Frequently Asked Questions

The DRDP (2015) is currently in use and it has two views. They are:

• The Infant-Toddler Comprehensive View: SED-funded infant-toddler programs use this view.
• The Preschool Fundamental View: All preschool special education programs use the PS Fundamental View for all children with IEPs.

Yes, the DRDP (2015) is aligned with the Preschool Learning Foundations and the Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations. It also aligns to the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework and the California Common Core State Standards.

View the correspondence between the DRDP to the Infant/Toddler and Preschool Foundations at https://www.desiredresults.us/drdp-2015-aligned-california-foundations

Use the Infant/Toddler View while the child is receiving early intervention services. The Preschool View is used after the child transitions into a preschool program.

Yes. Families should be informed of the DRDP (2015) assessment and its benefits to teachers and programs as well as to families. Describe the assessment to families as observations of children's skills during typical routines and activities throughout the day to inform instructional planning. However, if a family is still uncomfortable, you may waive the assessment. The SELPA should track these decisions so they know that these are not missing records.

Refer to "An Overview of the DRDP (2015) for Families" for a description of the assessment for families as well as a list of the benefits.

If the LEA is serving children with solely low incidence disabilities and the child's information is reported to the California Department of Education, you must use the disability category from the IFSP. If the LEA is serving the child jointly with the regional center, the LEA still records the disability category. If the child is served under a vendor contract with the regional center, the DRDP (2015) is not used.

The earlier levels of the DRDP (2015) through Building Earlier (which includes early preschool) describe the development of infants and toddlers sufficiently to plan their learning activities. The later levels are generally not observed in children of this age.

On full continuum measures or Early Development measures, mark the Responding Earlier level if you do not observe any later levels. On Later Development measures, you may mark, "Child is not yet at the earliest developmental level on this measure." Even if you have not observed the earliest level, mark it if you do not see any of the later levels. Please refer to the guidance under "Additional Rating Options on page Intro-8 in the Assessment Manual."

Mark the latest level. If this is a full continuum measure in the Infant/Toddler View, mark the latest level that can be rated for infants and toddlers and also mark "Emerging to the next developmental level." Please refer to rating guidance on Emerging on page Intro-8 in the assessment manual.

Check with your administrator about obtaining these services. Additionally, many measures of the DRDP (2015) can be rated by observing the child.

If the child is Deaf or Hard of Hearing and not learning a spoken language, mark “No” and do not complete the ELD measures.

Consider the first few levels carefully. Children with feeding tubes may react to the feeding experience as described in Responding Earlier, and possibly at the next few levels. Some children may also be learning to eat orally and may progress further on this measure. Rate the latest level of mastery.

Rate the measures to reflect the child's current level of mastery.

Yes, rate the measure again in the spring. All conditional measures are required for special education except for the ELD measures.

All eligible children with IFSPs and IEPs must be assessed with the DRDP (2015), regardless of setting. If sufficient information can't be obtained through direct observation, contact family members and other team members. If the child is not receiving services for an extended period of time, then the Unable to Rate option may be used. Refer to rating guidance in the manual pp. Intro-7 through Intro-9.

You can use naturalistic observations that were gathered to complete other assessment instruments, but you cannot use actual scores from any other assessment instrument to inform DRDP (2015) ratings.

Yes, all children with IFSPs or IEPs are assessed with the full DRDP (2015) regardless of type or level of service or educational setting.

Yes, if a child is reported to the California Department of Education, the child should be assessed with the DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler View.

No, the DRDP (2015) is not used by infant programs vendored by the regional center.

Yes, if a child has a preschool IEP and has not yet entered transitional kindergarten or kindergarten. The grade assignment in CALPADS may also determine which instrument to use.

Services are to start as soon as possible after the IEP is signed, but if for some reason a child has not started receiving services by November 1 or April 1, then a DRDP (2015) is not required until the following assessment period.

If the child is receiving preschool services as prior to November 1, the preschool special education service provider will complete the assessment for fall. If the child has transitioned to the next program by November 1, then a DRDP is not required.

