The federal reporting requirements for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) require State Education Agencies to submit a six-year State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The plan includes Monitoring Priorities and Indicators. The post-school outcomes data collection indicator (#14) is in the Part B monitoring priority and reads:
14. Percent of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in effect at the time they left school, and were:
- A. Enrolled in higher education within one year of leaving high school.
- B. Enrolled in higher education or competitively employed within one year of leaving high school.
- C. Enrolled in higher education or in some other postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other employment within one year of leaving high school. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B))
States must design a process to collect information on the post-school experiences of former students with disabilities. This indicator is one that allows states to sample. If there is a question, please contact your State Education Agency (SEA) administrator for post-school data.
The tools for collecting, analyzing, and using or reporting Post-School Outcomes data (Indicator 14) below were developed by the National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) and updated and maintained by NTACT:C. These are made available to assist states in developing practical, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable strategies for collecting and using data to improve secondary, transition, and post-secondary outcomes for youth with disabilities.