Office of Learning/Student Services
Child Find Manual
2016-2017
Updated September 2016
It is the policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, nation origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability in any educational programs, activities or employment. Persons having question about equal opportunity and nondiscrimination should contact the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97310;
phone 503-947-5740; or fax 503-378-4772.
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Table of Contents
General Information 1
Acronyms 1
Child Find Data Collection & Reporting Calendar 2
Calendar 2
Contact Information 5
Special Education Data Collections (SEDC) Contact Information 5
Child Find Training Materials & Resource Documents 6
Special Education Child Find Reports and Record Retention Information 6
Special Education Child Find 7
What’s New for the 2015-2016 Child Find 8
District/Program Responsible for Reporting Child Find 8
How Child Find Data Are Utilized 9
Child Find Reporting Period 9
Submission Process 10
Eight Rules for Submitting Timely & Accurate Special Education Data 11
Child Find Record Preparation 12
The SECC Data Manager 12
Collecting the Child Find Data 12
Determination of Number of School Days 13
Other Issues That May Impact the 60 School-Day Timeline: 15
Submission Instructions 16
Correction of Child Find Data Collection 17
Important Things to Remember 18
Consolidated File Layout Field Definitions 20
APPENDIX A 28
ODE Form 581-1356-D: Child Find Data Collection Form 28
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General Information
The purpose of this document is to provide an easy reference tool for submission of the Special Education Child Find report (Indicator 11).
Acronyms
APR Annual Performance Report
CEIS Coordinated Early Intervening Services
EI/ECSE Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
ECR Electronic Correction Reports
IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP Individualized Education Program
OAR Oregon Administrative Regulation
ODE Oregon Department of Education
ORS Oregon Revised Statutes
OSEP Office of Special Education Programs (US Department of Education)
PHC Primary Disability Code
SECC Special Education Child Count
SEDC Special Education Data Collections
SPP State Performance Plan
SPR&I System Performance Review and Improvement
Child Find Data Collection & Reporting Calendar
July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
Date / 2015-2016 SY Child Find Collection ActivitiesAugust 20, 2016 / 14-15 Child Find Correction Reports Available
September 26, 2016 / 14-15 Child Find Collection electronic corrections due
May 25, 2017 / Child Find Collection (Indicator 11) opens
July 3, 2017 / Special Education Child Find (Indicator 11) collection due
July 15, 2017 / Last day for EI/ECSE programs to submit June Special Education Exit and Child Find data
Bold areas indicate district/agency responsibility.
Contact Information
Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Child Find Contact Information
Contact for content questions: Linda Brown, Education Specialist
(503) 947-5825
Contact for technical questions: Jackie McKim, Research Analyst
(503) 947-5629
Jennifer Bevers, Research Analyst
(503) 947-5817
Special Education Data Collections (SEDC) Contact Information
The Special Education Data Collection District/Consortium Contact Information forms are used by the Office of Learning/Student Services for various data collections throughout the year. This information is also used to identify the membership of SECC and IDEA consortiums for the current school year. Each agency must have an up-to-date form on file with the Special Education Data Collection Unit. Each agency is responsible for submitting new forms whenever updates are necessary. These forms are located on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=47.
To improve data collection and communication to school districts and other agencies, all Special Education Directors, Special Education Data Contact and Child Find Contacts will be automatically added to the SEDC Listserv. Superintendents and other staff may be added upon request. This email distribution list allows ODE to quickly communicate data collection issues to all agencies. To join the SEDC listserv, please contact a data unit member.
Almost all data collection information is communicated
through the SEDC Listserv.
Child Find Training Materials & Resource Documents
Updated Child Find materials are posted at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2120 and include the following:
· SECC Application (Data Manager)
· Video Conference Trainings
· Manuals
o Child Find Manual
o SECC User Guide
· Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
· Child Find Consolidated File Layout
· Child Find Form 581-1356-D
· Schedule of Data Collection Due Dates
· Special Education Data Collection (SEDC) Listserv Archive
Special Education Child Find Reports and Record Retention Information
Child find records document the percent of children who were evaluated within 60 school days from written parent consent for the initial evaluation to the date of the meeting to consider eligibility (OAR 581-015-2110(5)).
Minimum retention: Five years after end of school year in which original records were created (OAR 166-400-0060(28)).
