Texas Hold ‘Em: Securing and Maintaining Stakeholder Engagement in the Lone Star State

00:00:01.52 >> You're listening to "A Date With Data" with your host, Amy Bitterman.

00:00:07.34 >> Hey, it's Amy, and I am so excited to be hosting "A Date With Data." I'll be chatting with state and district special education staff who, just like you, are dealing with IDEA data every day.

00:00:19.50 >> "A Date With Data" is brought to you by the IDEA Data Center.

00:00:24.68 >> Welcome to "A Date With Data." Kim Murray, Director of Special Education, and Jennifer Nicosia, 619 Coordinator with the New Jersey Department of Education, are here to share New Jersey's 619 data journey. So glad to have both of you here today. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and your role with New Jersey?

00:00:48.21 >> I've been the Director of the Office of Special Education for two years as of February, so it’s a rather new role for me—and exciting. But I’ve been with the Department for about 15 years, mostly on the compliance side, monitoring, complaint investigation, and everything related to policy and procedure.

00:01:16.41 >> Great, thank you. Jennifer?

00:01:18.77 >> Good morning. My name is Jennifer Nicosia, and I'm the 619 Coordinator for New Jersey. I work with Kim in the Office of Special Education Preschool. My role primarily involves supporting preschoolers with disabilities ages 3 to 5 across the state. Day to day, that includes providing technical assistance, professional development, and coordinating with agencies to support these students. I also have more than 20 years of experience as a special education teacher in public schools.

00:02:08.59 >> Great. Thank you both so much. Let’s start with the story of your 619 data. Kim, since you've been with the Department for such a long time, can you talk about some of the data quality challenges that have come up over the years and how you’ve addressed them?

00:02:32.28 >> Sure. With our 619 data, for many years each program office had one data person—one individual responsible for collecting, verifying, and reporting data. That led to siloed work, because only that person had a deep understanding of the data and the collection processes. It made improvement very challenging.

In 2016, the Department created the Office of Fiscal and Data Services in our division. Now we have a director who understands and loves data, along with a full team. This helped us strengthen processes around collection, reporting, and dashboard development. Collaboration between offices has improved significantly.

Another challenge was that LEAs struggled to submit accurate data. Sometimes staff entering the data weren’t familiar with the systems or the requirements. We saw gaps in data—missing fields, incomplete records—which made the data less valid and reliable. We now provide targeted training for districts with recurring issues.

For Indicator 7, we had long used the Battelle, but few districts continued to use it, so our dataset kept shrinking. It didn’t reflect what was happening statewide. We've now transitioned to the COS process, which has been a big improvement. Jennifer has done an amazing job ramping that up.

Finally, we noticed LEAs didn’t always feel connected to the data. They submitted it, but didn’t analyze it or see its value. So we've been building dashboards and making the data more accessible and user-friendly. We explicitly show how the data connects to program improvement. Our goal is for data to truly drive decision-making.

00:06:07.84 >> Yes—that’s a great strategy. If LEAs don’t see a purpose for the data, or how it improves outcomes, they won’t prioritize data quality. Making the “why” visible is so important.

00:06:35.14 >> Exactly. That’s our goal.

00:06:37.62 >> What are some ways you’re strengthening New Jersey's 619 data culture?

00:06:43.40 >> Kim’s story is spot-on. I’ve been here a little over a year, and by then many of these foundational improvements were underway. Under Kim’s leadership, and working with monitors and the fiscal/data team, we were able to build on that momentum.

One colleague in particular—Alex Pensiero—deserves recognition. She has a gift for making data not scary. Through coaching and technical assistance, she helps LEAs understand the “why,” and that has transformed the mindset around 619 data.

We now emphasize the connections between data, preschool environments, LRE, and child outcomes. Once districts see these links, the culture shifts.

We also provide tailored PD, build strong relationships with district leaders, and promote honest conversations about what the data mean. LEAs can explore their own data in the dashboard. We meet with them one-on-one to analyze trends and help them apply the information.

All of this improves the data culture by making data accessible, useful, and meaningful.

00:09:42.64 >> Getting the data out there—transparent and easy to understand—goes a long way. And making it less intimidating helps people feel more comfortable engaging with it.

00:10:19.93 >> Data quality is a priority for us, and it’s ongoing. Our work is built on two core beliefs: equity and inclusion. We don’t make decisions without data to support them.

When we talk about inclusion in preschool—a major focus for both Jennifer and me—the conversation starts with data. When we meet with an LEA, the first step is a data review: “Here is your data. Let’s talk about it. Here’s what we’re seeing.”

We continue refining the Indicator 7 collection system. When we find work-arounds or misunderstandings, we fix them. We strengthen business rules to ensure complete and accurate submissions. We collaborate with the Office of Fiscal and Data Services to reimagine how data are presented and how we can tell the story more effectively—not just for LEAs, but for families, advocates, and community partners.

We’re developing common language and shared understanding around the data so everyone is speaking from the same place. That collective impact is how we improve outcomes.

00:12:47.60 >> I love that—being intentional about including families and stakeholders in understanding and using the data. That’s critical.

00:13:09.26 >> And I would be remiss not to say that IDC’s ongoing training and support has been incredibly valuable. We regularly seek guidance on improving our data, and it has helped drive many of the improvements we’ve seen.

00:13:32.64 >> Wonderful. Thank you both so much—great work happening in New Jersey. I’m excited to see what’s next.

00:13:53.53 >> Thank you so much for having us.

00:13:55.74 >> Thank you.

00:13:58.30 >> To access podcast resources, submit questions related to today’s episode, or suggest future topics, visit the podcast page on the IDC website at IDEAdata.org.