 Special
Education - Birth to Five
Early Childhood Outcomes Project
The United States Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP) has implemented a new special education
requirement. Pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 1416(a) (3)(A), states
will be required to report child progress data for preschool
aged children receiving early childhood special education
services.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has convened
a group of stakeholders, including school district personnel
from rural and urban districts, researchers from universities,
and representation from the Part C Early Intervention Lead
Agency, who have assisted in the development of a child outcomes
measurement and reporting system for Illinois. The group took
into consideration that many school districts and special
education cooperatives have high quality assessment practices
in place and that some districts have developed child outcomes
and measurement systems for all preschool aged children. A
large majority of districts and special education cooperatives
are funded by ISBE to operate prekindergarten programs for
children at risk of academic failure. These prekindergarten
programs, for the most part, are already using evidence-based
curricula and assessment systems identified by ISBE. Many
districts “blend” their prekindergarten programs
and early childhood special education services to facilitate
a high quality early childhood program for all preschool aged
children served by the district. A guiding factor in developing
the outcome measurement system was that it will enhance the
high quality early childhood programs. Therefore the outcomes
measurement system is based on school districts’ use
of multiple sources of information regarding a child’s
functioning on each of the outcomes.
For more information on the early childhood Outcomes System,
please refer to the Illinois State Performance Plan, Indicator
7, found on the ISBE website at the following link: http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/pdfs/state_performance.pdf.
Resources
Early Childhood Special
Education Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Guidance Paper
One of Us: Access
and Equity for All Young Children
(updated 11/22/05)
The purpose of this Guidebook is to encourage and promote
increased access for preschoolaged children with disabilities
to be educated with their typically developing peers in preschool
programs.
Access and Equity
Training of Trainers
Child Find Screening,
Data Collection Form
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in cooperation
with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is responsible
for ensuring statewide Child Find and screening activities
occur.
Illinois School District's
Responsibility Toward Early Intervention
As the result of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) must participate
in the child find process as primary referral sources.
Dual Eligibility
Please refer to this document when determining placement for
young children who are eligible for Prekindergarten and/or
Early Childhood Special Education services.
Training and Assistance
Early Childhood
Special Education Training & Technical Assistance
ISBE offers statewide training and technical assistance
through two projects: Early CHOICES and STARNET. Library and
information services are also available to all Illinois residents
through the Early Childhood Intervention Clearinghouse. |
