Indicator 8 - Percent of all children exiting Part C who received timely transition planning to support the child's transition to preschool and other appropriate community services by their third birt

Overview of the Annual Performance Report Development: See Indicator 1.

Monitoring Priority Effective General Supervision Part C / Child Find
Indicator 8

Percent of all children exiting Part C who received timely transition planning to

support the child's transition to preschool and other appropriate community services by their third birthday including:

  1. IFSPs with transition steps and services;
  2. Notification to LEA, if child potentially eligible for Part B; and
  3. Transition conference, if child potentially eligible for Part B.

(20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B) and 1442)
Measurement
  1. Percent = [(# of children exiting Part C who have an IFSP with transition steps and services) divided by the (# of children exiting Part C)] times 100.
  2. Percent = [(# of children exiting Part C and potentially eligible for Part B where notification to the LEA occurred) divided by the (# of children exiting Part C who were potentially eligible for Part B)] times 100.
  3. Percent = [(# of children exiting Part C and potentially eligible for Part B where the transition conference occurred) divided by the

FFY Measurable and Rigorous Target

FFY  Measurable and Rigorous Target
FFY09/SFY10
  1. 100 percent of children exiting Part C who have an IFSP will have transition steps and services.
  2. The LEAs will have been notified of 100 percent of the children exiting Part C that are potentially eligibility for Part B.
  3. A transition conference will be held for 100 percent of the children who leave the Part C program at age 3 and whose families have consented to participate in a meeting.

Actual Target Data for FFY09/SFY10:

Indicator 8A

Indicator 8A Transition Steps and Services (Number of files with transition steps in IFSP/Total number of files reviewed) X 100
FFY09/SFY10 Result (784/798)X 100 = 98.2%
FFY09/SFY10 Target 100%

Indicator 8B

Indicator 8B Referrals Made to LEA = 100% Compliance through data sharing agreement
(Referrals/Potentially eligible) X 100
FFY09/SFY10 Result (11,491/11,491) X 100 = 100%
FFY09/SFY10 Target 100%

 Indicator 8C

Indicator 8C Transition Meetings Held = (Transition meetings/ Potentially eligible excluding family
delay) X 100
FFY09/SFY10 Result (10,692/10,761) x 100 = 99.4%
FFY09/SFY10 Target 100%

8A - IFSPs with transition steps and services

File reviews completed as part of CFC office onsite monitoring visits indicate that 98.2% [(798 files review -14 files with findings)/798] x 100 of the randomly selected files demonstrated IFSPs with transition steps and services. As part of a contractual agreement with the lead agency, the Illinois EI Monitoring Program conducts annual on-site monitoring visits to the 25 CFC offices.

The number of files to be reviewed in a CFC office is based upon the number of active cases, varying from 20 files in a CFC office with a caseload of less than 200 to 56 files for a caseload between 1,800 and 2,000.

The number of files is divided by the number of service coordinators and then files are randomly selected to be representative of each service coordinator's caseload. There are several elements of the CFC monitoring file review tool that relate to documentation of the transition process. In FFY09/SFY10, the Illinois EI Monitoring Program reviewed a total of 798 files.

Findings were identified in 14 of those files based on the following transition elements. A file with noncompliance was found in the review of CFC offices #9, #11, #12, #15, #17, and #20.

Transition elements from the CFC monitoring file review tool that reflect compliance with Indicator 8(a) include the following:

  • There is evidence that six months prior to the child's third birthday communication began with the family about transition.
  • With informed parental consent, service coordinator notified the child's local educational agency that the child will shortly reach the age of eligibility for preschool services under Part B.
  • Early Intervention to Early Childhood Tracking Form was completed (PA34).
  • Transition Efforts are documented in case notes (CMO4).

8B - Referrals made to Local Education Agency (LEA)

Illinois utilized the data sharing agreement with Part B/Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to assure that every child who reached 27 months of age or who started EI services after that age were made known to the LEA.

8C - Transition meetings held

Data from the Cornerstone system for the time period July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010 are used to document transition meetings. Cases with exceptional family circumstances that have been excluded from this calculation total 730. The last column of the following chart provides statewide and CFC-specific data on compliance with indicator 8C. All areas of the state performed well, with full compliance (100%) in 13 of the 25 CFC offices.

