The Desired Results access Project
Key Activities for 2008-09

The Desired Results System is an accountability initiative of the California Department of Education (CDE) developed to determine the effectiveness of its child development and early childhood special education services and programs. Central to the Desired Results System are the Desired Results Developmental Profiles (DRDP), the assessment instruments that measure children’s progress for the child assessment component of the Desired Results system. The Desired Results access Project assists CDE’s Special Education Division (SED) in implementing the DRDP Assessment System to measure the progress of California’s preschool-age children with IEPs.

The Desired Results access Project provides opportunities for professional development; guidance materials that support the implementation of the DRDP Assessment System; and research and evaluation activities that lead to data-informed improvements to the system. Highlights of 2008-2009 activities are described below.

Implementation and Professional Development Activities

• Support Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAS), school districts, preschool special educators, and others to provide local training activities.
• Sponsor statewide training.
• Post online learning modules.
• Produce new guidance materials.
• Assist the preschool special education community in implementing California’s State Performance Plan.
• Continue to collaborate with CDE’s Child Development Division and other state agencies to refine the DRDP instruments.
• Continue to collaborate on a national level.
• Integrate the DRDP Assessment System for preschool special education with California’s Preschool Learning Foundations and Curriculum Frameworks.

Research Activities

• Peer Comparison Studies – Improvement in Sensitivity and Precision of Growth Norms: Each year, the California Department of Education, Special Education Division is required to report to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on the progress of preschool-age children with IEPs. Three child outcomes identified by OSEP are measured in California using the DRDP. This reporting includes a comparison of progress of children with disabilities to that of children without disabilities. The Desired Results access Project has recently completed data collection for its 2007-08 peer comparison study. Data were collected on 850 typically developing children at multiple time points. The Project is currently analyzing the data to develop more precise growth norms. When analyses are completed, new norms will be integrated into the reports generated through the statewide web-based date collection system: Special Education Desired Results System (SEDRS).
• Special Education Desired Results System – Improvement in Data Collection and Reporting: The SEDRS web-based data reporting system is being revised to enhance functionality. New features for 2008-2009 include:
  • Child level reports to the district and SELPA accounts.
  • Additional reports to SELPA accounts that allow SELPAs to track the number of children reported with Measures marked “Unable to Rate.”
  • The ability to print child level reports in batches by district or SELPA.
  • Administrative reports that allow SELPAs and districts to compare the number of children they are reporting across reporting periods.

For additional information and a wealth of resources please visit www.draccess.org

 

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Updated 08/21/08