017

Boehm Test of BasicConcepts - Revised

Basic conceptsUnderstanding

3 - 5 years Assesses child'sknowledge ofconcepts

PsychologicalCorporation757 Third AveNew York, NY 10017

:=.ST COPY AVAILARE

5

APPENDIX A-C (continued)

Criterion-Referenced Instruments

.... .....

Assessmettt litatetiment.

.... ..... ... ,

ElothafttsiCon MIAs

Age

, ... . ... ,.... ....

PUtglafter

Learning AccomplishmentProfile

Fine & Gross Motor,Language Cognition, Self -help, Personal-Social

birth - 72 months Kaplan Press600 Jonestown RoadWinston - Salem, NC 27108

The Portage Curriculum Infant stimulation, Socializa-tion, Language, Self-help,Cognitive Motor

birth - 72 months Portage Project412 East Slifer StreetPortage, WI 53901

Preschool DevelopmentalProfile

Cognition, Perceptual-FineMotor, Gross Motor, Social-emotional, Self-care,Language

3 - 6 years U of Michigan PressAnn Arbor, MI 48109

Carolina Curriculum for Pre-schoolers with SpecialNeeds

Cognition, Communication,Social skills-Adaptation, Self-help, Fine and Gross Motor

2 1/2 - 5 years Paul Brookes PublishersP 0 Box 10624Baltimore, MD 21285

Uniform PerformanceAssessment System

Preacademic/Fine Motor,Communication, Self-help/Social, Gross Motor,Inappropriate Behaviors

birth - 72 months Charles Merrill Publishers1300 Alum Creek DriveColumbus, OH 43216

Oregon Project for VisuallyImpaired and Blind

Fine-Gross Motor,Communication, Social-emotional, Self-help,Cognition

birth - 72 months Jackson Co Ed Service District101 N Grape StreetMedford, OR 97501

Individualized Assessment& Treatment for Autistic andDevelopmentally DelayedChildren

Integrated Assessment andCurricular Objectives

birth - 8 years Pro-Ed5341 Industrial OaksAustin, TX 78735

Help for SpecialPreschoolers

Cognition, Language, Gross& Fine Motor, Social-emotional, Self-help

3 - 6 years VORT CorporationPO Box 11132Palo Alto, CA 94306

The Callier -Azusa Scale:Assessment of Deaf/BlindChildren

Motor Development,Perceptual Development,Daily Living Skills, Cognition,Communication &Language, Social Devel-opment

birth - 9 years Cattier Center for CommunicationDisordersU of Texas1966 Inwood RoadDallas, TX 75235

The H/COMP PreschoolCurriculum

Communication, Own-Care,Motor, Problem Solving

birth - 60 months Charles Merrill Publishers1330 Alum Creek DriveColumbus, OH 43216

The Programmed Environ-ments Curriculum

Functional Living Skills,Cognitive Skills, Motor Skills,Self-help Skills

birth - 60 months Charles Merrill Publishers1330 Alum Creek DriveColumbus, OH 43216

Brigance DiagnosticInventory of EarlyDevelopment

Pre-speech, General Knowl-edge, Comprehension, Finemotor, Pre-ambulatory

birth - 7 years Curriculum AssociatesNorth Billeria, MA

LEST COPY AVAILABLE

Assessment Instrument

...._Domains/Concepts

Age

..

Publisher

Peabody DevelopmentalMotor Scales

Neuromotor Fine Motor;grasping, hand use, eye-hand coordination, manualdexterityGross motor; reflexesbalance nonlocomotor,receipt, propulsion ofobjects

birth - 83 months Riverside Publishing Company8420 Bryn Mawr AvenueChicago, IL 60631

Evaluation & ProgrammingSystem for Infants & YoungChildren (Gentry & Bricker)

Sensorimotor Skills; PhysicalDevelopment, Gross & FineMotor; Social, Self-care;Communication

birth - 2 years Dept of Special EducationU of IdahoMoscow, ID

Play Assessment Scale - R.Fewell, 1986

Toy Play birth - 4 years College of EducationU of WashingtonSeattle, WA

Functional VisionInventory for the Multiple &Severely Handicapped(M.B.Langley)

Functional Vision All ages Stoelting Co1350 S Kosten AvenueChicago, IL 60623

The Integrated PreschoolCurriculum (Odom, et al,1987)

Social Interaction birth - 5 years U of Washington PressU of WashingtonSeattle, WA

Pre-Feeding Skills (Evans-Morris & Klein, 1987)

Oral Motor Develop-ment/Feeding

birth - 5 years Therapy Skill Building3830 E BellevueP 0 Box 42050Tuscan, AZ 85733

Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment (Toni W.Under)

Play, Cognition, Social-Emotional Communication,Sensorimotor

birth - 5 years Paul H. Brookes CoP 0 Box 10624Baltimore, MD 21285-0624

Assessment in Infancy:Ordinal Scales of Psy-chological Development (I.Uzgiris & I. M. Hunt)

Cognition birth - 24 months U of Illinois PressUrbana, IL

A Clinical & EducationalManual for Use with theUzgiris & Hunt Scales (C.Dunst)

Cognition birth - 24 months Pro-Ed5341 Industrial Oaks BlvdAustin TX 78735

3EST COPY AVAILABLE

APPENDIX A-D

Types of Test Reliability and Validity

Types of reliability include, but are not limited to:

lnterrater reliability - the extent to which two raters will get similar results.

Test-retest reliability - the extent to which the test will yield similar results over time.

Information on reliability should be included in the test manual. Levels of .80 or greaterare typically considered to be adequate.

Types of validity include, but are not limited to:

Content validity - the extent to which the content of the test sufficiently covers thearea it purports to measure.

Concurrent validity - the extent to which a test yields the same results with apopulation of children as another, well-established, test.

0 Predictive validity - the extent to which the results of a test are predictive of thefuture performance of a population of children.

Levels of .80 or greater are typically considered to be adequate for concurrent validityand predictive validity. Content validity can be judged by a review of the behavior thatis measured by an instrument. For example, the content validity of an intelligence testwhich only measures receptive vocabulary would be questionable, since there is certainlymore to intelligence than receptive vocabulary.

APPENDIX A-E

Arena Evaluation

The organization of an arena evaluation is based on the concept of a primary facilitator. Onemember of the team is designated to serve as primary facilitator by interacting with the childand eliciting the main sample of structured behavior. This does not mean that other teammembers are forbidden to interact with the child. For example, the physical therapist mayneed to "lay hands" on the child to assess muscle tone even though another team memberis the primary facilitator. It does mean, however, that if there is an instrument or instrumentsthat serve as the more structured part of the evaluation, all team members may need tobecome proficient at administration. The primary facilitator may be designated as suchbecause the needs of the child best match his or her discipline, because of a relationshipestablished with the child or family, or because of other considerations which may arise. Aparent facilitator may also be designated to record parents' input and answer their questionsthroughout the evaluation. The following has been suggested by Foley (1990) as a possible

sequence to follow during the arena evaluation:

Greeting and Warm UpFamily and team members visit, child is allowed to explore and get to know teammembers.

Formal Task-Centered SequenceThe main assessment instrument is administered by the primary facilitator. Other teammembers observe and may score discipline-specific instruments or make clinical notes.

Snack Break and RefuelingSnack and bathroom break provides an opportunity to observe self-help skills and parent-child interaction.

Story Time and Teaching SamplesA story time format may be used to expand the language sample or a brief teachingsequence might be used to observe how the child processes new information andgeneralizes learning to new materials.

Free PlayThe child's spontaneous movement and interaction with toys will be observed. With olderchildren, bringing in a peer at this point may allow observation of social interaction skillsas well.

Brief Staffing and FeedbackThe team members pause to formulate impressions while the parent facilitator collects theparents' comments about the session. Parents and other team members will then cometogether to share initial impressions so the parents have some closure and do not goaway with undue anxiety. A formal staffing with results of the evaluation will be held at alater time.

Whether or not formal evaluation instruments are used, the advantages of the arenaevaluation method described above are many. The evaluation is conducted in anenvironment where the child feels comfortable with a primary facilitator who has establishedrapport with the child. The sequence of evaluation tasks and activities is flexible and can bemade to fit the pace and interests of the child. The parent can remain with the child toreduce anxiety and facilitate the child's involvements and motivation. The professionalmembers of the team will witness the same sampling of child behavior, each addingexpertise from his/her discipline to build a holistic impression of the child's development.

Appendix C includes a list of instruments commonly used in evaluation and assessment ofinfants, toddlers and preschoolers. Most of these instruments can be utilized in the arenaevaluation format.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATIONFOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES,AGES THREE THROUGH FIVE:PROGRAM PLANNING

Prepared By

North Dakota Interagency Coordinating CouncilProgram Standards Subcommittee

Published By

ADAPTIVE SERVICES DIVISIONNORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Wayne G. Sanstead, Superintendent1996

6i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

NORTH DAKOTA PROGRAM GUIDELINES 2Eligibility of Students 2Approval of Services 3Service Delivery System 3Transition 6Size of Enrollment/Caseload 6

SERVICES TO FAMILIES 8Family Involvement 8Supplementary Options in Family Services 10Guidelines for Family Services 10

PROGRAM SERVICES 12Provisions for Least Restrictive Environment 12Service Delivery System 12

IEP PLANNING PROCESS 14

LRE PLANNING WORKSHEET: EXAMPLE 19

FIGURES

Figure PP-1 Services to Families 9

APPENDICES

Appendix PP-A Crosswalk for Reporting Service Settings and Amount of Time byService Setting on the SPECIS Record Entry Form and IEP

Appendix PP-B Definitions for Eligibility

Appendix PP-C An Alternative Procedure to Identify the Most Appropritae LearningEnvironment

INTRODUCTION

This section includes distinct but interre-lated components. First, the North Da-kota program guidelines are presented,including eligibility of students, a descrip-tion of the service delivery system, andrecommendations regarding caseloadand use of support personnel. Followingthe program guidelines is a discussion ofservices to families - both required andsupplementary options. Finally, guidancein the individualized education program

(IEP) planning process is described, withemphasis given to those componentsthat differ from the IEP that is developedfor children who are of school age. Di-rections for completing a SPECIS RecordEntry Data Form is included. An exten-sive discussion of team decision-makingrelative to service in the least restrictiveenvironment is presented, with alterna-tive procedures and examples offered tothe reader.

13P-1 63

NORTH DAKOTA PROGRAM GUIDELINES

1.0 ELIGIBILITY OF STUDENTS: A comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessmentmust be completed for each child suspected of having a disability underIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This assessment will provideinformation from all areas of a child's functioning (e.g., medical, cognitive,developmental, social/emotional). Relevant family and environmental informationwill also be gathered. This information will be used to identify a disability underIDEA and establish the need for specially designed instruction.

1.1 Disability categories are identified in IDEA (34 C.F.R. 300.5(a)) and NDCC15-59-01(2). Disability categories are: autism, deafness, deaf-blindness,hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedicimpairment, other health impairment, serious emotional disturbance,specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic braininjury and visual impairment. The definitions of the disability categories arecontained in Appendix A.

1.2 Identified children with disabilities are eligible for services under IDEAbeginning on their third birthday. (NDCC 15-59-01(2), definition of a childwith disabilities.)

1.3 Children receiving Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) services mustbe three years of age through five years of age. (NDCC 15-59-01(2), defini-tion of a child with disabilities.)

