Supplemental Guidance for Special Education on Using the DRDP During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contents

Introduction
The Interim DRDP for Special Education
Rating the Interim DRDP for Special Ed
Entering DRDP Data
DR Access Reports
Appendices
    1: Special Education Information Page
    2: Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Preschool Rating Record
    3: Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Infant-Toddler Rating Record
    4: Leading Focused Conversations with Families

Introduction

Under new safety and health guidelines due to COVID-19, California’s early intervention and preschool special education programs may be providing services through a range of options. In some programs, services will continue to be provided in-person. In other programs services may be provided through a blended approach of in-person and distance learning or entirely through distance learning. Regardless of the approach used, DRDP data will still be collected for instructional planning, family information, and federal reporting.

Depending on the approach used, assessors may have fewer opportunities to observe children and collect other documentation to confidently rate the DRDP. To support assessors in special education to complete the DRDP, a number of policy changes and resources have been put in place. A central policy change is that assessors will report on an interim version of the DRDP with a reduced number of DRDP measures. This reduced set of measures will enable assessors to use the DRDP regardless of the approach used. It will be used temporarily beginning in fall 2020 until further notice.

The purpose of this guide is to assist special education assessors in completing the assessment across a variety of service delivery models in addition to in-person services, including distance learning and blended approaches. It includes a number of key considerations, recommended practices, and resources. Please read this guidance carefully, keep it handy, and refer to it when you are completing DRDPs.

 

The Interim DRDP for Special Education

In response to the range of service options used during COVID-19, a reduced number of measures have been identified for use by special education in the fall of 2020.

• The “Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Preschool” has 23 measures, 20 fewer than the DRDP (2015) Preschool Fundamental View.
• The “Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Infant-Toddler” has 20 measures, 9 fewer than the DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler View.

The measures required for fall 2020 include all domains of the DRDP (2015) Fundamental View except for English Language Development (ELD) for preschool. The ELD measures will not be assessed as these measures focus on a child’s increasing mastery of English at school and not all services will be delivered in-person at school. Table 1 lists the requirements for special education assessors on using the DRDP beginning in fall 2020. Tables 2 and 3 list the measures that will be used.

While the total number of measures is significantly reduced, the measures remaining will continue to:

• Support assessors to plan and deliver instruction;
• Assist families to learn more about their child’s development and ways that they can support their child’s learning; and
• Generate valid and reliable scores to inform California’s required federal reporting on child outcomes for children with IEPs or IFSPs.

Table 1. Requirements for Special Education on using the DRDP during the COVID-19 Pandemic
When should we start reporting on the Interim DRDP for Special Ed measures?	Beginning in fall, 2020 (and until further notice).
When must children begin services to be included in the fall assessment?	Before November 1.
When must children begin services to be included in the spring assessment?	Before April 1.
What is the deadline for assessors who are submitting DRDP (2015) data?	This date is locally determined; contact your program administrator.
What is the deadline for SELPAs to submit data for DR Access Reports, SEIS, and SIRAS?	No change: February 1 for the fall assessment and July 1 for the spring assessment.

