An Overview of Preschool Requirements for Child Find and Evaluation Presented by: Rita Kenison and Valerie Andrews Team Approach to Screening and Evaluation

2 Objectives - To understand Arizona’s screening and evaluation process for preschool children To raise awareness regarding Arizona rules and regulations for finding preschool children who are eligible for early childhood special education services To discuss developmentally appropriate screening and evaluation tools

3 Do You Know What the Law Requires? School districts and other public agencies are responsible for Child Find: Locating, identifying, and evaluating eligible children School districts and other public agencies are responsible for offering those who qualify for services a free & appropriate public education (FAPE). Remember…..Three is three for children transitioning from AzEIP! The IEP for an eligible child must be implemented by the child’s third birthday.

4 IDEA ’04: The Federal Law Highlights of what the law provides: Early identification and provision of services; Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that focus on improving results through the general curriculum (Early Learning Standards for preschoolers); Education with nondisabled children; Higher expectations for children with disabilities Agency accountability; Strengthened role of parents and partnerships between parents and schools; and, Reduced paperwork and other burdens

5 Arizona’s Child Identification (Child Find) Requirements Each PEA agency shall establish, implement, and disseminate to its school-based personnel and all parents, within the PEA boundaries of responsibility, written procedures for the identification and referral of all children with disabilities, aged 0-21… (AAC R D.1) Records of the identification procedures utilized, dates of entry into school or notification by parents, and the dates of screening shall be maintained... Results shall be maintained in the student’s permanent records. (AAC R D.9)

6 “Screening” means… An informal or formal process of determining the status of a child with respect to appropriate developmental and academic norms. Screening may include observations, family interviews, review of medical, developmental, or education records, or the administration of specific instruments identified by the test publisher as appropriate for use as screening tools. (AAC R B.23)

7 Screening Requirements Screening shall be completed within 45 calendar days after: Entry of a preschool or kindergarten student and any student enrolling without records of screening, evaluation and progress in school; or Notification by parents of concerns regarding developmental or educational progress by their child aged 3 years through 21 years. (AAC R D.5)

8 Screening Requirements For transfer students, enrollment data and educational performance in the prior school must be reviewed. If there’s a history of special education for a student not currently eligible for special education, the student shall be considered for a referral for a full and individual evaluation or other services. (AAC R D.7)

9 Screening procedures shall include….. Vision and hearing status Cognitive or academic development Communication development Motor development Social or behavioral development Adaptive development (AAC R D.6) NOTE: Screening does not include detailed individualized comprehensive evaluation procedures. An informal or formal process may be used.

10 DHS Hearing Screening Requirements Inspect outer ears for: 1) fluid or drainage; 2) blood; 3) an open sore; or a foreign object Performing screening in each ear using: Four-frequency, pure tone hearing screening.. Three-frequency, pure tone hearing screening with tympanometry… or Otoacoustic emissions hearing screening using OAE equipment that generates a pass or no pass result (AAC R A-C Department of Health Service Rules & Regs)

11 Follow Up for Students Who Fail 1 st Hearing Screening If a student does not pass a hearing screening …, a screener shall perform a second hearing on the student no earlier than 30 days and no later than 45 days from the date of the first hearing screening. The screener shall perform the second hearing screening using the same method as the first hearing screening. (AAC R B Department of Health Services Rules & Regs.)

12 Follow-up for “failed” results… If a student does not pass a second hearing screening… within 10 days of the second hearing screening…, the school shall provide the parent with a referral for hearing evaluation by: An audiologist, a physician, or primary care practitioner if the screening used only the four-frequency, pure tone hearing; A physician or primary care practitioner if the student did not pass the tympanometry portion, but passed the three- frequency, pure tone portion; An audiologist if the student did not pass the three- frequency, pure tone portion, but passed the tympanometry portion; or An audiologist, a physician, or a primary care practitioner if the OAE was used. (AAC R C Department of Health Services Rules & Regs.) NOTE: The school assumes responsibility and costs associated.

13 Responsibilities for Children with Diagnosed Hearing Deficits Hearing screening is not required for students who: Are deaf or hard of hearing; Have a hearing aid; Have an assistive listening device; or Have a cochlear implant. Within 10 days from the date the school identifies one of the above conditions, the school is required to provide the parent with a referral to an audiologist, including an electroacoustic analysis of any hearing aid or assistive listening device unless there is existing documentation from an audiologist specifying a different evaluation schedule (AAC R A Department of Health Services Rules & Regs.) The school must ensure that a student referred under AAC R subsections (A) or (C) is evaluated. (AAC R F) DHS Rules & Regs.