FFY 08/SFY 09 Transition Meetings Held by Area Documented with Cornerstone Data System

CFC Terminations Over 30 Mon. Not Available or Eligible Possibly Eligible Meetings Held Family Reasons (Meeting not Documented)  System Reasons
(Meeting not Documented) 		 Exc. Family Delay % of Meetings Documented
#1 - Loves Park 445 65 380 356 24 0 100.0%
#2 - Lake Co. 582 80 502 459 37 6 98.7%
#3 - Freeport 239 49 190 175 11 4 97.8%
#4 - Kane-Kendall Co. 659 97 562 548 12 2 99.6%
#5- Du Page County 923 118 805 795 10 0 100.0%
#6 - N. Suburbs 1,145 146 999 977 22 0 100.0%
#7 - W. Suburbs 732 100 632 528 97 7 98.7%
#8 - SW Chicago 521 172 349 325 21 3 99.1%
#9 - Central Chicago 743 125 618 564 54 0 100.0%
#10 - SE Chicago 524 83 441 384 40 17 95.8%
#11 - N. Chicago 1,625 277 1,348 1,121 208 19 98.3%
#12 -S. Suburbs 790 96 694 617 72 5 99.2%
#13 - Monmouth 281 49 232 229 1 2 99.1%
#14 - Peoria 479 67 412 398 14 0 100.0%
#15 - Joliet 1,096 96 1,000 965 35 0 100.0%
#16 - Danville 492 80 412 403 9 0 100.0%
#17 - Quincy 175 40 135 131 4 0 100.0%
#18 - Springfield 265 31 234 226 5 3 98.7%
#19 - Decatur 273 36 237 234 3 0 100.0%
#20 - Effingham 283 57 226 217 8 1 99.5%
#21 - Belleville 462 134 328 319 10 -1 100.3%
#22 - Centralia 265 55 210 204 5 1 99.5%
#23 - Norris City 152 25 127 123 4 0 100.0%
#24 - Carbondale 140 14 126 114 12 0 100.0%
#25 - McHenry Co. 325 33 292 280 12 0 100.0%
Statewide 13,616 2,125 11,491 10,692 730 69 99.4%
Chicago 3,413 657 2,756 2,394 323 39 98.4%
Suburban Cook 2,667 342 2,325 2,122 191 12 99.4%
Collar Counties 3,585 424 3,161 3,047 106 8 99.7%
Downstate 3,951 702 3,249 3,129 110 10 99.7%

Discussion of Improvement Activities Completed and Explanation of Progress or Slippage that occurred for FFY09/SFY10:

Progress/Slippage for 8A

In FFY09/SFY10, 98.2% of the files demonstrated IFSPs with transition steps and services, down slightly from 98.9% in FFY08/SFY09. The outcomes of transition efforts indicate that transition steps and services were completed, but not appropriately documented. This represents a minimal decrease in the number of files with appropriate documentation.

Correction of FFY 2008 Findings of Noncompliance for Indicator 8A (if State reported less than 100% compliance):

Level of compliance (actual target data) State reported for FFY 2008 for Indicator 8A: 98.9%

  1. Number of findings of noncompliance the State made during FFY 2008 (the period from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009) - 7
  2. Number of FFY 2008 findings the State verified as timely corrected (corrected within one year from the date of notification to the EIS program of the finding) - 5
  3. Number of FFY 2008 findings not verified as corrected within one year [(1) minus (2)] - 2

Correction of FFY 2008 Findings of Noncompliance for Indicator 8A Not Timely Corrected (corrected more than one year from identification of the noncompliance) and/or Not Corrected:

  1. Number of FFY 2008 findings not timely corrected (same as the number from (3) above) - 2
  2. Number of FFY 2008 findings the State has verified as corrected beyond the one-year timeline ("subsequent correction") - 0
  3. Number of FFY 2008 findings not verified as corrected [(4) minus (5)]  - 2

Actions Taken if Noncompliance for Indicator 8A Not Corrected: Corrective action plans to address noncompliance policies, procedures, and practices are required to be written and implemented for any finding of non-compliance. Compliance is considered in setting determination scorecards if an agency fails to submit a credible corrective action plan, fails to make adequate progress, or fails to implement major features of the plan.

Verification of Correction of FFY 2008 noncompliance for Indicator 8A or FFY 2008 findings (either timely or subsequent): Verification of correction of noncompliance is outlined below

Describe the specific actions that the State took to verify the correction of findings of noncompliance for Indicator 8A identified in FFY 2008: If the on-site monitoring visit file review shows that a CFC office has one or more files that indicate noncompliance, a finding is identified. Following the monitoring visit, the CFC office submits a corrective action plan for approval and areas of noncompliance are reviewed at the CFC office's next monitoring visit. In addition, electronic files were reviewed for each child identified in the findings for Indicator 8(A) to ensure that correction has taken place to ensure correction of each individual case of noncompliance. All the files indicated that transition steps and services had been accomplished (i.e., the child was no longer in the program's jurisdiction).

