Past Events and Recordings

This webinar helped states and local education agencies (LEAs) learn how to use root cause analysis to analyze their 616 and 618 data and use the results to improve student outcomes. States and LEAs should conduct a root cause analysis when these data show that some groups of students are succeeding at lower rates than other groups are. Presenters discussed how to perform a successful root cause analysis in order to identify why performance or achievement gaps are happening and prevent them from reoccurring. Staff from the South Carolina Department of Education presented on the state’s use of the IDC Success Gaps Toolkit for root cause analysis with LEAs and the solutions the LEAs implemented as a result of their analyses. 

During this IDC webinar, participants learned about federal requirements for LEA determinations of performance. They also learned about national trends for issuing LEA determinations, including information on the data elements and calculation methodologies states use in making their LEA determinations. Additionally, two states shared their current LEA determination processes and the impact of these processes on local special education programs.

This webinar focused on best practices for public reporting of IDEA data and important questions for states to consider when planning visualizations of their data. Participants heard from state staff who demonstrated key features of their states’ IDEA public reporting portals and how their states developed them, as well as the successes and challenges the states experienced with the work.

IDC’s October webinar focused on two primary areas of change in the new SPP/APR package: Stakeholder Engagement and SPP/APR Data Requirements. Presenters helped states understand the new stakeholder engagement and data requirements and identify potential actions they can take to prepare for timely implementation of these changes. Presenters payed specific attention to data source changes for indicators 1, 5, 6, 13, and 14. In addition, participants heard state perspectives on how state staff are conceptualizing or implementing new approaches to meet the new requirements.

This webinar provided an overview of the expanded stakeholder engagement requirements for the FFY 2020–2025 SPP/APRs. Presenters shared strategies for organizing and involving stakeholders in the development and implementation of their SPP/APRs. Webinar participants shared their ideas and approaches for developing a stakeholder engagement plan. Throughout the presentation, IDC staff highlighted helpful resources to support meaningfully involving stakeholders in decision making.

All states are developing a new SPP/APR. They may consider new baselines, as appropriate, and must set targets for results indicators. This baseline and target setting will be complicated because states collected and reported the most recent SPP/APR data available during the COVID-19 school closures, which affected the completeness, accuracy, and quality of the data. With these issues in mind, IDC presenters shared considerations for determining baselines and strategies states may use to set targets for SPP/APR indicators. Two states took a dive into several SPP/APR indicators to share their plans for setting baselines and targets and engaging their stakeholders in the process.

During this webinar,  we reviewed the changes to Indicator 3 of the Part B SPP/APR and took a deep dive into how some states are preparing and working with stakeholders to set baselines and targets for the indicator. State panelists addressed data quality concerns due to COVID-19 closures and reopenings, as well as the 2021 testing flexibilities and how they affect setting baselines and targets. Speakers presented strategies for identifying diverse stakeholders and presenting complex data to help stakeholders understand the data. In addition, state panelists revealed their plans for working with stakeholders, including the data they plan to share with stakeholders, how they plan to present these data, what input they will ask for, and how they plan to document ongoing stakeholder input.