Texas Continuous Improvement Process (TCIP)

Improvement Plan | Public Meetings

Improvement Plan
As part of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process, Texas initiated its improvement efforts in January 2001. These efforts have been ongoing since then, with additional input from the public meetings that were held as a part of the OSEP CIMP Validation Planning phase, and the OSEP monitoring report that resulted from the Validation Data Collection phase. Improvement efforts are also a permanent, ongoing part of the Texas Continuous Improvement Process.

Due to the diversity of Texas’ systems for providing services for students with disabilities, Texas has taken a unique approach to improvement planning. The Improvement Planning System depicted below was developed to ensure that those closely associated with leadership for the different aspects of program responsibility, as well as representative groups of stakeholders, are involved in improvement planning that is entirely geared toward improved results for students with disabilities. View PowerPoint presentation on Improvement Planning System

The Texas Improvement Planning Committees used a standardized improvement planning process that is analysis-driven and results-based. Prior to View PowerPoint presentation on Improvement Planning Process and Improvement Plan

The Improvement Plan is organized by the following four mandates from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):

• Free Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment Improvement Plan
• General Supervision Improvement Plan
• Parent Involvement Improvement Plan
• Secondary Transition Improvement Plan

Download Complete Texas Improvement Plan | Adobe Acrobat PDF

Texas is committed to continuous improvement and in the future, these improvement plans will evolve to address new areas of improvement identified through a self assessment (Qualitative Data Review) and public meetings (Quantitative Data Collection and Review). View PowerPoint presentation on TCIP Status

Engaging in Continuous Improvement Efforts has resulted in additional, unexpected benefits:

• In total, through the comprehensive self-examination and analysis that has been the foundation of the improvement process, Texas has learned a tremendous amount about its special education system and has, as result, never been more self informed.
• The improvement planning process has established new connections among different groups across the state – connections that are based on a shared commitment to improving the special education system for students with disabilities.
• Embracing continuous improvement has led to what will ultimately be transformational change for the state: evolution to a special education system that is proactive versus reactive and to one that is entirely student-focused rather than largely compliance-focused.

Please e-mail the Division of Special Education with questions about the improvement plan or Texas Continuous Improvement Process.

Texas Education Agency | Division of Special Education
1701 North Congress Avenue | Austin, Texas 78701-1494
Telephone: 512.463.9414 | Fax: 512.463.9560

Created: June 2, 2003

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