Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)

What's Required

The local educational agency (LEA) must ensure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled (34 CFR300.114(a)(2)(i) and 20 USC 1412(a)(5)(A).

The LEA must ensure that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily (34 CFR 300.114(a)(2)(ii)and 20 USC 1412(a)(5)(A)
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The LEA must ensure that a continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities for special education and related services (34 CFR 300.115(a)).
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The ARD committee must specify the appropriate instructional arrangement/setting as set forth in 19 TAC 89.63(c).


What We Do

Program Description:  Spring ISD Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is a comprehensive continuum of services for children, ages 3-5, with identified delays in one or more of the five developmental areas. The five developmental areas are:

  • Motor
  • Social / Emotional
  • Self-help
  • Communication
  • Pre-academic

It is important to note that ECSE is not a place, but rather, a continuum of support.  Even though a 5-year old child may be in Kindergarten receiving services in a classroom not identified as ECSE, this child is still considered a ECSE student due to her age.

Qualifying Descriptors:

  • Students with an identified disability and/or developmental delay are eligible for services beginning on their third birthdays, regardless of when their birthday falls within the school year.
  • Students receive a screening and a formal evaluation either through the Spring ISD ECSE Assessment Center or through a multidisciplinary campus team.
  • Students are determined eligible for ECSE through an ARD committee decision. 

Description of Support:

  • Access to the ECSE continuum, which includes but is not limited to walk-on speech therapy, blended pre-k inclusion (co-teaching), and self-contained settings (ECSE Self-Contained)
  • Additional instructional and related services determined by the student’s individual education plan
Note: Regarding ECSE Coding:
All kids that are under 5  year old fall under the ECSE umbrella. Regardless of the a child's program or campus they are still considered ECSE and must have the location code. Download and use the ECSE PEIMS Interactive Coding Decision Tree to assist in coding decisions. 

ECSE Coding and Schedule of Services (SOS) page:Services for ECSE should be provided in the gen ed setting when as much as possible (when appropriate) as is the least restrictive environment. For example,  If a student has 2 speech sessions a week and one is provided in the gen ed classroom for 35 min a week and one is in the speech room for 30 minutes a week this student should get a location code of "1". But if the same child gets 25 min a week of speech in the gen ed setting and 30 min a week in the speech room is now a "5". 

Forms