No, wait until spring to submit a DRDP for the child.

State-funded Head Start programs are required to use the DRDP (2015.

All children with IFSPs or IEPs are assessed regardless of type or level of service and regardless of educational setting.

The primary service provider should complete the assessment. If the child attends private preschool, the SELPA should designate a district representative to work with the program to assure that the assessment is completed.

Family observations are valid and reliable and are an important part of completing the DRDP, particularly for practitioners who may not have frequent opportunities to observe the child participating in a variety of routines and activities. The resources on the "Leading Focused Conversations with Families" page will assist in planning these conversations. See also the document on the role of family observations in the DRDP (2015).

The preschool teacher and the special education primary service provider should complete the assessment together. Meet with your state preschool or Head Start partners to outline an assessment plan. Coordinate calendars to meet and finalize the assessment together. Both the preschool teacher and the primary service provider are required to submit the DRDP Rating Records to their respective data systems. Refer to DRDP (2015) Assessment Manual Appendices A and F.

Observations can be gathered via conversations with other teachers and service providers, and with families. Speech and Language Pathologists should talk with their administrators about adding time twice a year dedicated to the assessment.

Work as a team and 1) Go back to the descriptors of the developmental levels to ensure a common understanding; 2) Review the observations and other documentation gathered together; 3) Make sure that adaptations were in place during observations; and 4) come to consensus on a rating.

Completing the DRDP (2015) is the responsibility of the primary special education service provider. However, it is recommended practice to have conversations with the family to gather information. Arrange to make home visits to collect observations, talk with the family and other service providers, and/or use family videos (with written consent) to complete the instrument. Refer to the resources on Leading Focused Conversations with Families.

Talk with the family, focusing on daily routines and activities and be specific about what your asking them to describe. Family input is valid and reliable with shared understanding. Families may also share information in various ways, such as home videos. Using the documentation gathered, including family input, the teacher is responsible for rating the measures. Refer to the resources on Leading Focused Conversations with Families.

No, an amendment is not required because selecting adaptations is a dynamic process. Adaptations may be added or refined many times between IFSP/IEP meetings.

If ASL is the home or first language for a child, it is not considered an adaptation. If ASL is used as a bridge to spoken language, it is considered an adaptation.

Visual support refers to adaptations for children with visual impairments.

The special educator or primary service provider completing the assessment submits DRDP (2015) data for children with IFSPs and IEPs to the SELPA, according to its instructions. The SELPA submits DRDP data to the California Department of Education’s Special Education Division.

General education teachers are required to assess and submit their data 60 days from the start of school. Special education and related service providers can collect the data in the same time period, make a copy for their records and submit the DRDP (2015) results on the timeline required by the SELPA. If the due dates do not overlap, the special educator can obtain a copy of the Rating Record submitted by the general education teacher, update it, and provide the teacher with a copy.

Assessments should be conducted for an individual child six months apart to better measure progress.

Check with your administrator as to how long records are stored. Place a copy of the DRDP Rating Record in the child's cumulative file.

No. Each provider must register themselves by creating an account on the Learning Center.

The Desired Results Access Project will send a list of participants to each SELPA director twice a year, who will then contact administrators regarding staff completion of the training.

Many assessment instruments require training on an assessment protocol to ensure fidelity. Special educators must complete training to use the DRDP as intended. If assessors do not successfully complete the trianing, they should review the “Essential Steps in Using the DRDP for Special Education” to determine if and where more support is needed. Assessors are encouraged to meet with their supervisors for further support. Online videos are available in the Desired Results Access Project’ Video Library for observation practice. Assessors who do not successfully complete training are still required to complete the DRDP (2015) for all eligible children.

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DRAccess.org – information and resources to support special educators, administrators, and families of children with IFSPs and IEPs in implementing the California Department of Education’s Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) (2015).

DRAccessReports.org – a resource for special educators, administrators, and families to create reports from DRDP (2015) results.

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The Desired Results Project for Children and Families offers a DRDP (2015) app for storing documentation that can be accessed by special educators.
https://desiredresults.us/drdp-portfolio-app

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