------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
  **IDEA: Special     
  Education Preschool 
  Grants**            

  **FY 2009 Program   
  Performance Plan**  

  Strategic Goal 1    

  Formula             

  IDEA, Part B,       
  Section 619         

  CFDA                84.173: Special Education_Preschool Grants
  ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------

  -------------- --------------------------------------------------------
  **Program      **To help preschool children with disabilities enter
  Goal:**        school ready to succeed by assisting states in providing
                 special education and related services.**

  -------------- --------------------------------------------------------

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  ------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------
  ***Objective 1 of 1:***   *Preschool children with disabilities will receive
                            special education and related services that result in
                            increased skills that enable them to succeed in school.*

  ------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------

  ----------------------- ---------------- ------------------- ---------------------------
  **Measure 1.1 of 3:**                                        
  The number of states                                         
  with at least 90                                             
  percent of special                                           
  education teachers of                                        
  children aged three to                                       
  five who are fully                                           
  certified in the area                                        
  in which they are                                            
  teaching.   (Desired                                         
  direction: increase)                                         
    1517                                                       

  **Year**                **Target**       **Actual\           **Status**
                                           (or date            
                                           expected)**         

  1997                                     35                  Measure not in place

  1998                                     37                  Measure not in place

  1999                    40               34                  Did Not Meet Target

  2000                    41               36                  Made Progress From Prior
                                                               Year

  2001                    40               35                  Did Not Meet Target

  2002                    40               34                  Did Not Meet Target

  2003                    36               32                  Did Not Meet Target

  2004                    36               34                  Made Progress From Prior
                                                               Year

  2005                    37               33                  Did Not Meet Target

  2006                    37               38                  Target Exceeded

  2007                    38               (November 2008)     Pending

  2008                    39               (November 2009)     Pending

  2009                    40               (November 2010)     Pending
  ----------------------- ---------------- ------------------- ---------------------------

**Source**. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
Programs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
state-reported data under section 618.

**Frequency of Data Collection**. Annual

**Data Quality**. States generally maintain data for students with
disabilities by grades taught, not by ages of the students taught.
Therefore, these data are for teachers teaching prekindergarten,
kindergarten, and/or elementary school, or a combination, depending on
individual state certification and licensing requirements. Certification
of related services personnel are not included because those
requirements vary even more widely than requirements for teachers (e.g.,
some states certify sign language interpreters, but other states do
not). \
\
To assist States in preparing a sufficient number of qualified preschool
special education personnel, OSEP funded in 2006 the National
Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI). NPDCI will work
with States to create a system of high quality, accessible professional
development for early childhood personnel and to create an integrated,
cross-agency system of professional development to support inclusion.

**Target Context**. Data for this measure is reported for the 50
states + the District of Columbia + Puerto Rico + the Virgin Islands
+ American Samoa + Guam + Northern Marianas + BIA (N=57).\
The 50 States+ the District of Columbia + Puerto Rico receive Preschool
Grants under section 619 of IDEA. The other entities included in the
calculation have teacher certification requirements applicable to early
childhood teachers.

**Explanation**. 

There is a clustering of states around the 90 percent threshold in this
measure, which may result in unpredictable changes from year to year.
For 2005, 33 States and territories were at or above the 90%
threshold; 10 States and territories were between 85% and 89%.\
\
State personnel certification standards can change from year to year,
and there is variability in standards across States. For instance, some
States require regular and special education early childhood
endorsement; some have special education as an add-on to regular
certification; some certify according to an age or grade range. There is
continual turnover of early childhood special education personnel and
personnel could easily be at various stages of acquiring certification
on the data collection date.

 

 

  ------------------------ ----------------- ------------------- --------------------------
  **Measure 1.2 of 3:**                                          
  The percentage of                                              
  children with                                                  
  disabilities (aged three                                       
  through five)                                                  
  participating in the                                           
  Special Education                                              
  Preschool Grants program                                       
  who demonstrate improved                                       
  positive                                                       
  social-emotional skills                                        
  (including social                                              
  relationships);                                                
  acquisition and use of                                         
  knowledge and skills                                           
  (including early                                               
  language/communication                                         
  and early literacy); and                                       
  use of appropriate                                             
  behaviors to meet their                                        
  needs.   (Desired                                              
  direction: increase)                                           
    1957                                                         

  **Year**                 **Target**        **Actual\           **Status**
                                             (or date            
                                             expected)**         

  2006                     Set a Baseline    Not Collected       Not Collected

  2007                     Set a Baseline    Not Collected       Not Collected

  2008                     Set a Baseline    Not Collected       Not Collected

  2010                     Set a Baseline    (February 2010)     Pending
  ------------------------ ----------------- ------------------- --------------------------

**Source**. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
Programs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
state-reported data in the Part B Annual Performance Report (OMB No.
1820-0624)

**Frequency of Data Collection**. Annual

**Data Quality**. 

States will have implemented their early childhood outcomes measurement
systems for a sufficient period of time to continue producing progress
data as the states work towards fully implementing their data collection
and analysis systems. \
\
For federal fiscal year 2009, states will report progress data to the
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). This data are reported in a
grid consisting of the three developmental outcomes areas by the 5
reporting categories. Actual data are provided in the Annual Performance
Report or State Performance Plan. Progress  data represent children who
entered preschool special education in 2005-06, 2006-07, or 2007-08
and exited in 2007-08,  were in the program at least six months, and for
whom the state has entry and exit data. States will report baseline data
to the Office of Special Education Programs on February 1, 2010.  \
\
States continue to receive intensive technical assistance as they
develop and implement their preschool accountability outcomes
measurement systems. OSEP funded the Early Childhood Outcomes Center
(the ECO Center) to promote the development and implementation of child
and family outcome measures for infants, toddlers and preschoolers with
disabilities that can be used in local, state, and national
accountability systems. OSEP also provides extensive technical
assistance through the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance
Center (NECTAC).