1.3.1 Children who turn age six after the current school term has begunmay receive ECSE services throughout the school year, as deter-mined bythe individualized education program (IEP) team's decisionthat such services are appropriate.

1.3.2 Children who are six years of age enrolled in kindergarten programsand in need of special education and related services will receivethose services from personnel serving the school-aged students.

1.3.2.1 Special education and related services that are coordinat-ed by a school case manager may be implemented in anECSE setting if determined appropriate by the IEP team.

1.4 Children receiving ECSE services must have verification of updatedimmunizations in their special education student file (NDCC 23-07-17). It isrecommended that this information be placed in the child's cumulative filehoused at the school of residence.

PP-2

6c

2.0 APPROVAL OF SERVICES: A request to the Department of Public Instruction(DPI) for annual approval must be made for any ECSE services in the same wayas for any other special education services.

2.1 An approved program of services must employ a teacher holding a NorthDakota credential in the area of ECSE.

3.0 SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM: Individualized education services for youngchildren with disabilities must be implemented in a variety of community, homeand school settings. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) decisions will be basedon specific needs identified in the child's IEP as determined by the IEP team. Theidentification of the child's typical environment (place the child would be if he/shedid not have a disability) serves as the point of reference as LRE options areaddressed and decisions made. The following list of options, along with a varietyof possible combinations, are all acceptable means to deliver a ECSE servicewithin the context of LRE.

3.1 Services will be implemented according to strategies identified as mostappropriate in meeting a child's individual needs. Service options fall underone of three categories:

3.1.1 Direct Instructional Services include children who receive specialeducation and related services in individual, small group and largegroup instructional services implemented within targeted instruction-al settings by credentialed teachers, paraprofessionals, child careproviders, and parents. The "characteristics of service" section of theIEP is used to determine which activities in the child's day within thehome or preschool environments qualify for the total number ofhours per week. The following criteria must be addressed.

3.1.1.1 In center programs where a child is being taught throughlarge or small group instructional activities in preschool,kindergarten, or child care facilities, there must be specificeducational outcomes for the child concurrent with his/herinvolvement in that specific activity. These outcomes mustbe delineated in the child's IEP and.

3.1.1.2 When the parent, child care provider or paraprofessionalworks directly on activities as identified in the IEP, inser-vice training must have occurred.

3.1.1.3 Home programs, in cases where the parent is implement-ing activities within the home environment which are toqualify as direct service interventions, must be describedin the IEP to involve adapted routines or specially de-signed instructional procedures and contain specificeducational outcomes for the child in the targeted instruc-tional areas.

3.1.2 Indirect Services include the amount of time spent by educationaland related service personnel in observing the child in any of thetargeted instructional environments, assessing the child, providinginservice training to parents and other team members, and providingconsultation with parents and other team members.

3.1.3 Related Services include the amount of time spent in individualizedand small group therapy sessions within any of the targeted learningenvironments. This includes physical therapy, occupational therapy,communication therapy, and itinerant instructional services bycredentialed personnel in targeted area(s) of the child's disability.Such services may be appropriate when supportive therapies areneeded to enable a child to gain from special education services.

3.2 Service delivery settings are determined according to the child's needs.The following settings are options to be considered.

3.2.1 Homebased Services include children who receive specialeducation and related services in the principal residence of thechild's family. These services provide direct intervention to the childin the home environment through the use of daily functionalactivities and routines. Therefore, serving children in a homebasedsetting involves both parent training and direct interventions with thechild. Homebased services may be appropriate because of thespecific nature of the disability, the young age of the child, or familyneeds.

3.2.2 Early Childhood Settings include children who receive at least 80percent of their special education and related services in commu-nity-based settings designed primarily for nondisabled children. Thismay include, but is not limited to, public or private preschools, childcare centers, family day care, preschool classes offered to the entire3-4 year old population by the public school system, or combina-tions of early childhood settings. These services provide directintervention to the child in his/her typical day-to-day environmentthrough the use of daily activities adapted to meet the child's devel-opmental needs. Community-based services may be appropriatewhen a child lacks the ability to interact in an age-appropriate

PP-4

setting because of weaknesses in socialization, interaction andlanguage development.

3.2.3 Combined Early Childhood/ECSE Services includechildren who receive 40 to 79 percent of their special educationand related services in educational programs designed primarily fornon-disabled children. This may include, but is not limited to,home/clinic combinations, pull-out programs, or any other dualplacements in which the child receives 40 to 79 percent of specialeducation services in the home or in an early childhood setting withnon-disabled peers, and the remainder of special educationservices in a setting apart from non-disabled peers. Combinationsof services may be appropriate when the child has complexdevelopmental needs requiring direct instruction including relatedtherapies.

3.2.4 Early Childhood Special Education Classroom includeschildren who receive 61 to 100 percent of their special educationand related services in a separate class that is housed in a publicor private school building, and in which the children are in a non-integrated program.

3.2.5 Separate Day School includes children who are served inpublicly or privately operated programs set up primarily to servechildren with disabilities who are not housed in a facility withprograms for children without disabilities. Children must receivespecial education and related services in the separate day schoolfor 50 percent or more of the time served.

3.2.6 Residential Services include children who are served inpublicly or privately operated programs in which children receivecare for 24 hours a day. This could include placement in publicnursing home care facilities or public residential schools.

3.2.7 Homebound/Hospital Services include children whoreceive special education and related services in their home or in aresidential medical facility. This placement is required because ofthe medical and health concerns that limit the child's ability toattend a school or community based program.

3.2.8 Itinerant Services Outside the Home includes children whoreceive all of the special education and related services at aschool, clinic, or other location for a short period of time inindividual or small group formats.

3.2.9 Reverse Mainstream Setting include children in programs utilizingreverse mainstreaming, the general education portion of the day canconsist of that time of the day during which non-disabled peers arebrought into the special education preschool classroom as long asthe ratio consists of 50 percent or greater of nondisabled peers.

4.0 TRANSITION: There are two critical transition phases for children in ECSEservices. Individual child needs are reviewed through a transition process todetermine the most appropriate services when they are referred for ECSE servicesfrom Infant Development Programs or other community early interventionprograms. The other transition process occurs as children move out of ECSE pro-grams and are enrolled in school programs. There transition processes aredescribed in detail in the Transition Section of this guide.

5.0 SIZE OF ENROLLMENT/CASELOAD: The multiplicity of needs of the individualchild and the additional support services necessary for each child will determinethe number of children served in any particular setting by any one case manager.Actual time allotted for services will be identified on a per child basis on theindividualized education program.

5.1 The Department of Public Instruction recommends the following:

5.1.1 Special education personnel providing services to children shallconsider setting options including homebased, community, individu-al/small group and/or a combination of these. Individual teachercaseloads will vary depending upon the nature of the setting(s).Caseloads may range from 6 to 20 children. It is important toremember that caseloads are based on number of contact hoursand not the number of children.

For example, a child in direct instructional services receivesapproximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours of service per day. Using thisas a basis for homebased services, a case manager wouldbe able to serve a minimum of two children per day, five daysa week, equaling 10 children.

A teacher serving children in combined settings will need toconsider the range of indirect contact time needed. Timemust also be allotted for collaborative planning, team teach-ing, observation, and data collection. In a combined settingwhere both direct and indirect services are implemented,teacher case load size will increase in relation to the amountof indirect service (the more direct service, the fewer childrenon each caseload). If all children on a teacher's caseload

PP-6

E;

received indirect services, a typical caseload may range from15 to 20 children.

5.2 If a child enters services needing more than the minimum of contact hours,a case manager's caseload would need to be decreased or personnel add-ed.

5.3 Support services personnel qualified in one or more area of disability willbe required to assist in the provision of appropriate services as identifiedin the child's IEP.

5.4 Aides may be employed dependent upon the service needs of individualchildren.

PP-7

SERVICES TO FAMILIES

Parent involvement in the young child'seducational program is essential. Parentsand siblings have provided and willcontinue to provide for the child's needsbefore, during, and after placement inthe preschool program. Bronfenbrennernoted that "the family is both the mosteffective and economical system forfostering the development of the child."This is true in that (1) family membersare the primary teachers during thechild's first years of life, (2) interventionsby family members occur in the naturalenvironment and across settings in thatenvironment, thus improving chancesthat learning will generalize, and (3)family members are the only personswho will remain members of the child'sintervention team during subsequenttransitions. It is imperative that parentsbe offered opportunities to develop inter-vention skills that will empower them toadequately address their child's educa-tional needs over the years in the areasof growth and development, advocacy,exercise of rights, assuring appropriate-ness of educational programs, decision-making, and home and community inte-gration.

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

The Individuals with Disabilities Educa-tion Act, Part D (IDEA-D) guaranteesparent participation in decision-makingregarding the child with disabilities. Thisbasic level of involvement assures par-ents the right to participate as activeteam members in the multidisciplinaryteam decision-making regarding thechild's eligibility for special educationservices and in developing the child'sindividualized education program (IEP).

PP-8

(See Figure PP-1.) This involvementbegins with the first contacts made withthe family either by the referring source(e.g. a physician or agency personnel) orby the program staff when a referral isreceived. Sensitivity and support on thepart of professionals can set the tone foran effective and successful program forthe child as well as a positive workingrelationship with the family's participationin the multidisciplinary team's decision-making process. Empowering parents ofdiverse backgrounds is critical. Theparents are in the best position to clarifyfor staff members whether assessmentresults are typical patterns of behavior,to give information about medical orother relevant factors in the child's devel-opment, and to provide other observa-tions of the child not available to the staffin assessment situations.

In the development of the child's individ-ualized education program (IEP), parentsand other family members will provideinput on priority targets for programming,assist in determining methods that mightwork, suggest interventions to be carriedout in the home, or provide informationon motivational, health, and social-emo-tional variables.

In addition to planning for the child'sindividual needs, plans for individualfamilies may be developed in the IEPplanning process based on the family'sgoals and needs. An individualized planfor a family's involvement should incor-porate the unique needs of the familyand recognize that the family's role iscentral to the child's development. Anindividualized plan for the family mayinvolve goals that relate to the child with

7C

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

Multidisciplinary Team Membershipproviding assessment informationplanning the child's IEPmaking eligibility decision

Individualized Family Program

Ongoing Communication

Participation in intervention activitiesobserving child's behaviormonitoring child's progressimplementing interventionstrategiesevaluating child's progress

Supplementary Options

FAMILY EDUCATION SERVICES

Information Exchangeabout the child's disabilityabout the programabout parent rights, laws,regulations

Education Program for Familiesknowledge needs (informationon disabilities, availablecommunity services, parentingissues, etc.)skill needs (e.g. how to carryout specific interventions in thehome, how to access agencyservices and resources, etc.)

FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES

Ongoing communication

Support Groupsfor parentsfor siblingsfor extended familiescommunity

Counseling

Agency Servicesmedical

- socialeconomiceducationalrespite care

Figure PP-1. Services to Families

PP-9

'7

disabilities and goals that relate to thefamily's meeting other needs. For exam-ple, a family's goals might be (1) tointegrate an intervention into the family'sdaily routine, such as reinforcing lan-guage and fine motor skills while bathingthe child; (2) to access resources toobtain an alternative communicationsystem for the child; (3) to find a morerewarding part-time job for the mother;or (4) to enroll siblings in a workshop onplay with a brother or sister with a dis-ability.

