Committee On Preschool Special Education (CPSE)

Office of Special Education

Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE)

The Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) is responsible for identifying preschool students (ages 3-5) with disabilities and arranging for the delivery of special education services to eligible students. A preschool student with a disability is one who, as determined by individual evaluations, exhibits a significant delay or disorder in one or more functional areas related to cognitive, language and communication, adaptive, social-emotional, or motor development which adversely affects the student’s ability to learn. A broad range of related services and special education program are available to meet the educational needs of preschool students with disabilities.

The district does not operate nor supervise any preschool services. Children are served at any one of several county-approved private agency sites in the area, or through home-based and community-based programs. Saratoga County arranges transportation through private providers.

Committee on Preschool Special Education Process

In order to make a referral to CPSE, the parent/guardian must first register his/her child with our district. Please contact our Registrar, Annelise Kavanaugh at (518) 602-0256 or akavanaugh@bscsd.org. Please refer to the Registration Process section of the website for additional information regarding this process and to download a registration packet.

Initial Referral to the Committee on Preschool Special Education
If a parent or guardian suspects that his or her child has a disability or delay, they should contact the Committee on Preschool Education. If concerns are present or if you are not comfortable with your child’s progress, you may make a referral to the District’s CPSE by contacting Charlene Ivers or Jessica Skillings.

Children receiving Early Intervention (EI): In order to initiate the preschool special education evaluation process (as part of the EI-CPSE transition), parents/guardians must first register the child with our district. Parents are strongly encouraged to consult with the child's EI Service Coordinator for additional information regarding this process.

Individual Evaluation Process: Once registration has been completed, and the CPSE has received your referral, you will be asked to sign consent for your child to be evaluated to help to determine if special education services are needed. The parent/guardian will choose from among the list of Saratoga County approved evaluators and the site where he/she would like to have his/her child evaluated. Such assessments that are recommended by the CPSE Evaluations are completed by certified professionals who will explain in detail the results of all their testing. The evaluations will include:

Social History: Parent/guardian is asked to provide information about the child's developmental history as well as general family information.
Psychological Evaluation: An assessment of the child's cognitive abilities and learning potential; may also include an assessment of the child's adaptive behavior skills and social/emotional abilities for his/her age.
Structured observation of the child in his/her learning environment (i.e., preschool, home, etc.)
Evaluation in area(s) of concern: Assessments specific to the child's area of potential need, such as speech/language, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.
A physical examination is required by state law as part of the evaluation process. This information is typically gathered from the child's physician and provided to the evaluating agency by the parent/guardian.

Evaluation Findings and CPSE Recommendations: Once the evaluations have been completed, you will be invited to a CPSE meeting to discuss information about your child. At the meeting, the evaluation results will be reviewed and parents are offered the opportunity to provide information. Based on the evaluation results and discussion, the committee (including parents) will come to a consensus as to whether your child is eligible as a "preschool student with a disability." In order to be eligible, there must a significant delay in one more developmental area(s) that is impacting his/her ability to make progress with preschool activities/expectations. If your child is eligible for special education programs/services, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed to meet your child’s needs. The IEP will be designed based upon discussions considering your child’s strengths, your concerns regarding your child’s education, the results of your child’s evaluation and assessments, and any unique needs your child has. Goals will be developed for your child to work toward based upon current levels of functioning. Supports, services, and modifications will be discussed to assist your child in reaching those goals. In addition, the least restrictive environment for location of services will be discussed. This may be day care, a regular preschool program, or other early childhood program. At least once a year, the committee will review your child’s IEP. You may request a meeting at any time to discuss your child’s program.

Link to NYSED: https://www.nysed.gov/special-education/information-parents-preschool-students-disabilities-ages-3-5