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Response rate and representativeness are important terms in survey work.  Consideration of both is necessary to ensure that collected data are valid and generalizable.  This resource briefly defines and compares the terms while also explaining how they relate to nonresponse bias. 

States are allowed to use sampling for collecting data for select Part B State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report indicators. Sampling can provide an effective means for targeting resources for data collection and improving data quality. However, there are important requirements that states must consider when designing and implementing their sampling plans. States can use this interactive self-assessment tool to determine whether their state’s sampling plan addresses Office of Special Education Programs sampling requirements for best practice and to identify action steps to improve their sampling procedures.

Episode 32

Release Date: September 14, 2023

Guests: Alissa Trollinger, Arizona State Director of Special Education, and Leah Voorhies, Utah State Director of Special Education

Canyons, plateaus, the Colorado River, good data. These are just some of the things that neighboring Arizona and Utah have in common. Host Amy Bitterman packs her bags and heads west to take it all in with guests Arizona State Director of Special Education Alissa Trollinger and her northerly neighbor Utah State Director of Special Education Leah Voorhies. Join us for a neighborly chat about these states’ data-quality landscapes.

Episode 33

Release Date: September 28, 2023

Guests: Alissa Trollinger, Arizona State Director of Special Education, and Leah Voorhies, Utah State Director of Special Education

Deep canyons. Soaring mountains. Red rocks. Neighboring Utah and Arizona have plenty of landscape in common, but what about their data landscape? What role does data play in their state initiatives and priorities now and in the future? On this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman takes it all in as she concludes her conversation with guests Arizona State Director of Special Education Alissa Trollinger and Utah State Director of Special Education Leah Voorhies. Don't miss part two of our guided tour through these states’ epic data quality landscapes.

Episode 34

Release Date: October 10, 2023

Guests: Angela Vaughn, Assistant Director of Monitoring and Compliance, Indiana Department of Education

One thing we appreciate: A good friend who has our back, keeps us on the right track. In the Indiana Department of Education, that’s Angela Vaughn, Assistant Director of Monitoring and Compliance. In that role, Angela helps oversee her state’s annual LEA determination process, and, in her role, host Amy Bitterman is eager to learn more. Join us for this week’s A Date with Data where Angela describes how she and her office help Indiana LEAs use data elements and apply criteria to the determination categories to satisfy this important, and mandatory, process.

Episode 35

Release Date: October 26, 2023

Guests: Jack Brimhall, Interim Associate Director of the state’s Special Education Division, and Kishaun Thorntona, Education Program Consultant

In a state the size of California, implementing systems for change requires a whole lot of teamwork. In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman heads to the left coast to find out how Jack Brimhall, Interim Associate Director of the state’s Special Education Division, and Kishaun Thorntona, Education Program Consultant, team up with local districts to address issues of significant disproportionality with robust data and a model system for monitoring and tracking progress. Tune in to see how these golden state warriors are getting it done.

States will find our IDEA Assessment Data Display Tool for SPP/APR Indicator 3 a great help as they prepare SEA-level data for submission via EDPass. This resource will help them to see how data may appear in the SPP/APR. States can review their current year's data for Indicators 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D using EDFacts files FS175, FS178, FS185, and FS188.