20-21 December Count Collection

General Overview

Purpose of December Count

File Overview

SPED EOY Collection Process

Timelines and Deadlines

• Purpose, Required Files, and Collection Differences

• Child File• Participation File

Step 1: Collection Prep Step 4: Resolve Errors

Step 2: Collect Data Step 5: Certify*

Step 3: Submit to CSI *Certification process covered in another training module

Purpose of December Count CollectionThe December Count collections purpose is to accurately record data about students with IEPs as of December 1st so that schools may receive appropriate funding and resources to best support their education and services. This information is used for:

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• Funding for special education students• EDFacts • Report on educator effectiveness • Medicaid • Draw random samples for parent survey • Compliance record review • Monitoring

• Provide information regarding the fiscal impacts of the numbers

• Indicator reporting • Public reporting • Legislature requests • Research requests • Consultant analysis to support technical

assistance needs in the state

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Required Files

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Child ParticipationSnapshot

Child Overview

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The purpose of the Child File is to capture and verify the attributes of students with disabilities while he/she attended your AU at any point during the current reporting period.

Dependencies • Student has been assigned a SASID and the information must match what

is in RITS (i.e. Name, Date of Birth, Gender)• A record with the students same SASID and LASID combination must also

be included on the Participation File.

Record Exception• One record must be submitted for any student who was referred, evaluated,

and/or received special education services at any point during the current reporting period.

Participation Overview

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The Special Education Participation File contains data related to the student’s participation in special education, important dates, services received, and the staff who are working with them.

Dependencies -Student has been assigned a SASID and the information must match what is in RITS (i.e. Name, Date of Birth, Gender)-A record with the students same SASID and LASID combination must also be included on the Child File.-School Code and Grade Level will come from the Student School Association file when the December Count snapshot is created.-Student also are being served as of December 1st.

Record Exception- One record must be submitted for any student who was referred, evaluated, and/or received special education services at any point during the current reporting period.

File Layout Updates for 20-21

• Educational Environment - This field was modified so that all students who are age 5 and in Kindergarten should now be reported with codes 301-208 (ages 5-21). Previously they were coded with a 204-212 (ages 3-5).

• Delay Coding with COVID and Remote Learning- Code 61 – Not Valid – COVID-19 School Closure was added to accommodate any students where testing began but was not completed prior to going remote. Schools are still encouraged to use delay code 45 if at all possible as it is considered valid.

• Participation Delay Code – CDE has removed Path 2 Delay Code 57 - Referral Received by AU with less than 60 days before the child's 3rd Birthday. Most students at CSI schools are not Path 2, so change will not impact most schools.

For further details, see the December Count– New This Year Training

December Count and HR Collection Files

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SPED Child

SPED Participation

December Count

Snapshot

Staff Profile

Staff Assignment

Human Resource Snapshot

**December Count contacts are responsible for resolving Level 1 and Level 2 DC errors IN CONJUNCTION WITH working with the Human Resources Staff to Clear Level 2 Staff errors.**

Across Collection CollaborationSchool SPED Staff must collaborate with the Human Resources Staff at your school completing December Count. This is due to:

• December Count errors may require changes to either the SP or SA files to resolve

• Involves inconsistencies with data entered by HR Staff, including:

• SPED Flag• Grade Levels Taught• FTE and Funding Source issues

Be sure you are reaching out to your schools HR Staff to inquire about any cross-collection errors that may have occurred

9Available in the Data Submissions Handbook

Criteria for Staff Addition to the December Count Snapshot vs. HR Snapshot

Files must be Level 1 Error FreeSpecial Education Flag = 0 (Non-Special Education)Start date is December 1st or prior to December 1st of reporting school yearEnd Date is either blank or post December 1st of the reporting school yearJob class codes are not equal to 632 (Temporary/Part-time Worker As Needed) or 634 (Student Worker)Employment Status Code = 11, 12, 13, 23, 25 or 26EDID is reported in both Staff Profile and Staff Assignment Association files for reporting district.

