Coming in March 2010 - 4^th Annual Special Education Statewide Parent Survey

In March of 2010, parents of over  27,000 Rhode Island children aged 3 through graduation or age 21 with disabilities will receive the 4^th Annual Special Education Statewide Parent Survey (one per child with an IEP) in accordance with the December 1, 2009 Special Education Census which RIDE collects annually. Please note, however, that the household address utilized for the mailing is obtained from the October Enrollment Census. Therefore it is important to have that data source up to date. The survey will be accompanied by an informational notice jointly issued by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Office for Diverse Learners and the Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN).  

The Office for Diverse Learners conducts the Special Education Statewide Parent Survey in accordance with State Performance Plan (SPP) requirements for Indicator # 8, Parent Involvement. Researched, developed, and published by the National Center for Special Education Accountability Measurement (NCSEAM), this survey is a highly valid and reliable measure of Indicator # 8, defined as the "percentage of parents who report that schools facilitate parent involvement as a means of improving services and results for children with disabilities". Using the NCSEAM School Efforts Scale , the survey annually measures change, with results of the survey informing our efforts at continuous improvement for this target.

The survey is conducted through direct mailing in the four most frequently spoken languages in RI. Parents are asked to respond to 25 questions and are provided with a postage-paid return envelope. Parents are not asked to enter their own or their child's name or any other identifying information. The surveys are strictly confidential. Individual surveys are received and analyzed by the survey firm and are not viewed by schools, districts, RIDE, or RIPIN.