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Early Childhood Transition: Effective Approaches for Building and Sustaining State Infrastructure Connecticut

Early Childhood Transition: Effective Approaches for Building and Sustaining State Infrastructure Connecticut. Maria Synodi, 619 Coordinator Connecticut State Department of Education Linda Goodman, Part C Coordinator Connecticut Department of Developmental Services

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Early Childhood Transition: Effective Approaches for Building and Sustaining State Infrastructure Connecticut

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  1. Early Childhood Transition: Effective Approaches for Building and Sustaining State InfrastructureConnecticut Maria Synodi, 619 Coordinator Connecticut State Department of Education Linda Goodman, Part C Coordinator Connecticut Department of Developmental Services NECTAC Early Childhood Meeting Washington D.C. December 3-5, 2007

  2. Presentation Parameters • Where we’ve been • Interagency Structures • Interagency Relationships & Communication • Policy Alignment and Continuity • Interagency Agreements • Personnel Development • Data System • Monitoring and Evaluation

  3. Connecticut • Small geographic state • Approximately 8,600 children served in Part C each year, 2,600 who exit at age three, 1900 of whom are Part B eligible • 38 Birth to Three programs each serving multiple districts (and as many as 40) • Approximately 2,400 three-year-old children with an IEP • 159 local school districts responsible for early childhood special education (3-5) • Home-base early intervention and integrated early childhood programs

  4. IDEA Self-Assessment 2000 - Part BThat was then … Early Childhood Transition: Children exiting Part C receive the services they need by their third birthday • Existing data is insufficient to indicate whether children eligible for Part B received their special education and related services by age 3 • Available data was generated from monitoring visits Busted

  5. 2002 Improvement PlanNot Much Better Part C: Monitoring data only. • Information from 93 family interviews Part B: “No systematic means to obtain information from all school districts” • Monitoring data from 26 districts 1st year of data merge activities MSIP

  6. OSEP Dec. 2002 Response • Part C: Within 60 days identify in a revised Improvement Plan strategies and other actions that will result in 100% compliance/completion of the 90-day transition meeting requirement within one year of the date of this letter and that Connecticut include the baseline data information on transition planning in its progress report.

  7. OSEP Dec. 2002 Response • Part B Child Find: Connecticut identified concerns about collecting information about the timeliness and accessibility of evaluations in its self-assessment but did not address them in its improvement plan. OSEP requests that CTSDE address each of the specific concerns in its revised Improvement Plan (or provide an explanation of the data Connecticut relied on to exclude these concerns as priority areas).

  8. Annual Performance Report 2003-04 • Establishment of baseline • Part B added a new data element to the statewide data system to collect data from school districts – data element was ‘start date’ • Data merge activities continued with the Part C data system to merge and match children • 2003-04 data better with new Part B data element – but still not good enough And the work continued ….

  9. Interagency Structure • Primary contact person in Part B (619 Coordinator) and Part C (Part C Coordinator) for all transition issues • Transition subcommittee of State ICC meeting – meets every other month • Enrollment processes, timelines, and program eligibility processes specified across the two agencies and revised as needed

  10. Interagency Relationships and Communications • Working relationship between Part B and Part C over 11 years builds trust and respect. • Frequent communication leads to informal problem solving strategies

  11. Interagency Relationships and Communications Joint Development of Materials for 0-3 and 3-5 audience (0-5) • Transition Video and DVD • For parents, and • For providers – early intervention and school personnel • Family Guide Book III: Transition • Child Find System 0-5 coordinated through statewide Child Development Infoline

  12. Interagency Relationships and Communications

  13. Universal Health Form • Provided in Family Guide Book III: Transition • Health form used to enroll children in public school, Head Start, state School Readiness Program, state-funded child care • Early planning and collection of information assists in referral to programs and enrollment

  14. Interagency Relationships and Communications IEP Form Revisions • IEP Form and Manual revised to include FAPE by Age 3 information • IEP Form, IEP Manual and Statewide Data training and technical assistance on IEP and data collection to ensure accuracy of reporting

  15. IEP Manual and Forms

  16. IEP FAPE By 3 Data Collection Required Data Collection (Collect at the initial development of an IEP: Not a component of the IEP) For Children 3 to 5 years of age • Date of IEP meeting to write the initial IEP      • Effective date that first service began      • Whether the child ever receive Birth to Three services • Whether the effective date of the child’s original IEP (date first services began) was not on or before the child’s 3rd birthday, and why? • Late referral / moved into district late (less than 90 days before 3rd birthday) • Parent Choice • Other (Specify)     

  17. Interagency Relationships and Communications IFSP Form Revisions

  18. Interagency Relationships and Communications

  19. Interagency Relationships and Communications Birth through Five Newsletter • 3 times per year. Cost split 50/50 • English and Spanish version • Stakeholder – Birth-5 Advisory Board • Disseminated to Part C parents & personnel, school districts serving 3-5 and parents • Available 0-3, ECSE web site • Used in trainings by C and B, PTI

