Kentucky Post School Outcome Study Human Development Institute

Kentucky Post School Outcome Study Human Development Institute University of Kentucky www. kypso. org

You are viewing this page because you have been designated as the Kentucky In School Transition Survey (KISTS) Coordinator for your Local Education Agency (LEA)/school district 2

The purpose of this training is to provide KISTS Coordinators with information regarding the purpose of the KISTS and to assure that it is conducted in the appropriate manner. 3

KISTS Coordinators will understand : 1. why collecting post school outcome data is important 2. importance of their role in data collection 3. the role of the KISTS in the overall Kentucky Post School Outcome Study (Ky. PSO) 4. how to access the survey on-line 5. the three components of the KISTS 6. different strategies to employ for students who may need assistance in completing the Student Surveyportion of the survey 4

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We really don’t know what happens to Kentucky youth who had IEPs after high school…. 6

For students who are successful, did school help and how? For students who aren’t successful, was there something school could have done differently/better? What kinds of supports do young adults need most after high school? What changes are needed to better support students, families, schools, agencies? 7

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires all states follow up with former students who had IEPs to determine: “the 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 (U. S. Department of Education, 2006 a). ”

OSEP defines former students who received special education" as those students, with IEPs, who exited school one year prior with a standard diploma a certificate of attainment dropping out, or aging out 9

OVERVIEW OF KENTUCKY POST SCHOOL OUTCOME STUDY 10

1). During Final Year of School data collected about student post school plans 2). One Year After School Exit data collected about student post school outcomes 11

Data are collected by the Local Education Agencies (LEA) The LEA determines who, within the district, will be responsible for conducting/collecting the data 12

• Ky. PSO @ the Human Development Institute (HDI)/University of Kentucky (UK), conducts secondary data analysis • Ky. PSO compiles reports for KDE/DECS, LEAs, parents, and other stakeholders 13

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• The KISTS Coordinator is the school person(s) responsible for assuring that KISTS are completed on every exiting student with an IEP. • The KISTS Coordinator may be a teacher, administrator, support staff or other school personnel who are allowed access to student records. 15

You are collecting data that tells us about the high school experiences and post school plans of students with disabilities across Kentucky The information you collect will be compiled and reported to districts, the state, and federal governments Important decisions will be made based on these reports and recommendations. 16

As a KISTS Coordinator, you will be accessing personal information about students By law, student confidentiality is protected (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or FERPA; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA) 17

Potsdam Institute for Applied Research (PIAR) at State University New York (SUNY) Potsdam and the National Post-School Outcomes Center, Eugene, Oregon, (funded by Cooperative Agreement Number H 324 S 040002) with the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. 18

Youth are protected by ensuring that responding to the KISTS survey is strictly voluntary. Students and their families will have received information from their LEA about the survey and are given a chance to opt out of it. When you meet with the student (s) to initiate completion of the Student Interview, be prepared to respond to the question “Do I have to do this? ” or “Why should I do this? ” ( response example: “no, you do not have to do it. However, by participating you will be providing the school with valuable information that may help improve the school”). Potsdam Institute for Applied Research (PIAR) at State University New York (SUNY) Potsdam and the National Post-School Outcomes Center, Eugene, Oregon, (funded by Cooperative Agreement Number H 324 S 040002) with the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. 19

Youth are also protected by ensuring that all personal information about them is confidential. All paper and electronic information containing personally identifiable information must not be available to anyone outside of school personnel with designated access. Never leave survey materials in a public place (e. g. leaving your computer screen open to a student record). Never allow unauthorized persons to look at them. Notify your supervisor if you lose any confidential materials. Never talk about who you conducted the KISTS on or what they say. Potsdam Institute for Applied Research (PIAR) at State University New York (SUNY) Potsdam and the National Post-School Outcomes Center, Eugene, Oregon, (funded by Cooperative Agreement Number H 324 S 040002) with the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. 20

To assure accuracy of information obtained from Sections 1, Student Contact Information After High School and 2, Record Review: ◦ Try to arrange a block of time when you are least likely to be interrupted ◦ Have the resources needed to complete readily available (e. g. STI/SETS, IEP, etc. ). 21

To assure accuracy of information obtained from Section 3, Student Interview: ◦ If student is having difficulty reading a question(s), read question to student exactly as written every time. ◦ If you must rephrase a question for student to understand, preserve the neutral character of the original question. ◦ For example the question “how confident are you that you will be successful in achieving your post school plans? ” non -neutral rephrasing…”you feel pretty confident about achieving your post school goals, don’t you? ” neutral rephrasing…”How certain do you think you’ll do what you plan to after high school? ” Potsdam Institute for Applied Research (PIAR) at State University New York (SUNY) Potsdam and the National Post-School Outcomes Center, Eugene, Oregon, (funded by Cooperative Agreement Number H 324 S 040002) with the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. 22

CONDUCTING THE KISTS 23

The Kentucky In School Transition Survey (KISTS) is an on-line instrument that collects information about students’ post school plans 24

1. 2. 3. Student Contact Information After High School Record Review Student Survey 25

The KISTS is accessed from the Kentucky Post School Outcome Study web-site: www. kypso. org 26

Every school district or LEA, every year, on every student with an IEP exiting that school year 27

KISTS are completed between April 1 st and June 30 th of every school year However, if you have a student who exits school prior to April 1, that student should complete the KISTS at that point (e. g. a student drops out of school in January) 28

Go to the Kentucky Post School Outcome Study (Ky. PSO) web site located at: www. kypso. org Let’s Go to the Web Page! 29

Point your cursor to “Tools for Data Collection” on the left hand side of the home page 30

After Clicking “Tools for Data Collection” You should see three choices for the KISTS: 1. Student Contact Information After High School 2. Record Review 3. Student Survey These are three sections of the KISTS 31

Note! You can complete each of the three sections at different times. For example, you may start out by collecting all exiting student Section #1 “Student Contact Information After High School” information; then complete Section #2 “Record Review”; and, finally, Section #3 “Student Survey” 32

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From www. kypso. org 1. Go to “Tools for Data Collection” 2. Go to “KISTS” 3. Go to “Student Contact Information After High School” 34

Computer Student IEP Student ILP Student Unique Identifying Number 35

The information provided by the student will allow the school to follow up with the student one year after high school This will allow comparison of what students plan to do following high school and what they actually do. 36

An Excel spreadsheet developed for your use Unlike Section 2 “Record Review” and Section 3 “Student Survey”, Section 1, “Student Contact Information After High School” is kept at the LEA or building level and is for LEA or building use only Student Contact Information After High School is not sent to the Kentucky Post School Outcome Study 37

It is recommended that you complete the Student Contact Information After High School Section as part of identifying the students for whom a KISTS must be completed You may have other methods to get in touch with former students as well (Infinite Campus, Social Networking sites, Digital Texting, etc…) feel free to document and utilize these as necessary however… be sure to respect a student’s confidentialty 38

Students with Individual Education Programs (IEP) who are leaving school during, or at the end, of the current school year by either: Graduating with a standard diploma Graduating with a certificate of attainment Aging out (exceed age for Free Appropriate Education) Dropping out 39

Note! The Student Contact Information After High School section requests documenting the Student Unique Identifying Number, a ten (10) digit number. As part of the process of completing the KISTS, make sure to have a list of the Student Unique Identifying Numbers available to you. Use the student record, including IEP, as well as STI/SETS data to complete the Student Contact Information After High School Section. 40

Save the file on a secure (used only by school personnel) school computer located in a room which can be locked. Make sure the file is clearly labeled ◦ For example: “KISTS_Student Contact ” 41

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From www. kypso. org 1. Go to “Tools for Data Collection” 2. Go to “KISTS” 3. Go to “Record Review” 43

The Record Review provides certain demographic (e. g. gender, type of disability) information as well as a snapshot of the student’s school and transition experiences 44

Student IEP Student Individual Learning Plan (ILP) STI / SETS Data Student Unique Identifying Numbers 45

You will use text boxes, drop down menus, and arrows to move through the Record Review You will note that some items will allow you to select only one option while others will allow you to select all that apply When you click “done” at the end of the Record Review, the data you entered automatically goes directly to the Ky. PSO at HDI/UK 46

If you are unable to complete a KISTS Record Review in one sitting, you can select “save” at the bottom of the page to save the Record Review and return to complete it at a later time SAVE 47

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From www. kypso. org 1. Go to “Tools for Data Collection” 2. Go to “KISTS” 3. Go to “Student Interview” 49

purpose of the Student Survey is to get the student’s perspective on his high school experiences and plans for the future The Students should complete the Student Survey independently when at all possible 50

Computer Student Unique Identifying Numbers 51

Even though conducting the KISTS, itself, is a federal requirement, student participation in the Student Survey section is strictly voluntary. Should a student choose not to complete the Student Survey section, the other two components of the (KISTS), the Student Contact Information After High School and Record Review, should still completed. 52

During a classroom activity During student IEP/Transition Planning meeting During Advisor/Advisee activity As part of the final counseling session for the Individual Learning Plan (ILP) As part of completing the Summary of Performance Your LEA must decide which approach works best for them 53

Sample Introduction: The high school is wanting to hear from students getting ready to graduate/leave school regarding their school experiences and their plans for after high school. Getting your feedback is important for school improvement. Your participation is strictly voluntary. You do not have to complete the Student Survey if you do not want to. However, should you choose to participate, you will be contributing important information to your school. Read the “Dear Student” opening instructions from Student Interview Ask students to let you know if they have a question or do not understand something 54

While most students will be able to independently complete the Student Interview, some students will need assistance 55

Reading questions to a student Helping students navigate through the survey Paraphrasing or explaining what a question is asking ◦ this may be particularly true of the scaled questions (e. g. “on a scale from 1 -5…”) Using examples when necessary Contacting a Parent/Guardian/or school personnel familiar with the way this student communicates to facilitate participation 56

Student’s may not know their unique 10 digit identification number! Therefore, make sure to have a list of this information available as students sit down to complete the Student Interview Again, you can find this number in the STI/SETS data 57

Students will utilize text boxes, drop down menus, and arrows to move through the Student Survey You will note that some items will allow the student to select only one option while others will allow multiple selections When student clicks “submit” button at the end of the Interview, the information automatically goes directly to the Ky. PSO at HDI/UK 58

If the Student Survey is closed prior to completion, the student will lose all entered data and have to start over! So, even though this is stated in the opening paragraph of the Student Survey, it is worth emphasizing to students. 59

A Final Word about Student Unique Identification Numbers You will note that each of the three sections of the KISTS require documentation of the Student’s Unique I. D. # This number is vitally important because it will allow comparison of student post-school plans and subsequent outcomes 60

STUDENTS WHO DROP OUT AND THE KISTS 61

KISTS are required to be conducted on all students exiting with IEPs, including students who exit by dropping out 62

If the student is going through the formal process of dropping out of school, the KISTS should be completed for the student as part of this process. 63

Complete the Student Information After High School and Record Review sections of the KISTS. Attempt to contact student by telephone, email, or other means as directed in student record for him/her to complete the Student Survey section. 64

• Identify yourself. • Explain that you are helping the school conduct a survey about students’ school experience and plans. • Tell student that the survey is strictly voluntary and that their information will be kept confidential • Ask student if h/s would mind answering a few questions (should take no more than 10 minutes) about their school experience and plans • If student refuses, thank them for their time and say good bye • Read questions to student exactly as written May paraphrase if needed • Record answers • If in doubt, write down students’ response and decide how to code it after you are off of the telephone ◦ Thank the student for their time. 65

If you cannot locate a student who has dropped out in order to have her/him complete the KISTS Student Survey… you must still complete the KISTS, Section #1 Student Contact Information After High School and Section #2, Record Review for that student 66

Next Steps 1. Register with the Ky. PSO Data Collection System 2. Take the KISTS Coordinator Quiz 67

Accessing the Kentucky Post School Outcome Center Data Collection System 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Go to www. kypso. org Click on Data Collection on menu bar on left side of home page Select “Data Collection User Log In” In bottom left hand corner of User Log In page, click “Click Here” to register Identifying information request Then click “next” Enter a User Name and Password of your choice Click “Create New User” Your Account has been Successfully Created You will also receive an e-mail noting that you have successfully created an account Welcome to the Ky. PSO Data Collection System 68