News and Updates

The California NewsDepartment of Education, Special Education Division has issued the following requirements for the DRDP assessment of children with IFSPs and IEPs:

• Children will continue to be assessed with the Interim DRDP for Special Ed through the fall of 2021
• Children must have a signed IFSP in a local education agency (LEA) or a signed preschool IEP to be assessed
• A child’s special education services must begin by November 1 to be included in the fall DRDP assessment

Download the "Supplemental Guidance for Special Education on Using the DRDP during the COVID-19 Pandemic" to assist you in completing the DRDP this fall. It includes a summary of the requirements, key considerations, and recommended practice.

In this video, early childhood special educator Veronica Khalil and general education teacher Gwendolyn Terry illustrate the strategies they use in their Los Angeles Unified School District classroom to complete the DRDP...

The results of the DRDP assessment help us better understand children’s learning and development, plan instruction, and share information with families. In order to produce confident results, the DRDP must be used with a number of essential steps in place.

The ECTA Center Preschool During the Pandemic series illustrates how the fields of early education and early childhood special education have been successfully supporting preschoolers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Episode 13, a new, two-part video was just added to the series.

Episode 13 - Authentic Learning in Remote Preschool

Part 1: Home Learning Materials and Authentic Assessment
Part 2: Informing and Differentiating Instruction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, programs are providing services through a range of options, including in-person, distance learning, or a blended approach. Those using distance learning or a blended approach have fewer opportunities to observe children and collect other documentation to confidently rate the DRDP. The strategies described in this document enable assessors to observe children and collect documentation during distance learning.