eNotes
August 4, 2021Updates from the ECTA Center
DaSy and ECTA Target Setting Guide
Target setting is the process states use to determine measurable and rigorous benchmarks for results-based indicators. DaSy and ECTA's new Target Setting Guide provides general and indicator-specific guidance, considerations, and resources to help state systems work with stakeholders to set targets for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) indicators and the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) State-Identified Measurable Result (SIMR) for the FFY 2020-2025 submission to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on February 1, 2022 and in subsequent years.
State Guidance and Resources on Remote Service Delivery and Distance Learning
As schools gear up for the upcoming school year, this continually updated Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) resource listing includes the latest guidance and information from state early childhood programs on remote service delivery and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Newest additions include resources for distance learning and learning at home.
The Breadth of the Three Child Outcomes
The three child outcomes, measured by early intervention and early childhood special education systems, encompass functional skills and behaviors meaningful for a child's participation in everyday routines. This infographic, developed by ECTA and DaSy, displays the breadth of these outcomes and provides a visual framework for describing and consistently measuring children's functional skills and behaviors across settings and situations. The outcomes cut across developmental domains to represent the integrated nature of how children develop, learn, and thrive.
News from the Field
New AAP Policies on Preventing Toxic Stress and Promoting Trauma-Informed Care
When children lack safe, stable, and nurturing relationships, their response to stress over time can result in lifelong impairments in physical, mental, and relational health. Conversely, feeling connected and supported in the early years make children more likely to become healthy, competent, and educated citizens. In two new policy statements and a clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), emphasizes the significance of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and positive childhood experiences in preventing and healing toxic stress and building resilience.
Reopening Schools and Rebuilding with Equity Fact Sheet
To address the pandemic's disparate impact on students of color and other underserved students, such as students with disabilities, the Biden Administration has issued this fact sheet that outlines its commitment "to ensure that our schools and students not only recover from the pandemic, but that we Build Back Better for the future." The pandemic created serious challenges for many students with disabilities, who struggled to access special education and related services according to their individualized services plan. To ensure states can deliver the necessary services and supports to young children and youth with disabilities, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) devotes nearly $2.6 billion in grants to support elementary and secondary education students with disabilities, $200 million for preschool children with disabilities, and $250 million for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
Return to School Roadmap
The U.S. Department of Education's Return to School Roadmap provides key resources and supports for students, parents, educators, and school communities to build excitement around returning to classrooms this school year. It also outlines how federal funding can support the safe and sustained return to in-person learning and lays out actionable strategies to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) updated guidance for K-12 schools. This will help schools minimize the transmission of COVID-19 and sustain in-person learning all school-year long.