  20. Interagency Relationships and Communications

  21. Policy Alignment and Continuity • Collaboration, communication and partnership in the development and implementation of C & B Guideline documents • Notification language added to Part C state statute (e.g., child find) • Part C Transition policy and Part B guidance documents • Use of joint C and B memo to field on transition related issues • Assistive Technology Birth-Grade 12 policy

  22. Interagency Agreements • Original MOU – 1996 covering transition, child find, dispute resolution, • Biannual MOU for $1million dollars per year for Part C & B Child Find • MOU for a Birth-5 Newsletter • MOU for CSPD, professional development, training and technical assistance

  23. Birth-5 Personnel Development

  24. Personnel Development • Annual Birth-5 Professional Development Calendar – joint C and 619 funding & planning • Annual Birth-5 Conference – joint C and 619 funding & planning • Joint Policy Letters and Memos • Training and Technical Assistance • Community Partnerships

  25. Personnel Development • Joint development of web-based training on “transition” with a focus on transition from Part C to Part B • Used as a training resource for Part B • Used as a training tool for Part C service coordinators • Used by the PTI to assist parents in the transition process

  26. Data Systems • Part C Data System Upgrades • Checkbox for transition steps • Performance dashboard for programs • Ticklers for programs-90 day transition report • Statewide notification to LEAs using “responsible LEA field” and opt out information • Focused Monitoring selection indicator and on-site visits

  27. Data Systems Collaboration • When Part C identifies transition concerns that may apply to school districts, calls 619 to join the Part C monitoring team • When Part B identifies transition concerns – works with Part C system • Sharing of de-identified information for compliance, monitoring and accountability • On-going informal problem-solving prior to formal issues being identified

  28. Part C Data System: Transition Checkbox

  29. Part C Data System: Performance Dashboard

  30. Part C Data System: Exception Detail Reports All Transition Reports 3/17/07-9/17/07 Conf #days LEA Case# Name DOB date 3rd BD conf-3rd BD referral? 78622 Demeo, Nick 12/10/04 12/10/07 Not Yet Conference on Time Conference Late: Conference Not Recorded: 1 (counted as late)

  31. Part C Data System: Notification to LEAs

  32. Part C Data System: Notification to LEAs John

  33. Part C Data System: Notification to LEAs District: Bloomfield Referral Serv. Coord/ Name/Condition DOB Mos Decision Date Agency 783.42 Dev. Delay 12/16/04 35 No 2/8/07 Julie Brown HARC Bonnie Zachs 315.9 Spch Delay 12/30/04 35 Yes 6/13/07 Mary Dyer CREC Neil Ryan 436 Stroke 6/4/05 30 Yes 6/1/06 Kristina Gally Early Connections Town Total 3

  34. Part C Data System: Tickler Reports for Service Coordinators & Local Programs John

  35. Part C Data System: Transition Tickler Report for Local Programs Acme Birth to Three Program 90 Day Transition Report Case # Name Service Coord. DOB Due Date Actual Date January 87736 Brown, Lindy Fay Lee 4/25/2006 1/24/2009 88580 Matlock, Sam Jodi Bell 4/18/2007 1/17/2010 75288 Purdy, Noelle Mindy Dee 4/4/2006 1/3/2009 78751 Tupper, Nick Fay Lee 5/1/2006 1/30/2009 February 85143 George, Brady Jodi Bell 5/22/06 2/20/2009 81197 Groves, Elena Mindy Dee 5/25/05 2/24/2008

  36. Part C Data System: Transition Tickler Report for Local Programs LEA Referral Form 3-8 Not Signed Referral Days to Case # Name DOB to LEA? Age Eligibility 3rd Birthday 87736 Brown, Lindy 7/19/2005 Not yet 28.0 -1.5 2 areas 254 88580 Camp, Sam 6/29/2005 Not yet 28.7 -2.0 1 area 234 75288 D’more, Noelle 4/4/2006 Not yet 27.2 Diag Cond 278

  37. SDE General Education Data System: Public School Information System • The system is web-based • Children are assigned student identification numbers that they retain until they graduate from high school. • Each school building “enrolls” and “dis-enrolls” students • Birth to Three now enrolls and dis-enrolls all eligible children so that their name and number are already in the system when their next school seeks to enroll them. • Using these identification numbers (which are also recorded in the Birth to Three data system) will help produce FAPE at three data and will allow longitudinal studies.

  38. Monitoring & Evaluation

  39. Monitoring & Evaluation: Part B • Use of Point in time data • Follow-up for data accuracy, data verification • Analysis of information – review of child-specific documentation (e.g., participation in transition conference, IEP Team meetings, IEP) • Site visit as appropriate • Improvement plan if needed

  40. Next Steps? • Include student ID numbers on reports to LEAs to assist them to track the transition process • Revise Part C & B MOU

  41. Questions? Thank You

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