An important aspect of family involve-ment is ongoing communication amongteam members. Ongoing communicationis critical for a young child whose physi-cal health may be unstable or who isundergoing rapid developmental chang-es that necessitate program changes.Family involvement in the child's pro-gram may also be encouraged throughparent participation throughout all as-pects of a child's intervention plan.

SUPPLEMENTARY OPTIONSIN FAMILY SERVICES

Basic levels of family involvement in theyoung child's educational program in-clude family education and family sup-port services.

Family education provides informationthat addresses the family's knowledgeand skill needs. Information directed atthe family's knowledge needs mightcover topics such as characteristics ofthe disability, available community re-sources, parenting issues, organizationsfor parents of children with disabilities,and so on. Topics in the area of skillneeds might address how to accessagency services and resources, carry outspecific interventions, set up a trust fundfor the young child, or manage specific

PP-10

behaviors. Knowledgeable parents mayact as resources to other parents as theyshare their own experiences and whatthey have learned about having a youngchild with disabilities.

The second type of supplementary ser-vice, family support services, may beprovided as part of the program's familyservices component or may be accessedthrough other agencies or programs.Ongoing communication, as previouslydescribed, provides a basic level ofsupport to families. In addition, familysupport services may be providedthrough group activities for family mem-bers (e.g. siblings, parents, or grandpar-ents), the natural support system ofextended family members and friends,counseling services, or agency services(i.e. medical, social, economic, or educa-tional services or respite care).

GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY SERVICES

The addition of a child with disabilities toa family has a significant impact on theentire interactional system of the family.Consideration of some basic guidelinesin serving families can enhance thequality of services provided to the youngchild and the family, and facilitate com-munication between the program staffand the family.

In communicating with a family, profes-sionals need to listen and support thefamily members, keeping in mind thatfamilies may react in different ways atdifferent times. They must be sensitive tothe parents' fluctuating emotions andresponses regarding their child.

There are many societal expectationsand pressures on the family to raise theirchild to conform to cultural patterns. Theculturally different family may require

special support as they face systemsthat do not acknowledge these differenc-es.

Parents may appear disinterested, over-protective, rejecting, or guilt ridden, butit is extremely important that profession-als reserve judgment until they have aclear understanding of situations, espe-cially when economic or cultural factorsdistinguish parents from professionals.Making assumptions may hinder commu-nication and development of a trustrelationship between the family andprofessionals. Parents can often sensethat they are being negatively evaluatedeven though this is not communicatedverbally.

Professionals need to communicateclearly using everyday language. Parentsshould be encouraged to clarify theirunderstanding of what is being conveyedand to ask questions when something isambiguous. Parents need time and as-sistance to understand the significanceof information presented to them byprofessionals.

PP-11

The family's specific knowledge aboutthe child should be solicited and utilized.They should be involved in assessing thechild's strengths, in setting goals anddetermining intervention methods, and inevaluating success.

The extended family and immediatecommunity can be educated about dis-ability conditions through printed materi-als, media, support groups, or agencyprograms. Encouraging extended familymembers and friends to offer practicaland emotional support can help familiesof children with disabilities reduce socialisolation and enhance community under-standing of the needs of children withdisabilities and their families.

PROGRAM SERVICES

In programs for young children withdisabilities, critical consideration must begiven to providing the following services:assessment, educational programming,related services, parent education, familysupport services, transitional services,and consultation. Program staff musthave competencies in each of theseareas as well as the ability to work effec-tively on a team in assessment, planning,daily service delivery, and ongoing pro-gram evaluation and planning. An effec-tive team effort leads to a better integrat-ed program for the child, with all person-nel aware of and working toward thesame objectives.

PROVISIONS FOR THE LEASTRESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

To ensure that a child's placement willalways be made in the least restrictiveenvironment (LRE), procedures must bedeveloped to address the following re-quirements.

1 Alternative settings and deliverymodes must to be made available sothat each child's education will beappropriate to his or her individualneeds. The alternatives must includewhatever is needed to carry out theagreed upon individualized educationprogram for each child enrolled inearly childhood special education ser-vices.

2. Safeguards to take into account indetermining the appropriate settingand service delivery mode for eachchild include:

PP-12

a. alternative settings and deliverymodes are determined at least an-nually.

b. alternative settings and deliverymodes are based on the child'sIEP.

c. the setting for the program/serviceis as close as possible to the homeof the child.

d. before concluding that the child re-quires a special setting, all pos-sibilities should be considered forengaging supportive services thatwould enable the child to receiveservices in a setting with childrenwho do not have disabilities. If thenature and severity of the disabilityis such that the child must beserved in a setting apart from chil-dren who do not have disabilities,provisions that enable the child tointeract as much as possible withage-appropriate peers must beidentified.

SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM

Individualized education services foryoung children with disabilities may beimplemented in a variety of community,home and school settings. The identifica-tion of the child's typical environment(place the child would be if he/she didnot have a disability) serves as the pointof reference as LRE options are consid-ered and decisions made.

Within the LRE context, services may bedirect or indirect. A full continuum ofdirect preservice options includes:

homebased

community based

combined Early Childhood/EarlyChildhood Special Education

individualized, small group,direct intervention

residential

in-patient hospital

Indirect services includes:

observation

assessment

inservice training

consultation

technology based services

In situations where child care services,preschool programs or other early child-hood services are not available or con-sidered inappropriate within the localcommunity, special education units maychoose to develop reverse integration

PP-13

programs to assure that children withdisabilities interact with age appropriatepeers without disabilities.

In establishing reverse integration pro-grams, specific administrative and pro-gramming considerations will be ad-dressed by the local special educationunit. These will result in written localpolicies and procedures. Programmingconsiderations should include identifica-tion of a curricular approach appropriatefor all children, ratio of children withdisabilities to children without disabilities,registration procedures for children with-out disabilities and length of programday. Administrative considerations in-clude but are not limited to additionalfiscal factors, child care licensing issues,liability concerns, transportation respon-sibilities, staffing patterns, and programsetting concerns.

When setting up a reverse integrationprogram, school districts need to besensitive to existing community childcare programs, keeping in mind cornpeti-tion and variability in child care costs tofamilies. It is important that school dis-tricts work with all community services toenhance collaborative programming.

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM PLANNINGPROCESS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

SPECIAL EDUCATION

The North Dakota Department of PublicInstruction has published a comprehen-sive guide that addresses the processthat should be utilized for documentingthe deliberations of the multidisciplinaryteam. In addition, it provides the recom-mended format for the IndividualizedEducation Program (IEP). This manual,Guidelines: Individualized EducationProgram Planning Process, published inFebruary 1995, contains the recommend-ed process to use with preschool chil-dren with disabilities as well as schoolage students. Modifications pertinent topreschool children are addressed in thissection. A one page alternative form fordocumenting the IEP form is attached asAppendix B.

This section highlights factors that mustbe addressed when preparing an IEP fora child in an Early Education SpecialEducation Program. Only those compo-nents that differ from the standard IEP arepresented and discussed. They includesections:

C. IEP Information - Federal Child CountSetting

D. IEP Planning Meeting

E. Present Levels of Educational Per-formance

F. Annual Goals, Short-term Instruc-tional Objectives, and Characteristicsof Services

J. Least Restrictive Environment

PP-14

SECTION C. IEP INFORMATION -FEDERAL CHILD COUNT SETTINGS

Federal Child Count settings are listed inthe IEP Guidelines document. They arealso included on the alternative page fiveform for preschool IEPs. When complet-ing the SPECIS Record Entry Form (Ap-pendix B) for Child Count purposes, notethat the service settings do not match.Although the IEP Guidelines documentcontains the service settings appropriatefor use with preschool children, theSPECIS Record Entry Form containsonly the service settings consideredappropriate for students who attendschool. A crosswalk must be used tofacilitate the correct selection of theSPECIS service setting. A crosswalk de-scribes new definitions for existing cate-gories. The new definitions for reportingthe preschool service setting selected onthe alternative page five of the IEP formare then superimposed on the old cate-gories contained on the SPECIS form.The crosswalk is contained in AppendixB and is also included on the back ofthe alternative page five of the IEP.

SECTION D. IEPPLANNING MEETING

Team members who must be involvedinclude the administrator of the schoolthe child will attend when he/she be-comes school age, the child's currentspecial education teacher(s), the parents,and a general education representative.It is imperative that consideration begiven to selecting a general education

representative who is providing servicesto the child and to other children who donot have a disability. In the event that thechild is not receiving any services out-side the home, an early childhood pro-fessional providing services for othersame age children who do not havedisabilities should be identified and in-cluded as the general education teacher.This procedure will ensure that the cur-ricular input from the general educationteacher is maximized.

It is also vital to involve in the IEP pro-cess an administrator from the schoolthe child will be attending when he/sheis old enough to start kindergarten. Theresponsibility for the child's education isimmediately placed on the neighborhoodschool. This ensures that the schoolpersonnel become knowledgeable aboutthe educational and developmentalneeds of the preschool child. It affordsthe parents an opportunity to becomefamiliar with the administrators of theneighborhood school and allows them tofeel much more comfortable with theeventual transition process.

SECTION E. PRESENT LEVELS OFEDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE

The present levels of educational perfor-mance (PLP) component addresses thechild's unique patterns of functioning. Itlays a foundation for the succeedingcomponents of the IEP. Statements inthe PLP should (a) address significantstrengths and deficits, (b) be under-standable to the parents and generaleducators, and (c) give the reader aclear picture of how the student is func-tioning in all relevant areas at the timethe IEP is being written.

A critical concept relating to PLP thatmust be considered for the preschool

PP-15

age child is the counterpart to a generaleducation curricular framework. Thechild's unique patterns of functioningshould be compared against the prereq-uisite skills required, and the anticipatedoutcomes expected from the curricularsource being utilized. Although there aremany curricular sources available com-mercially, it is important to select a rec-ognized system based on developmen-tally appropriate practices. Examples ofwidely used sources include the NationalChild Development Associate (CDA)credentialing curricular standards forchild care settings, Head Start curricu-lum, preschool curriculum such as thatsponsored by the Association for theEducation of Young Children (AEYC), or,for older preschool children, an acceptedkindergarten curriculum. This curricularframework is the basis for comparing thepreschooler's performance with that of achronologically same-aged peer withouta disability.

Two components must be addressedrelative to the curriculum reference thathas been selected. The first consider-ation is how the impairment or develop-mental delay affects the child's ability toparticipate and make progress in thegeneral education curriculum. The sec-ond consideration is how the impairmentor developmental delay impacts thechild's access to other developmentallyappropriate activities. The curricularframework selected should serve as anoutline in deriving the present level ofperformance. Assessment consider-ations, observational data, and parentinput should then be included to providethe explanation and validation of theimpact of impairments or developmentaldelays.

The reference to a developmentallybased curriculum framework is always

required. When a home-based interven-tion program is most appropriate for ayoung preschool child, a standardizedcurriculum for home-based care shouldbe selected. Although the critical compo-nents of these curricular sources varysomewhat, all contain essential curricularofferings such as the following examplesfrom the National CDA in the followingdomains.

