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A Microsoft Word version of this letter is available for download
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ACTION REQUIRED 2009 - 2010 April 8, 2010 TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED: SUBJECT: Required RF Tracker Data Collection for Local Education Agencies with Residential Care and Treatment Facilities within Their Geographic Boundaries and/or Jurisdiction and Request for Financial Assistance The purpose of this letter is to notify local education agencies (LEAs) of timelines and funding opportunities related to the required collection of data for students with disabilities who reside in residential care and treatment facilities (RFs) within the geographic boundaries or jurisdiction of an LEA. In a letter dated April 24, 2006, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) notified LEAs that the RF Tracker system would be used to collect data related to the provision of special education and related services to students with disabilities who reside in RFs and that LEAs would be required to report on RF students and staff in the fall and spring of each school year and/or upon the enrollment and withdrawal of an RF student with disabilities in the LEA. In a TEA letter dated September 29, 2009, LEAs again were informed that, during the 2009-2010 program year, the TEA would continue to use the RF Tracker data collection system to gather data on an ongoing basis from RF LEAs. LEAs have continued the RF Tracker data entry process during the 2009-2010 school year, and each RF LEA must complete the 2009-2010 data collection no later than June 4, 2010. LEAs that are required to complete the data collection can access RF Tracker through the For those LEAs with residential care and treatment facilities within their boundaries or jurisdiction in which students with disabilities have resided in 2009-2010, the due date for the completion of the RF Tracker data collection is June 4, 2010. For the purposes of the 2009-2010 data collection, LEAs will report on students with disabilities residing in an RF on or before May 21, 2010. Additional guidance regarding completion of the RF Tracker data collection, including an RF Tracker Guidance Document and the Helpful Hints document that provides information on data documentation, data definitions, and use of the system, is available on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/pmi/rfmon. If you need assistance completing the RF Tracker data collection, you may contact your ESC monitoring or special education contact at the phone numbers available from the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ESC/, or you may call the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions, RF monitoring unit, at (512) 463-5226. Data collected in the RF Tracker system will continue to be used by the TEA in the evaluation of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Federal regulations released in April 2007 only allow exceptions to the federal cap on alternate assessment results for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities for AYP purposes. LEAs that register facilities in RF Tracker will be eligible for an exception to the 1% cap on the proficient results from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills-Alternate (TAKS-Alt) in the 2010 AYP performance calculations. No separate exception application needs to be filled out for LEAs registered through RF Tracker. Please refer to the 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Guide, available in June 2010, for more information on exceptions in AYP. General information on the 2010 AYP calculations, federal cap limits, and exceptions may be found on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ayp/. LEAs that incur financial hardship related to the RF Tracker data collection may request financial assistance from the TEA to reimburse RF Tracker costs. The TEA has posted a Request for Funds to Assist with the RF Tracker Data Collection form to the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/pmi/rfmon. For the 2009-2010 school year, LEAs may request reimbursement at a rate not to exceed $10.00 per student entered into the RF Tracker system during the 2009-2010 school year. The TEA will review requests and verify requested amounts before approval is granted. An LEA must be eligible to and claim at least $240 before a request for reimbursement will be processed by the TEA. LEAs may contact their ESC RF Tracker funding contact for information regarding RF Tracker reimbursement funds. A list of ESC RF Tracker funding contacts is available on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/pmi/rfmon. An LEA must complete the RF Tracker reimbursement request form and submit it to the RF Tracker funding contact at the regional ESC no later than June 4, 2010. The TEA has established a maximum statewide allocation to support the reimbursement of RF Tracker data collection costs. Should the total requests for reimbursement by LEAs exceed the budgeted amount available at the state level, it may be necessary for the TEA to adjust an LEA’s approved reimbursement to an amount less than $10.00 per student. Should an adjustment be necessary, it will be implemented equally for all LEAs that request reimbursement. We appreciate your assistance with this data collection. If you have questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact Gaynel Roberts or Judy Struve in the Division of Program Monitoring and Interventions at (512) 463-5226. Sincerely, Laura Taylor LT:JS:aw cc: ESC Monitoring Contacts  |