Files must be Level 1 Error FreeSpecial Education Flag = 1Start date is December 1st or prior to December 1st of reporting school yearEnd Date is either blank or post December 1st of the reporting school yearEDID is reported in both Staff Profile (Profile and educational background) and Staff Assignment Association files for reporting district.Employment Status Codes will be included: 11, 12, 13, 23, 25 or 26.Administrative Unit code cannot zero-filled in either staff profile or staff assignment files

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Human Resources December Count

Difference Between December Count and SPED EOY

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December Count•This collection is an annual count of eligible Special Education students as of December 1st used to generate funding to provide for specialized student services.•Includes Special Education Staff data employed as of December 1st.

SPED End of Year•Collects data on students who were referred, evaluated, or received Special Education services throughout the yes•Information on exits from Special Education, Part C evaluations and services received.

Although the files collected are the same, the DC and SPED EOY look at very different information

December Count Collection Process

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DC Data Collection in 5 Steps

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Repeat steps 2-4 until data is complete and accurate!

Step 1: Collection Prep Resources

141. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry

and Review3. Submit to

CSI4. Resolve

Errors 5. Certify

https://resources.csi.state.co.us/december-count/

Step 1: Collection Prep Trainings

151. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

https://resources.csi.state.co.us/december-count/

Step 2: Data Collection/Entry

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What Data to Collect

Resources Utilized:•File Layout and Definition Documents•Data Validations for SPED Collections Resource•Participation File Coding Scenarios•Alpine and Infinite Campus Crosswalks

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

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File Layout and Definition Documents – CSI Additions

171. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Using File Layout and Definition Documents Example

181. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

• Upon receiving your first error report, you notice that all the students do not have the correct number of Special Education Hours per Week based on the SE358 error you are receiving.

• You know the number of hours each student receives on a weekly basis but are unsure how to code them. Use the Participation File Layout!

• Upon review of the File Layout, you notice that the Hours of Special Education Service per Week contains a table that will guide you to code correctly as it contains 4 digits and an implied decimal!

Data Validation Strategies Checklist for DC Collection

19https://resources.csi.state.co.us/data-validation-strategies-checklist-child-and-participation-special-education-sped/

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Data Validation Strategies Example

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Scenario: You are unsure of the correct coding for District of Residence, District of Parents Residence, and State of Parents Residence as they all are similar fields. Use the Data Validation Strategies!

Based on this information, you know that:•District of Students Residence and District of Parents Residence must be completed and match•The State of Parents Residence should be zero filled if District of Parents Residence is completed to avoid errors•A great reminder to also check that all students have at least one Race selected

For more guidance on finding District of Residence, navigate to the following resource:https://resources.csi.state.co.us/guidance-on-finding-district-of-residence/

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Participation File Coding Scenarios

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https://resources.csi.state.co.us/participation-file-coding-scenarios/

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Participation File Coding Scenarios Example

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• You are new to working with Special Education data and don’t know the correct fields to input for a new student who is receiving an initial evaluation, was determined eligible, and began receiving services (compared to a returning student). Use the Participation Coding Scenarios!

•Based on this information, you know that:•Initial evaluations that are eligible always receive an 03 – SPED Part C Referral and 02 for Eligibility and Services•Initial evaluations need to have Path 3 Dates completed for all CSI schools (Paths 1 and 2 zero filled)•The Primary Disability Field is required for all Special Education students along with an 04 in Pupil Attendance•Other required fields include Service Provider EDIDs, Funding Status, Hours Per Week and Start Date of SPED

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Where should Data be Entered for December Count?

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• Plan Management System (Infinite Campus)

• Alpine Achievement• Enrich

December Count/Special Education End of YearAlpine Achievement - Beginning of the Year SetupInfinite Campus - IEP Development [Campus Community login required]

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Alpine and Infinite Campus Crosswalks

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https://resources.csi.state.co.us/infinite-campus-and-sped-collection-crosswalk/https://resources.csi.state.co.us/alpine-sped-data-collection-crosswalk/

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Example of Using the Crosswalk

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• You are working on adding information into Alpine and need to enter the SPED Hours Per Week for students but are unsure on where to find this field. The Alpine Crosswalk will be a great resource!