CDA Goals:Safe EnvironmentHealthy EnvironmentCreative EnvironmentCognitive DevelopmentPhysical DevelopmentCommunication DevelopmentSocial DevelopmentGuidanceSelf DevelopmentLearning EnvironmentFamily Involvement

SECTION F. ANNUAL GOALS,SHORT-TERM INSTRUCTIONAL

OBJECTIVES, ANDCHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICES

The format for writing the annual goalsand short-term objectives of the IEP isidentical to that addressed in the Guide-lines document. The characteristics ofservice sections will vary, however, sincethe service settings and educationalneeds are different. It is important toremember that the early childhood cur-ricular focus must be retained. The char-acteristics of service section must ad-dress the parameters of the behavior orskill to be taught and the supports, modi-fications, and adaptations that are neces-sary for the child to develop the skill. Thecharacteristics of service section pro-vides the rationale for the service settingselected.

PP-16

SECTION J. LEAST RESTRICTIVEENVIRONMENT

A two page worksheet included in thisguide can be utilized in identifying thelearning environment that is most appro-priate for instruction of a particular skill.The worksheet is designed as an outlineto guide discussion during the IEP pro-cess. It facilitates an analysis of the in-structional content and appropriate meth-odology. Completing the worksheet onevery goal and supporting objectives isa time consuming process; therefore, itis intended as a training tool only. Thethinking process will generalize afterbeing utilized on a variety of contentoutcomes for children of various ages.Before discussion on the least restrictivelearning environment can occur, teach-ers must have a thorough understandingof what they intend to teach and whythey want to teach that skill. The IEPprocess does not require documentationof the logic and rationale. However, themethodology that is selected for design-ing the instructional program includingthe goal, objectives, and characteristicsof service has direct implications for theservice settings that will be necessaryand appropriate to accomplish the goal.(An alternative procedure is contained inAppendix B.)

When the goal is established, a se-quence of questions should be askedbefore writing the behavioral objectives.The four questions that should be con-sidered initially are:

1. What behavior or skill do I intend toteach?

2. Why is instruction in this skill neces-sary?

This ''why" question should be addressedby comparing the child's performance ofthe skill to that of other children of thesame chronological age. The referenceto the curricular framework is used tosubstantiate the child's need for instruc-tion in that area. The discrepancy shouldbe reported in the present level of edu-cational performance so that it relatesdirectly to the skill or behavior that isbeing taught.

3. What are the parameters of the be-havior or skill that is being taught?

This third question addresses rationaleor intent for teaching the skill. The prop-erty of the skill that is critical for instruc-tion will determine the type of servicenecessary and consequently impact onthe location of that service. There arethree different properties of skills thatmust be considered:

a. Topography refers to the actual mus-cle movements necessary to performthe skill. When the child requiresdirect instruction on the basic move-ment patterns necessary to perform askill, the instruction required is inten-sive, must be carefully graded, andmust be implemented consistently.Usually one-to-one instruction is re-quired.

b. Force refers to increasing the intensi-ty or consistency of a skill. After achild has learned the topography of askill, the next step is to increase thefrequency, shape the quality, or buildthe strength of a skill. This is accom-plished through reinforcing the skillwhen it is demonstrated utilizing avariety of different reinforcement strat-egies. A critical concept to considerwhen force is being addressed is theimportance of utilizing naturally oc-

PP-17

curring learning environments thatare motivating for the child. This willincrease the likelihood that the skillwill be performed independently.

c. Locus refers to the appropriate utili-zation of a skill. Pragmatics is a clas-sic example of locus. For example,after a child has learned to ask ques-tions, the next step is learning to askquestions for a variety of purposes:to seek clarification, initiate conversa-tion, gather information, obtain dailyliving essentials, etc. Locus address-es the utility of a skill and the abilityto transfer and generalize.

4. In what service setting can the behav-ior be most appropriately taught?

After thoroughly analyzing what theteacher intends to teach, why they needto teach it, and the parameters of thebehavior, the next step is to addressalternative service settings in which theinstruction can be appropriately provid-ed. To assist in identifying the learningenvironment that is most appropriate foreach goal, another sequence of ques-tions should be addressed for each ofseveral alternative service settings:

a. What are the elements within thissetting that make it an appropriateenvironment in which to teach thisskill?

b. What are the variables that impactthe appropriateness of that environ-ment?

c. Would this environment be appro-priate with the necessary supports?

d. Of all of the learning environmentsconsidered, does this appear to bethe least restrictive environment thatis appropriate for teaching the skill?

The sequence should be completed foreach of the subsequent alternative ser-vice settings until the team has arrived atthe learning environment that appears tobe the least restrictive and is the mostappropriate for that skill.

The characteristics of service sectionprovides the basis for the justification ofthe least restrictive environment selectedfor each outcome. The subsequent LREsection (page five) is a composite sum-mary of the constituent environmentsselected.

To illustrate how this planning processoccurs, a case study is provided in thefollowing pages.

LRE PLANNING WORKSHEET: AN EXAMPLE

Behaviors of Concern:

Jonny, age 4, does not initiate interactionwith other children, either verbally ornonverbally, and does not reciprocateinteraction when other children approachhim.

Curriculum Reference:

These skills are contained in the devel-opment checklist of social behaviorsused for 3 and 4 year old children in thecommunity child care facility. They arenormally occurring skills in all children of3 and 4 years of age with the topogra-phy and the locus of the response fullydeveloped in its final form. The emphasisat this age is on force or expanding thequality of the response (longer length ofverbalizations, more complexity, etc.)and to embed within the responses thetargeted social and emotional behaviorssuch as politeness, sharing, empathy,etc.

Basis in Present Level of EducationalPerformance:

Jonny currently does not engage ininteractive behaviors with other studentswhile playing. He stands and watchesothers or engages in parallel play withobjects but does not approach them orinitiate interaction. Although he utilizesintelligible verbalizations while playingalone, he discontinues all verbalizationswhen other children approach him or arenear him. When they approach him, heoften just stands still and ignores them.If they offer him a toy, he reaches out,grabs it and then walks away. If the otherchildren persist in their attempts to inter-

PP-19

act, he either tries to hit them or runsaway.

Parameter of the Behavior Being Ad-dressed:

Jonny demonstrates the required constit-uent components of the response (to-pography) including smiling, nodding,verbalizations, etc. He now needs todevelop the locus of the response orutilization of the behaviors within theinteraction paradigm. After he beginsutilizing these behaviors appropriately toinitiate and reciprocate interactive turns,the force or intensity, duration, and con-sistency can be shaped through rein-forcement schedules.

Goal:

"Jonny will demonstrate age-appropriateinteractive and communicative behaviors,utilizing appropriate verbal and non-verbal initiation and reciprocation skillswhile playing with other children of thesame chronological age. This will en-hance his life long communication andsocialization skills across all environ-ments."

Objectives:

"During a 15 minute free play opportuni-ty, Jonny will initiate 5 contacts withpeers utilizing an approach behaviorsuch as walking up to another child,calling their name as an attention-gettingmechanism, or establishing eye contactwhile simultaneously verbalizing...."

"During a 15 minute free play opportuni-ty, Jonny will reciprocate interactions

initiated by others 90% of the time byestablishing eye contact and either smil-ing at them or verbalizing a response

II

Types of Activities That Will Be Need-ed:

Jonny will require opportunities to firstlearn the skills and then to practice theskills in normalized settings with other 3and 4 year olds. Activities involving freeplay, sharing, and structured game timeappear most appropriate.

Optional Service Settings: (address atleast three)

There are a variety of service settings inwhich these activities normally occur.They include (a) the home environment;(b) child care setting; (c) Early ChildhoodSpecial Education classroom; and (d) acombination of Early Childhood SpecialEducation classroom and child carefacility. A discussion of each is provid-ed.

a. Home Environment

What are the elements within this settingthat make it an appropriate setting inwhich to teach this skill?

Jonny's parents spend a great dealof time with him on play activities andsharing activities.

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

The difficulty encountered in thissetting is that Jonny's only sibling is16 years older and an adult. Thereare no other children who are regu-larly available to interact with him.The discrepancy in interaction is very

PP-20

significant and appears to be attribut-able to the disability in contrast tolimited prior opportunities. This ap-pears to be a skill that will requiredirect instruction rather than justreinforcing occurrences of the behav-ior. Although his parents are wonder-ful in providing him with opportuni-ties, they have not been able to teachhim these skills.

Would this environment be appropriatewith the necessary supports?

To provide the needed instruction inthis setting, several modifications tothe environment would be requiredand then extensive support would benecessary. The first requirementwould be a specialized teacher withexperience in teaching interaction.This could be arranged by enrollingJonny in the home-based componentof the preschool program and havingthe qualified teacher teach the skillsin the home. Another consideration isthat other children of the same chro-nological age would have to visit ona regular basis to provide Jonny withthe normalized interactive opportuni-ties in which he will subsequently beexpected to perform these skills. Thiswould not be realistic consideringthat his parents both work outsidethe home and would be unavailableto assist with the implementation ofthis outcome. Another factor is thatJonny demonstrates the most limitedinteraction skills within his regularchild care environment in contrast towithin the home. This pattern is alsoreported in other similar environmentswith other children such as at birth-day parties, Sunday School, andfamily reunions. Although Jonnywould be most responsive to instruc-tion within the home with his parents

present, providing the instructionwithin this setting would constitutecircumvention of the discrepancyrather than providing an optimal set-ting for directly teaching and reinforc-ing the skill.

Of all the learning environments consid-ered, does this appear to be the leastrestrictive environment that is appropriatefor teaching this skill?

The team finds this alternative unreal-istic and inappropriate because of thepotential for circumvention and theextent of supports required (creatinga classroom setting within the home)

b. Child Care Setting

What are the elements within this settingthat make it an appropriate setting inwhich to teach this skill?

Jonny spends 8 hours a day, 4 daysa week, in a child care setting. Thereare ample opportunities for interact-ing with other children in this settingbecause of the nature of the socialcurriculum for 3 and 4 year olds.

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

Although this setting provides anabundance of opportunities for thisskill to be demonstrated, the childcare facility staff do not feel comfort-able in teaching this skill. Jonny obvi-ously has not learned this skill withthe instructional opportunities presentin that environment. He has beenattending the center for over a yearand has made very little progress indeveloping interactive behaviors.Although abundant reinforcement isprovided when children demonstrate

PP-21

appropriate social skills, Jonny is atan instructional level in this area andnot at a practice level. With the ex-ception of the need for specializedinstruction, this environment wouldbe very appropriate since it containsmany opportunities to teach theseskills including initial AM free play,sharing time, structured play time,motor activities, snack, afternoon freeplay, social skills instruction, andafternoon motor skills time.

Would this environment be appropriatewith the necessary supports?

To provide the needed instruction inthis setting, preschool staff would berequired to go into the center. Thechild care provider is very interestedin assisting but feels uncomfortableabout providing the initial instruction.After an effective instructional routinehas been developed, she would bevery willing to provide practice andreinforcement throughout the day.Although a specialized instructorwould be necessary on a daily basisfor a 1/2 to 1 hour block of time todevelop effective instructional strate-gies, no other supports would benecessary. The duration and frequen-cy of the direct instruction visits canbe faded out over time for theseobjectives as Jonny's skills in thisarea develop.

Of all the learning environments consid-ered, does this appear to be the leastrestrictive environment that is appropriatefor teaching this skill?

This setting would be very appropri-ate with instructional support. Selec-tion as the LRE is contingent on noother option discussed being moreappropriate.

c. Early Childhood Special EducationClassroom

What are the elements within this settingthat make it an appropriate setting inwhich to teach this skill?

