Family & Community Special Communities
Special Education

OSEP’s Report on the Monitoring of Massachusetts

V. Part C: Early Childhood Transition

Congress included provisions to assure that preschool or other appropriate services would be provided to eligible children leaving early intervention at age three. Transition is a multifaceted process to prepare the child and the child's family to leave early intervention services. Congress recognized the importance of coordination and cooperation between the educational agency and the early intervention system by requiring that a specific set of activities occur as part of a transition plan. Transition activities typically include:

1. identification of steps to be taken to prepare the child for changes in service delivery and to help the child adjust to a new setting,
2. preparation of the family (i.e., discussions, training, visitations), and
3. determination of other programs and services for which a child might be eligible.

Transition planning for children who may be eligible for Part B preschool services must include scheduling a meeting, with approval of the family, among the lead agency, the educational agency and the family at least 90 days (with parental permission up to six months) prior to the child's third birthday. Transition of children who are not eligible for special education also includes making reasonable efforts to convene a meeting to assist families in obtaining other appropriate community-based services. For all Part C children, States must review the child's program options for the period from the child's third birthday through the remainder of the school year and must establish a transition plan.

Validation Planning and Data Collection

The Self-Study survey results show that there is a perception by providers and parents that children who are potentially eligible for special education at age three are not always served by local school districts. Overall, respondents indicated that progress is being made in transition, particularly for children with low incidence conditions. The lack of sufficient preparation of parents for transition to special education services by early intervention providers and special education staff was identified as a concern.

One of the focus questions asked during the public input meetings was: "Are appropriate supports and services available to a child, and to the child's family, by the child's third birthday?" Respondents indicated that transition planning is working well overall with occasional gaps in services for children who turn three in the spring.

Participants also reported that some school districts contract with early intervention programs to provide early intervention services after age three to those children with spring birthdays. Others reported experiencing eight-week delays in the start of special education services at age three for some children due to local school district requirements for ongoing "diagnostic evaluations."

Administrators and service providers described a series of transition meetings taking place rather than relying solely on the required 90-day transition conference for decision-making. They also indicated that transition plans are frequently developed at home with the parents, service coordinator and school district representative. Other providers indicated that the transition process is expedited when school districts accept current evaluations or evaluations that are less than six months old from local early intervention providers. Several participants stated that this practice is effective in their communities. At the end of the Validation Planning week, after discussing information obtained through the Self-Study and public input process, the Steering Committee requested that OSEP investigate the following concerns/issues:

1. parent training in transition procedures, and
2. options at age three for children who are at risk and who are likely not eligible for special education services.

To investigate the concerns identified during the Validation Planning process, OSEP collected information from the review of children's records and State and local policies and procedures, and interviews of State personnel, local program directors, service coordinators/providers, parents and interagency collaborators.

OSEP reviewed and analyzed the data and identified the following strength and suggestions for improved results for infants, toddlers and their families. OSEP did not find areas of noncompliance.

A. Strength

Interagency Collaboration to Ensure Continuous Services and Community Supports
The efforts of the State over the last ten years to collaborate with other agencies around a transition policy for children moving from early intervention settings into special education and/or Head Start services are to be commended. This long term commitment to interagency capacity building has attracted participation from other State agencies, such as the Office for Children, the Departments of Social Services and Mental Retardation, in addition to parent groups such as the Federation for Children with Special Needs. The group, which includes the founding members, DPH, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Head Start, meets on a regular basis to plan and implement regional workshops targeted at transition issues and inclusion practices. Currently, this group is focusing on inclusive childcare settings and opportunities that will increase options for community supports in natural settings for infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities.

B. Area of Noncompliance

1. For Transition Activities, Staff Training and Guidance in Community Options for Children At Age Three Who Do Not Qualify For Special Education Services

Providers told OSEP that there was no training designed to increase their awareness of community services and supports for children at age three who do not continue on to special education services. Parents stated that specific activities for them regarding other educational or childcare services for their young children were not available. Information on program options and supports for families before leaving Part C services could assist in achieving positive results for infants and toddlers and their families.

The Steering Committee recommended the following systemic improvements to address the identified concerns which include:

1. identify and universalize best practices for transition preparation,
2. identify strategies for bringing local participants together for the purpose of ensuring progress,
3. universalize sharing of data for planning, and (4) define a continuous process for parent education and preparation.

2. Parent Training in Differences between Part C and Part B System Requirements and Procedures

During the public input meetings, and Validation Data collection process, parents reported that they did not understand the differences between Part C and Part B systems in general. Parents and providers expressed concerns specific to the lack of services in the summer when a child reached age three in the late spring. Parents reported that information about their expected level of participation in special education services was inadequate. Advocates described families' frustration due to a lack of preparation for the program eligibility requirements of Part B. They stated that if parents were given information in a timely, informed and neutral manner, many of the problems families face would be alleviated.