The Assessment Data Journey
ARE WE THERE YET ?
Assessment data follow a long and complicated road that begins when a student is registered as a test taker in a state assessment system and ends with meeting the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reporting requirements as Part B Indicator 3 in the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), in Section 618, and for meeting reporting requirements for the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Part B data managers often report that their general education and assessment colleagues may not appreciate the importance of submitting timely, accurate, and complete data for Part B Indicator 3 by the December submission date. Given that Part B Indicator 3 data collection requires involvement from multiple actors (e.g., special education staff, assessment staff, EDFacts coordinator and submitter, assessment vendors), it is critical that everyone has a clear understanding of the process by which the state collects, validates, submits, and reports data for Part B Indicator 3.
To start the conversation about assessment data, IDC has developed a Dialogue Guide to accompany this infographic. There is also a PowerPoint version about the Assessment Journey and a 2-page Handout that is a printable version of the infographic.
Follow along the Part B Indicator 3 roadway for general information about this process for a typical state and select the road signs for more insights about
- Junctures where building additional understanding of key terms, expectations, and processes may be helpful for all relevant parties
- Crucial points where the special education process differs from that of general education
- Instances where possible challenges or mis-communications may arise
- Opportunities for staff across divisions to collaborate to ensure timely, accurate, and complete submission of data
START
1) Preparation of Data Files for Assessment Administration
The state creates or updates a student registration file capturing “point-in-time” information (demographics, etc.) about all students. School systems regularly review student registration files to check the accuracy of the data, add new students, and remove students who exit the system.
Accuracy of student data is paramount, as LEAs and SEAs use the information in the registration file to identify students to be included in specific reporting categories for federal programs.
2) Administration of Assessment
Many students participate in general statewide assessments in reading and mathematics, generally in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.
Eligible students with significant cognitive disabilities participate in the statewide alternate assessment in reading and mathematics, generally in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school.
3) Validation of Assessment Data
The assessment vendor scores, cleans, and validates assessment data. Schools and districts receive preliminary assessment files for review during an appeals process and communicate any concerns to the state.
It is important that everyone at the state education agency, including the Part B data manager, EDFacts coordinator, and assessment staff, is aware of any concerns the school systems raise.
The Part B data manager, in collaboration with the EDFacts coordinator, conducts data validation checks and “signs off” on data as finalized.
Accuracy of these data is critical because the U.S. Department of Education uses them to pre-populate Indicator 3 in the SPP/APR.
4) EDFacts Federal Data Submission
States submit assessment annually in December through the EDFacts Submission System (ESS).
ESS is an electronic system states use to submit a core set of key PreK-12 performance data.
The assessment director confirms that the EDFacts Metadata and Process System (EMAPS) Assessment Metadata Survey responses were reviewed by the EDFacts coordinator.
If metadata responses do not align with reported EDFacts data, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) considers the data submission as incomplete in their evaluation of the data quality for IDEA accountability.
The EDFacts submitter prepares the ESS file based on data from the Part B data manager and uploads the assessment files into the ESS.
Relevant staff (e.g., the Office of Assessment, EDFacts coordinator, Part B data manager) should work together to address any inconsistencies. All emails related to the EDFacts submission should copy relevant staff.
States can resubmit data after the December deadline, but OSEP considers this deadline to be firm for the purposes of timeliness, accuracy, and completeness. These are elements of a state’s compliance matrix and may impact a state’s annual OSEP Determination under Section 616(d) of IDEA.
5) SPP/APR Submission
By February 1st, each state and territory submits its SPP/APR, reporting its implementation of IDEA Part B and describing its performance in meeting its SPP targets.
Many of the EDFacts data files pre-populate the IDEA Part B SPP/APR. States submit their SPP/APR electronically through the APR Tool built on the EDFacts EMAPS platform.
OSEP reviews each indicator in the SPP/APR and offers feedback and an opportunity to clarify or correct the information (typically in April).
State special education staff may need to collaborate with staff from other divisions (e.g., assessment, EDFacts coordinator) to address issues noted during clarification period.
OSEP evaluates and makes an annual determination for each state and territory under Section 616(d) of IDEA (typically in June).
OSEP uses the Results Driven Accountability (RDA) Matrix to make annual determinations. The RDA Matrix consists of a Compliance Matrix and a Results Matrix.
6) Public Reporting
States make their SPP/ APR publicly available within 120 days of initial submission to OSEP.
See IDEA Data Center website resources for IDEA public reporting requirements, such as the SEA Data Processes Toolkit.
FINISH