Introduction to Desired Results

The Desired Results Developmental Profile Updates (2025)

The Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) (2025) is a developmental continuum from infancy through Grade Three that is designed to assess the progression of skills for all children, including those with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The assessment results are intended to be used by the teacher to plan curriculum for individual children and groups of children and to guide continuous program improvement. The tool was recently revised to reflect recent research in the field of child development and to be more inclusive of children with disabilities as well as dual language learners. The DRDP (2025) is fully aligned to the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) as well as the California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations.

The tool is currently undergoing a calibration study and is available for early adoption in fall 2025. The DRDP (2025) will have three versions: DRDP Infant/Toddler (I/T) (2025), DRDP Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten (PTK) (2025), and DRDP Preschool through Grade Three (P-3) (2025).

• The DRDP I/T (2025) includes the developmental continuum of children birth to age 2 years, 8 months or in infant/toddler programs in the domains of Social and Emotional Development, Approaches to Learning, Cognition, Foundational Language Development, Physical Development, and Health.
• The DRDP PTK (2025) includes the developmental continuum of children in preschool (beginning 2 years, 9 months), transitional kindergarten (TK), and kindergarten in the domains of Social and Emotional Development, Approaches to Learning, Cognition, Foundational Language Development, English Language Development, Physical Development, Health, and Science.
• The DRDP P-3 (2025) is an extended version of the tool and will cover the developmental continuum of birth to Grade Three in the domains of Social and Emotional Development and Approaches to Learning.

Major changes to the DRDP (2025) include the following:

• Renaming of measures to align more closely to the PTKLF strands, as well as some additions and re-organization of measures due to the addition of the Approaches to learning Domain in the PTKLF.
• Reduction in the total number of measures to address educator burden and ensure measurement of the most salient skills, according to child development assessment experts. The total number of measures is similar to that of the DRDP Preschool (2015) Essential View. As a note, while there is a reduction in measures, it is the expectation of the California Department of Education (CDE) that educators continue to include all skills covered in the PTKLF or the California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations in their program's curriculum. Just because a skill no longer appears in the DRDP does not mean it should not be taught.
• Addition of throughline examples where the first example in each level of a measure aligns across the developmental continuum to more easily see the progression of skills.
• More examples and inclusive descriptor language that reflect children with disabilities, such as children demonstrating skills non-verbally, using mobility aids, using sign language, or using alternative augmentative communications supports.
• More examples of children speaks languages(s) other than English, including code-switching.
• Extension to the continuum of Social and Emotional Development and Approaches to Learning through third grade.
• Combining the DRDP (2015) Preschool and Kindergarten levels to create one tool that is more inclusive of TK, now labeled the DRDP PTK (2025).

DRDP Requirements

The DRDP is required for:

• All California State Preschool Program (CSPP) children enrolled in the program for at least 10 hours per week.
  • The California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 17702 requires CSPP contractors to complete the age-appropriate DRDP for each child enrolled in the program for at least 10 hours per week. The DRDP must be completed between 60 and 90 days of the child's first day of attendance in the program and at least every six months thereafter.
• Every child with exceptional needs enrolled in CSPP regardless of the hours per week they are certified for.
• All three-, four-, and five-year-old students served by local educational agencies (LEAs) with an IEP or IFSP even in TK and kindergarten

It is likely that the above programs and students will be required to use the DRDP (2025) instead of the DRDP (2015) once it is fully calibrated in program year 2026–27. The CDE will issue guidance on these requirements when the time comes.

For more information on the DRDP (2015), including access to the assessment, please visit the Desired Results web page .

At this time, the DRDP (2025) will not be required for general education students in TK through Grade Three.

Early Adoption of the DRDP (2025)

Beginning in fall 2025, all early education programs are invited to be early adopters of the DRDP (2025).

Early adoption of the DRDP (2025) is optional for CSPP contractors beginning with the 2025–26 program year. For fall 2025 and spring 2026 reporting, CSPPs have the option to use the DRDP (2025) or continue using the DRDP (2015). Please refer to the management bulletin for additional details.

Special education service providers who provide special education services from LEAs will continue to use the DRDP (2015) to assess all eligible zero through five-year-old children with IFSPs and IEPs for the fall 2025 and spring 2025 reporting periods.

To access the DRDP (2025) (Coming Soon)