[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6688099,"mediaKeyId","2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2","parentId",2170713,"title","USBE will replace RDA with Annual Performance Determinations; several special‑education metrics revised","audioSeconds",1187,"startMs",5990000,"endMs",7177000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2&start=5990&end=7177","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2/thumbnail_5990000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6688099/Utah/USBE-will-replace-RDA-with-Annual-Performance-Determinations-several-specialeducation-metrics-revised","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688099-21c5e4933f542c0a1fffa5328216f0c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146288&Signature=BAc2e09qv~yZdzBaUdMf7bmw~heKsM45L23I6wIKCpfE-MlzeU3pRpLAhFTHpCqVQbFy6pzh046K3zGfamhA8-rHLLqvSZ7A0FWsroSXx1dZMhfdbyoj6n3QFFRLvZ1HdOGQY~2TWLmiWAtWopPMkTUAU9JYFTP8ZEl8TlIvT-X6zhk-GhpqoU9RE5S9PE-vj08TCQgB3K1rthXbWkQT3tEzSlONoZnkmv0sPCvZxdwNBpweynQBzh0cPXLz4y9~bg1AcH8hQbk3F~RgnSboLkZbn3-uxWEUMxKCmDN~RtKhCABbYlpE~4aAGimDd9zX8bGjk5HkeGup~atUjIm6VA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-31T01:02:35.15Z","article","Utah special education staff described a change to how the state will make determinations for LEAs under IDEA: Results Driven Accountability (RDA) will be replaced with an Annual Performance Determination (APD) process that uses fewer OSEP indicators and adds more actionable measures.

Malia (staff member) explained OSEP requires states to make determinations about how well they implement IDEA and that states must also make determinations for LEAs. As part of APD, Utah will continue to submit required EDFacts indicator data but will no longer use every historical indicator in RDA. Instead, the state will focus on measures OSEP mandates and other measures the state believes are more actionable for LEAs.

Major measurement changes explained
- Assessment measures: The state will continue to use proficiency measures for students with disabilities on regular (3B) and alternate (3C) assessments but will expand to use Median Growth Percentiles (MGPs) for grades 4–10 across all grades to capture growth as well as proficiency. The state will also use participation measures across grades 3–10 to reduce low‑size problems for small LEAs.
- Nonparticipation reasons: A new measure will examine assessment nonparticipation categories (absent, opted out, unknown, other) and compare each LEA to the statewide mean and standard deviation; LEAs exceeding the mean by more than one standard deviation in a category will score poorly on this measure.
- Dropout: Utah will move from EDFacts indicator 2 to an event (single‑year) dropout rate for students with disabilities in grades 7–12; this uses a denominator of enrolled students in grades 7–12 rather than only students exiting special education, which staff said makes the measure easier to understand and fairer for many LEAs.
- Graduation: The state will use the four‑year cohort graduation rate for students with disabilities (including alternate diplomas in the numerator) instead of OSEP indicator 1, which is based on the EDFacts exit file.

What LEAs will receive
Malia said LEAs will receive an APD letter in February that details each measure and the data used; special education directors often ask LEA data teams to dig into the underlying student data and may request assistance from LEA SIS staff to verify calculations and prepare improvement plans.

Why it matters: The changes aim to use measures that are more actionable for LEAs (growth, clearer dropout/graduation calculations, and clearer participation analysis). LEAs should expect requests to review data behind APD measures when letters are issued in February.

