State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education (Page 191 of 277) in pdf

State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 191

Arkansas Department of Education Special Education Unit

Part B State Performance Plan

partners in secondary and postsecondary education while establishing the Arkansas planning priorities

identified these critical activities.

With regard to the movement of students from school to post-school activities, Arkansas has aligned its

definition of competitive employment with the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, to include integrated work

settings in which individuals are working toward competitive work. Additionally, postsecondary education

includes two- and four-year colleges, and continuing and adult education, including technical programs.

Baseline Data for FFY 2004

Not applicable

Discussion of Baseline Data

Report

Measurable and Rigorous Target

Year

Not applicable

FFY 2004

Arkansas has a six-year district sampling plan and is not sampling students. All special

FFY 2005

education students age 14-21 that leave special education for reasons of graduation, dropout, or

reaching maximum age will be surveyed one-year after leaving, based on the sampling plan year

in which the district was identified.

Arkansas has established the last Friday in May as the day to pull student contact information

each year for grades 9-12. A Commissioner’s Memo is released each spring reminding districts

of the special data pull.

The contact information is cross-referenced with the special education module to determine if a

student received special education during the school year. The final contact list for youth with

IEPs is then cross referenced with special education exits. A final list of youth to be surveyed for

districts in the sampling year is compiled in the following February.

Arkansas has continued to have school district consolidations, which have necessitated changes

to the sampling timeline. Districts that were consolidated will be surveyed in the time frame of

the receiving district.

The Special Education Performance Grant at Dawson Education Cooperative will contract with

LifeTrack Services, Inc. to conduct the data collection between April 1, 2007 and June 30, 2007.

The IDEA Data & Research Office will coordinate the collection with LifeTrack and conduct all

analysis.

In 2004-05, Arkansas undertook a pilot survey study of general and special education graduates

in 20 high schools. LifeTrack, Inc., in Spring 2006 conducted the one-year follow-up survey

with a return rate of 83.3%. The composite data reveals that one-year after graduating high

school:

• 29.5% are working full time;

• 30.2% are working part time;

• 3.8% are in the military;

• 39.4% are attending a 4-year college/university;

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State Performance Plan 2005-2012 - Part B - Arkansas Department Of Education Page 191

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