Table 2. Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Preschool beginning in fall 2020 until further notice
Measures to be rated			Measures not to be rated
1	ATL-REG 1	Attention Maintenance
			ATL-REG 2	Self-Comforting
2	ATL-REG 3	Imitation
			ATL-REG 4	Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
3	ATL-REG 5	Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior
			ATL-REG 6	Engagement and Persistence
			ATL-REG 7	Shared Use of Space and Materials
4	SED 1	Identity of Self in Relation to Others
5	SED 2	Social and Emotional Understanding
6	SED 3	Relationships & Soc. Inter. w/ Familiar Adults
7	SED 4	Relationships & Social Interactions w/ Peers
			SED 5	Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play
8	LLD 1	Understanding of Language (Receptive)
			LLD 2	Responsiveness to Language
9	LLD 3	Comm. & Use of Language (Expressive)
10	LLD 4	Reciprocal Communication and Conversation
11	LLD 5	Interest in Literacy
12	LLD 6	Comprehension of Age-Appropriate Text
13	LLD 7	Concepts about Print
			LLD 8	Phonological Awareness
14	LLD 9	Letter and Word Knowledge
15	LLD 10	Emergent Writing
			ELD 1	Comprehension of English
			ELD 2	Self-Expression in English
			ELD 3	Understanding & Response to English Literacy
			ELD 4	Symbol, Letter, and Print Knowledge in English
16	COG 1	Spatial Relationships
17	COG 2	Classification
18	COG 3	Number Sense of Quantity
			COG 4	Number Sense of Math Operations
			COG 5	Measurement
			COG 6	Patterning
19	COG 7	Shapes
			PD-HLTH 1	Percept.-Motor Skills and Movement Concepts
20	PD-HLTH 2	Gross Locomotor Movement Skills
			PD-HLTH 3	Gross Motor Manipulative Skills
21	PD-HLTH 4	Fine Motor Manipulative Skills
22	PD-HLTH 5	Safety
23	PD-HLTH 6	Personal Care Routines: Hygiene
			PD-HLTH 7	Personal Care Routines: Feeding
			PD-HLTH 8	Personal Care Routines: Dressing
			PD-HLTH 9	Active Physical Play
			PD-HLTH 10	Nutrition

The Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Preschool Information Page and Rating Record appear in Appendix 1 and 2 and can be downloaded here or accessed as an accessible interactive pdf: DRAccess.org/drdp2015_ps

Table 3. Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Infant-Toddler beginning in fall 2020 until further notice
Measures to be rated			Measures not to be rated
1	ATL-REG 1	Attention Maintenance
			ATL-REG 2	Self-Comforting
2	ATL-REG 3	Imitation
			ATL-REG 4	Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
3	ATL-REG 5	Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior
4	SED 1	Identity of Self in Relation to Others
5	SED 2	Social and Emotional Understanding
6	SED 3	Relation. and Social Inter. with Familiar Adults
7	SED 4	Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers
			SED 5	Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play
8	LLD 1	Understanding of Language (Receptive)
			LLD 2	Responsiveness to Language
9	LLD 3	Communication and Use of Language (Expressive)
10	LLD 4	Reciprocal Communication and Conversation
11	LLD 5	Interest in Literacy
12	COG 1	Spatial Relationships
13	COG 2	Classification
14	COG 3	Number Sense of Quantity
15	COG 8	Cause and Effect
16	COG 9	Inquiry Through Observation and Investigation
			COG 11	Knowledge of the Natural World
			PD-HLTH 1	Perceptual-Motor Skills & Movement Concepts
17	PD-HLTH 2	Gross Locomotor Movement Skills
			PD-HLTH 3	Gross Motor Manipulative Skills
18	PD-HLTH 4	Fine Motor Manipulative Skills
19	PD-HLTH 5	Safety
20	PD-HLTH 6	Personal Care Routines: Hygiene
			PD-HLTH 7	Personal Care Routines: Feeding
			PD-HLTH 8	Personal Care Routines: Dressing

The Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Infant-Toddler Information Page and Rating Record appear in Appendix 1 and 3 and can be downloaded here or accessed as an accessible interactive pdf: DRAccess.org/drdp2015_it

Rating the Interim DRDP for Special Ed

The guidance material in the introductory sections of the DRDP (2015) Preschool Fundamental View manual was written primarily to support the use of the assessment in a classroom setting. The information in this section illustrates how to conduct the DRDP assessment when distance learning is the primary service delivery option used.

Observation and documentation

Whether connecting with children through distance or in-person sessions, it is still possible to observe DRDP skills. The DRDP has always been an authentic assessment. Ratings on the measures are based on observations of children in natural settings by familiar adults such as the teacher in classroom settings, the family at home and in the community; and also through examples of children’s work from school or home. Gathering information for rating requires ongoing documentation of children’s knowledge and skills in everyday routines and activities. Each of these authentic assessment practices can be used in a range of service approaches including in-person, a blended approach of in-person and distance learning, or entirely through distance learning.