Ending: Staff said LEAs should contact Malia or Emily Nordfeldt with questions when their APD letters arrive and noted that updated APD materials and measure definitions will be posted with the determination letters.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jan 2025 LEA Data Mtg","oneSentenceSummary","State special education staff described a new Annual Performance Determination (APD) process that replaces Results Driven Accountability (RDA), and explained changes to the indicators the state will use, including assessment growth measures, event dropout rates and four‑year cohort graduation rates for students with disabilities.","taxTitle","Utah State Board of Education, Utah Government Divisions, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",7925,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6688102,"USIMS team outlines student achievement \"backpack,\" APIs and SIS vendor engagement",845,4725000,5570000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2&start=4725&end=5570","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2/thumbnail_4725000.jpg","/articles/6688102/Utah/USIMS-team-outlines-student-achievement-backpack-APIs-and-SIS-vendor-engagement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688102-150ffe141fa3ae329e01c947e38b9311/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146288&Signature=gGZFp15M2sKRl0wwJ4JSzqMMYT7eEo40wOhkQUsvp1TvxmMpPU5GK6sNzYp3aLWT0JhqMvp3QCPWdYKIdZpHkjweBO1n4Ptt7ZYLV-PbIHFhwuSD6PRXJ-iSIb~V5R9uq5A1fIVn4BIxO9PeDRYiRDN0qPn3I4tIpZo1ZY3LMvGPmoRsnydEYLe7D0HGF1lqXodGEx65YPHafMYf3c3n4mFPkm2UzBvDA1nEkMuJBtGqvFzCzOQTYG0IyOi~R5236cI1cUnvN1QzTR2flxvIGzKNdTDzwNtFMO4SwLeAPaOemdeIsOkR2mhcHx24rzQ3L0kSnj5hhPRPVHU6fFPK8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Katrina Brinkley, chief product owner and program manager for USIMS, and Mark Waddupps, product owner for the student domain, presented an update on Utah’s USIMS (Utah School Information Management Structure) student achievement backpack and related APIs.

What the backpack does
Mark explained the backpack is a learner‑profile approach intended to make key student data (attendance summaries, assessment scores and select demographics) follow a student when they move between LEAs or SIS systems. The goal is to reduce delays that occur when cumulative files or manual transfers are requested, and give LEAs immediate access to a student's historical assessment and attendance data.

Progress and available endpoints
Mark said the team has delivered a summative attendance endpoint and that assessment scores (RISE and Aspire Plus) will be exposed via ED‑Fi formatted APIs. The current focus is on the past year for initial delivery, with plans to add historical records where available and to expand datasets (including special education data and growth measures) over time. He invited LEA technical staff to participate in the student focus working group and to test the endpoints.

SIS vendor engagement and security
Katrina summarized meetings with SIS vendors and said the team will hold developer‑facing sessions to present new field requirements (including the S5 fields discussed earlier) and to coordinate timelines. The team is preparing documentation and a token/secret management system so LEAs can obtain secure credentials (tokens) for API access. Vendors that are ED‑Fi certified (for example, PowerSchool and Skyward) may experience a lower integration burden; other vendors will need additional work.

Why it matters: Immediate access to attendance and assessment data can reduce administrative delays when students transfer and can help LEAs better match students to programs. The team plans more documentation and test data for LEAs and vendor partners.

Ending: The USIMS team invited LEA and vendor technical staff to join working groups and to test forthcoming API endpoints; they said more documentation will be released to LEAs in the coming weeks.","USIMS staff described progress on a student achievement 'backpack' to let student records and assessment scores follow learners across LEAs, published API endpoints for attendance and assessments, and plans to engage SIS vendors for technical integration.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6688108,"Utah to make address validations fatal in data collector; districts urged to fix invalid addresses",716,3944000,4660000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2&start=3944&end=4660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2/thumbnail_3944000.jpg","/articles/6688108/Utah/Utah-to-make-address-validations-fatal-in-data-collector-districts-urged-to-fix-invalid-addresses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688108-8b1c2875293bdbea0d2bc1bca5942700/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146288&Signature=Qwdkdd3qPzDTKEcTq9EeYOltl1MTF7X1kvMLCImkfgJLjj8HmVe~fOH~Rwn5A~1PC4lynmjWZu68cyswBbCtvaT8iRMdU3Q8kcZWhcuiqPz3w6DCVDhrLEHDFF9X6~spePS8RhHt6TRKi49aMqvQaMHGUooEUNibVzw87n-y1-2jCyfzz4WUTp4Bx1noxpgoCeRLk6my~DW~55ds~5kVWVQWtA7XJ98DElHS65lmLMuZXiqh2jBbV77zT4hpv-MzT6HSlQvU4sP7QJJmiTRnQE5n80v~W4dqQ4-JLd5G~tp~hp7aJds4~KvENEHmgELsXzhA72jzD0X8o6GPJ7R5gA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State data staff told LEAs that address validations in the state data collector will change from warnings to fatal, non‑loading errors on Feb. 3 if unresolved, and urged immediate attention to affected student records.