Jonny could attend the early child-hood special education classroom atHarlow Elementary School. The clas-sroom is very structured and containsseveral opportunities to interact withother children. It utilizes reverse-main-streaming for a part of each morningor afternoon session. This wouldallow Jonny an opportunity to workon these skills in a normalized playsetting with other preschoolers whoare not disabled. The teacher in thisclassroom is trained in the area ofearly childhood special educationand has had extensive experiencewith other students with similar dis-crepancies.

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

One of the disadvantages to thissetting is that Jonny already has allof the cognitive and fine motor skillsthat are stressed in the curriculum. Infact, the limited cognitive stimulation,in contrast to what is provided in thechild care facility, would be viewed asa potential risk. Jonny's needs in theareas of language development andsocial skills development could notbe as appropriately met in the earlychildhood setting as in the child carefacility.

Would this environment be appropriatewith the necessary supports?

To make all aspects of the programappropriate for Jonny's needs, modi-

PP-22

fications would be required. The nu-mber of peer models and the dura-tion of their time in the programwould need to be increased. Thecurriculum would have to be en-hanced to include more challengingactivities for Jonny's level of cognitivedevelopment and his language stimu-lation needs. Transportation wouldalso be necessary to teach the target-ed skills in this environment.

Of all the learning environments consid-ered, does this appear to be the leastrestrictive environment that is appropriatefor teaching this skill?

The decision is contingent upon whe-ther or not there are other needs bestmatched to the curricular focus ofthis setting. Although the settingcould be made appropriate for thisgoal, it would require extensive modi-fications if this were to be the onlysetting used for intervention.

d. Combination of Early ChildhoodSpecial Education Classroom andChild Care Facility:

What are the elements within this settingthat make it an appropriate setting inwhich to teach this skill?

Jonny could attend the early child-hood special education classroom atHarlow Elementary School in eitherthe morning or afternoon and contin-ue in the child care center for theremainder of the day. This wouldprovide him with the instruction in theinteraction skills and access to nor-malized preschool activities in an ageappropriate setting.

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

Although a combination of servicesetting options would appear appro-priate, there are difficulties with thismodel. When considering the modifi-cations required (transporting Jonnyto Harlow Elementary for an hour aday of instruction or having him at-tend a half-day and then altering thecurriculum and including more stu-dents who do not have disabilities),neither would appear to be the mostexpedient method. If he were to go toHarlow Elementary, he should bescheduled only for the duration ofthose activities stressing interaction.This schedule would not allow thechild care provider an opportunity toobserve the instruction and thenprovide opportunities to practicethese skills across the curriculum andthroughout the day.

Would this environment be appropriatewith the necessary supports?

Supports which would be necessaryto ensure appropriateness of thismodel would be to transport Jonny toHarlow Elementary School for 1 hourof instruction a day, and then provideconsultation services to the child careprovider. Video taping of instructionalsessions could be used. This wouldhave to be done in conjunction withsome altering of routines within theearly childhood classroom sincenone of the current interaction activi-ties last more than 15 or 20 minutes.They would have to be clustered togive Jonny experiences in at leasttwo of these activities. The impact ofthe appropriateness of the curriculumto the other students would thenhave to be addressed.

PP-23

Of all the learning environments consid-ered, does this appear to be the leastrestrictive environment that is appropriatefor teaching this skill?

The combination approach would notappear to address any of the difficul-ties effectively and creates additionalproblems. To make this approachappropriate, there would have to betwo or three trips to Harlow Elemen-tary per day with Jonny or the curric-ulum and schedule for the classroomwould have to be changed.

LRE Setting most appropriate to theimplementation of this goal/objectiveswhen considering the total needs ofthe child:

Jonny's educational needs consist ofsupport and specialized instruction intwo critical domains of development:socialization and communication. Hisneeds in all other areas (fine motor,gross motor, cognitive and preaca-demic) can best be met throughcontinued involvement in his currentcommunity based child care facility.After a review of options for bothtargeted areas, the team agreed thatthe least restrictive setting appropri-ate to meeting the needs was thechild care facility with specializedinstruction provided by two specialeducation teachers. The Early Child-hood Special Education Teacher willspend 1/2 to 1 hour daily in the cen-ter initially. She will provide directinstruction on socialization skills us-ing the normalized routines withinthat setting. After an effective instruc-tional paradigm has been identified,the child care provider will be in-volved in the instruction and imple-ment similar activities across the day.Subsequent program revisions will

determine the schedule and timelinesfor fading out the specialized instruc-tion when and if that becomes appro-priate. The Speech Language Thera-pist will spend 1/2 hour with Jonny, 3times per week, for direct instructionin language concepts, pragmatics,and articulation. Consultation will alsooccur with the child care providerand parents on generalizing theseskills across settings. Since Jonnydoes so well in other preacademicactivities, no other supports appearnecessary at this time.

The characteristics of service section,then, must address the critical parame-ters of the intervention including how theinstruction will be delivered or how thebehavior will be taught, reinforced, andshaped. Questions referenced in the IEPGuidelines as being necessary to ad-dress will have been answered as theresult of completing this process.

Can the performance specified in thisobjective be met in the child's currentpreschool classroom without modifica-tions or adaptations?

No

Can the performance specified in thisobjective be met in regular classroomactivities if appropriate modifications aremade?

Yes

Can the performance specified in thisobjective be met if the content difficulty isaltered or if specially designed instruction(totally different) is provided?

Yes

Can the performance specified in thisobjective be met if supportive trainingrelated to the disability is provided (e.g.functional communication training, orien-tation and mobility, fine/gross motordevelopment, etc.)?

Yes

LRE Planning Worksheet

Behaviors of Concern: Goal:

Curriculum Reference: Objectives:

Basis in Present Level ofPerformance:

Parameters of the Behavior BeingAddressed:

Types of Activities That Will be Need-ed:

PP-25

Alternative Service Settings: (address at least three)

Home Based Model Early Childhood Setting

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

PP-26

8E

Alternative Service Settings: (address at least three)

Early ChildhoodSpecial Education Setting

Part-time Early Childhood/Part-timeEarly Childhood Special Education

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

PP-27

Alternative Service Settings: (address at least three)

Itinerant Services Outside the Home

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the elements within this setting thatmake it an appropriate setting in which toteach this skill?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

What are the variables that impact theappropriateness of that environment?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Would this environment be appropriate withthe necessary supports?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

Of all the learning environments considered,does this appear to be the least restrictiveenvironment that is appropriate for teachingthis skill?

LRE setting most appropriate to the implementation of this goal/objectiveswhen considering the total needs of the child:

APPENDICES

9 2

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX PP-A. Crosswalk for Reporting ServiceSettings and Amount of Time by Service Setting on theSPECIS Record Entry Form and IEP

APPENDIX PP-B. Definitions for Eligibility

APPENDIX PP-C. An Alternative Procedure to Identify theMost Appropriate Learning Environment

APPENDIX PP-A

CROSSWALK FOR REPORTING SERVICE SETTINGSAND AMOUNT OF TIME BY SERVICE SETTING

ON THE SPECIS RECORD ENTRY FORM AND IEP

To acquire funding, as well as for plan-ning and program improvement purpos-es, information about children with dis-abilities is reported annually to the De-partment of Public Instruction. The origi-nal source of the information is typicallythe first page of the child's individualizededucation program (IEP), which includesan item for "Federal Child Count Setting."This item is completed after the IEP teamhas decided the most appropriate ser-vice setting(s) for the child. Each specialeducation unit verifies these data andreports them to the Department of PublicInstruction using the Special EducationChild Information System (SPECIS).Children who are receiving services asdocumented on an individualized educa-tion program (IEP) on December 1 ofeach year are included.

Because service settings for young chil-dren may be somewhat different fromthose typical for school-age children,there is need to carefully define thecriterion for each service setting so thatpersons providing the data do so in aconsistent and accurate manner. Thissection describes how early childhoodservice settings must be coded using theexisting SPECIS record entry form. Inaddition, it provides guidance in record-ing on the IEP form the amount of timea child is served in each setting.

Reporting Service Settings for YoungChildren with Disabilities on the IEPand the SPECIS Record Entry Form

The individualized education program(IEP) for a school district or special edu-cation unit typically includes an item onthe first page that looks like this:

Federal Child Count SettingABCDEFGHI

The information recorded for this item isused to complete item 14 on the SPECISRecord Entry form (SFN 14054 (4-95),which appears as follows:

Use the following table to determine howan early childhood service setting will becoded on the IEP and on the SPECISform.

It the child's services are deliver- irt thisEarty Childhood Setting and meet*thi:

criterion on the IEP,,i.SectiOn...1,:-:.. . .

Then use this Federal.Child*:COunt Code:lo

completi:IEP, 'SectionCIPage..1),'iaritU.:.

SPECIS::*:

A. Early Childhood Setting: includes sites such as gen-eral education kindergarten classes, public or privatepreschools, Head Start centers, child care facilities, etc.Children with disabilities are educated in these siteswith nondisabled peers for 80%-100% of the day.

Code asA. Regular Class

B. Early Childhood Special Education Setting: includessegregated settings where children with disabilities areeducated separately for 61% 100% of the day, and areeducated with nondisabled children for 0%-20% of theday.

Code asC. Separate Class

if the child spends 61%-100% of the day in aself-contained setting

C. Homebased Early Intervention: includes home orhospital settings. It does not have a percent of timecomponent. This category also includes young childrenreceiving special education or related services in homesettings because the team has identified that environ-ment as the most nprmalized setting for the neededintervention. Note on the IEP (Section J) whether this isa homebound placement or an early intervention home-based setting

Code asI. Homebound/Hospital

D. Part-Time Early Childhood/Part-Time Early Child-hood Special Education Setting: Includes a combina-tion of service sites, involving some amount of integra-tion with nondisabled peers, with part-time placement inA. and part-time placement in C.

Code asB. Resource Room

if the child spends 21%to 60% of the day in anintegrated setting; OR

Code asC. SeparateClassroom

if the child spends lessthan 21% of the day inan integrated setting.

E. Public Residential: This column includes children whoare served in publicly operated programs in whichchildren receive care for 24 hours a day. This couldinclude placement in public nursing home care facilitiesor public residential schools.

Code asF. Public Residential

Facility

E. Private Residential: This column includes childrenwho are served in privately operated programs in whichchildren receive care for 24 hours a day. This couldinclude placement in private nursing home care facilitiesor private residential schools.

Code asG. Private Residential

Facility

931E57 COPY AVARIA3LE

if .the child's services are delivered in thisEarly Childhood ServiceSetting.and meet this

criterion onlhe:IEP; Section

Then use this FederalChild Count Code tocomplete IEP, Section

C (page 1), andSPECIS

F. Public Separate Day School: This column includeschildren who are served in publicly operated programsset up primarily to serve children with disabilities thatare not housed in a facility with programs for childrenwithout disabilities. Children must receive special edu-cation and related services in the public separate dayschool for 50% or more of the time served.

Code asD. Public Separate Day

School

F. Private Separate Day School: This column includeschildren who are served in privately operated programsset up primarily to serve children with disabilities thatare not housed in a facility with programs for childrenwithout disabilities. Children must receive special edu-cation and related services in the private separate dayschool for 50% or more of the time served.

Code asE. Private Separate Day

School

G. Itinerant Services Outside the Home: This columnincludes children who receive all of their special educa-tion and related services at a school, clinic, or otherlocation for a short period of time in individual or smallgroup formats. On the IEP (Section J), use a footnoteto indicate the type of therapy being received.

