October 2010 1

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

FOR PRESCHOOL

EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

October 2010 2

Source: Data Accountability Center (DAC) Child Count Directions

https://www.ideadata.org/PartBForms.asp#y201011

Child CountInstructions andConsiderations

October 20103

Educational Environments of Children with Disabilities

Report an unduplicated count of all children with disabilities ages 3-5

served by IDEA by age and educational environment.

NECTAC NOTE: Please refer to the federal instructions and state guidance for specific coding definitions.

October 20104

Timeline for Reporting

Child count data is collected on a state-designated date

between October 1, 2010 and December 1, 2010

October 2010 5

Preschool Educational Environment Reporting Categories

What is program type?• Regular early childhood

programs• Special education programs• Neither regular or special

education program

Where is the majority of special education and related services delivered?

AND WHEREWHAT

October 20106

Four Main Categories for Children

A – Attending a regular preschool program more than 10 hours a week (regardless of where special education is delivered)

B – Attending a regular preschool program less than 10 hours a week (regardless of where special education is delivered)

C – Receiving service in special education program

D – Receiving service in home or provider location (i.e. speech therapy service)

October 20107

Long-term Impacts (cont.)

• Improved the quality of practices at the local level– 90% of respondents, cumulatively across TA (external evaluation)– 94% of recipients of major individualized TA (internal evaluation)– 86% of long-term systems change projects (

Row Set (A)

CHILDREN ATTENDING A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM AT LEAST 10 HRS PER WEEK, …

(A1) And receiving the MAJORITY of SPECIAL EDUCATION and related SERVICES in the REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM

(A2) …and receiving the majority of SPECIAL EDUCATION and related SERVICES in some OTHER LOCATION

Row Set (B)

CHILDREN ATTENDING A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM LESS THAN 10 HRS PER WEEK, …

(B1) And receiving the MAJORITY of SPECIAL EDUCATION and related SERVICES in the REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM(B2) …and RECEIVING the majority of SPECIAL EDUCATION and related SERVICES in some OTHER LOCATION

Row Set (C)

CHILDREN ATTENDING A SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (NOT in any regular early childhood program), …

(C1) Separate Special Education Class

(C2) Separate School

(C3) Residential Facility

Row Set (D)

CHILDREN ATTENDING NEITHER A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM NOR A SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (NOT INCLUDED IN ROW SETS A, B, OR C)

(D1) receiving the MAJORITY of SPECIAL EDUCATION and related SERVICES in the home

(D2) And receiving special education and related service

October 20108

Decision Rules to Determine Categories

First consider whether the child is attending a Regular Early Childhood Program (column 1) :

• at least 50 percent children without disabilities (children do NOT have IEPs)

October 20109

Examples of Regular Early Childhood Programs

• Head Start

• Kindergartens

• Public preschool classes

• Private kindergartens or preschools

• Child development center or child care program

October 201010

If Child Attends Regular Program

Row A – in regular education program at least 10 hours per week

• Row A1 – receives majority of hours of special education services in regular program

• Row A2 – receives majority of hours of special education services in another location

October 201011

If Child Attends Regular Program

Row B – in regular education program less than 10 hours per week

• Row B1 – receives majority of hours of special education services in regular program

• Row B2 – receives majority of hours of special education services in another location

October 201012

If Child Attends Only Special Education Program

Special Education is defined as:• Less than 50 percent children without

disabilities (i.e., children not on IEPs)• The order of the categories as listed on the

table does not reflect a continuum from least to most restrictive [page 2; table 3 instructions].

October 201013

Separate Special Education Program

Row C - For children who do not attend ANY regular education program

• Row C1 – special education services in separate class• Row C2 – special education services in separate school• Row C3 – special education services in residential facility

October 201014

C 1 = Separate Special Education Classrooms

Located in:• Regular school buildings• Trailers or portables outside regular school

buildings• Child care facilities• Hospital facilities on an outpatient basis• Other community-based settings

October 201015

• Row C2. Separate school = public or private day schools designed specifically for children with disabilities.

• Row C3. Residential facility = publicly or privately operated residential schools or residential medical facilities on an inpatient basis.

C 2 = Separate SchoolC 3 = Residential Facility

October 201016

For children not reported in A, B, or C

Row D -If the child does not attend regular early childhood NOR special education programs, the child should be reported in Row D.

• Row D1 -- If the child receives services in the home

• Row D2 -- If the child receives services exclusively in Service Provider location or some other location, not in any other category

October 201017

D1 = Home

Special Education services are provided in the principal residence of the child's family or caregivers.

October 201018

D2 = Service Provider Location

For example, speech therapy provided in:

• private clinicians’ offices• clinicians’ offices located in school

buildings• hospital facilities on an outpatient basis

October 201019

Report each child in only one category.

For example: Report the child in aspecial education setting (Row C1, C2, C3)

even if the child also receives services in the home (Row D1) or service provider

location (Row D2).

Decisions Rules to Determine Categories

October 201020

Report each child in only one category.

Another example: Report the child in home (Row D1) even if the child also receives special education/related service in a service provider or other location (Row D2).

Decisions Rules to Determine Categories

October 201021

October 201022

Guidance for Reporting from OSEP to 619 Coordinators

“If you are able to report [child count data] in February 2011 using the new categories of A1, A2, B1, and B2, please do. See new categories in Table 3 https://www.ideadata.org/docs/EnvironmentPtB7-2010.pdf  

If your state was not able to make the transition to the new categories of A1, A2, B1, and B2 in time for the February 2011 submission, you may submit data about “children attending a regular early childhood program” in February 2011. 

The “children attending a regular early childhood program” group includes all children who would go in A1, A2, B1, or B2 in the new Table 3.  [It is the same group of children who were distributed across A1, A2, and A3 in 2009.] 

Please note that this is a one year flexibility.  The new categories must be used in the February 2012 submission. 

  --Kelly L. Worthington, OSEP, September 30, 2010

October 201023

NECTAC Directions for Educational Environment Ages 3-5, an excerpt from full instructions Decision Tree for Coding Educational Environments Ages 3-5 Individual Child Worksheet for IEP

DAC Educational Environments, Table 3 -- Child Count Data for 2010

https://www.ideadata.org/PartBForms.asp#y201011

RRCP SPP/APR Indicator 6 http://spp-apr-calendar.rrfcnetwork.org/explorer/view/id/417/?3#category3

Questions about Part B-Table 3: Contact Carol Bruce at DAC (carolbruce@westat.com)Kelly Worthington at OSEP (Kelly.Worthington@ed.gov)Meredith Miceli at OSEP (Meredith.Miceli@ed.gov).

Additional Resources