A Date with Data

Among stakeholder groups, parents occupy a place of special significance. To increase their communication and collaboration with the parents and families of students with disabilities, the Georgia Department of Education is taking steps to build parent survey participation and representativeness. How are they doing so? And what are the results so far? Join host Amy Bitterman and her special guests Dominique Donaldson and Carol Sprague to learn more about how Georgia is using data-driven decision making to strengthen the involvement of this all-important stakeholder group.

In a relationship, meeting the parents can be a momentous step. Meeting the parents is momentous in Georgia, too, as the state Department of Education takes its own steps to build parent survey participation and representativeness. How are they doing so? And what are the results so far? Join host Amy Bitterman and her special guests Dominique Donaldson and Carol Sprague to learn more about how Georgia is using data-driven decision making to strengthen the involvement of this all-important stakeholder group.

What does it look like when LEAs turn conversation into action? In Delaware, it starts with time, trust, and a clear plan. In the second installment of this two-part series, host Amy Bitterman continues her conversation with Dale Matusevich, Robert Sabolcik, and Barbara Mazza from the Delaware Department of Education—this time diving into real examples of the impact of the state's data retreats on local data quality. Join us to hear the end of the conversation and discover how collaboration and consistency can transform IDEA data quality, helping to drive meaningful progress for students with disabilities.

What does it really take to build LEA capacity for high-quality IDEA data use? In Delaware, the answer starts with collaboration, communication, and a shared commitment to improving outcomes for all students. In the first of this two-part series, host Amy Bitterman sits down with Dale Matusevich, Robert Sabolcik, and Barbara Mazza from the Delaware Department of Education to explore how their team is reframing data conversations with LEAs, hosting data retreats, and leveraging tools like Power BI to support more meaningful data use and lasting system-wide improvement.

What’s the secret to submitting a high-quality, timely, accurate SPP/APR? Nebraska may have cracked the code. In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman talks with Amy Rhone and Jamie Chambers from the Nebraska Department of Education about their comprehensive SPP/APR Indicator Tracking Sheet, a collaborative tool that transformed how Nebraska’s SPP/APR team communicates and organizes their indicator data to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Join us to discover how Nebraska’s not-so-secret tool has helped them unlock greater accuracy, intentionality, and continuous improvement in their SPP/APR submission.

Illinois. The prairie state. As is the case around the country, state education staff here are working hard to refine and improve their annual LEA determinations process. How are they doing that here in the Land of Lincoln? On our latest episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman sits down with Illinois Special Education Monitoring Lead Kristina Holloway to learn more about how the state developed its own results-driven accountability system, and how, in turn, that system, led Illinois to look beyond compliance toward student progress and data-driven results.

Okay, time for something special. With late summer upon us (and host Amy Bitterman enjoying some well-earned sunshine), it feels like the perfect time for the very first edition of A Date with Data Extra, special episodes of our one-of-a-kind IDC podcast. In our inaugural voyage, we’re taking a look at MOE/CEIS/CCEIS. What do all those letters mean, and what do they mean for you and your state colleagues? Join guest hosts—and IDC TA providers--Audrey Rudick, Kelley Blas, and Kristen DeSalvatore for all the details on this important IDEA data collection. For more information, including dates and times, about IDC’s upcoming Workgroup Series for MOE/CEIS/CCEIS discussed in this special episode, click here.

A hot summer calls for hot topics, and perhaps nothing fits that description better than LEA determinations. With the advent of DMS 2.0 and OSEP’s 2023 General Supervision Q&A, LEA determinations remain a high priority for states and their districts. On this episode of A Date with Data, our own Amy Bitterman sits down with Victoria Glick and Karen Morgan-Donaldson of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to talk about DC’s very own LEA determination system, what it involves, how it’s evolved, and what it’s doing now to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

When it comes to OSEP’s differentiated monitoring and support 2.0 (DMS), there’s no such thing as being too prepared. In the finale of this two-part A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman continues her conversation with the Mississippi Department of Special Education’s Jennifer Boykin and the Bureau of Data and Compliance’s Sharon Coon about this all-important process. What can you expect during your own DMS visit? How can you get ready? And what will all your hard work mean for your state’s IDEA data? Tune in to find out.

Here are some words to live by: It pays to be prepared. As states get ready to take part in OSEP’s differentiated monitoring and support 2.0 (DMS), they might be asking what can we do to prepare for the process? What is DMS 2.0 like? And, crucially, how will our efforts help improve our state’s IDEA data? In part one of this special two-part A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman heads south to the Magnolia State to chat with the Mississippi Department of Special Education’s Jennifer Boykin and the Bureau of Data and Compliance’s Sharon Coon for an up-close look at this all-important process.