 

As always, it is important to plan from the beginning of the school year ways to collect the information needed to rate the measures. Having a system in place to collect information will make it much easier and faster to confidently rate the measures.

As you plan distance learning activities or suggest activities for families to use, note how these activities might provide opportunities to observe behaviors or skills that will inform your ratings. As you observe children engaged in distance learning activities, observe, take notes, and organize these notes of the child’s skills so you can use them later when you rate the DRDP.

Getting to know children and families during distance learning

The DRDP should be completed by someone who knows the child well. When the pandemic began toward the end of the 2019-20 school year, most children who were receiving services were familiar to assessors. As the pandemic continues into the fall, it may be more challenging to get to know the children who are receiving distance learning. Children who were already receiving services also might need some time to recognize and interact with service providers at a distance.

The following strategies may be useful to establish rapport with children and their families:

• Talk with the family by phone or video conference before services begin or soon after they start.
• Check to make sure they are safe, healthy, and have their basic needs met; if they need support, refer them to those who can provide it.
• Describe what the instructional model will be like, identify what the family’s priorities are for their child, what technology the family can use for distance learning, and how they would like to participate in their children’s learning experiences.
• Check to see if the family has the materials and technology that the child will need for distance learning; if not and you cannot assist them, refer them to those who can.
• Provide the family with any needed training on the technology they will be using; if you cannot assist them, refer them to those who can.
• Explain to the family what the DRDP is all about. That is, it helps to inform everyone about the child’s progress and skills in key developmental and pre-academic areas. It also helps in planning IEP goals and skills to target for instruction (something you will do together). It is especially important to monitor children’s skills and behaviors during the pandemic because children may be affected by changed circumstances at home, or other stressors that influence their development and learning.
• In accordance with your program’s policies, invite the family to share photographs or videos of their child engaging in routines and activities at home, or to show you work samples such as drawings.
• If the child attends school in-person part of the week, use a home-school communication platform or application to let families know what’s happening in school so that both the assessor and the family can create an accurate picture of the child’s skills across both settings. This will be helpful not just for rating the measures of the DRDP but for planning and measuring progress towards IEP goals and learning targets.
• If families do not speak English, find someone to interpret so the family can understand what you are asking and you can understand their responses. A teaching assistant, family member, or friend may be able to assist if interpreters are not available.

Use of adaptations

Talk with families about how using adaptations, when necessary, can help us better understand what a child can do. Talking about everyday activities, routines, and transitions with families may help identify adaptations that are needed at home. Provide adaptations that will assist the child’s learning at home and participation in distance learning activities as well as in the classroom. It may be helpful to provide adaptations that were used in the classroom at home, such as a speech output device. More information about the use of adaptations can be found here: DRAccess.org/adaptations

Observing children during video conferencing

You can observe skills related to many measures during a family’s typical routines and activities. If it is agreeable to the family, discuss their typical routines and activities, and then schedule a session to observe one or more of these routines and activities. Table 4 provides examples of typical family routines and activities that children might participate in at home.

Table 4. Typical family and child routines and activities in which the child might demonstrate skills related to the DRDP (2015) domains
DRDP domain	Routines and activities
Approaches to Learning–Self-Regulation (ATL-REG)	Playing with toys, listening to stories, transitioning between routines or activities
Social and Emotional Development (SED)	Playing with people, talking on the phone, or video visits with friends or siblings
Language and Literacy Development (LLD)	Meal or snack time, playing, bath time, dressing, handwashing, story time
Cognition, Including Math and Science (COG)	Playing with toys, meal or snack time including helping with preparation, bath time, dressing
Physical Development–Health (PD-HLTH)	Outdoor play, going for walks, moving from one place to another, getting on and off of furniture or in and out of high chairs, dressing, bathing, meal and snack time

Collaboration with other teachers and service providers

During the pandemic, you may not frequently see or hear from others who know or provide services to the child. Take time to find out who else is working with the child and family and connect with them to assist in gathering information about the child. Remember that the DRDP is to be completed using multiple sources and methods of gathering information across people and settings.