•Based on this information, you know that:•This field is located within Section 13 of the IEP in Alpine under the subheading of Frequency of DIRECT Special Education/Related Services.

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Step 3: Submission to CSI –File Extract

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Extract data from the plan management system:

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Alpine Achievement Extracting the Child and Participation file process

Infinite Campus – Campus CommunityIEP Child and IEP Participation guides

Alpine Tip – Keep Option

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As you are extracting your files, please note: Step 2 in Alpine provides schools the opportunity to “Keep” students or exclude them from Steps 3 and 4 if you do not need to report them (see column G in Step 2)

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Infinite Campus – State Exclude Option

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Infinite Campus has a similar option in terms of excluding a student on their specific enrollment page. Check the “State Exclude” box

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Step 3: Submission to CSI

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Correct Naming of FilesSchool Code, School name/abbreviation, interchange type, and date

Examples:8821TRCSChild102220203326CILAParticipation11232020

• Files should not contain any spaces in order to upload to the data pipeline

• Ensure you are uploading them to the correct folder in FileZilla. It should be:

• FileZilla>December Count>SY 20-21>Files to Run

• Email the submissions inbox (Submissions_CSI@csi.state.co.us) once file is available to process

1. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

• Submit files in FileZilla

Step 4: Error Resolution

• Once submitted, CSI will process the files in the Data Pipeline and extract error reports.

• All Level 1 and 2 Error Reports will be available in the Error Reports folder at the following path:

• Submissions/December Count/SY 20-21/Error Reports

• Transfer these reports from the remote site in FileZilla directly to a created folder on your computer similar to the process described above, but in reverse.

Troubleshooting Errors

311. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

https://resources.csi.state.co.us/troubleshooting-errors/

Review the Child, Participation, Level 2 Staff, and Level 2 Student Reports for Guidance!

Step 4: Error Resolution Example

321. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

Your first Level 2 Student Error Report shows several DC128 error related to both the District of Parents Residence and State of Parents Residence being zero filled. You are unsure the best process to code both fields and clear the error.

To assist with this, use the Troubleshooting errors document! The additional troubleshooting notes show:

Based on this, you now know that the District of Parents Residence must be completed with the State of Parents Residence, zero filled. Also, to assist with determining which District to code a link is provided as 8001 should not be used.

Step 5: Data Review

Summary/certification report will be provided once error free

Steps to Complete:

1. Review each tab thoroughly to determine accuracy of data2. If accurate, ensure all applicable parties (below) have signed and return scanned

version of the signed Certification tab to CSI• School Leader, Data Submissions Coordinator, HR Contact, and the SPED Contact

3. If errors are found, modify most recent error free files or reach out to CSI for assistance

4. Changes will be uploaded to the Data Pipeline and a new summary report provided5. Once data is accurate, sign and return prior to the due date.

331. Collection Prep 2. Data Entry and Review

3. Submit to CSI

4. Resolve Errors 5. Certify

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Special Education ExitsEnsure you are completing the Exit Date and Basis of Exit fields anytime a student exits Special Education. New files should be submitted and match what is being reported in the Student Interchange (OC, EOY).

Update the Additional State Reporting fields in Alpine and the Special Ed fields in PowerSchool

Update the IEP Exit fields and the Enrollment Special Ed Fields in Infinite Campus

Timelines and Deadlines

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SPED EOY Timelines and Deadlines

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Deadline Task

10/30/2020 Submit initial files (Child, Participation)

11/19/2020 Schools must have all Level 1 (Child/Participation) errors cleared

01/14/2021 Schools must have all Level 2 (HR and December Count-Staff) errors cleared

Second week of Jan* CSI will provide Data Summary Reports to schools

1/25/2021** Submit Signed Certification Agreements to CSI

*Dependent upon all schools clearing errors by specified deadlines**Any requests for changes must be received by CSI on or before 1/22/2021

Thank you for Reviewing this Training

Contact the Submissions Inbox with Questions:Submissions_CSI@csi.state.co.us

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