Frequently Asked Questions

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

• The Infant-Toddler Comprehensive View: Used with infants and toddlers with Individualized Family Service Plans who are reported to the California Department of Education, Special Education Division.
• The Preschool Fundamental View: All special education providers use the PS Fundamental View for all 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children with IEPs (including in TK and K) However, children who turn 6 years old on or before June 30th in the given school year, do not require a DRDP in the fall or the spring assessment periods.

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.

Explore the correspondence between the DRDP to the Infant/Toddler and Preschool Foundations using this tool which links the DRDP domains and measures to the applicable foundations: DRAccess.org/foundations

The revised DRDP scheduled for release in Fall 2026 will align to the revised California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/psfoundations.asp.

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

Yes. Families should be informed of the DRDP and its benefits to teachers and programs as well as to families. Describe the assessment to families. You could say, "I will watch your child in activities like snack time, free play, and art. As I watch, I will note their skills. When I finish the assessment, I can share a report with you of what I learned that helps us all understand your child's skills and areas of growth." 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.

The disability category from the IFSP should be used as the child’s special education eligibility on the DRDP Information Page. If the child’s IFSP does not have a eligibility that aligns to the options on the DRDP Information Page, confirm that the DRDP is required for that child. See "Children Assessed" below.

The levels after Building Earlier are far beyond what is expected of infants and toddlers.

If you determine that a child in preschool, TK or K is not yet demonstrating mastery at the earliest level of the PTK continuum, mark "Child is not yet at the earliest developmental level on this measure." This should rarely happen.

Check with your administrator about obtaining these services.

No, the ESL measures are only used for children with a home language other than English or ASL.

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.

All eligible children with IFSPs and IEPs must be assessed with the DRDP, 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 use the Unable to Rate option. More information is available in the Assessment Manual pp. Intro-7 through Intro-9.

Yes, you can use all of the information you have about the child to determine their level of mastery.

Yes, all children zero to 5-years old with IFSPs or IEPs are assessed with the full DRDP regardless of type or level of service or educational setting. However, children who turn 6 years old on or before June 30th in the given school year, do not require a DRDP in the fall or the spring assessment periods.

Yes, if a infant or toddler's data are reported to the California Department of Education, they should be assessed using the DRDP (2015) Infant/Toddler Comprehensive View.

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

Yes, if a five-year old child has an IEP and will not turn six before the end of the year (June 30th), the DRDP is required.

If a child has not started receiving services by November 1 or April 1, the DRDP is not required until the following assessment period.

No, if a child begins services after November 1 in the fall, or April 1 in the spring, they are not eligible for the DRDP in that assessment period.

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

DRDPs should be completed for all 0 to 5-year-old children with IFSPs or IEPs served by CDE. Type of service, level of service, and/or educational setting does not change the requirement.

The primary service provider should complete the assessment.

Family interview and 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.

The preschool teacher and the special education primary service provider should collaborate to complete 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 the Assessment Manual Appendices A and F.

Meet as a team and share the rationale for rating selection and work to come to consensus on a rating.

Completing the DRDP is the responsibility of the primary special education service provider. It is recommended practice to have conversations with the family to gather information. When possible, arrange to make home visits to collect observations, talk with the family and other service providers to complete the instrument. Refer to the resources on Leading Focused Conversations with Families.

No, an amendment is not required. Adaptations may be added or refined many times between IFSP/IEP meetings.

No, ASL is a language not an adaptation.

No, visual schedules are not considered a communication or visual support adaptation.

The special educator or primary service provider completing the assessment submits DRDP 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 through DR Access Data.

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 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.

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 DR Access Learn.

The Desired Results Access Project will send a list of participants to each SELPA director once a month, who will then contact administrators regarding staff completion of the training. It is important that assessors select the correct District and SELPA to ensure their training progress goes to the correct SELPA.

The required courses are required to be completed once. However, assessors can revisit the courses at any given time through DR Access Learn.

Assessors must complete the DRDP for all eligible children regardless of course completion status.

The courses will appear in the assessor’s account one at a time. Once a course is completed, the next one will become available.

Yes, join our mailing list and be a part of the Desired Results Access Community!

Whether you're a teacher, administrator, family member, or special educator, we provide you with important information about:

• using the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) for children with IFSPs and IEPs in early intervention, preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, and kindergarten
• planning instruction based on DRDP results
• participating in CalBloom: Early Learning EveryDay to plan, implement, and evaluate instruction for preschool children with IEPs in inclusive settings

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DRAccess.org – the main website of the Desired Results Access Project that provides 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).

DRAccessReports.org – the reports system is a resource for special educators, administrators, and families to create reports from DRDP results.

DRAccessOutcomes.org – this site presents the data for Indicator 7: Child Outcomes that is sent to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for the State Performance Plan (SPP).

DRAccessLearn.org – the learning center is where all special education service providers who administer the DRDP complete required training.

DRAccessData.org – this site is a secure online data collection system for DRDP assessment data for SELPAs submitting their data to CDE.

We are committed to building compliant websites and disseminating accessible information and resources. If you need assistance in accessing any of our materials, contact us at info@dracccess.org or 1-800-673-9220.

Yes. To request district-level or SELPA-level admin accounts in DR Access Reports, send an email request to reports@dracccess.org