Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) for 2005-2010

Overview of the State Performance Plan Development

See Overview of the State Performance Plan Development preceding Indicator #1.
 

 Monitoring Priority:  FAPE in the LRE 

Indicator #2:  Percent of youth with IEPs dropping out of high school compared to the percent of all youth in the State dropping out of high school.

(20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A)) 
 

Measurement:

Measurement for youth with IEPs is the same measurement as for all youth.  The calculation is explained below.

New York State’s Measurement:

Percent of “graduation-rate cohort*” of students with disabilities who drop out of school. 

Definition of dropout:

School principals must report as dropouts students who complete a school  year and do not re-enroll (appear on the attendance register) the following school year unless the student can be documented to have graduated, transferred to another educational program leading to a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma, left the United States, or died. These students should be counted as dropouts in the year in which they did not re-enroll.

Any student who, on the last day of required attendance for the school year, has been absent for twenty (20) consecutive, unexcused days and has not resumed attendance should be counted as a dropout.

This definition of “dropout” may be found on page 159-160 of the STEP Reporting Manual at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/STEP/2005/downloads/STEPManual.doc

When the Department computes the total number of dropouts and dropout rate, any student who was reported as a dropout in a previous year is not counted again as a dropout.

Schools with grade seven or higher who do not grant diplomas are responsible for ensuring that students completing their programs enroll in a diploma-granting school to complete their secondary education.  They must report students who complete their program and who do not enroll in and attend a diploma-granting secondary school as dropouts.  These students are reported in the school year in which they fail to enroll and to attend the diploma-granting program.

*See indicator #1 for definitions of Graduation-Rate Cohort and School and District Accountability Cohort.

Also see “Change in definition of Graduation-Rate Cohort in 2008” described in Indicator #1.

NYS has adjusted its baseline data and targets for this indicator based on data for the 2000 and 2001 total cohorts for the same reasons as described in Indicator #1. See Indicator #1 for definition of the total cohort.

 

Overview of Issue/Description of System or Process

NYS Education Law section 3202 does not permit any student over the compulsory attendance age in his or her school district to be dropped from enrollment unless he or she has been absent 20 consecutive school days and the following procedure is complied with: The principal or superintendent must schedule and notify, in writing and at the last known address, both the student and the person in parental relationship to the student of an informal conference.  At the conference the principal or superintendent must determine both the reasons for the student’s absence and whether reasonable changes in the student’s educational program would encourage and facilitate his or her re-entry or continuance of study. The student and the person in parental relationship must be informed orally and in writing of the student’s right to re-enroll at any time in the public school maintained in the school district where he or she resides.  If the student and the person in parental relationship fail, after reasonable notice, to attend the informal conference, the student may be dropped from enrollment provided that he or she and the person in parental relationship are notified in writing of the right to re-enter at any time.  No student may be dropped from enrollment in NYS prior to the end of the school year in which the student turns age 16.

Baseline Data for FFY 2004 (2004-2005)

The drop-out rate of students with disabilities in the 2001 total cohort as of June 30, 2004 was 25.5 percent. The drop-out rate for all students in the same cohort was 15.4 percent.

Discussion of Baseline Data

As the data provided in the table below indicate, the drop-out rate of students with disabilities in the 2001 total cohort (25.5 percent) was higher than the drop-out rate of the 2000 total cohort of students with disabilities (13.0 percent). Also, the drop-out rate of students with disabilities in the 2001 total cohort (25.5 percent) is 10.1 percentage points or 66 percent higher than the drop-out rate for all students (15.4 percent).

 

Total Cohort, As of June 30, Four Years Later

Cohort Year

All Students

Students with Disabilities

 

# in Cohort

Drop Out Rate

# in Cohort

Drop-Out Rate

2000

199,312

11.9%

21,262

13.0%

2001

212,135

15.4%

26,281

25.5%

 

We have adjusted our baseline data and targets for this indicator based on data for the 2000 and 2001 total cohorts. However, since the Department has revised its 2001 total cohort data as reflected above, it may consider revising its targets for this indicator in a subsequent year, once we have more longitudinal data.

 

Measurable and Rigorous Targets 

FFY

Measurable and Rigorous Target

2005

2005-06

(2002 total cohort)

No more than 19 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

2006

2006-07

(2003 total cohort)

No more than 19 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

2007

2007-08

(2004 total cohort)

No more than 19 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

2008

2008-09

(2005 total cohort)

No more than 18 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

2009

2009-10

(2006 total cohort)

No more than 16 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

2010

2010-11

(2007 total cohort)

No more than 15 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

 

The targets to reduce the drop out rate in this State are determined to be rigorous in relation to the increasing standards established in this State for students to meet the graduation requirements.  We believe the targets in the years 2005-2007 reflect improvement because of the State’s expectation that the data will include many more students with disabilities who were previously not accounted for in the State’s graduation cohort.  The projected improvement beginning in 2008 corresponds to the State’s implementation of identified improvement activities, and in particular, the projected increase in the numbers of career and technical education programs developed to address the needs of students with disabilities. 

 

Improvement Activities/Timelines/Resources

 

The improvement activities identified below are designed to address high risk factors associated with dropouts, including attendance, behavior and academic achievement.  

Activity

Timeline

Resources

See indicator # 1 activities.

Beginning in 2006-07:

School districts with drop-out rates for students with disabilities of at least 20 percent but less than 33 percent were identified as districts “in need of assistance.”

School districts with drop-out rates of 33 percent or higher were identified as “districts in need of intervention.”

Each school district, as a result of this designation, was required to engage in one or more of the following activities to improve its graduation rates:

  • Conduct a focused review

  • Work with one of the State’s funded technical assistance networks

  • Use a portion of its IDEA Part B funds to address the area of concern

  • Redirect its fiscal or human resources

  • Conduct a self-review of its policies, procedures and practices

  • Develop improvement plans

2006-11

SEQA Regional Offices

42 SETRC

TCSs

For schools also identified under NCLB: 7 RSSC - RSSC includes a full-time special education specialist on staff funded by IDEA discretionary funds

Implement Model Transition Programs in 60 school districts throughout the State

2007-11

Competitive contracts with 60 school districts in collaboration with VESID Vocational Rehabilitation District Offices

Expand opportunities for CTE for students with disabilities.

  • Continue to provide students enrolled in approved school district or BOCES CTE program that successfully complete all requirements the opportunity to earn a technical endorsement to be affixed to the high school diploma.

  • Provide technical assistance on the CTE Skills Achievement Profile for Students with Disabilities Receiving an IEP Diploma. 

2005-11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“High Schools that Work” implemented in four school districts and seven BOCES to integrate academic and technical skills.

A CTERC has been established at the Questar III BOCES to increase graduation rates and to support low performing schools. CTERC will provide training and technical assistance in CTE and academic integration.

 

See http://www.p12.nysed.gov/workforce/
cteskillsachievementprofile/home.html.

 

TCSs

Use products from the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities and disseminate to school districts.

2007-11

National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/

 

In addition to the above activities targeted to address drop out for students with disabilities, the State Education Department addresses drop out for all students through the following activities.

 

Activity

Timeline

Resources

Provide technical assistance and training to middle schools to address factors that influence student dropout behavior in their respective communities.

2005-08

Destination: Graduation – an alliance between SED and the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University.

Require school districts with low attendance rates to set aside a portion of their comprehensive operating aid for attendance improvement and dropout prevention. 

2005-11

State set aside funding for 2005-06 is posted at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/aidp0506.htm