Code asI. Homebound/Hospital

H. Reverse Mainstream Setting: In programs utilizingreverse mainstreaming, the general education portion ofthe day can consist of that time of the day during whichnondisabled peers are brought into the special educa-tion preschool classroom as long as the ratio consistsof 50% or greater of nondisabled peers. See A. EarlyChildhood Setting and B. Early Childhood SpecialEducation Settings (above) for the percentage of timeduring which the peers are present in the program.

Code asA. Regular Class

if criteria describe EarlyChildhood Setting; OR

Code asC. Separate Class

if criteria describe EarlyChildhood Special Edu-cation Setting

9c

Recording Service Time for a YoungChild with Disabilities on the IEP

Section J (Least Restrictive EnvironmentJustification: Setting) of the IEP is usedto record service time for each servicesetting. The "Setting" item for youngchildren with disabilities will differ fromthat used for school age children, and isshown at the bottom of this page.

Identify the amount of time the child isserved in each of the following servicesettings. If the child's schedule is thesame every day, calculations can bemade on the basis of a day. If each dayof the week is somewhat different, buteach week is the same, calculationsshould be done on the basis on a week.If there is variation in the child's sched-ule over a two week period (e.g., thechild receives occupational therapy everysecond Tuesday), calculations should bemade on a two week basis. Review thechild's schedule to determine the blockof time that is appropriate.

Next, identify the amount of instructionand related services time that is providedto the child and that are paid for by the

SETTING

school system. This will include timespent in general education, special edu-cation, or child care. Use the total timeas the denominator in calculating thepercentage of time the child is served ineach of the service settings.

The following is offered as an example:The child receives, across all settings, atotal of 15 hours of instruction and relat-ed services each week for which theschool system pays. Of the 15 hours, thechild receives twelve hours of serviceeach week in a self contained setting inwhich he is educated with other childrenwith disabilities. Therefore, 80% (12/15 =80%) should be entered for Early Child-hood Special Education Setting undersection J of the IEP.

In the above example, the Federal ChildCount Code would be entered on thefront page of the IEP and on the SPECISRecord Entry form as C. Separate Class.This was determined by using the cross-walk table provided earlier in this sectionto identify the appropriate Federal ChildCount Code for a child who is served80% of his service time in a self con-tained setting.

Percent ofTime/Week

Regular education

Special education (select of not %100 regular education)

limited special services (less than 21% of time/week)

resource room services (21-60% of time/week)

1:1 separate class services (more than 60% of time/week)

Integrated community

Other

TOTAL 100%

Note:Please use this setting and siteinformation to determine the federalchild count placement category andenter in Part C, on front page of IEP.

APPENDIX PP-B

DEFINITIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY

According to North Dakota Guide I -Laws, Policies, and Regulations for Spe-cial Education for Children with Disabili-ties a child is eligible for early childhoodspecial education services if he/she hasbeen diagnosed as having a disability inone of the 13 recognized categories andrequires specially designed instruction.Any preschool child enrolled in an ap-proved program must have a diagnoseddisability to a degree constituting a de-velopmental barrier that requires specialeducation to benefit from early childhoodexperiences. Services are available tochildren ages three through five. A childbecomes eligible for special educationservices on his/her third birthday.

The categories used in special educationas outlined under Part B, §300.7, of theIndividuals with Disabilities Act are:

Autism means a developmental disabilitysignificantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interac-tion, generally evident before age three,that adversely affects educational perfor-mance. Other characteristics often asso-ciated with autism are engagement inrepetitive activities and stereotyped mov-ements, resistance to environmentalchange or change in daily routines, andunusual responses to sensory experienc-es. The term does not apply if a child'seducational performance is adverselyaffected primarily because the child hasa serious emotional disturbance, asdefined in this section.

Deafness means a hearing impairmentwhich is so severe that the child is im-

paired in processing linguistic informa-tion through hearing, with or withoutamplification, that adversely affects edu-cational performance.

Deaf-blindness means concomitant hear-ing and visual impairments, the combina-tion of which causes such severe com-munication and other developmental andeducational problems that cannot beaccommodated in special educationprograms solely for children with deaf-ness or children with blindness.

Hearing impairment means an impair-ment in hearing, whether permanent orfluctuating, which adversely affects achild's educational performance butwhich is not included under the definitionof "deafness" in this section.

Mental retardation means significantlysubaverage general intellectual function-ing existing concurrently with deficits inadaptive behavior and manifested duringthe developmental period, that adverselyaffects a child's educational perform-ance.

Multiple disabilities means concomitantimpairments (such as, mental retarda-tion-blindness, mental retardation-ortho-pedic impairment, etc), the combinationof which causes such severe educationalproblems that they cannot be accommo-dated in special education programssolely for one of the impairments. Theterm does not include deaf-blindness.

Orthopedic impairment means a severeorthopedic impairment which adversely

affects a child's educational perform-ance. The term includes impairmentscaused by congenital anomaly (e.g.,clubfoot, absence of some member,etc.), impairments caused by disease(e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis,etc), and impairments from other caused(e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, andfractures or burns which cause contrac-ture).

Other health impairment means havinglimited strength, vitality or alertness, dueto chronic or acute health problems suchas a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheu-matic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cellanemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poi-soning, leukemia, or diabetes, whichadversely affects a child's educationalperformance.

Serious emotional disturbance is a termthat means:

(i) a condition exhibiting one or more ofthe following characteristics over along period of time and to a markeddegree, that adversely affects educa-tional performance:

(A) an inability to learn which cannotbe explained by intellectual, sen-sory, or health factors;

(B) an inability to build or maintainsatisfactory interpersonal relation-ships with peers and teachers;

(C) inappropriate types of behavior orfeelings under normal circum-stances;

(D) a general pervasive mood of un-happiness or depression;

(E) a tendency to develop physicalsymptoms or fears associatedwith personal or school prob-lems.

(ii) The term includes schizophrenia.The term does not apply to childrenwho are socially maladjusted, un-less it is determined that they havea serious emotional disturbance.

Specific learning disability means a disor-der in one or more of the basic psycho-logical processes involved in under-standing or in using language, spoken orwritten, that may manifest itself in animperfect ability to listen, think, speak,read, write, spell, or to do mathematicalcalculations. The term includes suchconditions as perceptual disabilities,brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction,dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.The term does not apply to children whohave learning problems that are primarilythe result of visual, hearing, or motordisabilities, of mental retardation, ofemotional disturbance, or of environmen-tal, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

Speech or language impairment means adisorder such as stuttering, impairedarticulation, a language impairment, or avoice impairment, that adversely affectsa child's educational performance.

Traumatic brain injury means an acquiredinjury to the brain caused by an externalphysical force, resulting in total or partialfunctional disability or psychosocialimpairment, or both, that adversely af-fects a child's education performance.The term applies to open or closed headinjuries resulting in impairments in one ormore areas, such as: cognition, lan-guage, memory, attention, reasoning,abstract thinking, judgment, problem-

solving, sensory perceptual and motorabilities, psychosocial behavior, physicalfunction, information processing, andspeech. The term does not apply tobrain injuries that are congenital or de-generative, or brain injuries induced bybirth trauma.

Visual impairment including blindnessmeans an impairment in vision that, evenwith correction, adversely affects theeducational performance of the child.The term includes both partial sight andblindness.

Young children with disabilities may havean identified primary and/or secondarydisability as determined through theassessment process. Refer to the As-sessment section of this document.

APPENDIX C

AN ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY THE MOSTAPPROPRIATE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Modification/Addition to Individual Education PlanProcess and Form

The IEP team will follow the steps described below.

1. In developing the goals and objectives, review and consider the skills necessaryto succeed at age three, four, or five whichever is the appropriate age for thischild.

2. After developing the goals and objectives, review and consider the environmentsin which the skills can be acquired. Examples of a range of options is includedin the first column of Table 1 (attached).

3. List the child's current environment(s). List this information in column 2 ofAttachment PP-C1.

4. Answer the following question:

Is it likely that this child will achieve his/her goals and objectives withspecial education and related services provided in his/her current environ-ment(s)?

Document this information on the child's IEP. See Item 1 in Attachment PP-C2for a sample item that could be added to existing IEP forms. In answering thisquestion, consider, at a minimum, the elements of the child's current environ-ment(s) listed in Attachment PP-C3.

5. If it is not probable that in the current environment(s), for the child to master thegoals and objectives identified in the IEP, discuss whether the current environ-ment(s) could be modified. See Attachment PP-C4 for a sample list of factors thatshould be considered in making this decision.

6. Document the results of this decision in the IEP. See Item 2 in Attachment PP-C2for a sample item which could be added to existing IEP forms.

7. After these decisions have been made, determine if it will be necessary to removethe child from his/her current environment(s) for the provision of special educationand related services. Document this decision in the IEP. See Item 3 inAttachment PP-C2 for a sample item that could be added to existing IEP forms.

8. Discuss and identify the elements that must be present in any proposedenvironment. See Attachment PP-05 for a sample list of factors that should beconsidered in making this decision.

9. Record elements of the environment of particular need and/or significance to thischild on the IEP. This record is one of the most important steps in identifying andverifying the least restrictive environment in which this child can receive anappropriate special education and related services. See Item 4 in Attachment PP-

C2 for a sample item which could be added to existing IEP forms. Alternatively,the IEP team could use the checklist from Attachment PP-05 and append this tothe IEP form.

10. After the team has identified the needs of the child; his/her goals and objectives;strategies to reach these goals and objectives; and the elements of the environ-ment which are necessary for the implementation of the IEP, then the IEP teamis ready to suggest specific environments in which special education and relatedservices can be provided to the child. The team should consult the list in Column1 of Attachment PP-C1 for a sample of the options which might be appropriate.More than one option should be discussed by the team. See Attachment PP-C6for a sample that could be incorporated into existing IEP forms the IEP teamshould list specific environments that should be considered options for this child.This can be done by listing them in Column 3 of Attachment PP-C1 or by writingthem into the IEP.

11. The IEP team should summarize the discussion regarding options considered,options rejected and options recommended. This summary should be written onthe IEP. Appropriate selection of environments, and monitoring and verifying theappropriateness of environments selected, is dependent on the quality of theinformation contained in this documentation. Any minority or dissenting viewsshould also be recorded with this information. A sample summary is provided inAttachment PP-C7.

12. The IEP team should identify the fiscal responsibilities of each party, e.g., by fillingin Column 4 of Attachment PP-C1.

13. The LEA shall use its established policies and procedures for selecting placementoptions based upon the information and recommendations contained in the IEP.

ATTACHMENT PP-C1

SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENTS

PotentiakEnOrOnmeColumn Column 2

Child'S'Current.EnVironMent(s)

Column 3Rkommencied ..

Options..toimplement !EP

Column 4hding:Sources

...,..--",-,rwrveyrrel

foriChildr:en Birth..:IhrOUgh Age 5.

1. Community child devel-opment programs (nurseryschool and/or day carecenter)

2. Self-contained preschoolclass located in commu-nity preschool facility al-lowing significant inter-action between theseclasses.

3. Combination placementwhere child receives someservices in a communityfacility and some at acampus location.

4. LEA/IEU operated pro-gram in the communitywith spaces available forcommunity children on atuition basis.

5. LEA/IEU operated pro-gram in the communitywith spaces available forschool faculty as an em-ployee benefit or on atuition basis.

6. Head Start program.

7. Recreation program in thecommunity (e.g., °Gym-boree", YMCA/YWCA,libraries, community'camps', etc.)

8. Home

10331EST COPY MAMA LE

PotentColumn :1 Column 2

Child's CurrentEnvironment(s)

Column 3Recommended

.

