Required RF Tracker Data Collection for Local Education Agencies with Residential Care and Treatment (2017-18))

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October 12, 2017

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

The purpose of this letter is to notify local education agencies (LEAs) of timelines related to the required 2017-2018 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. Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff continue to work toward data elements being added to the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) in order to be able to identify these students and facilities throughout the state.  Until such time that this can be accomplished, LEAs have the ongoing obligation to enter data into the RF Tracker data collection system, which is now open for 2017-2018 data entry. 

As part of the efforts to implement the provisions of Senate Bill 1, General Appropriations Act, Rider 70, the TEA reduced the required data collection to facility and basic student information related to the provision of special education and related services to students with disabilities who reside in RFs within an LEA’s boundaries or jurisdiction.Each LEA with an RF within its boundaries or jurisdiction in which students with disabilities reside, must complete the data collection.Other LEAs are not required to complete the data collection.Serving students with disabilities who reside in RFs is a function of an LEA’s overall special education program. LEAs assigned an intervention stage for their special education program must analyze data for each PBMAS indicator with a PL of 2, 3, or 4, and/or area(s) of noncompliance of a federally-required element proportionally inclusive of RF student data.

For RF Tracker reporting purposes, an RF is a facility that provides 24-hour custody or care of students 22 years of age or younger that reside in the facility for detention, treatment, foster care, or any non-educational purpose. This does not include traditional foster homes licensed by the Department of Family and Protective Services as Foster Family-Homes (independent). Also for RF Tracker reporting purposes, an RF student is a student with disabilities who lives in an RF.

The Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) provides a secure gateway to log in to TEA web applications. This portal allows you to request secure access to TEA applications and manage your user account information. The RF Tracker application will migrate to TEAL on December 15, 2017. LEAs that are required to complete the RF student data collection must have a valid TEAL account and that account must be linked to TEASE, to continue using RF Tracker after December 15, 2017. If you already have a TEAL account and your TEASE and TEAL accounts are linked, you may safely ignore this message. Otherwise, LEAs that are required to complete the RF student data collection will need to register for a TEAL account, then link to TEASE by following the directions provided in the TEAL Self-service Menu. LEA users who work within a shared services arrangement (SSA), and need access to more than one LEA within the RF Tracker application, must complete a SSA application in addition to completing an online request for access.

For LEAs that are reporting data into the RF Tracker application for the first time during the
2017-2018 school year, guidance regarding completion of RF Tracker data can be found in two documents, the RF Tracker Guidance Document and a Helpful Hints document, located on the Special Education RF Intervention Guidance and Resources webpage. These documents provide information on data documentation, data definitions, and use of the RF Tracker data collection system.

LEAs that entered data into the RF Tracker data collection system during the 2016-2017 program year will see that data rolled forward into the 2017-2018 application. The purpose of this rollover is to decrease data entry obligations for LEAs. However, it is important that LEAs review all the data that has been rolled forward into the 2017-2018 program year and revise it as necessary to reflect accurate current information.

For LEAs with residential care and treatment facilities within their boundaries or jurisdiction,
a due date of November 17, 2017, has been established for updating RF
Tracker data to reflect the current status of each RF student and residential facility. After November 17, 2017, the RF Tracker system will remain open for data entry, and LEAs will be responsible for maintaining current and accurate records in the system.

Additional correspondence related to the end-of-year due date for the completion of 2017-2018 RF Tracker data will be disseminated to LEAs in the spring of 2018.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.

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 by phone 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