Seven findings were identified in FFY08/SFY09 through monitoring activities. Following the subsequent on-site monitoring visits completed in FFY09/SFY10, data from the monitoring visits were used to determine implementation of specific regulatory requirements. In all seven findings of noncompliance, it was determined that the CFC has corrected each individual case of noncompliance. Five of the findings were corrected within in one year (i.e., no files out of compliance during subsequent monitoring visit), with two finding remaining uncorrected. These findings represent two CFC offices in which each had one file out of compliance in the FFY09/SFY10 review. A new system of notification of findings and correction of noncompliance is being implemented that will assist the lead agency and the CFC offices in tracking performance and providing adequate notification when a correction has taken place.

No FFY06/SFY07 or FFY07/SFY08 findings for Indicator 8A remain uncorrected.

Progress/Slippage for 8B

In FFY08/SFY09 APR and FFY09/SFY10, Illinois demonstrated 100% compliance with 8B. With the full implementation of the data sharing agreement between the EI Program and the ISBE and the subsequent data sharing reports, no areas of noncompliance have been identified and no previous findings of noncompliance remain uncorrected.

Progress/Slippage for 8C

In FFY09/SFY10 the number of transition meeting held increased to 99.4%, from 98.6% in the previous year. The number of CFC offices in full compliance (100%) increased from 6 to 13. Increases were seen across CFC regions when compared to FFY08/SFY09, including increases in Chicago (from 98.0% to 98.4%), Suburban Cook (from 0% to 99.4%), Collar Counties (from 98.5% to 99.7%) and Downstate (from 98.8% to 7%). Although significant improvements have been realized in the documentation of transition meetings in the Cornerstone system, the program continues to emphasize the need for appropriate and timely data entry of this measure.

Correction of FFY 2008 Findings of Noncompliance for Indicator 8C (if State reported less than 100% compliance): Level of compliance (actual target data) State reported for FFY 2008 for 8C: 98.6%

Level of compliance (actual target data) State reported for FFY 2008 for 8C: 98.6%

  1. Number of findings of noncompliance the State made during FFY 2008 (the period from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009) - 21
  2. Number of FFY 2008 findings the State verified as timely corrected (corrected within one year from the date of notification to the EIS program of the finding) - 17
  3. Number of FFY 2008 findings not verified as corrected within one year [(1) minus (2)] - 4

FFY 2008 Findings of Noncompliance for Indicator 8C Not Timely Corrected (corrected more than one year from identification of the noncompliance) and/or Not Corrected:

  1. Number of FFY 2008 findings not timely corrected (same as the number from (3) above) - 4
  2. Number of FFY 2008 findings the State has verified as corrected beyond the one-year timeline ("subsequent correction") - 1
  3. Number of FFY 2008 findings not verified as corrected [(4) minus (5)] - 3

Actions Taken if Noncompliance for Indicator 8C Not Corrected: Corrective action plans to address noncompliance policies, procedures, and practices are required to be written and implemented for any finding of non-compliance. Compliance is considered in setting determination scorecards if an agency fails to submit a credible corrective action plan, fails to make adequate progress, or fails to implement major features of the plan. Determination scores are negatively impacted if the CFC office is in the bottom five in transition performance measures (i.e., proportion of transition meeting held for children exiting the program at age 3 and eligibility determined when the child leaves the program at age 3.)

Verification of Correction of FFY 2008 noncompliance for Indicator 8C or FFY 2008 findings (either timely or subsequent): Verification of correction of noncompliance is outlined below

Describe the specific actions that the State took to verify the correction of findings of noncompliance for Indicator 8C identified in FFY 2008: For correction of noncompliance, this APR looks at findings identified using FFY07/SFY08 data and adds "prong 2," ensuring that CFC offices have correctly implemented the specific regulatory requirement, as defined in OSEP Timely Correction Memo 09-02. Child-specific data were accessed through the Cornerstone system and file reviews either documenting that a transition meeting was held/transition was appropriately completed or that the child was no longer in the jurisdiction of the Early Intervention program. Transition information from the Illinois State Board of Education was also reviewed to determine the child's transition outcome.

