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A Date with Data

A Date with Data

by IDEA Data

Season 1

Renewed Determinations: Data, Accountability, and Improvement in New York

Each year, all states are required to make LEA determinations. And though certain aspects are required, states have flexibility in how they approach that requirement. For New York, their 2023 DMS findings became a powerful springboard for a comprehensive remaking of the state’s LEA determinations process. But the result was more than a redesigned methodology; it led to new conversations about accountability, support, and continuous improvement statewide. On this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman sits down with New York’s Caralee Kardash and Suzanne Bolling to learn more about the Empire State’s renewed determinations.

Game Plan for Success: North Carolina’s Special Education Team Talks Data Governance

Every winning team effort starts with a solid game plan. Who’s on the floor? What’s each player’s assignment? Most importantly, what’s the goal? When the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction drew up a solid structure for data governance, they made certain to address the details. On this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman goes courtside with Sarah Barton, Tory Lawrence, Khalilah O'Farrow, and Amy Snyder for a glimpse at how this data team turned collaboration and shared leadership into a data quality slam dunk.

Recipe for Success: Iowa’s Data Manager Puts It All Together

LEA determinations. 618 and SPP/APR data analysis. Data processes documentation. These are just a few of the potential responsibilities of being an effective data manager. But how do you mix all these ingredients together in a way that makes sense? What’s a recipe for success for this complex dish? In our latest episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman travels to the Hawkeye State to find out. Join us as she sits down with Melissa Schnurr of the Iowa Department of Education for her insights and experience in combining individual components into a successful and effective whole.

Expanding Their Range: Nevada Scales Up Data Processes

A state known for its majestic mountain ranges, Nevada is certainly no stranger to sky-high achievements. Take, for example, the state’s recent efforts to more thoroughly document its data processes, a journey that also improved communications with LEAs, strengthened cross-office collaboration, and helped build productive relationships between SEA and LEA staff. On this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman joins the Nevada Department of Education’s Katherine Fuselier, Kathryn Butler, and Sheri Haggerty for an uplifting progress update, including the role played by IDC TA providers and our very own SEA Data Processes Toolkit.

Artificial Intelligence, Genuine Results: West Virginia’s Approach to AI

These days, it seems like artificial intelligence is everywhere, but how is it actually being used in special education data work? How are experts in the field applying this new technology to enhance, not replace, subject matter expertise? In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman sits down with Jonathan Shank, Part B data manager at the West Virginia Department of Education, to talk about how the state harnessed AI as a practical tool to support special education data tasks like drafting data notes, analyzing findings, and developing training materials. Now, that’s intelligent.

A Date with Data Extra: On the Case with CASE

From building data literacy to using data more effectively in decision making and beyond, the job of improving local data quality requires many hands. In our newest special episode of A Date with Data Extra, guest host Tammy Williams teams up with Zabrina Cannady of the Council for Administrators of Special Education (CASE) to chat about all the ways IDC and CASE have come together to help special education leaders at the state and local levels strengthen their data and create better outcomes for students with disabilities.

A Disciplined Approach: Strategies for Developing More Meaningful Discipline Data

When it comes to collecting and using discipline data, state staff face a number of important tasks. Foremost, perhaps, is making sure those data accurately reflect the lived experiences of students in the classroom in a way that leads to improved outcomes. So what's our disciplined approach? In this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman is joined by Kent McIntosh, co-director of the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, and IDC’s own Heather Reynolds to talk about strategies for improving the crucial process of collecting, analyzing, reporting, and using high-quality discipline data.

Not Just Numbers: South Carolina’s Student-Centered Data Strategy

These data aren’t just numbers; they’re students. This powerful message from IDC’s Interactive Institute inspired the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) to focus on the quality of their local data. With assistance from IDC, the state planned a two-day retreat where LEA leaders could focus on building their capacity to use and truly understand their data. On this episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman talks with SCDE’s Lisa McCliment and Sandra Garner about the process and the outcomes of helping LEAs spend time understanding their data and the students behind those numbers.

Mass Effect: Supporting LEA Determinations in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a state of firsts. The first public library in the United States. The first university. Even the first public park. It should come as no surprise then that state education staff in the Bay State are hard at work pioneering new solutions to complex LEA Determinations. On this latest episode of A Date with Data, host Amy Bitterman sits down with Jamie Camacho, State Director of Special Education from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Greg Tobey, IDEA Data Supervisor, and David Lowe from SPED Strategies, to discuss the tools and resources the Massachusetts DOE makes available to support districts with this important process.

Parents Matter: Building Parent Survey Participation in Georgia

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.

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