February 2009 APR - Indicator 2

Part B Annual Performance Report for 2007-08 - New York State
February 2009
Revised April 2009

Overview of the Annual Performance Report Development:

See Overview of the Development of the Annual Performance Report (APR) in the Introduction section, page 1.

Monitoring Priority: FAPE in the LRE

Indicator 2: Percent of youth with individualized education programs (IEPs) dropping out of high school.

(20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A))

Measurement:
Measurement for youth with IEPs should be the same measurement as for all youth. Explain calculation.

New York State’s (NYS) Measurement:

Percent of “total cohort” of students with disabilities who dropout as of June 30 after four years of first entering 9th grade or for ungraded students with disabilities, after four years of becoming 17 years of age.

NYS’ Calculation:

NYS has set its targets based on the performance of the “total cohort”. See below for the definition of the 2004 total district cohort.

The 2004 district total cohort consists of all students, regardless of their current grade level, who met one of the following conditions:

first entered grade 9 (anywhere) during the 2004-05 school year (July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005); or
in the case of ungraded students with disabilities, reached their seventeenth birthday during the 2004–05 school year. Ungraded students are included in the 2004 cohort if their birth date is between July 1, 1987 and June 30, 1988 (inclusive).

Students who have spent at least five months in district schools or out-of-district placements during year 1, 2, 3, or 4 of high school are included in the district total cohort unless they transferred to another diploma-granting program outside the district. For the 2004 Total Cohort, Year 1, 2, 3, and 4 are the 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 school years, respectively.

A student will be included in the district total cohort if the student’s enrollment record in the district shows that the student was enrolled for:

at least five continuous (not including July and August) months and the Reason for Ending Enrollment in the district was not one of the following: transferred to a school in another district, a nonpublic school, or a school outside New York; died; transferred by court order; or left the US.
less than five months and has an ending reason indicating that the student dropped out or transferred to an Alternative High School Education Preparation Program (AHSEPP) or High School Equivalency Preparation Program (HSEPP) program and the student’s previous enrollment record in that district (assuming one exists) indicates that the student:

was enrolled in the district for at least five months (not including July and August); and

dropped out or transferred to a AHSEPP or HSEPP program.

FFY	Measurable and Rigorous Target
FFY 2007 (2007-08 school year) (2004 total cohort)	No more than 19 percent of students with disabilities will drop out of school.

Actual Target Data for FFY 2007:

16 percent of students with disabilities in the 2004 cohort dropped out of school.

Total Cohort, As of June 30, Four Years Later
Cohort Year	All Students		Students with Disabilities
Cohort Year	# in Cohort	Drop-Out #/Rate*	# in Cohort	Drop-Out#/ Rate*
2000	199,312	11.9%	21,262	13.0%
2001 (New Baseline Data)	212,135	15.4%	26,281	25.5%
2002	216,910	14.0%	27,453	22.2%
2003	220,332	11.5%	28,528	16.9%
2004	223,953	10.0%	31,304	16.0%

*NYS is adding the number of students who dropped out beginning with 2004 total cohort.

Total Cohort Analysis of Students with Disabilities (SWD) Drop-Out Rate by Need/Resource Capacity Category of School District
Need/ Resource Capacity Category	2001 Total Cohort of SWD		2002 Total Cohort of SWD		2003 Total Cohort of SWD		2004 Total Cohort of SWD
Need/ Resource Capacity Category	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate
New York City	7,627	37.8%	7,587	30.4%	8,407	22.0%	10,112	21.6%
Large Four Cities	1,784	42.8%	1,862	39.7%	1,536	38.9%	1,612	31.5%
Urban/ Suburban High Need Districts	2,487	25.5%	2,619	26.2%	2,778	20.0%	2,633	16.6%
Rural High Need Districts	2,165	25.1%	2,240	26.1%	2,323	19.9%	2,408	19.2%
Average Need Districts	8,733	18.3%	9,366	16.6%	9,563	12.5%	10,221	12.1%
Low Need Districts	3,459	7.5%	3,740	5.6%	3,873	4.0%	4,102	3.8%
Charter Schools	11	42.3%	39	30.8%	48	31.3%	127	23.6%
Total State	26,281	25.5%	27,453	22.2%	28,528	16.9%	31,304	16.0%

Total Cohort Analysis of Students with Disabilities (SWD) Drop-Out Rate for Big Five Cities combined and Rest of State
Group of School Districts	2001 Total Cohort of SWD		2002 Total Cohort of SWD		2003 Total Cohort of SWD		2004 Total Cohort of SWD
Group of School Districts	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate	# in Cohort	Drop-Out Rate
Big Five Cities	9,411	38.8%	9,449	38.8%	9,943	24.6%	11,724	22.9%
Rest of State	17,496	18.1%	19,866	18.8%	18,585	12.8%	19,580	11.9%
Total State	26,281	25.5%	27,453	22.2%	28,528	16.9%	31,304	16.0%

Discussion of Improvement Activities Completed and Explanation of Progress or Slippage that occurred for FFY 2007:

Explanation of Progress or Slippage

The dropout rate of students with disabilities for the 2004 total cohort after four years as of June 30, 2008 improved by 0.9 percentage points compared to the 2003 total cohort rate, from 16.9 percent to 16.0 percent. The State exceeded its 2007 target of 19 percent by 3.0 percentage points.
The number of students with disabilities in the total cohort has continued to increase each year, primarily as a result of improved accuracy in data reporting. There were 2,776 more students with disabilities in the 2004 total cohort compared to the previous year’s cohort.
The dropout rate for the 2004 total cohort improved in every Need/Resource Capacity category of school districts.
The range of dropout rates for the 2004 total cohort by Need/Resource Capacity category of school districts was between 31.5 percent in the large four cities to 3.8 percent in the low need school districts.

Improvement Activities Completed during 2007-08

The Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) obtained and utilized technical assistance resources and materials from the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD). Also see technical assistance resources accessed as identified for Indicator 1 (improving graduation rates).

Activities completed:

See graduation Improvement Activities Completed # 1-4 reported for Indicator 1.
See transition Improvement Activities Completed reported for Indicator 13.
See Indicator 1 Improvement Activities Completed #1 - Of the 83 school districts identified as needing assistance or intervention based on 2006-07 data, 63 school districts were identified as a direct result of their dropout rates for students with disabilities (54 as needing assistance and 9 as needing intervention).

VESID funded Transition Coordination Sites (TCS) prepared and disseminated professional development materials and resources for school districts that identify research-based practices for engaging students in their high school programs with an emphasis on transition planning, supports and services, that encourage students to stay in school. These professional development materials draw connections among school district's graduation, dropout, transition planning, post-school outcomes and parent involvement results.
A webinar for school districts was conducted by TransQUAL on January 15, 2009 featuring resources for a systemic approach to dropout prevention analysis and intervention based on the Dropout Prevention Intervention Framework phases and components advanced by NDPC-SD.
In 2007-08, TCS networks distributed information cards, specific evidence-based practice descriptions, and other handouts to VESID's other technical assistance networks and school districts. These materials were obtained from NDPC-SD and National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC).

Revisions, with Justification, to Proposed Targets / Improvement Activities / Timelines / Resources for FFY 2007 [If applicable]

See Indicator 1