Early Childhood Transition Forums Sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Department of Public Health March 2012

5/8/ Overview State Performance Plan Indicators APR Transition Requirements Revised Data Collection Activities Transition Planning.

5/8/ State Performance Plan Indicators Early childhood transition is an area addressed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; both the Part C and the Part B State Performance Plans. For this reason, early childhood transition must be a collaborative effort between both programs to ensure that all children and their families are able to participate in a constructive and beneficial transition process.

Review of APR Transition Requirements Transition Indicators for APR: Part C Indicator 8A, B, & C Part B Indicator 12

APR Requirement – Indicator C8 Percent of all children exiting Part C who received timely transition planning to support the child’s transition to preschool and other appropriate community services by their third birthday including: A. IFSPs with transition steps and services;  At least 90 days before child’s 3 rd birthday and up to 9 months prior to 3 rd birthday B. Notification to LEA/SEA, if child potentially eligible for Part B; and C. Transition Planning Conference, if child potentially eligible for Part B (20 U.S.C.1416(a)(3)(B) and 1442)

APR Requirement – Indicator B12 Percent of children referred by Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for Part B, and who have an IEP developed and implemented by their third birthday (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)) Measurement A. # of children who have been served in Part C and referred to Part B for eligibility determination. B. # of those referred determined to be NOT eligible and whose eligibilities were determined prior to their third birthdays. C. # of those found eligible who have an IEP developed and implemented by their third birthdays. D. # of children for whom parent refusal to provide consent caused delays in evaluation or initial services E. # of children referred to Part C less than 90 days before their 3 rd birthday.

Revised Data Collection Activities In the school year, indicator 12 data collection activities moved to ESE’s cohort model Each cohort has implemented or will implement the new data collection activities Child Specific Data Electronic submission of data separate from grant will be utilized for data collection Electronic submission of data through ESE’s security portal

Applicable Regulations State Regulation: 603 CMR 28.00: Special Education 28.04(1)(d): 28.04: Referral and Evaluation ( 1) Referral for Initial Evaluation. A student may be referred for an evaluation by a parent or any person in a caregiving or professional position concerned with the student's development. (d) Upon referral, school districts shall evaluate children who are two and a half years of age and who may be receiving services through an early intervention program. An initial evaluation shall be conducted in order to ensure that if such child is found eligible, special education services begin promptly at age three.

Federal Regulation: Public Law , 34 CFR Sec Transition of children from the Part C program to preschool programs. The State must have in effect policies and procedures to ensure that-- (c) Each affected LEA will participate in transition planning conferences arranged by the designated lead agency under section 635(a)(10) of the Act. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(9)) Applicable Regulations

10 Transition Planning Timelines All Service Coordinators should make reasonable efforts to initiate a transition planning conference at least ninety (90) days, and up to nine (9) months, prior to the child’s third birthday. When transition planning begins nine months prior to the child’s third birthday, IFSP teams have sufficient time to work with the LEA to determine Part B eligibility, and develop an IEP to be implemented by the child’s third birthday. In addition, if the child is not eligible for Part B, the IFSP team will have sufficient time to refer the child to other agencies for other appropriate services. IDEA 2004 [20 USC 1437 (a)(9)(A-C) and 20 USC 1436 (a)(8)]

11 What Is a Transition Planning Conference? (90 Day Pre-Planning Meeting) A transition planning conference is a meeting of the family and representatives from Early Intervention, the LEA, other community providers, and all others the family chooses to invite. The transition planning conference can occur as early as 9 months but no later than 90 days prior to the child’s 3 rd birthday.

12 The Purpose of the Transition Planning Conference  Review the child’s service history;  Discuss possible eligibility and program options with the LEA and/or other community providers;  Establish a transition plan; and  Determine with parents the records and information (for example, evaluation, assessment and other relevant information) to be shared with the LEA or other community providers.

13 During the Transition Planning Conference 1. Discuss the eligibility process for Part B special education services and/or other community programs with the family and LEA. All children exiting Part C should be referred for Part B special education services if the IFSP team feels they may be eligible. For more information see [Special Education Eligibility Standards 2. Discuss the parent consent for transfer of records Information from the child’s EI record can be very helpful to the transition process by assisting the receiving program to plan for the transition. 3. Suggest possible evaluations for Part B services. The IFSP team, with the LEA representative, reviews information in order to allow the LEA to understand what evaluation information is already available and to plan for any needed evaluation(s). 4. Discuss the transition at age three. Discuss the end of EI services and the beginning, if the child is found eligible, of school age special education services..

14 5. The LEA may obtain Parental Consent for Part B Evaluation as appropriate and share the Parent's Notice of Procedural Safeguards (PNPS) Once the Parental Consent Form is signed and returned, the LEA should work together with the parent and EI program to move forward to complete the eligibility determination and, if the child is eligible, ensure the IEP is in place by the child’s 3rd birthday. 6. Discuss the Team meeting with the family, including the option to involve additional IFSP team members. The family may wish to involve the Service Coordinator or other IFSP team members in the initial Team meeting when eligibility is discussed and if the child is eligible, to assist with the plan for the IEP and the smooth transition of services. 7. Develop a written transition plan. The written transition plan should include outcome(s) with steps, and persons responsible for preparing the child for any new expectations and/or skills as well as any training desired by families to help prepare for the transition. During the Transition Planning Conference

5 Key Elements for Transition Planning Preparing the Child and Family Sharing Identifying Information with Potential Programs Conducting the Transition Conference Implementing the Transition Plan Referring to Receiving Programs

Best Practices Develop Memoranda of Understanding /Protocols Interagency communication and relationships Sharing resources and assessment data; joint professional development.

IEP MEETING At the request of the parent, an invitation to the initial IEP meeting must be sent to the Part C service coordinator, or other Part C representative. IEP team must consider the content of the IFSP.

Early Childhood Transition Planning Activity Partnering School Districts and EI Programs work together in small groups Use the Early Childhood Transition Planning Worksheet as a guide to discuss and record your responses related to the following topics  LEA Notification  Referral Procedures  Transition Planning Conference (TPC)  Ongoing Planning and Next Steps Report Back to Group

Resources MA State Performance Plan: Nat’l Early Childhood Transition Center: Best Practices in Early Childhood Transition: eeds/transition_guide.pdf eeds/transition_guide.pdf Connecting the Dots: National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center: Parent Leadership Project: