The purpose of this FAQ is to assist States in understanding and implementing the February 2009 Part B Indicator 14 changes as described in the Revised Indicator Measurement Table and supporting materials available at http://spp-apr-calendar.rrfcnetwork.org/explorer/view/id/620.
This FAQ (Printable Version) and training PowerPoint are available here.
We are also updating tools, resources and products to support States in adapting systems to respond to the changes. Check back at this web site soon.
| New Indicator 14 |
| Percent of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in effect at the time they left school, and were: | |
A. |
Enrolled in higher education within one year of leaving high school. |
B. |
Enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school. |
C. |
Enrolled in higher education or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment within one year of leaving high school. |
| New Measurement |
A. |
Percent enrolled in higher education = [(# of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school and were enrolled in higher education within one year of leaving high school) divided by the (# of respondent youth who are no longer in secondary school and had IEPs in effect at the time they left school)] times 100. |
B. |
Percent enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school = [(# of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school and were enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school) divided by the (# of respondent youth who are no longer in secondary school and had IEPs in effect at the time they left school)] times 100. |
C. |
Percent enrolled in higher education, or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment = [(# of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school and were enrolled in higher education, or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment) divided by the (# of respondent youth who are no longer in secondary school and had IEPs in effect at the time they left school)] times 100. |
| Highlights of Changes |
As of February 2009, there are significant changes to the Part B Indicator Measurement Table for Indicator 14. Highlights of the changes include:
| SPP/APR Reporting Timelines |
| FFY | Leave High School | Collect one year out data | Report in SPP/APR |
| 2008 | 2007-08 | Not required | Not required in Feb. 2010 |
| 2009 | 2008-09 | One year after students leave school | Feb. 2011 New baseline, targets, and as needed, improvement activities using the SPP template |
| 2010 | 2009-10 | One year after students leave school | Feb. 2012 Use APR template Report to the public |
| Indicator 14 Data Reporting |
| Q-1: | States are not required to report on Indicator 14 for FFY 2008 due February 1, 2010; however, if a State chooses to report Indicator 14 data in the APR due February 2010, must the State use the “new” requirements, or can they use the “previous” requirements? | ||
| A-1: | States may choose to collect and report data consistent with the previous requirements or the new requirements. States have four options for the FFY 2008 submission due February 1, 2010: | ||
| 1) | Collect the data for 07-08 leavers and report the data in February 2010 consistent with the previous requirements; | ||
| 2) | Collect the data for 07-08 leavers and report the data in February 2010 aligned with the February 2009 Indicator Measurement Table; | ||
| 3) | Not collect the data for 07-08 leavers nor report the data in February 2010, make needed changes and start data collection for the students leaving school during the 2008-09 school year; or | ||
| 4) | Collect the data using either set of requirements, use them for internal planning, and not report any data in February 2010. | ||
| Any data submitted in the APR is subject to Office of Special Education Programs review and may be used in making determinations. Regardless of how States choose to collect and report the data, they are encouraged to maintain or enhance their systems to collect current contact information on students, and let current students and families know they may be contacted a year after the student leaves high school. | |||
| Sampling |
| Q-2: | Since States are not required to submit Indicator 14 data for FFY 2008 (representing the one-year-out data for students who left during the 2007-08 school year), what should States do regarding districts that would have been in this year’s data collection? | ||
| A-2: | If the State samples districts, every district must be part of the sampling frame during the six years of the SPP. If districts are not sampled this year, they will need to be included before the end of the six-year SPP cycle (FFY 2008, FFY 2009, and FFY 2010). States may need to adjust their sampling plan to ensure all districts are included and submit revisions to their Office of Special Education Programs State contact for approval. | ||
| Q-3: | The revised Instruction Sheet for the Indicator Measurement Table (page 2) requires that if the State Education Agency uses sampling, it must describe in the APR the “similarity or differences of the sample to the population of students with disabilities,” e.g., how respondents are representative of the target population related to disability category, race, age, and gender. Likewise, if the State Education Agency uses sampling procedures, it must “address any problems with: (1) response rates; (2) missing data; and (3) selection bias.” If a State conducts a census, must they describe in their APR these same features related to respondents? | ||
| A-3: | Yes, whether a State samples or conducts a census, a State must report the similarity or differences in the respondents to the target population in the SPP/APR and must address any problems with: (1) response rates; (2) missing data; and (3) selection bias. | ||
| Definitions: Higher Education/Other Postsecondary Education or Training |
| Q-4: | What is the definition of “higher education” and “other postsecondary education or training” for the purposes of this collection? | ||
| A-4: | For the purposes of this collection, engaged in “higher education” means a student who is enrolled in a two- or four-year degreed program provided by a community or technical college (two-year) and/or college/university (four- or more year program).
