PRESCHOOL

 

I. Identification Process

A. Initial Contact

The placement process begins with the referral of the preschool child.  The legal definition of a preschooler is any child 3, 4 or non-kindergarten eligible 5 years old.  Specifically, this means the district is responsible for providing services to 3 year old children from the day of their third birthday, 4 year olds and children turning 5 years old after September 1, who qualify for the program.

Referrals come from many sources; however, the most common is the child’s parent.  If the referral comes from someone other than the child’s parent the individual will be asked to have the parent contact the preschool directly to set an appointment for an initial screening of the child, or for a record review (if an outside evaluation has already taken place).  Based upon the screening results, or review of records, the need for an evaluation will be determined.  If an evaluation is necessary following the screening, the parents will be informed and a signed parental request must be obtained before the evaluation may occur.  The evaluation process, including MET decision regarding eligibility, and IEP development (if eligible), must occur within 60 days of the signed permission to evaluate.

B. Screening for Potential Developmental Delays

1.  Developmental Screening
The purpose of a screening is to determine of a child has a potential disability that requires further evaluation.  Screenings will be conducted by a team of preschool staff members on a weekly basis.  In addition, mass Child Find Screening is conducted once or twice a year by preschool staff.  The screening is conducted by administering a screening tool that quickly taps several areas of development.  The screening team includes a speech/language pathologist, special education teacher and possibly preschool instructional assistants.  A vision and hearing screening may be conducted by any trained staff including preschool instructional assistants or health assistant.

A screening must include the following developmental areas:

a.  Communication
     Language
     Articulation
     Fluence
b.  Cognitive Development
c.  Physical Development
     Fine motor
     Gross motor
d.  Social/Emotional Development
e.  Adaptive Development/Self Help Skills
f. Sensory Skills
     Vision
     Hearing
The purpose of a screening is to determine if further assessment is necessary.

2.  Vision and Hearing Screening

The purpose of the vision and hearing screening is to rule out any sensory deficits that may be impeding the child’s development.  The Vision screening consists of assessing visual acuity using a Symbol Chart.  A child is considered to pass if they correctly identify 3 out of 5 items for 20/50 from 20 feet for the right eye, left eye and both eyes.

A Hearing screening consists of the use of a pure tone audiometer set at 25dB.  A child is considered to pass if they indicate the presence of a 1-second tone at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz for both the right and left ear.

Note:  These tasks are very difficult for preschool children, especially children with developmental delays.  When screening children, every effort must be made to determine of there is a need for further sensory assessments.  If a hearing or vision screening cannot be completed for any reason, a functional hearing/vision screening parent interview will be conducted.

3.  Records Review
If a potential preschooler has received a prior evaluation from an outside agency, the records must be obtained and reviewed to determine of the information is current, complete, and complies with District and State regulations.  The evaluation team must then decide of any further evaluation is needed.

If a child has been receiving services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the evaluation team must review the DDD records with the DDD caseworker and possibly the child’s service providers.  The evaluation team decides of the child requires further evaluation and/or qualifies for district services.

C. Evaluation Process
1.  Evaluation

The purpose of a preschool evaluation is to determine eligibility for preschool services.  An evaluation must be conducted for all areas of suspected disabilities and include standardized instruments.  The evaluation team may include any of the following staff members:
      Preschool Speech/Language Pathologist
      Preschool Special Education Teacher
      Occupational Therapist
      Physical Therapist

Upon completion of the evaluation, the evaluation team must conduct a Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team (MET) meeting to determine eligibility for service, the level of delay based on Arizona State definitions, and the recommended type of service.

2.  Preschool Placement Qualifications

A developmentally delayed child receiving preschool services must be given a preschool funding label based on Arizona State definitions.  These labels area as follows:
      A.R.S. Section 15-761  Definitions

Preschool Moderate Delay (PMD)  means a child who is at least three years of age but who is not reached the required age for kindergarten and whose performance on a standardized test measures at least one and one-half, but not more than three, standard deviations below the mean for children of the same chronological age or whose performance on a criterion reference test that has been approved by the Department of Education measures at least 25% but not more than 50% below the mean for children of the same chronological age in 2 or more of the following areas:  1) cognitive development, 2) physical development, 3) communication development, 4) social/emotional development, 5) adaptive behavior.

Preschool Severe Delay (PSD)  means a child who is at least three years of age but who is not reached the required age for kindergarten and whose performance on a standardized test measures more than three standard deviations below the mean for children of the same chronological age or whose performance on a criterion reference test that has been approved by the Department of Education measures more than 50% below the mean for children of the same chronological age in one or more of the following areas:  1) cognitive development, 2) physical development, 3) communication development, 4) social/emotional development, 5) adaptive behavior.

Preschool Speech and Language Delay (PSLD) means a child who is at least three years of age but who is not reached the required age for kindergarten and whose performance on a standardized test measures at least one and one-half, but not more than three, standard deviations below the mean for children of the same chronological age or whose multiple articulation errors preclude intelligibility.  (The school age definition for Speech/Language Impaired does not apply to preschool eligibility).

Hearing Impairment  means a child who has a hearing deviation from the normal, as determined by evaluation pursuant to section 15-766, which impedes the child’s progress in the classroom situation with the support of special classes or special services designed to promote the child’s educational development, and whose intellectual development is such that the child is capable of being educated through a modified instructional environment.

Vision Impairment  means a child who has a vision deviation from the normal, as determined by evaluation pursuant to section 15-766, which impedes the child’s progress in the classroom situation with the support of special classes or special services designed to promote the child’s educational development, and whose intellectual development is such that the child is capable of being educated through a modified instructional environment. 

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II. Placement of Preschool Special Needs Children

A. MET and Placement Decisions

Once an evaluation is completed, the evaluation team and parents/guardians must meet to determine the child’s eligibility and the recommended placement.  It is the responsibility of the evaluation team to share the evaluation results with the parents and discuss program eligibility.
B. Placement Conference (IEP  Meeting)
The purpose of the placement conference is for the evaluation tam and parents to develop an educational plan individualized to the child’s need, to address parental concerns and to complete the necessary paperwork.  The meeting must include:
     Child’s parent/legal guardian
     Evaluation team
     Preschool Special Education Teacher
Head Start Teacher (if Head Start is recommended as a placement or if the child is already enrolled in Head Start)
A meeting may also include:
Staff from prior placements
DDD caseworker/service providers
Related service staff
School psychologist
School nurse
Principal
District Office representative
The Preschool team and parents are responsible for participating in developing the IEP goals and objectives, and the least restrictive environment.  In addition, the preschool team is responsible for explaining the classroom set-up to the parents, facilitating registration of the child and arranging transportation.

Transportation is provided for all children enrolled in the Starting Early Preschool program.  The preschool team is responsible for arranging transportation by completing the transportation form, contacting the Transportation Department, and sending the transportation form to the Transportation Department.

C.  Registration
Following the completion of the IEP and special programs placement, the child must be registered into the school.  The preschool team is responsible for arranging registration through the school office.  The preschool team will provide the registration packet to the parents. 
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