Options fto :..

lEP

Column 4 :Funding Soui-ces

:

Children.:.:BirthBitchthrough Age 5

9. Babysitter's or familymember's home

10. Self-contained class in aregular elementaryschool, including sig-nificant interactions withpreschool children whodo not have disabilities

11. Self-contained class withregular, frequent, &systematic (i.e., 'sig-nificant') interactionswith peers from otherpreschool programs

12. Self-contained class oncampus where otherpreschool programsalso operate classesand there is significantinteraction between thetwo programs

13. Campus-based programfor children with specialneeds with a reservedpercentage of slots forfaculty or communitychildren

14. Slots in programs op-erated under other fed-eral, state, and/or localinitiatives (e.g. protec-tion services, workfare,daycare, drop-out pre-vention programs, etc.)

104

DES' COPY AVAIXABLE

ATTACHMENT PP-C2

MODIFICATION/ADDITION TO IEP FORM:

1. Is it likely that this child will achieve his/her goals and objectives with specialeducation and related services provided in his/her current environment(s)?(Consider such factors listed in Attachment PP-C3.)

Decision: Yes No

Rationale for this decision.

2. Can the current environment be modified/adapted to meet the child's needs?

Decision: Yes No

Rationale for this decision-

3. Does appropriate implementation of this child's IEP require any/some removal ofthis child from the child's typical environment?

Yes No

Rationale for this decision.

4. If the typical environment cannot be reasonably adapted so that the IEP can beimplemented, what elements are necessary to implement the IEP? (Consider suchfactors listed in Attachment PP-05.)

Elements.

lo,77;

ATTACHMENT PP-C3

ANALYSIS OF CHILD'S CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Factors to consider:

interaction with peers who do not have special needs

language/social/physical/cognitive/adaptive stimulation

capabilities of this environment (as appropriate to each child's needs)

equipment available

availability of personnel (therapists and teachers)

adult interaction and supervision

ATTACHMENT PP-C4

OPTIONS TO CONSIDER TO ADAPT CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Can staff be added?

Can experiences with peers who do not have special needs be added?

Can equipment be bought/provided?

Can physical environment be modified?

107

ATTACHMENT PP-05

ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED

A. Meets minimum standards (check those items of relevance):

Health codeSafety and fire codesChild care requirementsOther program requirements:NAEYC or other certification/endorsement

B. Qualifications of available/potential personnel:

C. Travel time/location of program relative to child's home:

D. Accessibility of program/environment:

E. Ratio of children/staff:

F. Number of children with special needs/children with no identified special needs:

G. Schedule:

H. Age range of children in proposed environment:

I. Equipment available/possible:

J. Parent Involvement activities:

K. Identified preschool curriculum (if applicable):

L. Signed agreement that environment will comply with Part B requirements:

M. Other:

S

ATTACHMENT PP-C6

CONSIDERATION OF SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS

la. Option Considered:

lb. Advantages:

Disadvantages:

2a. Option Considered:

Disadvantages:

3a. Option Considered:

3b. Advantages:

Disadvantages:

4. OPTION(S) RECOMMENDED:

Rationale for recommended options:

ATTACHMENT PP-C7

SAMPLE SUMMARY OF RATIONALE FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Three settings were considered as possible options for the delivery of the specialeducation and related services needed by Marcus: his home, his family day care home,and a play group. Since Marcus lives in a remote area where there are no day carecenters or center based nursery schools, these options were not considered. Becauseimplementation of his IEP requires interaction with peers in his community who do nothave disabilities, self-contained options were also ruled out.

The social worker and parents felt that modifying his home environment toprovide opportunities for interactions with typical peers and other adaptationsnecessary would cause unnecessary disruption for other members of thefamily.

Based on a visit to the day care home, the therapists thought that this wouldnot be the most appropriate setting in which to implement the IEP. There aretoo many children to ask the child care provider to address the goals andthere are different children coming each day. However, the speech pathologistrecommended that she meet periodically with the child care provider toreinforce certain communication strategies.

The play group has four children led by a mother with child developmenttraining and is held in the 4-H building twice a week, in the morning. Theschool early childhood specialist and Marcus' father visited the play groupand reported that the social, language, and motor goals can be addressed inthis setting. They also reported that the play group leader is willing to workwith the team in implementing the IEP.

I

EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATIONFOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES,AGES THREE THROUGH FIVE:STAFF/FACILITIES

Prepared By

North Dakota Interagency Coordinating CouncilProgram Standards Subcommittee

Published By

ADAPTIVE SERVICES DIVISIONNORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

Wayne G. Sanstead, Superintendent1996

iii

E.0

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

NORTH DAKOTA PROGRAM GUIDELINES 1

Qualification of Teachers 2Facilities 2

Required Instructional Time 2Equipment and Materials 2

STAFFING PATTERNS 3Early Childhood Special Education Teacher 3

Related Services Personnel 3

Aides (Paraeducators) 4Volunteers 4

ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS 6

Classroom Facilities 6Safety Standards 7Playground Facilities 8Fire or other Emergencies 8

Medical/Health Consideration 8Interagency Collaboraiion 8

Transportation 9Funding 10'Evaluation 10Technology-Based Options 11

112

INTRODUCTION

This section presents requirements related to staff and facilities. Teachers qualifications

are stated, along with a description of staffing pattern options involving teachers, related

services personnel, paraeducators, and volunteers. In addition, a number of administra-

tive considerations are addressed.

QUALIFICATIONS

6.0 QUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS: Teachers of Early Childhood Special Education

(ECSE) must hold a North Dakota Educator's Professional Certificate and a specialeducation credential in early childhood special education.

6.1 Credential Requirements - Courses in the areas listed below must be at the

graduate level unless otherwise specified.

6.1.1 A valid North Dakota Educator's Professional Certificate inelementary education or kindergarten education is required.

6.1.2 One Required: (Undergraduate or graduate)

Education of Exceptional ChildrenPsychology of Exceptional Children

6.1.3 Assessment in Early Childhood Special Education

6.1.4 One Required:

Developmental Psychology..Infant Behavior and DevelopmentLanguage Development and Disorders

6.1.5 One Required:

Home-School RelationsParents, the School, Community Agencies

6.1.6 Practicum in Early Childhood Special Education (required)

SF-1,";

6.1.7 Early Childhood Special Education

Introductory Course, or Characteristics of Young Childrenwith Disabilities; Methods and Materials in Teaching YoungChildren with Disabilities; and at least one other course in theEducation of Young Children with Disabilities

or

Training in other areas of exceptionality will be reviewed. Afull sequence in one area of exceptionality will be consideredas an alternative to the Early Childhood Special Educationsequence:

Introductory Course for this area of exceptionality;Methods and Materials in this area of exceptionality;Practicum in this area of exceptionality; and at leastone other course in area of exceptionality.

6.2 Teachers who do not have a credential in ECSE may receive a Letter ofApproval to teach in the area of early childhood special education afterhaving completed eight (8) semester hours of coursework in EarlyChildhood Special Education. The approval is valid for one year (12calendar months) and renewable for up to three years. Renewal status isdependent on completion of eight (8) semester hours of coursework peryear as identified on an approved university program of study. Teachersmust fully qualify for a credential within three years.

6.3 A restricted certificate in the area of ECSE may be granted to teacherscompleting a full program of study from a university program that has beenapproved through the North Dakota State Program Approval process andby the Department of Public Instruction.

7.0 FACILITIES: Classrooms within a school setting will be equal to or larger thana regular classroom, have self-contained bathrooms or facilities that provideprivate changing areas located within easy access of the classroom. Classroomsmust be located within easy access to other age-appropriate classrooms (i.e.,kindergarten and primary grades) within the building. The classrooms must alsomeet minimum standards of heat, light, and ventilation.

7.1 Community-based settings will meet minimum state child care licensingstandards or other agency licensing standards, as appropriate.

0 8.0 REQUIRED INSTRUCTIONAL TIME IN PROGRAM TO BE ELIGIBLE FORFUNDS: Federal preschool special education funds are available for children whoare on an active individualized education program (IEP). The amount of fundsavailable is determined by the number of children on active IEPs at the time of theannual December 1 Child Count. State per pupil foundation aid is available forchildren receiving a minimum of twelve hours per week of a combination of directand indirect instruction as identified in the IEP. Indirect instruction may includeparent training, home interventions, consultation with parents and/or other agencypersonnel regarding intervention programming.

9.0 EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS: All educational equipment needed for provisionof special education and related services and identified in the student'sindividualized educational program must be provided.

STAFFING PATTERNS

A number of options staffing patterns options exist to support the team planning processfor the education of young children with disabilities. The development of job roles andresponsibilities that reflect the services needed will ensure that responsibilities of variousstaff members and related personnel are clear.

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

Roles and Responsibilities:

Coordination of children's programs, parent involvement, team planning.

Team participation in planning, implementing and evaluating children'sservices.

Screening and assessment of referred children, including documentationof results.

Development and implementation of program services to children and tofamilies.

Consultation to program staff and to other community programs.

Knowledge of child development, disability conditions, working withparents, regulations and guidelines that apply to serving young childrenwith disabilities.

Record keeping and documentation.

Related Service Personnel

Screening and assessment of referred children, including documentationof results.

Team participation in planning, implementing and evaluating children'sservices.

Assistance in development of individualized education programs andimplementation or training of others to implement the child's program.

Consultation with parents and other team members or other communityprograms concerning the child's progress.

SF-4

Provision of information regarding child development, disability conditions,working with families, and regulations and guidelines that apply to servingyoung children with disabilities.

Recordkeeping and documentation.

Determining need for special adaptive equipment, assistance in designand/or acquisition of equipment such as alternate communication systemsor prosthetic devices, and training others in using specialized materials.

Federal regulations describe related services as "transportation and such developmental,corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disabilityto benefit from special education and includes speech pathology and audiology,psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation includingtherapeutic recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children,counseling services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. Theterm also includes school health services, social work services in schools, and parentcounseling and training" (34 CFR§300.16).

Related services personnel are part of the multidisciplinary team who assist inassessment planning and evaluating the child in their areas of specialization and assistin planning and implementing the child's program. Related services may be providedthrough contractual arrangements with other public and private agencies within thecommunity.

Aides (Paraeducators)

An individual child with very specific needs that require a highly individualized programmay necessitate the assistance of an aide. The aide would assist in the implementationof each child's individual education program to meet the special needs of individualchildren.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Carry out instructions for children's programs or provide teacher supportas designated by supervisor.

Provide to supervisor observational information obtained while carrying outassigned activities.

Assist in child management.

Record keeping/data collection as prescribed.

:e Team participation and effective communication with_team members.

SF-5

117

Volunteers may be utilized as additional supports for intervention services. They requirethe same training procedures as aide (paraeducators) although the intensity will vary withthe role they assume. Potential volunteers include parents, high school students, seniorcitizens, university or college students who may or may not be practicum students, ormembers of community service organizations or religious groups.

Volunteers may assume some of the same responsibilities as aide or they may choosea nonteaching task such as construction of materials, organizing field trips, or raisingmoney for special projects such as purchasing new equipment for the classroom.

ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS

As a program for young children with disabilities is planned, a number of decisionsrelating to program administration must be made. Some of these decisions are basedon options that the program administrator has selected. The provision of services withinthe least restrictive environment will reflect the continuum of options in service deliveryand staffing patterns that dictate needs for intervention facilities, transportation andfunding. Needs of children to be served must be considered as decisions are maderegarding emergency procedures necessary in serving young children with disabilities.The sections that follow -- Classroom Facilities, Emergency Precautions, InteragencyCollaboration, Transportation, Funding, and Evaluation -- address considerations inmaking appropriate programming.

Classroom Facilities

Classrooms within a school setting will be equal to or larger than a regular classroom,have self-contained toilet facilities or facilities that provide private changing areas locatedwithin easy access of the classroom. Classrooms should be located within easy accessto other age-appropriate classrooms (i.e., kindergarten and primary grades) within thebuilding. The classrooms must also meet minimum standards of heat, light, andventilation. Community-based settings will meet minimum state child care licensingstandards or other agency licensing standards, as appropriate.

An accessibility checklist for assuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) is essential for facilities serving both adults and children. Some of the keyconsiderations that refer specifically to young children with disabilities are identifiedbelow.

Ramps should have a handrail 32 inches above the ramp surface for adultsand a lower set appropriate to the size of the children served.

Stairs should have two sets of handrails available on each side of the stairsat a height of 32 inches for adults and at an appropriate lower height forchildren.

Water fountains should be accessible to young children with disabilities ata height of 26 inches from the floor.

The heights of toilet seats should be appropriate for young children withorthopedic disabilities at 12 to 17 3/4 inches.

The heights of the sinks should be 29-34 inches from the floor to accom-modate young children with orthopedic disabilities.

Pull-up bars should be located near the toilet and sink for young childrenwith disabilities.

SF-7

A towel dispenser or hand dryer should be located beside each sink nohigher than 30 inches from the floor.

Other considerations in designing a barrier-free environment for the education of youngchildren with disabilities include:

well-lighted corridors and classrooms

location away from loud noises, excessive odor, or heavy traffic

no free-standing columns or pipes blocking access to any part of the roomthat would decrease the mobility of children with a visual impairment

no permanent structures that could prevent children with an auditoryimpairment from seeing the teacher from all parts of the classroom

adjacent play area, drinking fountains, and sinks

direct access to bus loading/unloading or parent drop-off areas

location of the classroom near other age appropriate classrooms to controlunstructured interactions between older and younger students

carpeted areas where children will be participating in floor activities

a nonslip floor surface that will not impede the locomotion of a child witha physical disability in a wheelchair in traffic areas within the classroom.(Brooks. and Deen, 1981)

Safety Standards

Certain "childproofing" precautions should be adhered to in the learning environment:

covered electrical outlets

cleaning products stored in locked cabinets

tap water not hot enough to scald children

furniture free of protrusions and stabilized to prevent toppling

furniture resistant to scratching, chipping, or staining

furniture of the appropriate height, that is functional and comfortable

SF-812e

i3EST COPY AVAELABLE

flooring in areas used for toileting, eating, or art activities made of a denseresilient material resistant to damage by toileting accidents, and spillage offood, paint, and water

appropriate use of hard surface versus carpet flooring for children withphysical disabilities.

Playground Facilities

The playground facilities for the young child with disabilities should be located so as toprovide ease in transition in and out of the building. Adaptive playground equipmentmay be necessary for some children. For example, adaptive swings, a hammock, or arubberized cement ramp leading up to a low-pitched and high-sided slide may beappropriate.

Emergency Precautions

Fire or Other Emergencies. In case of fire or other emergencies, an evacuationplan must be developed and practiced to ensure the safe exit of each child withdisabilities and staff members. Staff members should be assigned certain children toguide out of the building.

Local, state, and federal fire codes and guidelines have provisions for emergency exits.Facilities serving young children with disabilities must meet these minimum standards.

Medical/Health Considerations. Written policies and procedures should be inplace regarding medical emergencies, dispensing medication and other healthconsiderations (i.e., immunizations, food allergies or dietary restriction, specialpositioning, or programming classroom sanitation and infectious illness).

Interagency Collaboration. Interagency collaboration refers to efforts on the partof separate service providers to work together to share ideas, information, and resources.The broad goal underlying such collaborative efforts is improvement of comprehensiveservice delivery to the population served, including improved access to services, greaterconsistency in services, and better coordination of services. No single agency providesservices for all needs - health, economic, social, education - so interagency collaborationand cooperation become vital when a child and family require more than one type ofservice.

Another issue addressed by interagency collaboration is fragmentation of services. Thisis particularly true where either there may be duplications or gaps in services to meet

SF-9

121

identified needs. The current economic and social climate of declining resources alongwith increased social advocacy for providing new or expanded services has put manyagencies in the difficult position of determining how to continue to provide or expandservices with fewer financial resources. Interagency collaborative efforts can assistagencies as they address fragmentation while maximizing resources in light of currenteconomic and social pressures.

Special education programs can serve a key role by facilitating collaboration betweenthe school and other agencies serving young children with disabilities. This is truebecause most of the identified young children will have educational needs while thechild-family needs for health, social services or economic assistance will vary. Sinceother agencies will often make first contacts with families of young children withdisabilities, they can serve as major referral sources to school programs indicating theneed for a close working relationship. The special education personnel can identifythose agencies likely to have contact with young children, establish contacts with keypersonnel, and inform the agency of referral procedures.

A logical starting pint for collaboration among agencies is location and identification ofchildren needing services. A major goal of agencies working together is to ensure thatchildren are identified and referred to appropriate agency services. This matchingprocess can be facilitated when agencies (including the school) are aware of oneanother's services and referral procedures. The process can be further enhanced whenagencies share responsibilities for location, identification, or evaluation throughcooperative financial and/or personnel sharing arrangements. An example of suchcooperation is a joint selective screening program in which several agencies contributefinancial and personnel resources and use the resulting information to channel referralsto appropriate agencies.

The North Dakota Early Childhood Tracking System (NDECTS) was established toidentify and monitor children birth through five who are considered at risk for develop-mental delays. Regional NDECTS teams bring together representatives from severalagencies to deal with common concerns relating to identification, location, and evaluationof young children at risk for developmental delays/disabilities. In promoting comprehen-sive services to young children, NDECTS teams may address more complex issues suchas gaps or duplication in services.

gEST COPY AVM BILE

0

Transportation

If transportation is a related service as determined by the IEP planning team, the schooldistrict of the child's residence and the special education unit in which the districtparticipates are responsible for arranging and providing transportation (or boarding carein lieu of transportation) for children who must be transported or live away from homein order to receive special education services that meet LRE criteria. (North DakotaCentury Code 15-59-02.1).

The district of residence may use any reasonably prudent and safe means of transporta-tion at its disposal. Such means may include, but are not limited to, a regularlyscheduled school bus, or transportation provided by a parent of a child with disabilitiesor other responsible party at school district expense.

Special precautions need to be considered when transporting young children; these maymake transportation provided by a parent or other responsible adult a more viablesolution in some situations. Lengthy rides, adequacy of supervision, and safety andcomfort for the child must be considered. Often carpools can be arranged among theparents of the children. The number of children transported at a given time should bebased on safety and supervision considerations. Children should ride in car seats whenappropriate or wear safety belts. North Dakota Century Code 39-21-42.2 requires thatsuch restraint devices be used for children through ten years of age when the passengervehicle is operated by the child's parent. The adult should escort the children into theclassroom when dropping them off and return to the classroom to pick them up. Thiswill control accidents that may occur if children are left to cross a street by themselvesor enter the school building unattended.

If young children with disabilities ride a bus, the child's condition should be consideredin determining the length of the bus ride. Another adult in addition to the bus drivershould ride the bus to supervise the children. A separate bus may be used to transportyoung children to minimize unstructured physical interactions with older children thatmight result in injury.

Individual disabilities need to be considered in determining the type of vehicle mostappropriate for transporting a child. The vehicle transporting children in wheelchairs, forexample, must be equipped with fastening devices that hold wheelchairs in a secure andfixed position. Children may also be transferred in and out of wheelchairs if they are ableto sit well-balanced on a regular bus seat. Such considerations will require that a busdriver be given training in the handling and positioning of physical disabilities. Thevehicles providing transportation for young children should be equipped with a two-wayradio and special emergency equipment such as a first aid kit, blankets, or flares.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

Funding

Special education programs in public schools are funded through combination of federal,state, and local outlays. The federal funds come from entitlement programs such as P.L.89-313 or P.L. 101-476 and are distributed according to the number of children enrolledin the special education program. Funds flow through the state education agency to thelocal education agency.

An additional revenue source is provided by the state. North Dakota Century Code,Section 15-59-06, provides state per pupil foundation aid that is available when childrenare enrolled in an approved program. Based on a percentage of the state foundationpayment per school-age pupil. State special education funds also provide reimburse-ment to programs qualifying for program approval.

Section 15-59-08 of the North Dakota Century Code allows school districts to levy a taxfor special education. These local funds pay excess costs in providing special educationservices to all children with disabilities within the local district or unit.

Evaluation

Ongoing planning and evaluation are crucial components of a program for youngchildren with disabilities. As a program is implemented, situations will arise that were notaccounted for in the original planning process. The administrator and members of theprogram staff are responsible for developing problem solving procedures that may beused when such situations arise.

In addition to ongoing problem solving and subsequent changes in planning, personnelresponsible for the ECSE program need to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.Programs are evaluated to determine strengths, deficiencies, gaps and duplications inservices to children with disabilities and their families.

Each local special education unit is required to identify policies and procedures thataddress on-going program evaluation as a part of the unit's three year plan submittedto the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The effectiveness of each unit'sprogram is determined through an evaluation of services provided, how those servicesare delivered, at what frequency and duration they are provided, and their quality.

SF-12

isEsrr COPY AWAHABLE

12

Technology-Based Options

In some areas where transportation is a major obstacle to the delivery of direct services,consideration can be given to alternative forms of information sharing.

Media-based options include utilizing closed circuit television to transmit training andtechnical information and self-contained instructional packages designed for use byparents or paraeducators. Videotapes may be used to provide information on childdevelopment and management techniques or on assessing and teaching techniqueswhen consultants are not available. Likewise, computers have been used in rural areasfor assessment and teaching. A checklist of skills is sent to the family and othercommunity-based personnel such as a public health nurse or social agency representa-tive and that person administers the checklist. The information gained from the checklistis programmed into a computer which delineates those skills that should be targeted.Videotapes are then mailed for use in teaching the targeted skills. Telephone servicesand special frequency radios can also serve as communication links to provideconsultative skills to remote areas.

In some rural communities, mobile resource centers provide assessment and instruction-al services. Assessment teams consisting of multidisciplinary staff in coordination withvarious local community agencies travel from one rural community to another providingneeded assessments. The mobile unit can also be fitted as a classroom to conductclasses in the morning while the afternoons are spent working with parents and childrenin the home. Toy lending and parent/child take-home libraries are also incorporated intothe mobile unit.

TIES' COPY AVARLABLE

SF-1312o

Er

(9/92)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)

NOTICE

REPRODUCTION BASIS

FC 30 G 3 2- cl

1

ERIC

This document is covered by a signed "Reproduction Release(Blanket)" form (on file within the ERIC system), encompassing allor classes of documents from its source organization and, therefore,does not require a "Specific Document" Release form.

This document is Federally-funded, or carries its own permission toreproduce, or is otherwise in the public domain and, therefore, maybe reproduced by ERIC without a signed Reproduction Releaseform (either "Specific Document" or "Blanket").