All Part C program providers, with parental consent, shall transmit information about the child to the LEA/preschool program operator. This information shall include evaluation and assessments and a copy of the IFSP, and is sent not later than the time the toddler is two years nine months old. The LEA/preschool program operator shall then offer the parents an assessment plan in order to complete any additional assessments necessary to determine eligibility for special education services under Part B. These steps shall include sending a packet to the parent acknowledging the receipt of the referral and requesting a signed permission to assess. If the toddler with disabilities may participate in a regular preschool education environment, the LEA shall ensure the attendance of a general education preschool teacher, or a person with early childhood education training who has information regarding preschool instructional programs, at the IEP/IFSP meeting. The IEP for a child aged three through five shall reflect developmentally appropriate activities, including goals to enhance the child’s ability to access the normal activities for a preschool aged child. These activities may include play, self-help skills, language development, social skills, and motor skills. Access to normally developing age peers shall be written into the IEP as is appropriate and required by IDEA 2004. An IEP to determine eligibility under Part B shall be scheduled by the LEA of residence/preschool program operator to take place prior to the child’s third birthday so that services under Part B may commence by that date or, if school is not in session, by the date that school is next in session, including extended school year (ESY). If scheduled by the preschool program operator, the LEA shall be invited to the IEP meeting. Assessment Process Evaluations and assessments of infants and toddlers are conducted differently from those of older students. According to Meisels and Provence, in the publication Guidelines for Identifying Young Disabled and Developmentally Vulnerable Children and Their Families, during the developmental stages of early childhood, a young child will act differently at different times of the day to the same set of circumstances. Changes in the child’s physical state, surr ounding environment, and interactions with significant people in his or her life can have an impact upon how the child reacts. To account for these differences, service providers use a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary team approach. To obtain accurate information various tools may be used, such as standardized assessment measures with alternative approaches, play-based assessments, and clinical observations of the child in different settings. Preferred practices include:
• Parents and family members, as team members, provide information.
• Assessment as a coordinated intervention plan encourages parents/families to learn about procedures, observe the work of professionals, and learn to interpret data. • The California Code of Regulations requires that evaluations and assessments be conducted in natural environments, whenever possible. This ecological model of assessment allows the child to interact with his/her environment in light of regular daily activities and routines. • The team of evaluators/assessors designs procedures to obtain information that is appropriate and based upon activities that are reliable and valid.
Chapter 2 – Evaluation and Assessment, Desert/Mountain SELPA
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As of 02/07/2014 Board Approved
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