Special Education Child Find
Introduction
Child Find is a component of IDEA that requires states to identify, locate, and evaluate all resident children with disabilities, birth to age 21, who are in need of special education services (OAR 581-015-2080).
The Child Find data collection monitors Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) compliance by school districts and programs regarding initial evaluation timelines as required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The collection includes the number and percent of children with parental consent to evaluate, whose initial evaluations for eligibility under IDEA were completed, and the meeting to consider eligibility was conducted within the 60 school-day timeline, regardless of the final eligibility determination. For any initial evaluations that exceed the 60 school-day timeline, the collection includes the number of days that evaluations were delayed beyond the timeline and the reasons for the delays.
This manual provides guidelines for reporting information on children in Oregon, who are referred for evaluation for Special Education under IDEA, including:
· Children who are receiving Early Intervention services under IDEA, Part C, who are turning 3 years of age;
· Children aged 3-4 years (and those turning 5 after September 1 and not enrolled in kindergarten) served under IDEA, Part B; and
· School Aged students, age 5-21 years, served under IDEA, Part B.
Districts/programs are required to collect and report data for:
a. Children ages 3-21 whose parents have given written consent for evaluation to consider eligibility for initial special education and related services, including Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE);
b. Children two to three years of age currently receiving Early Intervention (EI) services who are being evaluated to determine eligibility for ECSE;
c. Children being evaluated and considered for eligibility who were previously eligible under the IDEA but whose eligibility was terminated by an IEP team or by parent revocation of consent for special education services; and
d. Children who have moved to Oregon from another state who had an IEP that was in effect in a previous school district in another state and consent for additional testing is required to determine Oregon eligibility (OAR 581-015-2230(2)).
e. If a student moves out of the state of Oregon, attends school in another state, and then returns to Oregon, the Oregon eligibility should not be considered ‘active’. The student could change drastically between the time they left and returned. The district can do a file review, if all of the information is there to make the student Oregon eligible, the student does not need to be reported on the Child Find report. If the district needs to get a parent signature for additional testing; the student would then be reported on Child Find.
If the team has completed the evaluation and eligibility determination processes, but the parent refuses to provide consent for the provision of initial services, that child must still be included in the Child Find collection. However, if the parent revokes consent for the evaluation during the evaluation/eligibility process, the child will not be included in the Child Find collection.
Districts/programs should not include the following children in the Child Find Collection:
a. Children birth through two years of age receiving EI services;
b. Children ages 3-21 currently eligible under one special education category who are being evaluated for a different special education category;
c. Children currently eligible for special education services in Oregon who are transferring to a new school district/program within Oregon;
d. Children whose initial evaluations consist of only a review of existing data and therefore do not require parental consent;
e. Children currently receiving ECSE services in a disability category under OAR 581-015-2130 through 581-015-2180 who are transitioning to kindergarten; and
f. Children currently eligible under the ECSE Developmental Delay category who are transitioning to kindergarten and are being considered for a disability category under OAR 581-015-2130 through 581-015-2180.
g. If a student graduates with a modified diploma and doesn’t return the next year, is exited, but then comes back the following year, is this considered an initial eligibility? This would only be considered an initial eligibility if the parent or student (over the age of 18) evokes in writing or the IEP determines that student no longer eligible; otherwise, the student would not be considered an initial eligibility.
h. When a child’s special education eligibly lapses, the process to re-establish eligibility would not be included in the child find report. This child remained eligible for special education services. The child’s special education eligibility simply lapsed.
i. If a student’s eligibility lapses while they are “dropped out” of school, a re-evaluation will need to be done for the student upon return, but this student would not be reported on the Child Find collection.
What’s New for the 2016-2017 Child Find
There are no file layout changes for the 2016-17 school year.
District/Program Responsible for Reporting Child Find
Children enrolled in a school in their local Resident District: The resident district is responsible for providing FAPE and for conducting child find in accordance with OAR 581-015-2080 and 581-015-2085.
Children enrolled in Public Charter Schools: The district in which the charter school is located is responsible for FAPE and must report Child Find data for children enrolled in charter schools within the district in accordance with OAR 581-015-2080(3).
Children enrolled in another district under Open Enrollment: If the student has an open enrollment transfer (HB 3681), the attending district/program is responsible for providing FAPE, for conducting child find and reporting the record.
