Inclusion of Preschool Children with and without Disabilities in State Standards Based Accountability Systems

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 includes requirements for preschoolers with disabilities to be included in state-or district-wide assessments, consistent with kindergarten through secondary school students. As a result, many states across the country are beginning to include preschool children, with and without disabilities, in their accountability systems. However, there are little data available to provide guidance for how best to implement Standards Based Accountability Systems at the pre-kindergarten level. The University of Kentucky Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute-UAP, in collaboration with DEC, proposes to conduct a three-year, multi-state investigation to develop a set of recommended practices for Standards Based Accountability Systems at the preschool level. The primary research objective is to investigate appropriate practices for the inclusion of preschool children with and without disabilities in Standards Based Accountability Systems. Practices will be identified from current research, perceptions from the early childhood community, and current practice in states. The proposed project will address the issue of inclusion of preschool children with and without disabilities in accountability systems through four interrelated activities. Activity 1: Synthesize the current knowledge base as it relates to critical components and practices when implementing Standards Based Accountability Systems for the preschool population. Activity 2: Identify perceptions of the early childhood field about: a) appropriate practices for Preschool Standards Based Accountability Systems at the preschool level; b) the value of a Preschool Standards Based Accountability System; c) how young children should be assessed for accountability purposes; and d) the relationship between Recommended Practices (DEC) and Developmentally Appropriate Practices (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and Standards Based Accountability Systems at the preschool level. Activity 3: Identify how states currently include pre-kindergarten programs in their Standards Based Accountability System. Activity 4: Validate a set of recommended practices for inclusion of preschool children with and without disabilities in state and local Standards Based Accountability Systems. This study will utilize a mixed methods approach that will include interviews, focus groups, document review and surveys. Five states will be selected for a more in-depth case study of the current use of Standards Based Accountability Systems with preschool populations. At the end of the project, a set of recommended practices related to preschool inclusion in Standards Based Accountability Systems, which has been validated by the field, will be available to state and local programs across the country.