The Texas Continuous Improvement Process (TCIP) is a permanent, annual process for improving special education in Texas. The state created this process based on a similar process used by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
The TCIP has four major components:
Self-Assessment
The Self Assessment is an exercise where the state examines itself to determine how it’s doing in the provision of Special Education. The state does this through the Texas Steering Committee – a group of 20-25 special education stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, etc.). To perform the Self Assessment, the steering committee reviews data and current activities related to the 20 performance and compliance indicators in the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR). The Texas Steering Commitee advises the State on performance targets for certain performance indicators in the SPP/APR.
Public Meetings
Each year, the Texas Education Agency and Education Service Centers conduct public meetings. The public meetings provide the state with a different perspective on the special education system. So while the self assessment provides a quantitative, data oriented, view of the provision of special education in Texas, the public meetings provide a qualitative view, based on people’s input across the state. The information gathered during the public meetings is used for continuous improvement at the regional and state level.
2010-11 Schedule of Public Meetings
2009-10 Statewide Summary of Regional Feedback
2008-09 Statewide Summary of Regional Feedback
2007-08 Statewide Summary of Regional Feedback
Improvement Planning
Improvement planning involves reviewing data and statewide activities to understand what needs to be improved, then implementing actions to improve that part of the special education system. There are seven TCIP Improvement Groups that have a focus aligned to the indicators in the State Performance Plan. The improvement groups are comprised of 20-25 special education stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, etc.). These improvement groups review data and current activities related to the 20 performance and compliance indicators in the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) and advise the State on continuous improvement.
Access to General Curriculum
focuses on free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment (FAPE/LRE) issue, inlcuding Discipline, Secondary Transition, and Post School Outcomes (SPP Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14)
Early Childhood
focuses on effective transition between IDEA Part C (ECI) and IDEA Part B (TEA) as well as issues related to children birth through 5 (SPP Indicators 6, 7, 12)
Parent Training
focuses on coordinated system of consistent, accurate information and training available to parents (SPP Indicator 8)
State Supervision
focuses on issues related to complaints, mediation, due process hearing, and monitoring processes (SPP Indicators 15-19)
Teacher Preparation Forums
focuses on issues related to adequate supply of personnel as well as training of personnel (SPP Indicators 1-14)
TCIP = Multi-Level Model
The TCIP is intended to be a multi-level model, meaning the self assessment, public meetings, and improvement planning will occur at the State level, and will yield information and data which will be shared at the regional and district levels so that ultimately all levels in the system are involved in coordinated, continuous improvement. From year to year, information from the self assessment, public meetings, and improvement planning, will be used to determine what to check in on as part of the next year’s continuous improvement process, and help determine how progress has been made in improving over time
Division of Federal and State Education Policy
1701 North Congress Avenue | Austin, Texas 78701-1494
Telephone: 512.463.9414 | Fax: 512.463.9560
E-mail: sped@tea.state.tx.us
Last Updated: November 17, 2010 | Created: September 23, 2002