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| Q-5: | If the example provided in the Indicator Measurement Table under “other postsecondary education or training” of “(e.g., Job Corps, adult education, workforce development program)” is “at least 1-year and preparing students for gainful employment,” would it be counted as an “institution of higher education?” | ||
| A-5: | No, these programs are not two- or four-year degreed program provided by a community or technical college (two-year) and/or college/university (four- or more year program), so therefore are not an “institution of higher education.” These examples should be counted as “other postsecondary education or training.” |
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| Q-6: | In the definition of “enrolled in other postsecondary education or training” is the list "e.g., Job Corps, adult education, workforce development program" an exhaustive list or can a State include other types of program such as rehabilitation services and programs? | ||
| A-6: | This is not an exhaustive list; States may include other programs such as rehabilitation services and other programs. |
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| Q-7: | In both “higher education” and “other postsecondary education or training,” the definition includes "for at least one complete term." Does “for at least one complete term” mean any credit bearing term no matter its duration (e.g., summer, between semesters “inter-terms,” online courses, credit bearing independent study, etc.)? | ||
| A-7: | Enrollment should be continuous for one complete term, including semester, quarter, summer, between semester “inter-terms,” online course, or credit bearing independent study. It is the responsibility of the State to define the “term.” |
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| Q-8: | Some adult education programs and workforce development programs have open enrollment or exit dates, others have short timeframes (e.g., month-long resume writing class or a 10-week welding class). Would completion of these examples be counted as “one complete term” and included as “enrolled in other postsecondary education and training?” | ||
| A-8: | Yes, completion of short-term education and training programs would be considered “enrolled in other postsecondary education and training.” |
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| Q-9: | Would programs such as a mission, Peace Corps, Vista, or AmeriCorps be considered "other postsecondary education or training?" If so, how would "for at least one complete term" be defined? | ||
| A-9: | These examples should be treated as “other postsecondary education or training.” Any formal program (e.g., a program that contains a formal application/approval process), that is at least in part about skill-building and experience-building, qualify as "other post-secondary or training." This could include Peace Corps, Vista, AmeriCorps programs, and others. |
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| Q-10: | Some education, certification and training programs are located in community colleges and are less than two years in length or not degreed programs. Would these programs be counted under “enrolled in higher education?” | ||
| A-10: | No, these programs do not lead to a two or four year degree and would not be counted as higher education, but would be counted under “other postsecondary education or training.” |
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| Definitions: Competitive Employment and Some Other Employment |
| Q-11: | In the definition for both “competitive employment” and “some other employment” what does “at least 90 days at any time in the year since leaving high school” mean? | ||
| A-11: | Either ninety (90) cumulative days or three months of continuous work at an average of 20 hours per week. |
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| Q-12: | In the definition of “competitive employment” does "20 hours a week" mean a minimum of 20 hours a week or an average of 20 hours a week over time? For example, if a person worked 15 hours one week, and 25 the next, would that count as “20 hours a week?” | ||
| A-12: | “20 hours a week” includes: |
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| Q-13: | Would a youth who was employed but out on paid sick leave (e.g., worker's comp, health insurance), still count? | ||
| A-13: | Yes, a youth who was employed but on paid sick leave is still counted as employed. |
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| Q-14: | What if the youth is on unpaid leave or short-term lay off and then returns to work? | ||
| A-14: | No, time laid off would not count toward the 90 cumulative days of paid work. |
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| Q-15: | Can a State choose to NOT include “military” as competitive employment and rather, report it elsewhere (e.g., postsecondary training)? | ||
