Required RF Tracker Data Collection for Districts with Residential Care and Treatment Facilities within Their Geographic Boundaries and / or Jurisdiction
ACTION REQUIRED
March 28, 2017
TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:
SUBJECT: Required RF Tracker Data Collection for Districts with Residential Care and Treatment Facilities within Their Geographic Boundaries and/or Jurisdiction
The purpose of this letter is to notify local education agencies (LEAs) of timelines 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 a district. In a Texas Education Agency (TEA) letter dated October 12, 2016, districts were informed that, during the 2016-2017 program year, districts would continue to use the RF Tracker data collection system to enter data from RF districts. Districts must complete the 2016-2017 data collection no later than June 12, 2017.
LEAs that are required to complete the data collection can request access to the RF Tracker application through the Texas Education Agency Secure Environment (TEASE) by completing an on-line request form. Instructions for establishing access are available on the TEA website at http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/Other_Services/Secure_Applications/TEA__Secure_Applications_Information/. LEA users who work within a shared services arrangement (SSA) and need access to the application on behalf of more than one LEA must submit a PDF application. The SSA application can downloaded from the TEA website link referenced above. Once TEASE access has been established, the RF Tracker application can be accessed at the following link: http://tea.texas.gov/index4.aspx?id=25769818165. LEAs that need additional information about TEASE access can contact their education service center (ESC) monitoring contact and/or may review a list of frequently asked questions on the TEA website at http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=2147505234.
For those districts with residential care and treatment facilities within their boundaries or jurisdiction, in which students with disabilities have resided during the 2016-2017 school year, the due date for the completion of the RF Tracker data collection is June 12, 2017. However, the end-of-year date for districts reporting that students with disabilities reside in an RF is on or before May 12, 2017. Additional guidance regarding completion of the RF Tracker data collection, including an RF Tracker Guidance Document and a Helpful Hints document that provides information on data documentation, data definitions, and use of the system, is available under the Special Education-Residential Facilities Monitoring website at http://tea.texas.gov/pmi/SPEDRFmonitoring. If you need assistance completing the RF Tracker data collection, please communicate with your ESC monitoring or special education contact at the phone numbers available from the TEA website at tea.state.tx.us/regional_services/esc, or you may contact the Division of School Improvement at SIdivision@tea.texas.gov or (512) 463-5226.
We appreciate your ongoing assistance with the RF Tracker data collection process. If you have questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact the Division of School Improvement at (512) 463-5226 or by email at SIdivision@tea.texas.gov.
Sincerely,
C. Lizette Ridgeway
Director, Division of School Improvement
cc: ESC Executive Directors
ESC Special Education and RF Monitoring Contacts