1. Dawn Hendricks, Ph.D. Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator
Indicator 6: Promoting Accurate Reporting
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Dawn Hendricks, Ph.D. Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator

2. Student Information Processes and Procedures
What procedures are in place related to preschool data entry within your division?
Who is responsible for entering preschool student data?
Registration, enrollment, and demographic information
Special education eligibility and IEP information
Indicator 6 data

3. Walton Mountain Public School

4. Student Information Processes and Procedures
What monitoring processes and checks and balances are in place to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data?
Who is responsible?

5. What is your role in data collection and monitoring and ensuring accuracy for Indicator 6?

6. Questions to Ask Where does the single data point begin?
How is the student information entered?
How is the student information maintained?
How is the student information extracted?

7. Where does the Data Originate?
The December 1 child count reports data on all students with an ACTIVE IEP on December 1
IEP data are from
special education referral data
child study data
eligibility data
Trace the data to the beginning

8. Data Entry
Data entry begins when a student is referred for an evaluation or transfers with an existing IEP
What procedures are in place with regard to special education student information?
Who is responsible for entering the data into the IEP system?
What monitoring procedures are in place for checking the accuracy of the data when it is entered?
Transfer students

9. Data Maintenance
What are the processes for ensuring that IEP information is current and accurate?
Frequency of updates (i.e., weekly, monthly)
How are data reported from the school level to the division level?
Who are the individuals responsible for reporting school level data to the division?
It depends on the size of the division and number of staff
Back up plan for when technology fails

10. Data Extraction and Submission
Who at the division level is responsible for extraction?
Who at the division level is responsible for submission to DOE?
Who is responsible for checking the accuracy of the data prior to submission?

11. Key Points
Identify current procedures, processes, and individuals responsible for entry of special education data
Modify and implement new procedures if necessary
Meet with staff frequently and communicate expectations, roles, and responsibilities
Create a monitoring system with timelines
Train all who have data entry responsibilities.
Check and recheck you data!

12. Review Data and Identify Potential Concerns or Problems
VDOE Special Education Performance Plan Data Profile Critical Area Self-Assessment Questions: Indicators 5 and 6
Are there any discrepancies, unusual patterns?
Are there incorrect ages reported?
Are there MAJOR changes from the previous year that are not accounted for (e.g., race, disability categories)?
Are there blank fields?

13. Indicator 6 Resources Indicator 6 Decision Tree
Educational Environments for Children Birth-Five: Instructions
Educational Environments for Children Birth-Five: Questions and Answers
Before we begin, let's discuss additional resources that can help you further understand Indicator 6 and the reporting requirements. These resources are:  
Indicator 6 Decision Tree,
Educational Environments for Children Birth through Five: Instructions, and
Educational Environments for Children Birth through Five: Questions and Answers.

14. Indicator 6 Webinars

15. This is the Virginia Indicator 6 Decision Tree.
When determining the child’s Early Childhood Special Education Placement Category Code, begin at the top. Let’s go through the steps.

16. Information Gathering
Gather Information to determine “Does the child attend a regular early childhood program?”
Ask the family to list and describe programs the child attends outside of school.
List and describe programs where the child attends provided by the LEA.
Update as needed
The first step in the process, is to gather information to determine, “Does the child attend a regular early childhood program?” Ask the family to list and describe programs the child attends outside of school. Additionally, list and describe programs where the child attends provided by the Local Education Agency (LEA).
Remember, for it to be considered a regular early childhood program for Indicator 6 purposes, the program is to be a part of the child’s typical week. A typical week is what the child does consistently across weeks during the school year. This does not include weekend time. It is also important to remember, to be considered a participant in the regular early childhood environment, the child must be attending. In other words, he or she is a member of the program and there is intentional teaching and promotion of the child’s interaction with children without disabilities.
Local Education Agencies are to ensure the student’s data is correct prior to the December 1 Special Education Child Count. Therefore, preschool educational environment data is to be updated as needed.

17. QUESTION 1) Is the Child Attending a Regular Early Childhood Program (RECP)? If yes, use placement code 17
When determining the child’s Early Childhood Special Education Placement Category Code, begin at the top with the question, “Is the child attending a regular early childhood program?”
If the answer is YES, you will use placement Code 17.
Again, this includes time provided by the family and the Local Education Agency.

18. For the Child Attending a Regular Early Childhood Program…
…determine whether the child attends a regular early childhood program “at least 10 hours per week” or “less than 10 hours per week.”
Add both the hours provided by the family as well as the LEA.
For the child who DOES attend a regular early childhood program, you will continue to move through the series of questions on the left side of the Decision Tree.
Next, you will determine whether the child attends a regular early childhood program “at least 10 hours per week” or “less than 10 hours per week.”
Add both the hours provided by the family as well as the local education agency.
10 or more hours/week

19. For the Child Attending a Regular Early Childhood Program…
…answer the question “Does the child receive the majority of his/her special education and related services in the RECP?” *Do NOT consider services provided by family
10 or more hours/week
For the child who DOES attend a regular early childhood program, you will continue to move through the series of questions on the left side of the Decision Tree.
Regardless of whether the child attends a regular early childhood program “at least 10 hours per week” or “less than 10 hours per week”
answer the question, “Does the child receive the majority of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program?”
Indicate YES if he or she does and NO if the child does not and receives the majority of special education and related services “in some other location.”

20. QUESTION 2) Does the child attend a special education program
QUESTION 2) Does the child attend a special education program? If yes, use placement codes 18, 19, or 20
We have gone through the left side of the Decision Tree and now know how to code and answer questions for those children who attend a regular early childhood program. Let’s move to the right side and discuss how to code those children who do NOT attend a regular early childhood program. For these children, you will use placement Codes
For these children, the next question you will ask, “Is the child attending a special education program?” If the answer is YES, you will use placement Codes 18, 19, or 20.

21. For the Child who does NOT Attend a Regular Early Childhood Program AND Attends a Special Education Program
Code 18: Special Education Classroom
Code 19: Separate Special Education School
Code 20: Special Education Residential
For the Child who does NOT Attend a Regular Early Childhood Program AND Attends a Special Education Program, the slide depicts the Code and the placement category.
Code 18: Special Education Classroom
Code 19: Separate Special Education School
Code 20: Special Education Residential

22. QUESTION 3) Is the child receiving the majority of special education and related services in the residence of the child’s family or caregiver? If yes, use placement code 21 If no, use placement code 22
For those children who are not attending a regular early childhood program AND not attending a special education program, then ask the question, “Is the child receiving the majority of special education and related services in the residence of the child’s family or caregiver?”
If yes, use placement code 21 If no, use placement code 22

23. For the Child who does NOT Attend a Regular Early Childhood Program and Receives the Majority of Special Education and Related Services in the Home or Service Provider Location
Let’s look closer at Codes 21 and 22.
Code 21: Home  
Code 22: Service Provider Location or other locations not in any other category
Remember, service provider location or other locations not in any other category are defined as receiving special education and/or related services in a:
Therapist or clinician’s office in a public school,
Private therapist or clinician’s office,
Hospitals facilities in an outpatient basis,
Libraries, and
Other public locations.
Code 21: Home Code 22: Service Provider Location or other locations not in any other category

24. Indicator 6 Application
Virginia
Decision Tree
Scenarios

25. How will you use these tools?

26. How can the State help you with Indicator 6 and accurate reporting?

27. WHAT ARE YOUR QUESTIONS?

28. Web Resources Indicator 6
December 1 Child Count
Performance Reports

29. VDOE Contact Information
Dawn Hendricks, Tara McDaniel, Diane Lucas,