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

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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

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Presentation Parameters

• Where weve been
• Interagency Structures
• Interagency Relationships Communication
• Policy Alignment and Continuity
• Interagency Agreements
• Personnel Development
• Data System
• Monitoring and Evaluation

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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

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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
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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
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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.

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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).

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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Interagency Relationships and Communications
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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

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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

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IEP Manual and Forms
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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 childs
  original IEP (date first services began) was not
  on or before the childs 3rd birthday, and why?
• Late referral / moved into district late (less
  than 90 days before 3rd birthday)
• Parent Choice
• Other (Specify)     

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Interagency Relationships and Communications
IFSP Form Revisions
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Interagency Relationships and Communications
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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

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Interagency Relationships and Communications
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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

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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

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Birth-5 Personnel Development
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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

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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

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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

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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

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Part C Data System Transition Checkbox
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Part C Data System Performance Dashboard
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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)

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Part C Data System Notification to LEAs
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Part C Data System Notification to LEAs
John
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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

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Part C Data System Tickler Reports for Service
Coordinators Local Programs
John
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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 G
eorge, Brady Jodi Bell 5/22/06 2/20/2009 81
197 Groves, Elena Mindy Dee 5/25/05 2/24/2008
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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 Dmore,
Noelle 4/4/2006 Not yet 27.2 Diag
Cond 278
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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.

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Monitoring Evaluation
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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

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Next Steps?

• Include student ID numbers on reports to LEAs to
  assist them to track the transition process
• Revise Part C B MOU

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Questions?
Thank You