Special Education Memo about Data Collection for 2007-08 School Year

This memorandum is to inform you that beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the State Education Department will discontinue collecting special education data through the PD reports listed below. Instead, school districts, State agencies and other schools that have Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) responsibility will report the required special education data on all students on an individual student basis through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS). When they report individual student data, they will report the BEDS code of the school in which students are enrolled or for preschool students, the provider of special education services. Based on this code, the Department will be able to aggregate the number of preschool and school-age students with disabilities who are enrolled in various programs or are receiving preschool special education services from various providers. Also, based on data provided by school districts at the individual student level, the Department will be able to aggregate how students with disabilities enrolled in your educational program exit special education (e.g., graduate with a high school diploma, an IEP diploma, drop out, move, etc.). It is important for your school to be in frequent communication with public school districts in which students reside to ensure your enrollment records for students with disabilities agree with the public school districts’ records, especially as of December 1 of each year. It is also important for you to let school districts know if students with disabilities they place in your program are attending school in buildings which are also attended by students without disabilities and if students with disabilities attend regular classes (classes which are attended by students with and without disabilities). This information will assist school districts to provide the State accurate data regarding the least restrictive environment setting in which the students you serve are provided special education services. The following PD forms are discontinued beginning in 2007-08 school year:

PD-1A/4A-- BOCES Count of Preschool Students with Disabilities and Buildings/Facilities in which School-age Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education Programs and/or Services;
PD-1C/4C-- Charter School Report: Number of Students with Disabilities Provided Special Education and the Settings in which Students with Disabilities are Provided Special Education Services;
PD-2-- In-State and Out-of-State Approved Private Schools, and State-Operated and State-Supported Schools Report: Number of Preschool and School-age Students with Disabilities Provided Special Education. (Public school districts will not report on behalf of students attending the two State-operated schools. These schools will report data directly into SIRS.);
PD-5A--BOCES Report of Students with Disabilities: Section A – Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Section B – Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans;
PD-5B-- Approved In-State and Out-of-State Private Schools, Special Act School Districts, State-Operated and State-Supported Schools Report of Students with Disabilities Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans . (Public school districts will not report on behalf of students attending the two State-operated schools. These schools will report students directly into SIRS.); and
PD-5C--Charter Schools Report of Students with Disabilities Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans.

Please note that if you were required to report the forms listed below in 2006-07 school year, you will continue to report them through the PD data submission system in the 2007-08 school year:

We anticipate that collecting special education data through SIRS will reduce the data reporting burden at the local level and improve consistency of data definitions. We will prepare aggregate reports by type of service provider (e.g., BOCES, Charter Schools, Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities, State Supported Schools, etc.), which will be useful at the local level as well as for verification of data. Having individual student level data will also 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.

Thank you for your efforts in providing the required special education data to the State. This memorandum as well as all the PD forms for the 2007-08 school year and information about reporting special education data through SIRS is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/ . If you have questions regarding your remaining responsibilities for special education data reporting for the 2007-08 school year, please contact the SEDCAR unit by calling 518-474-7965 or by sending an e-mail message to datasupport@nysed.gov.

	THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT/ THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK/ALBANY, NY 12234 MANAGER, 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:	District Superintendents of BOCES Chief School Officers of Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities Services to Students Pursuant to Article 81 Chief School Officers of Charter Schools Chief School Officers of State Supported Schools Contact Persons for PD Data Submissions of Schools Listed Above
From:	Inni Barone
Subject:	Special Education Data Collection for the 2007-08 School Year
Date:	October 2007
****IMPORTANT****
This memorandum is to inform you that beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the State Education Department will discontinue collecting special education data through the PD reports listed below. Instead, school districts, State agencies and other schools that have Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) responsibility will report the required special education data on all students on an individual student basis through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS). When they report individual student data, they will report the BEDS code of the school in which students are enrolled or for preschool students, the provider of special education services. Based on this code, the Department will be able to aggregate the number of preschool and school-age students with disabilities who are enrolled in various programs or are receiving preschool special education services from various providers. Also, based on data provided by school districts at the individual student level, the Department will be able to aggregate how students with disabilities enrolled in your educational program exit special education (e.g., graduate with a high school diploma, an IEP diploma, drop out, move, etc.). It is important for your school to be in frequent communication with public school districts in which students reside to ensure your enrollment records for students with disabilities agree with the public school districts’ records, especially as of December 1 of each year. It is also important for you to let school districts know if students with disabilities they place in your program are attending school in buildings which are also attended by students without disabilities and if students with disabilities attend regular classes (classes which are attended by students with and without disabilities). This information will assist school districts to provide the State accurate data regarding the least restrictive environment setting in which the students you serve are provided special education services. The following PD forms are discontinued beginning in 2007-08 school year: PD-1A/4A-- BOCES Count of Preschool Students with Disabilities and Buildings/Facilities in which School-age Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education Programs and/or Services; PD-1C/4C-- Charter School Report: Number of Students with Disabilities Provided Special Education and the Settings in which Students with Disabilities are Provided Special Education Services; PD-2-- In-State and Out-of-State Approved Private Schools, and State-Operated and State-Supported Schools Report: Number of Preschool and School-age Students with Disabilities Provided Special Education. (Public school districts will not report on behalf of students attending the two State-operated schools. These schools will report data directly into SIRS.); PD-5A--BOCES Report of Students with Disabilities: Section A – Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Section B – Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans; PD-5B-- Approved In-State and Out-of-State Private Schools, Special Act School Districts, State-Operated and State-Supported Schools Report of Students with Disabilities Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans . (Public school districts will not report on behalf of students attending the two State-operated schools. These schools will report students directly into SIRS.); and PD-5C--Charter Schools Report of Students with Disabilities Exiting Special Education or Returning to School District Special Education Programs and Postsecondary Education and Employment Plans. Please note that if you were required to report the forms listed below in 2006-07 school year, you will continue to report them through the PD data submission system in the 2007-08 school year: PD-6, Report of Personnel Employed or Contracted to Provide Special Education and Related Services to Students with Disabilities PD-8, Report of Students with Disabilities Subject to Disciplinary Removal SEDCAR-1 Approved Special Education Program Request for IDEA Vendor Funding We anticipate that collecting special education data through SIRS will reduce the data reporting burden at the local level and improve consistency of data definitions. We will prepare aggregate reports by type of service provider (e.g., BOCES, Charter Schools, Approved Private Schools for Students with Disabilities, State Supported Schools, etc.), which will be useful at the local level as well as for verification of data. Having individual student level data will also 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. Thank you for your efforts in providing the required special education data to the State. This memorandum as well as all the PD forms for the 2007-08 school year and information about reporting special education data through SIRS is posted at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/sedcar/ . If you have questions regarding your remaining responsibilities for special education data reporting for the 2007-08 school year, please contact the SEDCAR unit by calling 518-474-7965 or by sending an e-mail message to datasupport@nysed.gov.
c:	Superintendents of public school districts Chief School Officers of State Operated Schools Directors of special education Contact Persons Identified on the PD Reports Click here for a printer friendly version: Word \| PDF