Cliff (staff member) explained that two validations — \"invalid address\" (address cannot be validated) and \"invalid district of residence\" (address not found inside reported district boundaries) — will become fatal errors on Feb. 3. He said the state uses a location database derived from county surveyors (provided through the Utah Geospatial Resource Center) to validate addresses and district boundaries; that database can lag behind U.S. Postal Service listings because surveying and county updates are not always frequent.

Current scale and impact
As of the meeting, Cliff reported 2,793 student records across 72 districts with invalid address warnings and 64 records across 17 districts flagged as invalid district‑of‑residence warnings. If left unresolved after the switch to fatal errors, affected students already in the state system will stop receiving updates, may be excluded from state program loads (such as assessments or child nutrition reporting), and may prevent LEAs from meeting submission requirements tied to funding and reporting.

Geospatial fields and validation priority
Staff reviewed three optional geospatial fields LEAs can use when physical addresses fail validation: GPS latitude/longitude, a geocode that can be selected via a browser map interface, and a geocode derived from the address itself. The state’s priority when resolving an address is: (1) geocode (browser map selection), (2) GPS (if available), then (3) physical address validation against the location database. Cliff said the geocode is often the quickest way to resolve an address that fails a postal validation.

How to resolve
Cliff advised LEAs to first check for typographical entry errors; if the address is correct but still fails, use the geocode or GPS fields to resolve the validation. He encouraged LEAs to work with county surveyors to update the Utah Geospatial Resource Center if the address is new or in a recently developed area. Staff also offered support via help tickets and walkthroughs.

Why it matters: The change to fatal validations will block records from updating in other state applications and can affect assessments, funding eligibility, and program enrollment. Staff urged districts to prioritize resolving flagged addresses before the Feb. 3 enforcement date.

Ending: Staff said they would provide support and asked LEAs to submit tickets for difficult cases; they repeated the Feb. 3 timeline and recommended local conversations with county surveyors for newly built or rural addresses requiring survey updates.","State data staff warned LEAs that district‑of‑residence and invalid address validations will become non‑loading fatal errors on Feb. 3; they summarized failure counts, geospatial workarounds and next steps.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6688113,"Utah prepares Summer EBT rollout; state, DWS to share student data with opt-out option",1704,1579000,3283000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2&start=1579&end=3283","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170713-ddd76d1333dbb3dcb6dd1c60f97a94c2/thumbnail_1579000.jpg","/articles/6688113/Utah/Utah-prepares-Summer-EBT-rollout-state-DWS-to-share-student-data-with-opt-out-option","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6688113-008cfaa6e4c8adc708df09d51acee581/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146288&Signature=olwp~L~6QzNXYXMBlcERCJkNRj6CNXBuh393NE-z2WINROy2-qt82hyRaUvVsVySf6~sxtT9wjnNTj-nuJcO67KaSfnCG7rHsbD6E~ti9NNdoI7AaEFFJ-2jd7JtBocoupKCxlbtQYqAqoG8HjLK005ar7hyVYZM5Gh0H4WgoKzplp6bprj16otP~H23aROh2aTeMvyK-1nYAQpzP26~mC3TkgIffPf2jxTx-RuYIIZzsqSEmLjcWcBjc6iRaIHUiRXrVJcqlI~FghEzZa6aBAvWbNi7QTACLsYKyDPflCegtoRC6rYI4iYARACs6gWPG6T6G3sjgXqBs8WedYQ7BA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Utah State Board of Education is preparing to issue Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT or \"SUN Bucks\") benefits in summer 2025 and will share student data with the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) under a data‑sharing agreement, staff said during the board’s January data meeting.

