THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Available in PDF Format for Printing

To:
 Superintendents of Public School Districts
  District Superintendents
 
Chief School Officers of Private Schools that Provide Educational Services to Students Pursuant to Article 81
  Chief School Officer of NYS School for the Blind
  Chief School Officer of NYS School for the Deaf
  Commissioners of Selected State Agencies
  Contact Persons for PD Data Submissions
  Directors of Special Education
From:             
 Rebecca H. Cort  Signature of Rebecca Cort
  Deputy Commissioner of Vocational and Educational Service for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
  Johanna Duncan PoitierSignature of Johanna Duncan Poitier
  Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education - P-16
Subject:  
 Special Education Data Collection from Public School Districts, Private Schools that Provide Educational Services to Students Pursuant to Article 81 and Selected State Agencies for the 2007-08 School Year
Date:
 June 19, 2007

*******IMPORTANT*******

In order to reduce the data reporting burden at the local level, improve consistency of data definitions, provide verification reports and other reports that will be useful at the local level and provide the State flexibility to aggregate the data for policy analysis and to meet State and federal reporting requirements in the most efficient and effective manner, the State Education Department is changing how some special education data is collected. 

Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the State Education Department will discontinue collecting special education data through the following PD reports and instead will collect the same data, previously collected in the aggregate, at the individual student level through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS):

School districts, State agencies and schools that provide educational services pursuant to Article 81 will continue to report the following reports through the PD data submission system in the 2007-08 school year:

The Department will provide guidance, directions and training for submitting special education data through SIRS by adding materials to the current documents listed below  as they are updated for the 2007-08 school year and also by adding other documents as necessary. The Department expects to provide a description of all special education data elements and directions for reporting and verifying these data by July 2007.  The documents that describe the 2006-07 data elements, directions, processes and procedures are posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/SIRS/ : 

Below is a brief summary table that describes how the data previously collected in the PD reports will be collected through data elements at the individual student level. Please note that most of the student level demographic information is already being reported on all students therefore is not listed in the table below (e.g., date of birth, gender, race/ethnicity, LEP status, disability, etc.).  We will expect school districts to report special education data on all students for whom they have Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) responsibility, including children who are newly referred for eligibility determination for preschool or school-age special education services. Enrollment records of students will also include information regarding the building in which the student is enrolled. This will provide information regarding in which BOCES, approved private school for students with disabilities, State-supported school, etc. the student is attending.

PD Form 2006-07 School Year

 Description of Data and Time Period for Data Submission

Student Specific Data Elements for 2007-08 School Year

PD-1/4, PD-2A/4, PD-3A/4

December 1 child count of preschool and school-age students with disabilities and the least restrictive environment in which they are provided special education services.

These data are collected as of December 1 snapshot.

Least Restrictive Environment Codes
Preschool students with disabilities: 

  • In regular early childhood program for at least 80% of time.
  • In regular early childhood program for 40 to 79% of time.
  • In regular early childhood program for less than 40% of time.
  • In separate classroom.
  • In separate school.
  • In residential facility
  • At home
  • At service provider location

School-age students with disabilities:

  • In general education classrooms for 80% or more of time.
  • In general education classrooms for 40-79% of time.
  • In general education classrooms for less than 40% of time.
  • In separate school
  • In Hospital (“in-patient”)
  • Home instruction (placed on home instruction by CSE).
  • Other non-school setting
  • Incarcerated
  • Parentally placed in nonpublic school
  • Home-schooled at parents choice

PD-5

Declassification data on students ages 3-21 and other basis by which students with disabilities leave or exit special education. Post school plans of students with disabilities.

These data are collected at the end of the school year.

Disability ending date;  Reasons for ending enrollment codes (e.g., graduated with Regents or local diploma, earned IEP diploma, previously earned IEP diploma, reached maximum legal age, deceased, left school-first time dropout; left school- previously counted as dropout; etc.)
Post-graduate plan description (e.g., 4-year college in NYS; 2-year college in NYS; other postsecondary school in NYS; seek employment, enlist in military, other plan, adult services-disabled students only; unknown; etc.)

PD-7

Preschool special education programs and services provided to students any time during the school year.

 Number of school-age parentally placed students in nonpublic schools evaluated for eligibility for special education and the number, determined to be eligible. Number of school-age parentally placed students with disabilities in nonpublic schools provided special education programs any time during the school year.

These data will be collected as of December 1 and also at the end of the school year.

