DRDP access Assessment System and Federal Requirements
The DRDP access Assessment System is designed to assist California's preschool special education programs and providers in supporting children's learning and development and to ensure that children are making progress. Implementing the DRDP access Assessment System assures that the California Department of Education/Special Education Division (CDE/SED), Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) comply with requirements of PL 108-446, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Two components of this law led to the use of the DRDP access for preschool special education:
- Participation in statewide assessments: Since 2006, CDE's Child Development Division (CDD) has implemented statewide assessment of children in state-funded preschool programs using the DRDP (http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/drdpforms.asp). IDEA 2004 requires the inclusion of children with disabilities in any statewide assessments (IDEA 2004: Sec 612(a)(16)(A)). Therefore, preschool-age children with disabilities need to be included in the Desired Results assessments.
- Report progress in achieving child outcomes: Each State must have in place a six year plan that evaluates its efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of Part B of IDEA and describe how it will improve such implementation (IDEA 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1416(b)(1)). This plan is called the Part B State Performance Plan (SPP). The State reports annually in the Annual Performance Report (APR), on twenty indicators. (IDEA 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1416(b)(2)(C)(ii)). In California, CDE will report on the preschool indicators by SELPA. In the APR, one of the required Indicators is the percent of preschool children with IEPs who demonstrate improved:
- Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships)
- Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy)
- Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs CDE uses the DRDP access assessment to report on these child outcomes for preschool-age children with IEPs (see draccess.org).
The CDE uses the DRDP access assessment to report on these child outcomes for preschool-age children with IEPs.
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Last updated: 03/19/2012