Guidance for the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and Prekindergarten (Pre-K) Program Coding Chart: Question and Answer Document

Eligible children with disabilities aged 3 through 21 years are entitled to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In Texas, special education and related services are provided for eligible children with disabilities aged three through five years old and not in kindergarten through early childhood special education (ECSE) services. ECSE services refer to a federally funded program under IDEA Part B, which is targeted specifically for three- through five-year-old students (not in kindergarten) receiving any special education and related services from a local educational agency (LEA), which includes school districts and open-enrollment charter schools, in any setting(s) or environment. ECSE services include students whose only special education service is speech therapy, regardless of where the services are provided.

It is important to note, ECSE services refer to the services provided by the LEA, not the location or program where services for these students are provided. Eligible children may receive ECSE services in various settings, including district settings (e.g., prekindergarten (pre-K), resource classrooms, self-contained classrooms), community settings (e.g., community-based Head Start programs, preschools, other early learning environments), and hospital or residential settings.

A child eligible for ECSE services may or may not be eligible for free public pre-K enrollment. Eligibility for free public pre-K programs is limited by statute in Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.153.

All LEAs must submit student attendance data through the Texas Student Data System/Public Education Information Management System (TSDS/PEIMS). The Student Attendance Accounting Handbook (SAAH) supports and establishes related student attendance accounting requirements.

Under the requirements of the SAAH, every Texas LEA must adopt an attendance accounting system, whether manual or automated, that includes procedures to ensure the accurate taking, recording, and reporting of attendance accounting data. LEA staff must report attendance information through TSDS/PEIMS to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). TEA then uses these attendance data to determine the Foundation School Program (FSP) allocation to the LEA.

This document serves as a guidance tool for personnel determining average daily attendance (ADA) codes and instructional setting codes for preschool-age children receiving ECSE services. However, this document should not be used in isolation and should only be used in conjunction with the SAAH.