Blueprint for Success: Helpful Hints for Writing the SPP/APR

Blueprint for Success: Helpful Hints for Writing the SPP/APR Charlotte Y. Alverson, Ed. S. Secondary Transition State Planning Institute Charlotte, NCMay 8, 2008 WWW.PSOCENTER.ORG

Session Purpose To share tips for ensuring you have the information need to successfully organize and complete the SPP for Indicator 14. Blueprint for Success

Helpful Hints for SPP Submission Primary Sources: • Instructions • Measurement Table Secondary Sources: • Teleconferences • Conversations • Experiences Blueprint for Success

Part B - SPP/APR Requirements for Indicator #14 Percent of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in secondary school and who have been competitively employed, enrolled in some type of postsecondary school, or both, within one year of leaving high school. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)) Blueprint for Success

NPSO Charge ...to assist State Education Agencies to develop practical, yet rigorous data collection systems so that the SEA can describe the further education and competitive employment experiences of youth with disabilities as they transition from high school to adult life. Blueprint for Success

Data Collection System • Data collection • Reporting • Use Blueprint for Success

Common stumbling blocks • Definitions • Representativeness • Calculations Blueprint for Success

Definitions • Competitive employment • VR, • includes military • Post-secondary education • type of school or program • whether enrollment is full- or part-time • defining full- and part-time Blueprint for Success

Definitions • Census = all leavers from the state • Define the sample: • Who are the leavers in the sample? • graduates, age outs, dropouts, etc. • Is the sample representative of the school leavers • disability, race/ethnicity, age, gender, exit status Blueprint for Success

Writing suggestions • Avoid assume-icide • Don’t assume others (i.e., OSEP, external reviewers) know what you mean • include definitions • Provide meaningful details • 50,000 ADM • data collection between April – Sept. Blueprint for Success

Representativeness • If sampling, need to select a representative sample from the target leaver group • disability category - age • race/ethnicity - gender • For both sampling and census, need to determine whether the respondents are representative of the target leaver group Blueprint for Success

Systematic difference in characteristics between those who are selected for study and those who are not. Occurs when selecting who will and will not be in the data collection efforts: exiters- age outs, dropouts, disability categories time, day or method of contact Selection Bias Blueprint for Success

Response Rate • No set minimum or ideal response rate • Not primary concern • Describe how representative the respondents are to the target leaver group Blueprint for Success

Writing Suggestions • Describe the similarities and differences between the respondents and total leaver group • Define the denominator • eligible for the survey • ineligible for the survey Blueprint for Success

Occurs when data are not collected geographic segments of the state do not return data (could also be selection bias) the right questions were not asked interviewers miskey information questions are skipped Missing Data Blueprint for Success

Writing Suggestions • Look at missing data • who did not respond? • what questions were not answered • Talk about what you do not know as a result of missing data • Describe what precautions readers of the SPP should be aware of Blueprint for Success

Calculations • Measurement – I-14 • Response rate - Blueprint for Success

PSO Measurement: Percent = [(the number of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in secondary school and who have been competitively employed, enrolled in some type of postsecondary school, or both, within one year of leaving high school) divided by the (# of youth assessed who had IEPs and are no longer in secondary school)] x 100. Blueprint for Success

Calculation • Calculating 1 number- • employed only • enrolled in school or training only • both working AND in school • Results in an unduplicated count Blueprint for Success

PSO Measurement: % = competitively employed only + enrolled in postsecondary school + both (working and enrolled in school) # of respondents to the survey or interviews OSEP requires that States provide actual numbers used to calculate this percent. Blueprint for Success

Ratio of number of completed surveys : total number of surveys intended to be completed(target leaver group) RR = completed surveys ÷ (total number of surveys intended to be completed – ineligible) (ineligible b/c returned to school) RR = completed surveys ÷ (completed surveys + contacted & refused +no contact) Response Rate (RR) Blueprint for Success

Writing suggestions • Writing team • person/s responsible for data collection is different from the person/s writing the SPP • Share resources with others on the writing team • Describe what was done • who, what, when, how, who collected data Blueprint for Success

Writing suggestions • Acknowledge problems • if you discover, in October, that you were missing accurate exit information for 50% of your leavers– acknowledge it and describe what you will do differently next year (Improvement Activities) • Describe what you don’t know and what you’re going to do differently • Write for the audience who doesn’t know about SPPs & APRs Blueprint for Success

Improvement Activities • OSEP • how will State improve performance for Indicator 1-14 • Two Primary areas: • improving data collection system • improving post-school outcomes for students with disabilities Blueprint for Success

Writing suggestions • Use the NPSO resources: • Helpful Hints • Sampling and Response Calculators • Community of Practice teleconferences • Post-School Outcomes: Response Rates and Nonresponse Bias, Roberta Garrison-Mogren, Westat • Call with questions Blueprint for Success

Helpful Hints for SPP Submission Primary Sources: • Instructions • Measurement Table Secondary Sources: • Teleconferences • Conversations • Experiences Blueprint for Success

Director: Mike Bullis 541-346-1645 bullism@uoregon.edu OSEP Project Officer: Selete Avoke 202-245-7260 selete.avoke@ed.gov Contact Information Coordinator: Jane Falls 541-346-0345 jafalls@uoregon.edu Blueprint for Success

Blueprint for Success: Helpful Hints for Writing the SPP/APR