| A-15: | No, military is included in the definition of competitive employment. |
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| Q-16: | “Some other employment” in measure C means youth have worked for pay or been self-employed for a period of at least 90 days at any time in the year since leaving high school. Are number of hours per week and the earnings per hour considered? | ||
| A-16: | For “some other employment” hours and wages are not considered. However, the “other employment” needs to be “for a period of at least 90 days at any time in the year since leaving high school.” (See above for definition of “90 days.”) |
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| Q-17: | Does “some other employment” include sheltered and supported employment? | ||
| A-17: | Yes, “some other employment” includes sheltered and supported employment. |
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| Q-18: | How do you count “supported” employment? | ||
| A-18: | If “supported” employment meets the criteria for “competitive employment” (e.g., 90 cumulative days, averaging 20 hours per week, and is at or above minimum wage) then it can be counted as “competitive employment.” If “supported” employment does not meet the criteria, it is counted as “some other employment.” |
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| Q-19: | How do you count “self-employment”? | ||
| A-19: | If “self-employment” meets the criteria for “competitive employment” (e.g., 90 cumulative days, averaging 20 hours per week, and is at or above minimum wage) then it can be counted as “competitive employment.” If “self-employment” employment does not meet the criteria, it is counted as “some other employment.” |
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| Baseline and Targets |
| Q-20: | Must States set a baseline and a target for each of the measures of the indicator (e.g., for A, B, and C)? | ||
| A-20: | Yes, three baseline percentages need to be provided for FFY 2009 SPP and three targets need to be set for FFY 2010 APR, one for each of the measures A, B, and C. |
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| Timing of Data Collection |
| Q-21: | On the Indicator Measurement Table, the “Data Source and Measurement” column indicates “…within one year of leaving high school” and the “Instructions for Indicators/Measurement” column indicates “… timing the data collection so that at least one year has passed since the students left school." Are States to collect the data to reflect engagement “…within one year” or when “…at least one year has passed?” | ||
| A-21: | Data collection starts when students have been out of school at least one year and reflects whether they have been enrolled in higher education, competitively employed, etc. within one year of leaving high school. Data collection should be timed so that students have been out of school for at least one year. States may set a timeframe for data collection that is at least one year after the end of the school year. To capture, students who drop out, States may choose to collect the data in a “rolling fashion” collecting the data a year after the student left school. | ||
Example scenarios:
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| Data Reporting: Calculations |
| Q-22: | What are the indicator measure denominators? | ||
| A-22: | For each of the three measures (A, B, and C), the denominator is the total number of respondent leavers. |
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| Q-23: | What are the indicator measure numerators? | ||
| A-23: | Each respondent leaver is to be counted in ONLY ONE of the following AND ONLY in the highest appropriate category (with 1 being the highest). First calculate the following: |
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Then to calculate the indicator percentages, States should use the following calculations:
A = 1 divided by total respondents
B = 1 + 2 divided by total respondents
C = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 divided by total respondents
Here is another way to visualize it:
| 1 = # Higher Ed |
2 = # Competitive Employed |
3 = # Postsecondary Education or Training |
4 = # Other Employed |
# Other or Not Engaged (States are not required to report these #s) |
A |
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B |
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C |
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Total Leaver Respondents |
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The National Post-School Outcomes Center provides technical assistance to States and their partners to design and implement practical and rigorous post-school outcome data collection systems.
For assistance implementing these changes please contact us:
Deanne Unruh
dkunruh@uoregon.edu
541-346-1424Jane Falls
jafalls@uoregon.edu
541-346-0354Charlotte Alverson
calverso@uoregon.edu
541-346-1390
