Do We Have all the Workers?Strategies for Gaining Representativeness

Loujeania W. Bost, Ph.D.NDPC-SD

&Deanne Unruh, Ph.D.

NPSO

State Planning Institute Charlotte, NC May 2008

Session Overview

• Importance of representativeness

• Brief overview of strategies

• State-to-state sharing of strategies to increase response rates

• Rating of strategies

Indicator 14:

• Percent of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in secondary school and who are competitively employed, enrolled in some type of postsecondary school, or both, within one-year of leaving high school. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a) (3) (B))

Findings from state data collection efforts are used to:

Report at the national, state, and local levels through the State Performance Plan/Annual Progress Report (SPP/APR)

Guide and improve transition services delivered to transition age youth with disabilities

What is representativeness?

• A measure of whether the sample or respondent group are similar to the target population on key characteristics.

• Suggested rate is +/- 3 percent

• Key characteristics for Indicator 14 include:– Disability type– Ethnicity/race– Gender– Exit status

Why is representativeness important?

• Ensures those that data were collected on are similar to the larger target population

• More confidence can be placed on decisions made from the data to improve PSO outcomes.

• OSEP requires states to report it on – Disability type– Ethnicity/race– Gender

What sub-groups typically are under represented?

• Dropout/early leavers

• Youth with emotional/behavioral disorders

• Low incidence disability types

• Some states have found a low representation in their Native population

Strategies to improve response rates of hard-to-find youth

• In-school (pre-exit) strategies

– Have LEAs maintain current contact information & update biannually.

– Encourage LEAs to recheck fall enrollments annually for students who may have returned to school.

– Collect multiple contacts at pre-exit survey (cell, e-mail, family Ph. Numbers)

– Update student contact information at Summary of Performance review

Strategies to improve response rates of hard-to-find youth

• Post-school (pre-exit) strategies:

– Use multiple data sources (e.g., parents) as respondents to survey

– Use multiple methods of data collection (e.g., phone, e-mail)

– Make survey user-friendly (visually appealing & easy to complete)

– Send “heads up” letter to youth & families before administrating survey

– Attempt to locate students via the Department of Motor Vehicles

– Go where students are: locate them at their favorite places

Strategies to improve response rates of hard-to-find youth

• MORE Post-school (pre-exit) strategies:

– “Google” students: A high percentage of students can be found at www.myspace.com and www.classmates.com

– Pay students to keep in touch– After students leave, send a written correspondence

(e.g., birthday card) every 6 months. (the P.O. will inform you of forwarding addresses.

– Send postcard with forward service or change of address request

– Ensure interviewers are culturally & linguistically appropriate.

– Learn from the “stars”: Query districts that have high response rates for what they do.

What strategies has your State used?

• Ones from the list?

• Other ones?

How well did they work?

Rate these Strategies

• Feasibility/Doability – Think of resource cost (time/$$)

• Ease of implementation– How easy is it?

• Likelihood of increasing response rate

QUESTIONS?