The New York State Education Department is continuing to design a system of school accountability for student success to improve the provision of services and programs to students with disabilities. For this purpose, the State will continue to collect data regarding the manner in which students with disabilities, who receive special education programs/services through approved private schools, Special Act School Districts, State-operated and State-supported Schools exit special education programs.

Attached is a PD-5B form for your use in reporting the following data:

• If this program operates an approved preschool special education program, report the number of preschool children (ages 3-4) who were declassified.

• For school-age students, ages 4-13, report the number of students who were declassified or returned to school district special education programs.

• For school-age students, ages 14-21, report the number of students with disabilities who exited your special education program by any of the 12 basis of exiting listed on page 5.

• For school-age students, ages 14-21, report their postsecondary educational and employment plans.

Please note the following:

• Approved private schools that provide special education services to students with disabilities pursuant to Article 81 and by contracting with public school districts must complete this PD-5B form for all students with disabilities. (Private schools, located within New York State that provide educational services to students pursuant to Article 81 must also complete a PD-5 report.)

• Public school districts will also be reporting exiting data on behalf of all students with disabilities for whom they have Committee on Special Education (CSE) or Committee or Preschool Special Education (CPSE) responsibility on their PD-5 report. However, the PD-5 report submitted by school districts does not contain the information needed regarding student participation in approved private schools.

Compared to the PD-5B report for 2003-2004, the PD-5B for 2004-2005 has been revised in the following ways:

• The "Moved, Not Known to be Continuing" basis of exit category is removed from Section A, Table 2. Such students are to be reported under the "Dropped Out" category.

• In Section A, Table 1, preschool-age is revised from "Ages 3-5" to "Ages 3-4". Children who are 5 years of age on December 1, 2004 are school-age children and if they are declassified at Age 5, should be reported in Section A, Table 1, Column C.

• Directions are included to indicate that Local Certificates may not be issued after February 1, 2005.

The data collected through the PD forms are used in the following reports and activities:

• Annual Performance Report for Special Education

• Pocketbook of Goals and Results for Individuals with Disabilities

• Chapter 655 Report to the Governor and the Legislature on the Status of the State’s Schools

• Special Education Quality Assurance Reviews

• School Report Cards

• BOCES Report Cards

• Charter School Report Cards

• Calculations to identify instances of possible race/ethnicity disproportionality

• Other reports required by State or federal statutes

• Summary reports for public information to be placed on the Department's website

• Evaluation of programs and policies

If you have any questions or are in need of assistance in completing this report, please contact the Strategic Evaluation Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting (SEDCAR) Unit by using the contact information provided in the letterhead. Thank you.

Attachment

cc: Rebecca H. Cort

The University of the State of New York
THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT|
Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
Strategic Evaluation Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting
One Commerce Plaza - Room 1613 — Albany, NY 12234-0001

Note: If this box is checked, please complete this page only and return it to the address at the top of this page.

1. This report should be completed in consultation with school district personnel to confirm the exit status of students with disabilities who were placed by the school districts in your program and provided special education services and who left your school during the reporting period.

2. Report information for all students with disabilities (ages 3-21) who were provided special education programs/services through this program. In Section A, Table 1, report the number of students, ages 3-13, who were declassified; In Section A, Table 2, report the number of school-age students (ages 14-21) who exited special education through the basis listed, and school-age students, ages 4-21, who returned to school district special education programs. In Section B, report the postsecondary education and employment plans of the students with disabilities who have completed their program or dropped out.

3. If this program does not operate an approved preschool program (pursuant to Section 4410 or 4201 of the Education law), enter "NA" in columns A and B of Table 1 of Section A.

4. For purposes of this report, students with disabilities provided evaluation services only are not to be included in this report. Also, students provided summer school special education programs only are not to be included.

5. Data should be reported for all New York State students with disabilities regardless of whether such students attended on a day or residential basis. Do not report students placed in this program by student’s parents (at the parent's expense).

6. The total number of students with disabilities for each exit category in Section B must equal the total number of such students reported in Table 2 of Section A.

7. The total number of students for whom race/ethnicity is provided in Section A, Table 2, Columns K-0 must equal the total number of students reported in Column J of the same table.

8. Wherever data is requested by student age, the age should be reported as of December 1, 2004 (e.g., a student who is 14 years and 10 months of age on December 1, 2004, should be reported as age 14).

9. When reporting race/ethnicity of students, report the number that appear to belong, identify with, or are regarded in the community as belonging to each race/ethnic group. Please report the race/ethnicity of students with disabilities consistently on all Department data collection instruments and report consistent with how public school districts report each student’s race/ethnicity. Each student should be counted once, in one of the following categories:
   American Indian/Alaskan Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
   Asian or Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Pacific Islands include Hawaii, Guam, and Samoa.
   Black or African American (not Hispanic): A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
   Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
   White (not Hispanic): A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

10. In general, exiting students with disabilities should be reported once, with few exceptions. The following examples are provided for purposes of clarification.

• A student who is declassified and returned to general education several times, should be reported once each year that he or she is returned to general education, on page 4, Section A, Columns C and D of Table 1; and in Line 7 of Table 2, on page 5.

• A student who receives a local diploma with a Regents endorsement should be reported in either Line 2 (Regents Diploma-Regular) or Line 1 (Regents Diploma-Honors) on page 5, Table 2.

• A student who receives an IEP Diploma (Line 5) and Local Certificate (line 6) should be reported in Line 5 only, on page 5, Table 2. Please note, Local Certificates may not be issued after February 1, 2005.

• A student, who previously received an IEP Diploma or Local Certificate, has continued in the special education program and does not receive a higher diploma should NOT be reported again.

• A student who previously received an IEP Diploma or Local Certificate has continued in their special education program and received a Regents, Local or High School Equivalency Diploma, should be included in the count for the given diploma (Lines 1-4) on page 5, Table 2.

• A student who previously dropped out of school, re-entered this program, and received a diploma or certificate should be reported in the count for the given diploma or certificate (Lines 1-6) on page 5, Table 2. If, however, the same student dropped out again, in a different school year, without receiving a diploma or certificate, the student should not be reported again.

11. If you have any questions or are in need of assistance in completing this report, please contact SEDCAR by telephoning (518) 486-4676 or e-mail your questions to dataquest@nysed.gov

*Only programs which operate approved preschool education programs, pursuant to Section 4410 or 4201 of the Education Law, should enter data in Columns A and B. All other programs should enter "NA" (Not Applicable).