About the Survey

Students to be Surveyed
All students, aged 14 and older, reported by LEAs (traditional school districts and charter schools) to have received special education services, who exited the school system during the 2005-06 school year or who were expected to return to school for the 2006-07 school year but did not. All leavers in all LEAs will be surveyed annually.

Data Source
Exit data, as submitted to USOE by Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Data include: student name; student birth date; student or parent telephone number; student disability based on special education eligibility; student ethnicity; and type of exit (graduated with diploma, reached maximum age, dropped out). Students who dropped out will include those who were expected to return to school for the current year but did not. USOE will provide MPRRC a data-base containing the name, birth date, last known telephone number, disability (based on special education disability eligibility), ethnicity, LEA, and type of exit for each student to be contacted.

Data Collection System
Using an on-line website, the USOE-developed telephone interview survey will be administered to every available student, 14 years of age and older, who exited the school system through graduation with a diploma, reaching maximum age, dropping out during the previous school year, or who were expected to return to school but did not for the current school year.

MPRRC will develop training materials and methods, and train a team of surveyors. Training will include confidentiality training, with surveyors signing a confidentiality statement.

Interview data will be collected between April 1, 2007 and September 30, 2007, inclusive. Surveyors will attempt to contact a representative sample of students who exited during the previous school year (approximately 1600 students).

Data analysis and reporting will be submitted to the USOE by December 1, 2007, and will include:

• Aggregated statewide data
• Disaggregated LEA data
• Disaggregated LEA data, aggregating LEAs with small numbers of students exiting during previous year (N size to be determined)
• Final report will contain:
• Description of data collection procedures, including selection and training of surveyors
• Data reported in table and narrative form organized in following order:
• Employment
• Type of exit
• Disability category
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Education
• Type of exit
• Disability category
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Living Arrangements
• Type of exit
• Disability category
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Agency Involvement
• Type of exit
• Disability category
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Data reported in three sections
• State aggregate
• LEA disaggregate
• LEA disaggregate, aggregating LEAs with fewer than 30 students exiting previous year
• Accountability for contacts/attempts to contact, including:
• Number of surveys completed
• With student
• With parent or other family member
• Number of contacts attempted but not completed
• Reasons for non-completion of contact
• Contact criteria:
• Surveyors will conduct interview with student if possible.
• If student is under age 18, surveyor will conduct interview with student and parent on phone, or if that is not possible, with parent/guardian.
• Surveyors will make a maximum of three attempts to contact student.
• Surveyor will follow written procedures for introduction of survey.
• Surveyor will record reason for incomplete survey.
• Survey responses will be entered into database.