14 Notifying Parents RE: Follow Up If the screening procedures or review of records indicate a concern, the public education agency shall notify the parents within 10 school days and inform them of the school’s procedures for following up on the student’s needs. (AAC R D.8)

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17 Child Referred to District of Residence

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19 IDEA ‘04: Following The Rules for Evaluation A variety of assessment tools and strategies must be used Administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel Tailored to assess specific areas of educational need not merely those designed to provide a single intelligence quotient No single procedure can be used as the sole criterion Should not be discriminatory or culturally biased

20 What Evaluation Procedures Must Be Followed to Determine Eligibility Under IDEA’04 and Arizona Statutes? Each public education agency (PEA) must conduct a full and individual evaluation Each public education agency (PEA) must conduct a full and individual evaluation. For preschool children ages 3-5, eligibility is determined only after a Comprehensive Developmental Assessment (CDA) is conducted Federal lawArizona law

21 Written vs. Verbal Requests for Evaluations Verbal Screen within 45 calendar Notify parent within 10 school days Written Provide PWN and Review Existing Data with Parent If the MET decides an eval is needed, provide parent with PSN and obtain parental consent for eval If PEA disagrees that an eval is needed, provide PWN and PSN Within 60 days of parental consent, complete eval and eligibility determination with PWN.

22 OK, So What is a Comprehensive Developmental Assessment (CDA)? A CDA is an evaluation that uses criterion- referenced or norm-referenced instruments that assess these five developmental domains: Including vision and hearing (and any follow-up) Cognitive development Physical development (fine motor/gross motor) Communication development Social/emotional development Adaptive development

23 Comprehensive developmental assessment (CDA) Instruments designed for screening are not adequate for consideration as part of a CDA. AZ statutes require that all 5 developmental domains must be assessed for preschool children, not just area of suspected disability. State and federal regulations prohibit the determination of eligibility for special education on the basis of one instrument; therefore, if a norm- reference CDA is used, additional methods of evaluation are required.

24 Arizona’s Preschool Eligibility Classifications 1. Preschool Moderate Delay (PMD) 2. Preschool Severe Delay (PSD) 3. Preschool Speech/Lang Delay (PSL) 4. Vision Impairment (VI) 5. Hearing Impairment (HI)

25 What Is The Eligibility Criteria For Preschool Moderate Delay? Between 1 ½ and 3 standard deviations below the mean on a norm-referenced measure for children of the same chronological age in at least two categories: Cognitive development Physical development Communication development Social/emotional development Adaptive development The results of the norm-referenced measure must be corroborated by information from the comprehensive developmental assessment and parental input, if available, as measured by a judgment-based assessment or survey. If there is a discrepancy between measures, the evaluation team shall determine eligibility based on a preponderance of the information (ARS )

26 What Is The Eligibility Criteria For Preschool Severe Delay? More than 3 standard deviations below the mean on a norm- referenced measure for children of the same chronological age in one or more category: Cognitive development Physical development Communication development Social/emotional development Adaptive development. The results of the norm-referenced measure must be corroborated by information from the comprehensive developmental assessment and parental input, if available, as measured by a judgment-based assessment or survey. If there is a discrepancy between measures, the evaluation team shall determine eligibility based on a preponderance of the information (ARS )

27 What Is The Eligibility Criteria For Preschool Speech-Language Delay? Performance on a norm-referenced language test of at least 1 ½ standards deviations below the mean for children of the same chronological age or Out-of-context speech that is unintelligible to a listener who is unfamiliar with the child. Eligibility in this category is appropriate only if: a Comprehensive Developmental Assessment or a norm-referenced assessment and parental input indicate that the child is not eligible for services under another preschool category. The evaluation team shall determine eligibility based on a preponderance of the information presented. (ARS )

28 What Is The Eligibility Criteria For Vision Impairment and Hearing Impairment? Visual Impairment – Loss of visual acuity or a loss of visual field Vision loss interferes with the child’s performance in the education environment Requires the provision of special education and related services. (ARS ) Hearing Impairment – Loss of hearing acuity Interferes with the child’s performance in the educational environment Requires provision of special education and related services. (ARS )

29 FAQs: What if the Child Comes Into the District With a Prior Evaluation? Does the Child Need Additional Evaluation? The child’s records and existing data should be reviewed as part of an initial evaluation. The team can then decide if any additional evaluations are needed to determine eligibility.

30 What Do All These Regulations Mean? To Summarize System for child find. Document your processes. A full Comprehensive Developmental Assessment (CDA) of all 5 domains must be conducted for evaluation of children suspected of having disabilities and a need for services Rule of 2’s (2 Evaluators, 2 Assessments, 2 Settings Preferred)

31 Remember… If there is a discrepancy between the measures, the evaluation team shall determine eligibility based on a preponderance of the information presented.