Applying classroom-based terms to home environments

Some measures in the DRDP were written with the assumption that observations of children will most frequently be made in classroom settings. During distance learning, you can base your ratings on how children demonstrate their skills and behavior at home.

If you find that the nouns (words that describe persons, places, and things) in the descriptors and examples of the DRDP are focused on classrooms, you can generalize so that they can also apply to home environments (see Table 5 for examples).

Table 5. Applying nouns that are descriptive of classrooms to home settings
Terms in the DRDP descriptive of classrooms settings…	…can be generalized to refer to these terms descriptive of home and community
“Peer” or “another child”	brother, sister, or cousin of a similar age
“block area”	den, living room, bedroom, play area
“supply shelf”	bookshelf, desk drawer, counter, closet, basket, bin
“playground”	back yard, front yard, park, outside area

Do not change the meaning of verbs. It is important to note that although you can generalize the meaning of nouns from classrooms to home settings, do not re-interpret verbs, which are words that describe the behaviors and skills that the child actually does to demonstrate mastery. For instance, in PD-HLTH 5: Safety (Child shows awareness of safety and increasingly demonstrates knowledge of safety skills when participating in daily activities), Exploring Later includes an example in which the nouns “classroom pet” and “a familiar adult,” can be generalized but the meaning of the verb cannot be changed (“Pats…gently”).

Original example in the DRDP: Pats the classroom pet gently when a familiar adult communicates, “Gentle touches.”

Example that does not change the verb, but generalizes the noun: Pats the family pet gently when his father communicates, “Gentle touches.”

Use of “Unable to Rate”

Before the COVID-19 disruption of in-person services, Unable to Rate was to be used only when the child was absent from the program for such an extended period of time during the 4 to 6 weeks before completing the DRDP that you could not gather information to rate the measures. During distance learning, you may find that even with the observations you are able to make, combined with the information you can gather from families and others, you cannot confidently rate certain measures. “Unable to Rate” may be used in these cases, but only in extreme cases when you have exhausted all ways of gathering information.

Entering DRDP Data

Data entry for the Interim DRDP for Special Ed will be modified within the management information system that each SELPA or school district uses to manage DRDP data collection (e.g., SEIS, SIRAS Systems, DR Access Reports). For specific questions about the system you use, contact the appropriate system administrator.

You will enter your Interim DRDP rating records using the same procedures as used for the DRDP (2015) Fundamental View. On the measure rating screens, the measures that are not required for the Interim DRDP will be grayed out and you will not be able to rate them.

DR Access Reports

When you submit your rating records for the Interim DRDP for Special Ed, you will still be able to produce the Detailed Child Report in DR Access Reports. DRDP rating records will continue to be automatically transferred from SEIS and SIRAS Systems to DR Access Reports every night. When using the Interim DRDP for Special Ed, the Detailed Child Report can assist with:

• Illustrating a child’s areas of relative strength and areas that may need additional support;
• Planning and individualizing instruction, including writing IEP goals and determining what to teach next; and
• Sharing information with families.

Please note: the measure ratings will be displayed in the Detailed Child Report, but because a reduced number of measures are being rated in each domain, the domain ratings will not be displayed. In addition, the Child Report, Peer Reference Report, and the Group Report cannot be produced because they only display domain scores.

