Step 5: Document IDEA Part B Data Submission Processes and Conduct an After-Action Review

The CIID Data Integration Toolkit: Step 5 - Document IDEA Part B Data Submission Processes and Conduct an After-Action Review

In Step 5, teams will use the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer to document processes for completing IDEA Part B data submissions and establish plans for routinely revisiting and updating the organizer. Teams will also complete a full-project after-action review to evaluate integration efforts and apply lessons learned for future integration efforts.

Why complete step 5?

Completing the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer provides the team and stakeholders with a comprehensive picture of the different action items, timelines, staff, and data systems necessary to finalize and submit each of the data files. Communicating and obtaining approval of this documentation from relevant staff and/or agency leadership ensures all parties are aware of and agree with the data submission activities. This documentation can guide project planning, including allocation of staff and resources, to ensure data are on track to be submitted in a timely fashion. Conducting an after-action review allows teams to reflect on integration efforts, identify areas of concern moving forward, and develop a plan to improve processes and promote sustainability.

Process and Timing

SEAs may complete Step 5 in a three-day meeting or as a series of shorter in-person or virtual meetings. Each data submission tab of the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer will take 2-3 hours to complete. Obtaining approval for the action items documented in each tab of the organizer may vary based on the data collection, the number of staff involved, and the data systems used. The after-action review may be more time intensive, requiring planning on the front end to compile documentation of the integration efforts.

Tabs of the organizer should be reviewed and updated periodically (e.g., annually) to reflect any adjustments to action items, timelines, staffing, and data systems for each data submission. Key findings or lessons learned from the after-action review should be addressed in the overall project plan and routinely revisited and updated as needed throughout the data integration project.

Task 5.1: Document steps necessary to complete IDEA Part B data submissions

Successful, sustained implementation of the data integration project requires an in-depth understanding of all the work that must be completed prior to submitting IDEA Part B data files. Maintaining and updating documentation of these steps provides the team and stakeholders with a shared understanding this work. It also helps the team manage project timelines and workflow.

Activity 5.1.1: Complete the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer

This organizer helps project teams keep track of data elements, action items, deadlines, and team member responsibilities for submitting IDEA Part B EDFacts files. The organizer provides a yearly calendar to benchmark annual events as well as a separate worksheet for each IDEA Part B data submission. Several sections of the organizer are based on documentation originally completed in the Project Planner The tabs in the organizer include:

• Calendar – provides a monthly view of the IDEA data tasks and when submissions are due, with flexibility for SEAs to add their own internal tasks, SEA reports, and/or due dates)

• Child Count

• Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Reduction and Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) – tab included for convenience, not an EDFacts Submission System submission

• Dispute Resolution – tab included for convenience, not an EDFacts Submission System submission

• Personnel

• Exiting

• Discipline

• Assessment

• Data Stewards and Sources – this information is already captured in the Data Integration Project Planner and content can be copied and pasted into this tab

Activity 5.1.2: Obtain approval of IDEA Part B data submission documentation

Prior to finalizing the documentation compiled for each data submission, the team should solicit feedback and obtain final approval of information documented in the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer. The following staff should review the documentation prior to approval:

• IDEA Part B Data Manager

• EDFacts Coordinators

• Staff on the data governance team

• Team members who are responsible for the data submissions (team members may vary based on the IDEA Part B data submission)

• Staff who are documented in the organizer as lead or support staff; and

• Staff who are integrally involved with the data systems linked to action items (e.g., IT staff ).

Once feedback has been provided and incorporated, SEAs should submit the final draft of the organizer to agency leadership for approval. After approval is obtained, the final version of the organizer should be disseminated to the team and all relevant parties within the SEA.

Activity 5.1.3: Develop process for updating the IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer

Changes in data submission requirements, SEA data systems, and SEA staffing can affect the processes outlined in the organizer. It is important for teams to establish timelines for revisiting the organizer (recommend at least annually) to update documentation, as needed, for project sustainability. When reviewing and updating the organizer, teams should:

• Include staff responsible for data collection and submissions who will have the most in-depth knowledge of the work and any changes to processes.

• Review file specifications for all IDEA Part B data submissions to identify any changes or new components.

• Include data governance staff to get input and/or approval of revisions to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the changes.

• Update the organizer well in advance of the file submissions to have time to make appropriate changes/ adjustments.

Resources

IDEA Part B Data Submission Organizer

Task 5.2: After-action review

An after-action review is an assessment of the project team’s performance, looking at successes and failures to support organizational learning and improvement. This task is composed of a meeting to evaluate the project (or a component of the project), and a follow-up meeting. Suggestions for future improvements in the processes and documentation are recorded, and the project team adjusts future activities based on this feedback.

Activity 5.2.1: Conduct after-action meeting

The project team will meet to discuss their responses to several simple questions that assess the process used for the integration project. An after-action meeting can occur at the completion of each successful, validated EDFacts submission (then repeated for each subsequent IDEA Part B data submission) or once after the completion of all EDFacts submissions. Each person on the project should take turns responding to the afteraction questions in the After-Action Review Tool. One person in the meeting will record the responses. After all project team members have provided their feedback to that question, the group should discuss process modifications and document these suggestions.

Activity 5.2.2: Evaluate action and apply lessons learned for future projects

Teams will use the information documented in the after-action meeting to determine next steps. As a result of this review, there may be adjustments to timelines, processes, roles and responsibilities, and the project plan for the current integration efforts and future work. Adjustments should be clearly documented and articulated to both the project team and agency leaders. The lessons learned, which should be captured in the after-action meeting documentation, will assist in future integrations and assist staff members who may not have been involved in previous efforts.

Resources

ETL Checklist