Children enrolled in another district under Inter-district Transfer: For traditional inter-district transfer agreements, the attending district/program (rather than the resident district/program) will report the child because the attending district is responsible for providing FAPE and for conducting child find.
Children who are parentally placed in Private Schools: The district in which the private school is located is responsible for child find and must report data for children enrolled in private schools located within their district (OAR 581-015-2080(4)).[1]
Children in EI/ECSE programs: EI/ECSE programs are responsible for reporting the initial evaluations for ECSE children on the Child Find Collection. EI children are reported on a separate collection (OAR 581-015-2100 (2)(a)(b)(c)).
How Child Find Data Are Utilized
Child Find is Indicator 11 of the State Performance Plan (SPP), Part B. The data collection monitors IDEA compliance by school districts and programs regarding initial evaluation timelines. Results are reported to OSEP in the Annual Performance Review (APR). The collection includes the number and percent of children, with parental consent to evaluate, whose initial evaluations for eligibility under IDEA were completed and the meeting to consider eligibility was conducted within the 60 school-day timeline, regardless of the final eligibility determination. For any initial evaluations that exceed the 60 school-day timeline, the collection includes the number of days evaluations were delayed beyond the timeline and the reasons for the delays.
The annual Special Education Child Find data is used for the following purposes:
1. System Performance Review and Improvement (SPR&I)
· State Determinations (of Districts and Programs)
· Compliance
· Timeliness and Accuracy
2. State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report for Special Education (SPP/APR)
3. Special Education Report Cards
4. Federal Determinations (of States & Territories)
Child Find Reporting Period
This collection reports all children for whom parent consent to evaluate was received and initial evaluation and eligibility determination was completed between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017. Districts/programs must submit data to ODE between May 25, 2017 and July 3, 2017 through the consolidated application located on the ODE District website at https://district.ode.state.or.us/.
Data is collected beginning on the date of signed parent consent to evaluate (day 1) and continuing through until the date of eligibility determination. If the 60 school-day timeline extends into the following school year and the evaluation process is not completed by June 30, these children will be included in the following year’s collection. In the following example, the child would be reported in the June 2017 collection because the eligibility determination occurred after the previous collection end date of June 30, 2016.
Example:
Date of Signed Consent: 5/21/16 (15-16 school year)
Date Eligibility Was Determined: 11/15/16 (16-17 school year)
Submission Process
Overview of Reporting Process
All data MUST be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. on July 3, 2017.
1. Import or enter records into the Data Manager/record preparation.[2]
2. Validate records in the Data Manager.
3. Correct any errors.
4. Create a submission file.
5. Log onto the district website and upload the submission file.
6. Once submitted, correct any errors that appear.
7. Approve the verification reports.
8. ECR/Audit process opens after validation process occurs at ODE.
Important - Please ReadEight Rules for Submitting Timely & Accurate Special Education Data
1. Keep your data up to date at all times. The more up to date the data, the less time it will take to prepare data for submission.2. Read all the instructions and documentation related to the data collection.
3. Submit data as early as possible, but don’t rush! Technology, weather, and other factors can suddenly keep a district from being able to submit data on the final day.
4. Join the Special Education Data Collection (SEDC) Listserv and read all messages carefully. To join, please contact a SEDC Unit staff listed on page 3.
5. Train at least one backup person to submit, validate, and correct data for each data collection. Key people may get sick, injured, or leave without notice. Don’t forget to have the district security administrator grant appropriate permissions to the backup staff member.
6. Backup the data often to a secure location other than the hard drive (e.g. network drive or disk). Technological mishaps are sometimes unavoidable and frequently lead to loss of data.
7. Plan ahead. Use the “Schedule of Due Dates” (http://district.ode.state.or.us) to plan your data submission calendar.
8. Contact the data collection owner at ODE as soon as possible if you have questions. ODE data owners are here to help you.
Child Find Record Preparation
A sample Child Find data collection form is available on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/schoolanddistrict/funding/sped/secc/childfindmanual.doc (see pages 28-29 of this manual). The form may be used by districts/agencies to gather child find information during the evaluation/eligibility determination phase, but all data must be submitted to ODE via the Consolidated Collections application on the ODE District website. Data field numbers on the form correspond to the data fields in the Child Find Collection layout.