 

 

Appendix 1

DRDP (2015) – An Early Childhood Developmental Continuum

Special Education Information Page

For Use with Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Programs

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DRDP (2015) – An Early Childhood Developmental Continuum
Special Education Information Page
For Use with Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Programs

Definitions

#	Field	Definitions
Heading
1	Child’s first name	Fill in the child’s legal name that is on the IFSP or IEP.
2	Child’s last name	Fill in the child’s legal name that is on the IFSP or IEP.
3	Date DRDP (2015) was completed	Enter the date the DRDP (2015) Rating Record was completed as mm/dd/yyyy.
4	Assessment period	Enter the assessment period for which the assessment is being completed, e.g., fall 2020 or spring 2021.
Child Information
5	Student ID	Enter the unique identifier assigned by the SELPA or district to the child.
6	Statewide Student Identifier	Enter the unique 10-digit number, issued by the California Department of Education, assigned to the child. If the child does not have an SSID, contact your administrator to obtain this number.
7	Gender	Check the box indicating the gender identification of the child using information obtained from the child’s family.
8	Birth date	Enter the child’s date of birth as mm/dd/yyyy.
9	Special education enrollment	Check only one box—either for a child age birth to three with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP); or a child age 3-5 with a preschool Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Child’s Language
10	Child’s language	If a language other than English is spoken in the child’s home, check “Yes” and complete the English Language Development (ELD) measures. If no other language than English is spoken in the child’s home, check “No” and do not complete the ELD measures. If the child is Deaf or Hard of Hearing and not learning a spoken language, check “No” and do not complete the ELD measures.
Special Education Information
11	Special education eligibility	Check the primary disability category contributing to the child’s eligibility for special education. Check only one box. If a child has more than one type of disability, the child can be reported under Multiple Disabilities.
12	Adaptations used in the assessment	Adaptations support a child’s participation in everyday activities and routines. Check the boxes for the categories of adaptations that are used in the child’s daily activities and routines that must be in place during the assessment. Check all that apply and record on the IEP.
Child’s Educational Setting
13	Child’s educational setting	This lists the educational settings where the child receives early care and education services, including special education. Check the box(es) where the child receives educational services, including both general education and special education. Check all that apply.
Program Information
14	SELPA	Enter the name of the SELPA that is responsible for providing services to the child and reporting data. If you do not know the name of the SELPA, check with your administrator.
15	District	Enter the unique identifier for the district that is responsible for ensuring that special education services are provided for a child with an IFSP or IEP whether or not the services are provided within this district.
Assessor Information
16	Name of primary special education assessor	Enter the name of the person responsible for completing the assessment. Others on the IEP team or who know the child well may contribute their observations to the measure ratings; however, the IEP team should designate one person to complete and submit the rating record.
17	Role	Check the box for the job title of the primary person completing the assessment. If the role is not on the list, check “Other.”
18	DR Access Reports account email	DR Access Reports is where you generate reports of DRDP (2015) results. If you enter your email address for your DR Access Reports account, your results will be automatically transferred every night. (This email address may be different than the one you use in SEIS, SIRAS, or DR Access Learn). You can create an account at DRAccessReports.org.
19	Collaboration to complete the assessment	If others worked with you to complete the DRDP (2015), check “Yes” and then check the box(es) that identify their role(s).

 

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Appendix 2

Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Preschool

DRDP (2015) – An Early Childhood Developmental Continuum

Interim DRDP
Special Education
PS Fundamental View
Rating Record

For temporary use with preschoolage children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

 

This temporary Rating Record is for use during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning fall 2020 until further notice. Use with the Supplemental Guidance in conjunction with the DRDP (2015) Preschool Fundamental View manual to keep track of your measure ratings as you complete the assessment. Mark the latest developmental levels the child has mastered for the measures that appear in white.

