By the IDC Buzz Staff
Held in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 OSEP Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference brought special education leaders together from across the country. Naturally, IDC staff were on hand for this two-and-a-half-day affair, listening and learning alongside you, facilitating important conversations, and presenting some exciting new ideas and products. From meetups to poster sessions to the launch of an eagerly anticipated new app, let’s take a look at some of the high points of IDC @ OSEP 2023.
One for the Record Books
As special education professionals from across state and federal agencies began to gather in Arlington, Virginia, last Monday, it was clear that something was different. The last time OSEP brought folks together in person for a Leadership or Project Director’s conference was the summer of 2019, a lifetime ago in practical and educational terms.
So, this year really was special.
In fact, the prospect of an in-person OSEP conference was so alluring that more than 1,600 participants took part. They attended dozens of talks, showcases, and workshops; sat in on an all-new set of targeted meetups; and viewed more than 120 poster sessions and technology demonstrations. Many of our IDC TA specialists were among those participants, and they universally reported that OSEP’s 2023 Combined Leadership and Project Directors Conference was full of collegiality, innovation, enthusiasm, and insights and ideas.
As you probably guessed, throughout the conference, IDC staff were all in as both presenters and participants. We took to the stage, the exhibit hall, and the meeting room alongside our colleagues from the U.S. Department of Education, other TA centers, states, and universities. Here are just a few of the highlights.
Data Managers “Meetup”
For the first time this year, the OSEP conference offered colleagues and friends the opportunity to “meet up” in an all-new format. IDC’s Audrey Rudick and Scott Norton were among the hosts of one such get-together, “Part B Data Managers Chat About Data Quality and Other Important Issues.” Throughout this 60-minute session, we invited data managers to join us for a discussion about, you guessed it, data!
Audrey and Scott were able to host a lively networking and brainstorming discussion that left everyone buzzing and talking about everything from data quality concerns to questions about EDFacts modernization. Similar to IDC’s new Peer-to-Peer group model, this OSEP Meetup Session was a great opportunity to make new connections and strengthen the old in a laid-back atmosphere.
The “Poster” Child for Data Documentation
This year, OSEP selected IDC to participate in one of the OSEP conference’s largest and most extensive poster and technology exhibition. Our own Audrey Rudick and Mary Watson presented our poster, “The Power of Documenting Data Processes,” which featured the SEA Data Processes Toolkit along with everyone’s favorite TA center mascot!
Above: Colorful and informative!
Let’s “Talk” About Equity
In addition to our informal chats, IDC staff shared their expertise about important equity concepts during two Talk Sessions. The first, “Building Equitable, Inclusive Preschool Special Education Environments,” featured IDC TA specialists Sarah Walters and Tony Ruggiero along with Cindy Brown from the Delaware Department of Education.
Their Talk Session focused on the language we use when discussing and denoting preschool educational environments. By exploring the Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) and IDC’s Preschool Environments Toolkit, participants learned how to promote better understanding of state performance plan/annual performance report (SPP/APR) Indicator 6 preschool environments data. They also learned how to identify potential barriers to ensuring that all preschool-age children with disabilities have access to inclusive, high-quality early childhood education programs.
Continuing with the theme of equity, our second Talk Session, “Building a System: Teams Driving Equity,” presented a case study on addressing significant disproportionality. IDC TA specialists Heather Reynolds and Tom Munk presented alongside Jarrod Slone of the Kentucky Department of Education.
During this session, presenters told the story of how Kentucky was able to address significant disproportionality issues by building a technical assistance model that links schools and districts to state support through teams that facilitate two-way communication and use of improvement cycles to enable better data-based decisionmaking. IDC staff, who have been supporting Kentucky through the process, also discussed how they helped to design and implement structures to increase districts’ capacity to evaluate their data, conduct root cause analysis, draft improvement plans, create budgets, implement improvements, and evaluate their work.
“Working” Through Survey Data
In one of our most anticipated OSEP conference presentations this year, IDC’s Tamara Nimkoff showcased our latest innovation: the NRBA App. This interactive application uses state-of-the-art statistical software to allow states to examine their Indicator 8 and 14 survey data for nonresponse bias and employ different types of statistical analysis to reduce that bias. During the Workshop Session, Tamara used example survey data to demonstrate the app’s functionality and main features and to introduce participants to the potential to use this new tool for their SPPs/APRs. Contact your IDC State Liaison to learn more about the app, schedule a demo, or get help using the app to work through survey data.
Stay Up to Date on Future IDC Appearances on Our Revamped Events Page
OSEP 2023 was certainly an exciting and enlightening event, one we won’t soon forget. However, if you missed us in Arlington, fear not, for conference season has just begun, and IDC has a full slate of appearances lined up in the coming months. Want to know more? You’re in luck, as part of our website makeover, we even dressed up our Events page, making it easier than ever to find out what’s going on next and where to find IDC. We hope to see you on the road!