Policy – Category 5000 (Students)
BP 5002 – Evaluation and Assessment
The IFSP shall contain the identification of the people responsible for convening the transition conference. Those agencies and individuals responsible are also identified in the transition plan referenced above. 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 bi rthday 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.
4.1
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, surrounding 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
BP 5002 – Evaluation and Assessment
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Desert Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area (DMSELPA) (rev. 02/14)
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