Measure	Measure Name	Responding		Exploring			Building			Integrating	Not yet	EM	UR
		Earlier	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier
ATL-REG 1	Attention Maintenance	□	□	□		□	□					□	□
ATL-REG 2	Self-Comforting
ATL-REG 3	Imitation	□	□	□		□	□					□	□
ATL-REG 4	Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
ATL-REG 5	Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior			□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
ATL-REG 6	Engagement and Persistence
ATL-REG 7	Shared Use of Space and Materials
SED 1	Identity of Self in Relation to Others	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
SED 2	Social and Emotional Understanding	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
SED 3	Relationships and Social Interactions with Familiar Adults	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
SED 4	Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
SED 5	Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play
LLD 1	Understanding of Language (Receptive)	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□		□	□
LLD 2	Responsiveness to Language
LLD 3	Communication and Use of Language (Expressive)	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□		□	□
LLD 4	Reciprocal Communication and Conversation	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□		□	□
LLD 5	Interest in Literacy	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
LLD 6	Comprehension of Age-Appropriate Text				□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□
LLD 7	Concepts about Print				□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□
LLD 8	Phonological Awareness
LLD 9	Letter and Word Knowledge				□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□
LLD 10	Emergent Writing				□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□

Measure	Measure Name	Discovering Language	Discovering English	Exploring English	Developing English	Building English	Integrating English	Conditional Measure (Not rated)	EM	UR
ELD 1	Comprehension of English (Receptive English)
ELD 2	Self-Expression in English (Expressive English)
ELD 3	Understanding and Response to English Literacy Activities
ELD 4	Symbol, Letter, and Print Knowledge in English

Measure	Measure Name	Responding		Exploring			Building			Integrating	Not yet	EM	UR
		Earlier	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier
COG 1	Spatial Relationships	□	□	□		□	□					□	□
COG 2	Classification	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
COG 3	Number Sense of Quantity	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
COG 4	Number Sense of Math Operations
COG 5	Measurement
COG 6	Patterning
COG 7	Shapes			□		□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□
PD-HLTH 1	Perceptual-Motor Skills and Movement Concepts
PD-HLTH 2	Gross Locomotor Movement Skills	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□		□	□
PD-HLTH 3	Gross Motor Manipulative Skills
PD-HLTH 4	Fine Motor Manipulative Skills	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□	□		□	□
PD-HLTH 5	Safety	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
PD-HLTH 6	Personal Care Routines: Hygiene	□	□	□		□	□	□	□	□		□	□
PD-HLTH 7	Personal Care Routines: Feeding
PD-HLTH 8	Personal Care Routines: Dressing
PD-HLTH 9	Active Physical Play
PD-HLTH 10	Nutrition

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Appendix 3

Interim DRDP for Special Ed/Infant-Toddler

DRDP (2015) – An Early Childhood Developmental Continuum

Interim DRDP
Special Education
Infant/Toddler View
Rating Record

For temporary use with infants and toddlers in Special Education Early Intervention Programs

 

This temporary Rating Record is for use during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning fall 2020 until further notice. Use with the Supplemental Guidance in conjunction with the DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler View manual to keep track of your measure ratings as you complete the assessment. Mark the latest developmental levels the child has mastered for the measures that appear in white.

Measure	Measure Name	Responding		Exploring			Building			Integrating	EM	UR
		Earlier	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier	Middle	Later	Earlier
ATL-REG 1	Attention Maintenance	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
ATL-REG 2	Self-Comforting
ATL-REG 3	Imitation	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
ATL-REG 4	Curiosity and Initiative in Learning
ATL-REG 5	Self-Control of Feelings and Behavior	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
SED 1	Identity of Self in Relation to Others	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
SED 2	Social and Emotional Understanding	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
SED 3	Relationships and Social Interactions with Familiar Adults	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
SED 4	Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
SED 5	Symbolic and Sociodramatic Play
LLD 1	Understanding of Language (Receptive)	□	□	□	□	□	□				□	□
LLD 2	Responsiveness to Language
LLD 3	Communication and Use of Language (Expressive)	□	□	□	□	□	□				□	□
LLD 4	Reciprocal Communication and Conversation	□	□	□	□	□	□				□	□
LLD 5	Interest in Literacy	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
COG 1	Spatial Relationships	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
COG 2	Classification	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
COG 3	Number Sense of Quantity	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
Note: COG 4 - COG 7 and COG 10 are only for use for preschool age children
COG 8	Cause and Effect	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
COG 9	Inquiry Through Observation and Investigation	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
COG 11	Knowledge of the Natural World
PD-HLTH 1	Perceptual-Motor Skills and Movement Concepts
PD-HLTH 2	Gross Locomotor Movement Skills	□	□	□	□	□	□				□	□
PD-HLTH 3	Gross Motor Manipulative Skills
PD-HLTH 4	Fine Motor Manipulative Skills	□	□	□	□	□	□				□	□
PD-HLTH 5	Safety	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
PD-HLTH 6	Personal Care Routines: Hygiene	□	□	□		□	□				□	□
PD-HLTH 7	Personal Care Routines: Feeding
PD-HLTH 8	Personal Care Routines: Dressing