In all 21 findings of noncompliance it was determined that the CFC has corrected each individual case of noncompliance. Illinois has identified that a CFC office had implemented the regulatory requirement for service delays using monthly statistical reports and documenting three consecutive months during which the CFC office has no service delays. In FFY08/SFY09, there were 21 findings, with 17 findings identified as corrected, leaving 4 findings uncorrected within one year. One of those findings has subsequently been corrected. In FFY09/SFY10, 14 new findings were identified. A new system of notification of findings and correction of noncompliance is being implemented that will assist the lead agency and the CFC offices in tracking performance and providing adequate notification when a correction has taken place.

Correction of Remaining FFY 2007 Findings of Noncompliance (if applicable):

  1. Number of remaining FFY 2007 findings of noncompliance noted in OSEP's June 2010, FFY 2008 APR response table for this indicator - 2
  2. Number of remaining FFY 2007 findings the State has verified as corrected - 2
  3. Number of remaining FFY 2007 findings the State has NOT verified as corrected [(1) minus (2)] - 0

Describe the specific actions that the State took to verify the correction of findings of noncompliance identified in FFY 2007: The two remaining findings both involved documentation of child-specific correction. It had not been understood that lack of jurisdiction, alone, rather than a known outcome of special education determination could be used to determine that a finding had been corrected. Lack of jurisdiction has been documented.

Improvement Activities Completed: Previous improvement activities continue, such as the use of an EI to Early Childhood tracking form, data sharing with ISBE, EI monitoring, transition training, monthly reporting to CFC offices, performance contracting, identification of findings, and use of data in the determination score process.

Improvement Activites

?Improvement Activity Status/Timeline/Resource
The EI Program will continue to work closely with ISBE to identify and address data issues and needs and promote improved communication and practice between CFC offices and LEAs. The Cornerstone data input screen for transition data has been streamlined to eliminate unneeded data items, support documentation of information collected in the Early Intervention to Early Childhood Tracking Form, and ensure that transition data can be easily and accurately entered into the Cornerstone system by CFC office staff. CFC offices 8, 9, 10 and 11 have been meeting with administration staff from the Chicago Public Schools to address transition issues. In addition, the Bureau has spoken with ISBE regarding several issues.

Additional Information Required by the OSEP APR Response Table for this Indicator (if applicable):

?Statement from the Response Table State's Response

If the State does not report 100% compliance in the FFY2009 APR, the state must review itsimprovement activities and revise them, if necessary.

The State must demonstrate, in the FFY 2009 APR, if the remaining two uncorrected noncompliance findings which were identified in FFY2007 were corrected.

 See the following new improvement activities. These findings were corrected, as stated above.

Revisions, with Justification, to Proposed Targets / Improvement Activities / Timelines / Resources for FFY10/SFY11: The State Performance Plan (SPP) has been revised to specify, for each indicator, annual targets and improvement activities for each year through FFY2012 (July1, 2012 through June 30, 2013).

?FFY Measurable and Rigorous Target
2011 (2011-2012)
  1. 100 percent of children exiting Part C who have an IFSP will have transition steps and services.
  2. The LEAs will have been notified of 100 percent of the children exiting Part C that are potentially eligibility for Part B.
  3. A transition conference will be held for 100 percent of the children who leave the Part C program at age 3 and whose families have consented to participate in a meeting.

2012

(2012-2013)
  1. 100 percent of children exiting Part C who have an IFSP will have transition steps and services.
  2. The LEAs will have been notified of 100 percent of the children exiting Part C that are potentially eligibility for Part B.
  3. A transition conference will be held for 100 percent of the children who leave the Part C program at age 3 and whose families have consented to participate in a meeting.

New Improvement Activities

?New Improvement Activity Timelines & Resources
Additional data will be provided to CFC offices so they can monitor compliance with transition requirements and address child-specific and system issues in a timely way. Beginning in January 2011 and on an ongoing basis, a system will be implemented that will provide a monthly list to each CFC office of all children that have not had transition meetings Resources include the Bureaus of Early Intervention and Performance Support Services. Beginning in July 2011and on an ongoing basis, "mini APR tables" will be provided to CFC offices on a quarterly basis, so that they can monitor performance on Indicators 1, 7, and 8C. Resources include the Bureaus of Early Intervention and Performance Support Services.
Continue to address CFC office, LEA, and EI provider training and parent information needs about the transition process. Continue participation on the Illinois Birth-5 Transition Guidance Committee and coordination of training efforts with Part B. Resources include Bureau of Early Intervention, ISBE, the Illinois Birth-5 Transition Guidance Committee, and the EI Training Program.