 

 

**Target Context**. States will report  the number and percentage of
children in each of the three developmental areas by the 5 reporting
categories. The five reporting categories are: (1) % of children who did
not improve functioning; (2) % of children who improved functioning but
not sufficient to move nearer to functioning comparable to same-aged
peers; (3) % of children who improved functioning to a level nearer to
same-aged peers but did not reach it; (4) % of children who improved
functioning to reach a level comparable to same-aged peers; (5) % of
children who maintained functioning at a level comparable to same-aged
peers.\
\
OSEP will not establish ta baseline and targets until States have
submitted baseline data in February, 2010.

**Explanation**. This measure focuses on positive social-emotional
skills (including positive social relationships), acquisition and use of
knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early
literacy), and use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs because
these skills are the best indictors of success in later years. These are
functional developmental areas that encompass many aspects of early
childhood development in general. The measures were developed by the
Early Childhood Outcomes Center after extensive input from a variety of
stakeholders, including the Advisory Board for the Center comprised of
parents, service providers, early childhood special education
researchers, local educational agency representives, national early
childhood organizations, OSEP early childhood staff, other federal
agencies who support programs for young children (e.g., Head Start,
Child Care Bureau), and other experts in the field.

  ----------------------- ----------------- ------------------- --------------------------
  **Measure 1.3 of 3:**                                         
  The percentage of                                             
  children with                                                 
  disabilties (aged three                                       
  through five) who                                             
  receive special                                               
  education and related                                         
  services in a regular                                         
  early childhood program                                       
  at least 80% of time.                                         
    (Desired direction:                                         
  increase)   89a03m                                            

  **Year**                **Target**        **Actual\           **Status**
                                            (or date            
                                            expected)**         

  2007                    Set a Baseline    41.7                Target Met

  2008                    43                (December 2007)     Pending

  2009                    44                (December 2008)     Pending

  2010                    45                (December 2009)     Pending
  ----------------------- ----------------- ------------------- --------------------------

**Source**. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
Programs, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA),
state-reported data under section 618

**Frequency of Data Collection**. Annual

**Data Quality**. Consistent with section 618(a)(1)(A) of IDEA,
categories for reporting the number and percentage of preschool-aged
children with disabilities by educational environment have been revised
to more accurately reflect the extent of the children\'s participation
in regular education. States began using the new data collection (OMB
No. 1820-0517) between October 1 and December 1, 2006, inclusive. Data
collected in 2006 were used to establish the baseline in the 2007 GPRA
report. \
\
Data collected in December, 2007 will be reported for this 2008
report. \
\
The new data collection was very different from the prior collection and
States reported having difficulty implementing the new system in the
fall of 2006. OSEP believes it may be several years before the data are
deemed valid and reliable, a standard timeframe for new data collections
systems to produce valid and reliable data.\
\
In response to States\' reports that the new data collection was too
difficult and unlikely to ever produce valid and reliable data, OSEP
proposed revisions to the data collection form. The proposed changes
were published for public comment on August 16, 2007. As of January
2008, OSEP has not determined what changes, if any, will be made to the
data collection. Because of the possible changes to the data collection,
it may be necessary to reword the measure and establish a new baseline
and targets for this measure.\
\
To assist States in collecting preschool educational environments data,
OSEP provides technical assistance directly to States, as well as
through a coooperative agreement with the Data accountability Center
(DAC). DAC conducts annual state data collectors meetings, develops
FAQs, develops a data dictionary, analyzes data collected per Section
618 of IDEA, prepares the annual report to Congress, and provides other
data collection support and assistance, as needed, to help OSEP ensure
that data from states are valid and reliable.

**Target Context**. Data reported for this measure includes the 50
States + the District of columbia + Puerto Rico + Guam + American
Samoa + virgin Islands + Northern Marianas + BIA (N=57). The 50 States +
the district of columbia + Puerto Rico receive preschool Grants under
section 619 of IDEA. All entities are subject to least restrictive
environments requirements of IDEA.

**Explanation**. Prior to amending the preschool educational
environments data collection in 2006, preschool educational placement
data were reported according to the type of program in which
preschool-aged children with disabilities received special education and
related services. Under the data collection system begun in fall, 2006,
States must first determine whether a child attends a regular early
childhood program (parentally or publicly placed) (Category A on the
data collection form). For these children, States must report on the
percentage of time children receive special education and related
services in that regular early childhood program. \
For children not attending any regular early childhood program or
kindergarten (Category B on the data collection form), States must
report where the children receive special education and related
services.