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Appendix 4

Leading Focused Conversations with Families to Help Complete the Interim DRDP for Special Ed (Preschool or Infant-Toddler)

Visit DRAccess.org/leadingconversations to access worksheets for organizing and leading focused conversations with families.

Leading focused conversations with families to help complete the DRDP is not new; this process has been an important part of the special education guidance for more than five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic assessors may have fewer opportunities to directly observe children and will increasingly rely on information provided by families.

The ongoing conversations that we have with family members during our typical interactions with them are rich opportunities for learning about their child. Notes of what the family shares during these conversations should be captured and included as documentation in the child’s portfolio, home visiting notes, or other system of organizing information about the child. These kinds of general conversations should occur whenever we have contact with the family. Additionally, it may be useful to lead these conversations in a particularly focused manner during the two times a year when the DRDP is completed. When combined with what you know about a child, observations from family members help you gain a more complete picture of a child. Research findings suggest that parents’ observations are reliable and valid sources of information and should be considered an essential component of a comprehensive assessment process.

In general, having conversations with families should always be an important part of completing the DRDP (2015), but it is particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when early intervention home visits are frequently delivered via video conferencing and many preschool services are provided through distance learning and tele-therapy. In these situations, it is likely that assessors may not have adequate opportunities to observe the child to inform their ratings on all the Interim DRDP for Special Ed measures. Having a focused conversation with a family member may be a primary way to gather information about a child’s skills to inform ratings on measures that you might not have as many opportunities to observe directly. During these conversations, focusing on routines and activities provides a very useful context for asking a family about their child’s everyday learning opportunities and skills. Additionally, with the use of distance learning, family members are also more directly involved in their preschooler’s special education and related services. For example, if you have not had the opportunity to directly observe the child interacting with peers (SED 4: Relationships and Social Interactions with Peers), the family can share observations of their child spending time with other children of about the same age (e.g., siblings, cousins).

Be sure that the families you work with are familiar with the DRDP right from the start. Here are some points you might share with them early in the service delivery relationship:

• The DRDP is based on ongoing observations of a child’s skills in typical, everyday routines and activities with familiar people.
• The DRDP is completed twice a year, and after each time it is completed, an easy-to-understand report (the Detailed Child Report) will be available.
• There are many benefits to the DRDP. It provides service providers with up-to-date information that helps them plan and carry out learning activities. For families, the information helps them know more about their child’s development and ways that they can support their child’s learning.
• When family members share observations and information about their child, it helps assessors confidently complete the DRDP.

Four Steps to Leading Focused Conversations

The four steps below will guide you in planning and leading focused conversations with families to help complete the Interim DRDP for Special Ed.

