The Buzz

IDC TA specialists recently partnered with the Nebraska Department of Education to strengthen its approach to SPP/APR Indicator 7 reporting.

Focused data use is at the heart of IDC’s TA work in Delaware. Following up on last year’s gathering in the fall of 2024, our recent in-person IDC data retreat saw IDC TA providers partnering with the state’s special education director, Part B data manager, and other key staff.

Purposeful processes are the foundation of high-quality data. This maxim was the driving force behind our latest IDC TA visit to Indiana. Over three days, our team worked directly with staff at the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to provide hands-on support to enhance and refine the state’s data processes related to SPP/APR Indicators 4, 9, 10, and 11.

Engagement. Knowledge. Leadership. These drivers set the stage for IDC’s on-site work with BIE’s IDEA data team members in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During our visit, IDC helped BIE staff prepare their FFY 2023 SPP/APR and present it to the BIE Advisory Board for Exceptional Children ahead of an on-time and seamless SPP/APR submission. Following this successful partnership, IDC TA providers further supported BIE staff in the documentation of their IDEA data processes for each of the SPP/APR indicators and 618 data collections—an intensive effort that yielded big dividends in improved data quality, efficiency, and effective public reporting.

OSEP’s Part B SPP/APR clarification period is upon us, and, as in the past, IDC is on hand to support states in a number of ways...

Hello, Garden State. IDC TA providers met with staff from the New Jersey Department of Education in Trenton to document their data processes for several data indicators. Together over three days, they documented processes for a number of IDEA data collections. These meetings offered staff an opportunity to come to a common understanding of state processes, make refinements, and (in some instances) even meet their fellow state staff members in person for the first time!

In March, our IDC TA staff visited the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE). Their assignment: Help PRDE make progress toward more efficiently documenting their data process.

IDC is making a difference! Teams from nine states in OSEP Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) Cohort 3 gathered in Rockville, Maryland, on February 11 and 12 for the second annual SEA DMS Convening. This event—hosted in conjunction with NCSI, CIFR, and DCASD—offered states an opportunity to collaborate with fellow DMS Cohort 3 states and TA providers to identify priority areas for general supervision systems improvement and prepare for DMS monitoring.

IDC's monthly A Date with Data podcast sets out to create a platform from where states can share real experiences, feel more connected to colleagues doing the same work, and, ultimately, improve their data quality by spotlighting IDEA state impact stories in a way that delivers valuable insights and practical guidance about IDEA data quality and analysis.

Hello, Grand Canyon State. Gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, our IDC TA providers met with staff from the Arizona Department of Education with a goal of helping them customize the protocols from our LEA Data Processes Toolkit. Along the way, the IDC team offered tips and guidance where improvements or further TA could be offered to LEAs throughout the documentation process. These meetings were a great way to help prepare SEA staff to more effectively facilitate upcoming work sessions with their LEAs. Ultimately, these efforts will provide LEAs with strong processes to support their data collection and reporting and improve the quality of the data they submit to the SEA.