State Education Logo THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT/ THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK/ALBANY, NY 12234
STRATEGIC EVALUATION DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
1613 ONE COMMERCE PLAZA
ALBANY , NEW YORK 12234
Tel. (518) 474-7965
Fax (518) 408-3363
E-mail:  datasupport@nysed.gov

To:

Chief School Administrators of Special Act School Districts
Special Education Contact Persons in the PD Data System
Chief Information Officers

From:

Ken Wagner, Data Director
Inni Barone, Special Education Data Manager

Subject:

Special Education Data Collection Requirements for the 2009-10 School Year

Date:

September 2009
Updates/ revisions are highlighted

This memo contains important and timely information regarding special education data collection requirements for the 2009-10 school year. Please review the information provided below and if you have any questions regarding your reporting responsibilities, contact the SEDCAR unit by telephone at (518) 474-7965 or by sending an e-mail message to datasupport@nysed.gov.

Compared to the 2008-09 school year, the following changes will be implemented during the 2009-10 school year:

  • The special education snapshot (child count and least restrictive environment in which students with disabilities receive educational services) will be on Wednesday, October 7, 2009;
  • The verification and certification process for the special education reports displayed through the PD data system for data collected through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) will be different during the 2009-10 school year. In the 2009-10 school year, data will be refreshed on a weekly basis from the Level 2 repository and displayed in the VR reports for your review. After the last refresh, all school districts will certify their data electronically by selecting one of the following two certification options. These options will appear below each VR report on the last refresh date:
    • I certify that my school district's data are complete and accurate;
    • I cannot certify that my school district's data are complete and accurate, however, I understand that the deadline for making corrections has passed and that these data will be used for all State and district reports and decisions.
  • The VR10, Report of Students with Disabilities Exiting Special Education has been revised to include a display of all the required data elements for all students with disabilities for whom your school has CSE responsibility as well as a display of data that will be reported to the USDOE.
  • The 2009-10, PD-6, Report of Special Education Personnel Employed or Contracted to Provide Special Education Services is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/ under the 2009-10 school year. The due date for this report is February 1, 2010. Revisions from the previous year are contained in the cover memo accompanying this report.
  • The 2009-10, PD-8, Report of Students with Disabilities Suspended or Removed to an Interim Alternative Education Setting is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/, under the 2009-10 school year. The due date for this report is on August 6, 2010. There are no revisions to this report compared to the previous year.

All materials related to requirements for reporting special education data to the State for the 2009-10 school year are posted or a link to them is available at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/. Special education data are collected through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) and the PD data system. The primary documentation for data that must be submitted through SIRS is the 2009-10 SIRS Manual, the link to which will be available at the websites identified above. The documentation for data that must be submitted directly through the PD data system is included with each form (i.e., PD-6 and PD-8 forms).

Special Education Data Collected Through SIRS

The chart below provides a description of each type of data that Article 81 schools must submit through SIRS, which verification reports will display the data, the verification time period, and the certification due date. Special education data verification and certification takes place through the PD data system at http://pd.nysed.gov. One special education contact person and one chief information officer (CIO) in each school has a user ID and password to access this system. Certification can only be provided by the PD data system contact person. If there are new contact persons in your school, please contact SEDCAR at (518) 474-7965 or by e-mail to datasupport@nysed.gov to request a new user ID and password.

Verification Report Type of Data and Required Templates Verification Period, and Final Date for Data Certification
VR1-6, and VR8 These reports display preschool and school age students with disabilities for whom school districts have CPSE and CSE responsibility and who are provided special education services in accordance with an IEP, IESP or SP and in accordance with State standards as of October 7, 2009. These data are submitted through SIRS, using the Special Education Snapshot, School Enrollment, Student Demographic, and Programs Fact templates.

These reports also display the least restrictive environment in which preschool and school age students with disabilities are provided special education services. Data in these reports are displayed by age-range, race/ethnicity, gender and LEP status. (Parentally placed students with disabilities in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools are displayed in two categories, those who receive special education services in accordance with an IEP, Individualized Education Services Program (IESP) or a Service Plan (SP) and those who do not.)

VR6 (preschool students) and VR8 (school-age students) reports display students by the “Building of Enrollment” information provided for each student. Students are displayed as enrolled in district buildings or in each out-of-district building of enrollment.
Data verification period is between October 14, 2009 and January 13, 2010.

An electronic certification is required on January 13, 2010.

A Statement of Assurance form (printed from the PD data system) must be mailed to SEDCAR after completing the certification. 
VR7 and VR9 These reports provide a VIEW only of the number of students with disabilities who are the CPSE or CSE responsibility of other school districts, but as of October 7, 2009 are placed in your school district, as reported by their districts of residence. These reports provide an aggregate count of preschool (VR7) and school age (VR9) students with disabilities enrolled in your school district. Individual student identification information is NOT provided in these reports.

If these reports do not agree with your record of how many students with disabilities your district is educating from other districts, please contact the other school districts that reported these data to let them know so they may correct their reporting.

In order to be proactive and assist school districts of residence report accurate enrollment information, we recommend that you provide each district of residence enrollment information on students with disabilities who are placed in your school district as of October 7, 2009. Please do this as soon as possible in October or early November to facilitate accurate reporting by school districts of residence.
Please view the VR7 and VR9 reports beginning on October 14, 2009. These reports will be refreshed every Wednesday until January 13, 2010. 

No certification is required for these reports.
VR10 This report displays preschool and school-age students with disabilities who are declassified or end enrollment during the 2009-10 school year. Information is also included regarding type of credential students earn and their postgraduate plans. Data are displayed for all students with disabilities for whom the district has CPSE or CSE responsibility. Data are displayed by disability, age, race/ethnicity, gender and LEP status of students with disabilities who leave school during the 2009-10 school year. These data are reported through SIRS, using the School Enrollment, Student Demographic and Programs Fact templates. School districts may but are not required to report type of credential or postgraduate plans of students with disabilities for whom they have CSE responsibility only. Data verification is between June 2, 2010 and August 4, 2010. 

Data displayed in VR10 Report on August 4, 2010 will need to be certified.

Special Education Data Collected Directly Through the PD Data System

The chart below provides a summary of aggregate data that are required to be submitted through the PD data system and the due dates. One PD data system contact person and one chief information officer (CIO) in each school district has a user ID and password to access this system. Data entry and certification can only be provided by the PD data system contact person. If there are new contact persons in your school district, please contact SEDCAR at (518) 474-7965 or by e-mail to datasupport@nysed.gov to request a new user ID and password.

Type of School Type of Data Due Date
PD-6 This report requests the total full-time equivalent (FTE) number of special education personnel in selected titles who are employed or contracted to provide special education services to preschool and school age students with disabilities on or about October 7, 2009. This form and its accompanying directions is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/ , under the 2009-10 school year heading. Between October 7, 2009 and February 2, 2010 

Certification is required by February 2, 2010.
PD-8 This report requests the number of students with disabilities who are suspended, expelled or removed to an interim alternative education setting during the 2009-10 school year. Data are collected by type of disciplinary removal, by disability, race/ethnicity, gender and LEP status. Data regarding provision of educational services during expulsion is also requested for students with and without disabilities. This form is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/ , under the 2009-10 school year heading. Between July 1, 2010 and August 6, 2010. 

Certification is required by August 6, 2010.

For your reference, this memo will be posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar, look under the 2009-10 school year heading and under the communications section of this website.

cc:

Rebecca H. Cort
James DeLorenzo
SEQA Regional Supervisors
Regional Information Centers
Special Education Computer Management Companies

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