 

• Gather together the materials that you will need:
  • The appropriate (preschool or infant-toddler) manual;
  • The “Worksheet for Leading Focused Conversations with Families to Help Complete the Interim DRDP for Special Ed”; and
  • Your documentation, which might include your observation notes, home visiting notes, portfolios, information gathered from conversations with family members and other providers, observations that you made to inform other authentic assessment tools, etc.
  • Interim DRDP for Special Ed Rating Record (Preschool or Infant-Toddler).
• Using the assembled materials, take an initial pass at completing the Interim DRDP for Special Ed.
  • For measures you are confident you can rate based on your current observations and other documentation:
    • Assign a rating; you might jot this rating on the “Worksheet for Leading Focused Conversations” or on the Interim DRDP for Special Ed (Preschool or Infant-Toddler) Rating Record.
  • For measures that you need additional information/documentation to confidently rate:
    • Identify those measures for which you want to make additional observations or have further conversations with the family (or others) to gather more information.

 

In the previous step, you identified measures for which you need more information. Following are some strategies for making additional observations.

• If you are seeing the child in-person in a classroom: plan times to observe the child participating in typical classroom routines and activities in which you might observe the child demonstrating skills in those measures.
• If you are providing preschool or related services to a small or large group of children via video conferencing: plan times to observe the child in the video conference participating in group activities in which you might observe the child demonstrating skills in those measures. Be aware that these situations may not be ideal for making accurate observations: children might not feel at ease in such situations nor may they have adequate opportunities to demonstrate their latest level of skill mastery.
• If you are providing home visits, preschool, or therapy services to an individual child/family via video conferencing:
  • Use your knowledge of the child and family and discussions with the parents to identify everyday family routines or activities that might be opportunities for observing skills related to those measures during one of your video conferencing sessions. For example, if you need information about measures related to the Social and Emotional Development domain, you might focus on what happens when the child plays with his siblings, cousins, or other children with whom the child typically interacts. Table 4 provides examples of typical family routines and activities that children might participate in at home. You might observe skills in particular measures during video conferences where these routines and activities are observed.
• Other strategies:
  • In accordance with your program’s policies, you might also ask the family to text or email you videos or photos of the child participating in selected routines and activities.
  • You should ask other teachers, related service staff, or child care providers to share their observations.

Once you have exhausted your opportunities to make additional observations move to the next step.

 

• Using the everyday routines and activities that you identified in Step 2, plan a focused conversation to have with the family. Jot down some general questions you will ask the family about those routines or activities. For example, if Max has a sibling around his age, you might ask, “Please tell me what happens when Max and his brother play together.” If the child does not have siblings you might ask, “Does Max ever interact with children around his same age? If so, what happens?” You can jot down these questions in the appropriate column on the “Worksheet for Leading Focused Conversations.”
• At the beginning of the conversation, remind the family about the things you’ve previously shared about the DRDP. Describe, in family-friendly language, the general domains or measures you want to focus on (avoid reading the exact wording of the measures). For example, if you want to focus the conversation on measures within the Social and Emotional Development domain, you might say, “Let’s talk about how Max interacts with familiar people.”
• Ask the family to describe what their child does when involved in everyday routines or activities. For example, related to the feeding measure of the Physical Development and Health domain you might ask “Please tell me what Max does during mealtime.” As the family describes what Max does, use follow-up questions as needed to get more specific information.

 

If the kinds of general follow-up questions listed above don’t help you get the information you need, try the additional strategies on the next page.

 

Repeat these kinds of conversations with other routines or activities you have identified until you have enough information to confidently rate the measures in question.

 

• Take another pass at completing the instrument, using the additional observations that you have made and information that you gathered from conversations with the family.
• As you complete the measures that were in question, also double-check the measures for which you assigned earlier ratings. Keep in mind that talking about routines and activities with families often leads them to share information about not only skills that appear in one measure but skills that might appear in other measures. For example, by asking what Max does during mealtime, the family might describe what Max does related to self-feeding and also how he interacts with others during mealtime.

If there are still measures that you still cannot confidently rate, repeat the steps above. If after repeating the steps, you still cannot confidently rate a given measure, you may use Unable to Rate, but ONLY in extreme cases when you have exhausted all ways of gathering information.