PART B STATE PERFORMANCE PLAN (SPP) FOR 2005-2010
New York State’s (NYS) Part B State Performance Plan (SPP) for 2005-2010 was developed as follows:
In April 2005, VESID convened a work group to develop the SPP. The workgroup included representatives from the following VESID units: Special Education Policy and Partnerships, Quality Assurance, and Strategic Evaluation, Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting (SEDCAR). VESID staff developed the SPP in consultation with staff from the Office of Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education (EMSC) responsible for data collection and reporting under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Data for indicators requiring baselines reported in the 2005-06 SPP were obtained and analyzed to identify trends and related data for establishing targets. Implementation activities that impacted those trends were also identified.
In August 2005, VESID staff attended the OSEP Summer Institute where the requirements for the SPP were provided to states.
VESID issued a State memorandum in September 2005 to provide information to the field about the requirements for the SPP. http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/spp/memo.htm.
A report was made to the Board of Regents in
October 2005 to obtain their input on addressing the issues relating to the
development and implementation of the SPP.
http://www.regents.nysed.gov/2005Meetings/October2005/1005emscvesidd2.htm
Meetings were held with various constituent groups beginning in late September into early November 2005 from a broad spectrum of stakeholders on various stages of the development of the SPP. Stakeholders provided recommendations for State targets, improvement activities and methods to collect data on new indicators,
In separate meetings conducted from late September until early November 2005, the following groups provided input into the State’s development of the SPP. In total, approximately 420 individuals participated in these meetings, providing stakeholder input on the development of the State’s Performance Plan.
Regional and Central office special education staff of VESID.
Board of Regents, Subcommittee on EMSC and VESID.
Statewide meeting of the Special Education Training and Resource Centers (SETRC) and representatives of the statewide network of Regional School Support Centers (RSSC). After the full group presentation and overview, there were small group discussions on selected indicators and report out to the larger group. This stakeholder group represented the State’s technical assistance networks for special education and included representatives from every region of the State.
Local school district Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) directors and chairpersons, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) directors, principals and assistant principals of schools, directors of preschool programs, school psychologists and regional trainers representing public school districts, BOCES and approved private schools and approved preschool programs.
Representatives from Parent Training and Information Centers, including representatives from Sinergia, Inc., Parent-to-Parent of NYS, Advocates for Children, Long Island Parent Center, United We Stand of NY, The Advocacy Center and Resources for Children with Special Needs. This meeting was held in New York City (NYC).
Representatives from the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) participated in a meeting held in NYC. A follow-up telephone conference call was conducted with two Parent Coordinators from the NYCDOE to further obtain input on Indicator #8 (Parent Involvement).
To ensure broad representation from stakeholders in a forum that would foster interactive discussion on various indicators from different perspectives, an invitational group was convened, represented by district superintendents, superintendents and assistant superintendents of schools, directors of approved private schools, representatives from institutions of higher education, New York State United Teachers, School Boards Association, NYS Association of Retarded Citizens, Inc. (NYSARC), NYS Parent Teachers Association (NYSPTA), approved preschool programs and NYS legislative staff.
Families Together of NYS, an Albany-based parent support and advocacy organization, convened a group of parents from the Capital District.
The SPP was discussed with BOCES District Superintendents at statewide meetings held in October and November, and various decision points for the SPP were shared at that time. Beginning in November 2005, follow-up meetings in each of the supervisory districts were scheduled with school superintendents to review the requirements for data collection, reporting, accountability and school improvement.
An all day meeting was held with the Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special Education to review recommendations received to date and to obtain further input on the submission and implementation of the SPP.
How stakeholder input was obtained
The requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) for the development of the SPP were shared with each group, including information on measures proposed by the State, current baseline information and proposed strategies. The meetings with stakeholders generally included an overview presentation, including a discussion of requirements for targets, a presentation of baseline data and included a facilitated discussion of targets, improvement strategies and proposed plans to collect data on new indicators. Depending on the size of the stakeholder meeting, both large group and small group discussions focused on particular indicators. Participants were provided with forms with guiding questions to facilitate their input, which could be provided as part of the group process and/or in writing. Guiding questions included:
What factors should be considered in setting targets for this indicator (e.g., selected improvement activities, trend data, new policies, etc.)?
What targets would you recommend for this indicator?
What issues should be considered in designing a method to collect data for the new indicators?
What methods or strategies would you recommend?
What specific and targeted improvement activities would you recommend the State implement to lead to improved results toward the targets?
What role do you recommend our funded networks (e.g., SETRC, Early Childhood Direction Centers, Transition Coordination Sites) take in implementing the SPP and improving results in the priority areas?
The Department will post the SPP on its website, sending an announcement of its availability through the list serve and through a memorandum to school districts, parent organizations and others interested in the education of students with disabilities. A press announcement will be released to newspapers regarding its availability.
The following current data collection sources were reviewed in determining how the State will collect baseline and annual data for each of the indicators:
Quality Assurance Information System (QAIS)
Comprehensive Special Education Information System (CSEIS)
Basic Educational Data System (BEDS)
TransQual
New York State Dispute Resolution Association
Post School Indicator Longitudinal Study
Preschool Longitudinal Study
NYS has, to the maximum extent possible, developed its SPP to minimize reporting burdens on school districts and emphasize opportunities for improvement. For six of the indicators requiring new data collection, NYS will collect and report data from a representative sample of school districts throughout the State (see indicators 7, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14). All school districts will provide data on all the indicators selected for sampling distributed over a six-year period beginning with the initial year in which data on the indicator is collected. In this way, a school district can focus its resources to improve results in the identified area. In some instances, the school district will be required to collect and report on a particular indicator more frequently than once every six years in order to demonstrate improvement and to have their publicly reported data reflect that improvement. All school districts are encouraged to proactively address these indicators prior to the year in which they must provide data to be used in the public reporting. An overview of the sampling methodology is provided in Attachment 2.