Preschool services:
Codes to describe the type of special education service that is provided to a preschool student with a disability (e.g., related services only; SEIT services only; related services and SEIT;  half-day (2.5 hrs or less) special class program in integrated setting; half-day (2.5 hrs or less) special class program in segregated setting; full-day (2.5 -3 hrs) special class program in integrated setting; full-day (2.5-3 hrs) special class program in segregated setting; etc. )

BEDS Code of Coordinating service provider for preschool children that receive special education services from more than one provider. These codes and names of schools will be in a “look-up” table.

Parentally placed school-age students in nonpublic schools:
Date of receipt of initial referral.
Date of receipt of parental consent to evaluate.
Date of receipt of written withdrawal of referral or consent to evaluate.
Date of initial CSE meeting to discuss evaluation results.
Resident status of parentally placed school-age students in nonpublic schools:

  • Student has an identified disability and is a resident of school district.
  • Student has an identified disability and is a resident of another school district.
  • Student has an identified disability and is a resident of another State/country.

PD-10

Preschool outcomes of students with disabilities who exit preschool special education after at least six months of special education services.

These data will be collected at the end of the school year from a “sample of school districts” assigned to report these data. The schedule of the school year in which school districts are to report data for PD-10 (State Performance Plan Indicator #7) is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/sppschedule.html

The amount of progress a preschool child makes between entry into preschool special education and exit from such services will be captured with an assessment fact. This will be done by adding  “Child Outcomes Summary Form for Preschool Students with Disabilities” as a “Test Group,” with codes to describe the entry level and  exit level of functioning of each child in each of the three preschool outcome areas.

PD-11

Number of preschool and school-age students who are initially referred for eligibility determination for preschool or school age special education services. The number of students whose evaluations are completed within State established timelines.

These data will be collected at the end of the school year from a “sample of school districts” assigned to report these data. The schedule of the school year in which school districts are to report data for PD-11 (State Performance Plan Indicator #11) is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/sppschedule.html

For preschool children: Date of receipt of initial referral; Date of receipt of parental consent to evaluate; Date of first CPSE meeting to discuss evaluation results; Number of school days between date of parental consent to evaluate and the date of first CPSE meeting to discuss evaluation results; Reason for delay in holding first meeting to discuss evaluation results, if there was a delay past State established timelines.
For school-age students:  Date of receipt of initial referral; Date of receipt of parental consent to evaluate; Date of first CSE meeting to discuss evaluation results; Number of calendar days between date of parental consent to evaluate and the date of first CSE meeting to discuss evaluation results; Reason for delay in holding first CSE meeting to discuss evaluation results, if there was a delay past State established timelines.

PD-12

Number of children who are served in early intervention (IDEA, Part C), are found to be eligible for preschool special education services under IDEA, Part B and who have an IEP developed and implemented by their third birthday.

These data will be collected at the end of the school year from a “sample of school districts” assigned to report these data. The schedule of the school year in which school districts are to report data for PD-12 (State Performance Plan Indicator #12) is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/sppschedule.html

For preschool children who transition from IDEA, Part C, Early Intervention to IDEA, Part B, Preschool: Date of receipt of initial referral; Date of receipt of parental consent to evaluate; Date of CPSE meeting at which eligibility is determined; Outcome of Eligibility meeting; Number of school days between date of parental consent to evaluate and the date of CPSE meeting at which eligibility is determined; Date of receipt of parental consent for services; Date of full implementation of IEP; Number of calendar days past child’s third birthday when IEP was fully implemented; and reason for delay in implementing IEP past the child’s third birthday, if there was a delay.

Data Not Collected in 2006-07

These data are collected at the end of the school year.

Post school plans are collected from a “sample of school districts assigned to report these data. The schedule of the school year in which school districts are to report data for State Performance Plan Indicator #14 is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/sppschedule.html

Date of application for Vocational Rehabilitation Services through VESID or Commission on the Blind and Visually Handicapped.

Post school outcome for students with disabilities one year after they left high school. Codes will be used to describe each reportable outcome.

At this time, we encourage you to develop close collaboration between special education and general education personnel who are responsible for maintaining student information and systems to ensure complete and accurate reporting of all students with disabilities’ student specific information into SIRS.  We also encourage everyone to become familiar with the materials that are posted on the Department’s website that describe the 2006-07 SIRS system and to work closely with the Regional Information Centers that host access to the Data Warehouses and coordinate migration of data to the  Data Warehouse before the data are transferred to the State. Please see the list of Regional Information Center contacts at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/SIRS/

Thank you for your cooperation with providing special education data through SIRS in the 2007-08 school year.  If you have questions regarding the migration of collecting special education data through SIRS, please contact Inni Barone at 518-474-7965 or Martha Musser at 518-474-7965.

c:         Martha Musser
            Inni Barone
            Regional Information Centers
            Big Five Cities Data Administrators