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The new project is designed to help fill a growing national need. There currently is little national consensus on the effectiveness of early intervention and preschool special education programs, and few agree on what child and family outcomes should be used to measure such programs.
With the funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, MSDE will work with the Center for Technology in Education at Johns Hopkins University to develop an accountability system for Maryland’s young children with disabilities that is consistent with evidence-based early childhood practice and integrated with the Department’s focus on school readiness and student achievement.
MSDE also will work closely with the National Early Childhood Outcomes Center and will be a major participant in the national effort to demonstrate results for young children with disabilities and their families.
“Parents and educators of children with disabilities have a right to know how effective early intervention programs are, and how we can improve our work in this area,” noted State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “This groundbreaking project falls in line with our state’s longstanding work in standards and accountability.”
The development phase of the project is scheduled to run through next September, although the implementation phase will continue thereafter.
Among the goals of the program:
· Developing appropriate outcomes and evidence statements for infants and toddlers with disabilities, and their families.
· Integrating existing academic standards for four- and five-year olds, and developing additional outcomes for preschoolers with disabilities.
· Identifying evidence-based measurement approaches and tools for collecting data.
Building a statewide infrastructure for data collection and reporting, professional development, and technical assistance to implement the system. |