Kim Loveland, director of Child Nutrition Programs at the Utah State Board of Education, said students who meet federal eligibility — enrolled in a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) school during the 2024–25 school year and determined eligible for free or reduced‑price meals during that school year — will receive $120 per eligible child on an electronic benefits card to spend at approved grocery stores and farmers markets.

The program will rely on three primary eligibility pathways: DWS direct certification for households already in SNAP/Medicaid caseloads; a streamlined certification pathway using S1 and newly added S5 records from local education agencies (LEAs); and a direct application to DWS for households that opt out of data sharing or whose eligibility cannot be verified through the other two routes. Natalie Barfus of the Department of Workforce Services joined the presentation and answered technical questions about direct certification and DWS’s role in issuing benefits.

Why it matters: Summer EBT is intended as a third delivery channel for summer nutrition (alongside Seamless Summer Option and the Summer Food Service Program). The state’s timeline and data handling choices will determine how many eligible children receive benefits on time and how easily LEAs can submit required data.

Key details and timeline
- Utah’s S5 record (a new record object in the state data collector) will hold three new fields for Summer EBT: date of free/reduced eligibility determination (must fall in the current school year), free/reduced eligibility source (e.g., SNAP direct cert, TANF, Medicaid, categorical or income application), and a DWS Summer EBT opt‑out indicator.
- Staff said preliminary collection may begin in March with a fuller submission window beginning in mid‑April; data collection will continue through August to capture students who become eligible over the summer. If the S5 collector is not available in time, the state will accept CSV/Excel submissions as a fallback.
- Staff estimated roughly 200,000 children could be eligible for Summer EBT in Utah for 2025.
- Families who check the opt‑out box on the 2025 Utah free/reduced lunch application will not have their information shared with DWS; those families must apply directly to DWS for benefits.

Data and privacy
Loveland said the state has a signed data‑sharing agreement with DWS and that the U.S. Department of Education issued a letter clarifying that the specific data collections the state plans do not violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The USBE included an opt‑out checkbox on the 2025 free/reduced application to honor parental choices; the opt‑out is valid only for the current school year and must be re‑submitted annually.

Data validation and required fields
Tammy Walker, senior business analyst for Child Nutrition Programs, listed additional S1 (student) fields that DWS will need to issue a card, including LEA/school identifiers, SSID, student name, date of birth, enrollment/withdrawal dates, guardian contact information and a mailing address. Because benefit cards are physical, accurate mailing addresses and guardian names are required to minimize returned mail and follow‑up. Walker said the S5 fields were set up as warnings (not fatal errors) in the collector so the state can accept records while the new object is implemented, though missing fields will generate warnings indicating follow‑up is needed.

Community‑eligibility and special cases
Loveland warned that students in schools participating under Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or certain non‑base‑year provisions will not automatically be included from state records because those schools do not collect free/reduced applications. For those students, households will need to apply directly to DWS via an online application that DWS plans to publish.

Questions LEAs asked and staff responses
Speakers asked how direct‑certified students can opt out. Staff said DWS will handle opt‑outs and direct certification cases in DWS caseloads. LEAs asked about the S5 fields’ availability in SIS vendors; presenters said development across SIS vendors varies and that some vendors may already have fields ready while others will need 1–2 months to implement.

What the state asked LEAs to do
USBE staff asked LEAs to: update guardian mailing addresses and contact information where possible; coordinate with local food service directors and SIS vendors; and expect communications materials and additional implementation details from USBE and DWS as the program rollout continues.

Ending: USBE staff said they will send follow‑up details and materials to LEAs as the S5 collector becomes available and will accept alternate CSV submissions if necessary for the first year.","Utah State Board of Education staff outlined plans to implement the federal Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT or \"SUN Bucks\") program for summer 2025, explained eligibility pathways, the new S5 data fields the state will collect, and an opt‑out process for families.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

USBE will replace RDA with Annual Performance Determinations; several special‑education metrics revised

USIMS team outlines student achievement "backpack," APIs and SIS vendor engagement

Utah to make address validations fatal in data collector; districts urged to fix invalid addresses

Utah prepares Summer EBT rollout; state, DWS to share student data with opt-out option