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Frequently Asked Questions
- How does our district know if this is the right outcomes survey for our district?
- Who is included in the district survey data?
- Does the number of exiters in our district matter? That is, does it matter if our district has three exiters or 200 exiters when using the website?
- Why can the state collect this information without obtaining permission from the former students with disabilities?
- Who is qualified to review the survey results and write the survey report?
- Must we use the District Summary Report or the District Outcomes Report Template to write our district's report?
- Who has access to the district's data once it is entered into the website, and can the district remove the information if they want?
- How much of the survey results must be reported to the public?
- Will our district be required to report survey results to the SDDOE, school board or district if we collect the survey data?
- Where can our district view previous state reports?
- Can our district compare general education exiters with special education exiters?
- Are we able to compare the outcomes of different high schools within the district?
- Can we compare outcomes across multiple years?
- What training or technical assistance is available for using the website or conducting the survey?
- Will IDEA reauthorization have an effect on post high school outcomes data collection?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
- How does our district know if this is the right outcomes survey for our district?
- Who is included in the district survey data?
- Does the number of exiters in our district matter? That is, does it matter if our district has three exiters or 200 exiters when using the website?
- Why can the state collect this information without obtaining permission from the former students with disabilities?
- Who is qualified to review the survey results and write the survey report?
- Must we use the District Summary Report or the District Outcomes Report Template to write our district's report?
- Who has access to the district's data once it is entered into the website, and can the district remove the information if they want?
- How much of the survey results must be reported to the public?
- Will our district be required to report survey results to the SDDOE, school board or district if we collect the survey data?
- Where can our district view previous state reports?
- Can our district compare general education exiters with special education exiters?
- Are we able to compare the outcomes of different high schools within the district?
- Can we compare outcomes across multiple years?
- 14. What training or technical assistance is available for using the website or conducting the survey?
- 15. Will IDEA reauthorization have an effect on post high school outcomes data collection?
This web site is available to assist districts in assessing the independent living, post-secondary education and employment outcomes of their local exiters. The decision of whether this particular survey process works within your district's goals is a local decision. Review the website, data entry requirements, time commitment, and data output to determine if the website meets your district's needs.
The Department of Education annually provides the Federal Student Data Report (PI-2197) Local Education Agency (LEA) exiter information for the website database. All students who were reported as attending your district the year before but exited prior to the current school year with a diploma, aged-out or dropped-out are included in this group, and are available to include in the data.
Any number of exiters can be included in the survey, however the way you use your data may vary. Also, if the number of exiters is less than ten, you must interpret your data carefully. For example, with three exiters, your data will always read "0%, 33%, 67%, or 100%", so small changes in survey responses may mean big changes in the percentages calculated and reported. Comparing results to the state study, high schools within a district, or across in-district years, must be done cautiously in cases of very small numbers. For example, statewide, 51% of youth with disabilities attend some type of postsecondary education program. With just three students, your district may be below the state average (33%), or above the state average (67%), depending on the year. In this case, it may be better to review the individual responses and view them as "trend analysis". This may mean reviewing, for example, why no students continued their education, why fewer students socialize regularly, etc. Your district report would likely be more narrative than inclusive of data. Keep in mind also that data with fewer than ten students in any category (i.e. gender, ethnicity, or disability) cannot be reported to the public as it is too identifiable to the student. It can however, be discussed on a district level, possibly with your special education staff, transition providers, and administration.
State and Federal Statutes require this data collection. FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects the privacy of students' records. This law generally prevents districts from giving out information about students without their permission, except for certain reasons. This study is one of those reasons. Because this study is required by law, the student's former school can use information from school records without the permission of the former student, or parental permission if the former student is younger than 18. All responses must be kept private, and are not to be disclosed as individual student data.
This is a local decision. In many districts, it will be the director of special education in others it will be the superintendent, transition coordinator, guidance counselor, principal or other interested party.
No. The District Summary Report and District Outcomes Report Template are provided to facilitate the report writing process, but the district's local report can look any way that conveys the district's data in a meaningful way. The most important factor in writing your district's report is to know your data. The District Outcomes Report Template contains the most information you will likely need to use. In your district, things such as differences in ethnicity or some categories of low incidence disabilities may not be measurable due to low or no students in these categories, so you wouldn't include that information in your report. The most important consideration is that the report should be meaningful to your district.
A user name and password is required for accessing data entry and data viewing. No one other than the state office, transition liaisons, and accountability review team will have access to the data, and even then LEA data will not be used or shared without LEA consent.
The federal government requires states to collect information on students with disabilities who no longer attend high school and who received special education while in high school. The new federal reporting requirements under the State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicator #14 will require data collection and reporting on the percentage of students who are attending postsecondary education, employed for pay, or both. In past years, the SDDOE has made outcomes data a requirement of the annual Special Education Plan (SEP). Procedures for new requirements are posted on the SDDOE's website when available. (http://doe.sd.gov/)
No. Participating does not obligate the district to share the results other than during your district's required survey (once within six years as determined by the SDDOE). SDDOE will collect the required SPP data from the website.
Previous South Dakota state outcomes survey reports can be located at: http://doe.sd.gov/
At this time, the only data you will be able to review are the outcomes for a single year (or single group consisting of multiple-year exiters) of special education exiters.
At this time, you can compare outcomes for special education exiters attending different high schools within your district by entering the data as if it were two different districts, separating the former students by your district's school codes. You will then have two reports which can be viewed individually and compared in areas of interest.
At this time, the only data you will be able to review are the outcomes of successful special education exiters for a single year unless you enter the data of multiple year exiters as if they were a separate district. You will then have two reports which can be viewed individually and compared in areas of interest.
The website was developed with independence of use as a feature by using the FAQs, and other features. The web site provides access to a technical support person via e-mail in the comments section.
Data is collected by states as mandated through state and federal statutes. The State Performance Plan (SPP) requires states and districts to annually collect outcomes data. (Indicator #14) In South Dakota, each LEA will be required to report local outcomes data once over the next six years.
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