Early Childhood Transition: Effective Approaches for Building and Sustaining

State InfrastructureConnecticut

Maria Synodi, 619 CoordinatorConnecticut State Department of Education

Linda Goodman, Part C CoordinatorConnecticut Department of Developmental Services

NECTAC Early Childhood MeetingWashington D.C.

December 3-5, 2007

Presentation Parameters Where we’ve been

Interagency Structures

Interagency Relationships & Communication

Policy Alignment and Continuity

Interagency Agreements

Personnel Development

Data System

Monitoring and Evaluation

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

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

2002 Improvement PlanNot Much Better

Part C: Monitoring data only. Information from 93 family interviews

Part B: “No systematic means to obtaininformation from all school districts” Monitoring data from 26 districts

1st year of data merge activitiesMSIP

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.

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).

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 ….

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

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

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

Interagency Relationships and Communications

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

Interagency Relationships and Communications

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

IEP Form Revisions

IEP Manual and Forms

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)     

Interagency Relationships and Communications

IFSP Form Revisions

Interagency Relationships and Communications

Interagency Relationships and Communications

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

Birth through Five Newsletter

Interagency Relationships and Communications

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

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

Birth-5 Personnel Development

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

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

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

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

Part C Data System: Transition Checkbox

Part C Data System: Performance Dashboard

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)

Part C Data System: Notification to LEAs

Part C Data System: Notification to LEAs

John

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 Zachs315.9 Spch Delay 12/30/04 35 Yes 6/13/07 Mary Dyer

CREC

Neil Ryan436 Stroke 6/4/05 30 Yes 6/1/06 Kristina Gally

Early Connections

Town Total 3

Part C Data System: Tickler Reports for Service Coordinators & Local

Programs

John

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

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

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.

Monitoring & Evaluation

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

Next Steps?

Include student ID numbers on reports to LEAs to assist them to track the transition process

Revise Part C & B MOU

Questions?