Overview of OSEP

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) works to ensure students with disabilities have access to high-quality education services to improve long-term outcomes. OSEP administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides funding for students with special needs. Students who receive funding through Part B or Part C of IDEA for more than six months must have their progress reported to OSEP. You can learn more about OSEP here. OSEP separates age groups into two parts: Part B and Part C. Part C includes children from birth to 2 and Part B includes children ages 3 to 21.

Table of Contents

1. Key Terminology
2. OSEP Scores
3. OSEP Reports
4. Include Student Data in OSEP Reports

Key Terminology 

Below are some of the key terms with brief descriptions that are used through the OSEP Reports:

• Child Outcomes: The three outcomes that states are required to report on, which are 1.) positive social-emotional skills, 2.) acquisition and use of knowledge and skills, and 3.) use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs. 
• COS scores: The Child Outcome Summary includes a rating of 1-7 for each child outcome for both entry and exit as well as a progress question 
• Entry and Exit: The entry date corresponds to the date the child began receiving special education services whereas the exit date is the day the special education services stopped. 
• Progress Question: The Progress Question is part of COS and answers if the student had developed any new skills while receiving services
• COS Card: The COS Card allows Teachers to enter in COS data for the students that are receiving special education services
• COR Calculator: The COR Calculator can be used to automatically populate COS scores for each outcome based on scores from the COR Advantage items
• Progress Reporting Categories: 5 categories (A-E) representing progress between entry and exit

• Summary Statement 1 & 2: Percentage statements generated from the progress category data

OSEP Scores

There are three COR Advantage-aligned child outcomes that make up COS scores:

1. Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships);
2. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication [and early literacy]); and
3. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.

You can learn more about Child Outcomes here. Because the COR Advantage assessment is aligned to these three outcomes, any time you use the COR Advantage assessment to score an observation for a student who has started or stopped receiving special education services within an assessment period, the platform provides recommended Child Outcomes Summary scores, which power the OSEP Status and OSEP Outcomes Reports. You can learn more about the alignment between the Child Outcomes and COR Advantage here.

OSEP Reports

Kaymbu has both an OSEP Status Report and an OSEP Outcomes Report. As a classroom teacher, it is important to be familiar with the OSEP Status Report and with how the COR Advantage assessment items are aligned with OSEP Child Outcomes. It is also important to know the different ways to edit scores in the OSEP Status Report. As the Director or Administrator, it is important to be familiar with OSEP, how teachers enter data, and how to use and submit the OSEP Outcomes Report.

Include Student Data in OSEP Reports

To include a student's data in OSEP reports, two components of their student profile must be enabled. First, they must have an IEP or IFSP set as "yes" and second, the funding source on their profile needs to include either Part B or Part C funding. To add an IEP/IFSP and funding source: 

1. Navigate to Menu > Roster, then select the child’s name. If the student has not yet been added, you will also have this option when you create a student profile for the first time. 
2. Select the pencil icon, which allows you to “Edit Student,” near the child’s profile picture. You will also have this option when you create a student profile for the first time.
3. Select the appropriate funding source (Part B - IDEA or Part C - IDEA Early Intervention). 
4. Select "Yes" under IEP/IFSP.
5. Select "Save" to save the changes.

Once you save those changes, the COS card will appear on the student’s profile. The student’s COS scores can be entered directly here but can also be entered in the OSEP Status Report. We recommend using the OSEP Status Report to enter COS Scores as it easily allows teachers to identify who is missing scores and directly enter in the missing data. You can learn more about adding COS scores in the article, OSEP Status Report.