Data provides critical information that school districts can use to assess the number of students who are homeless and the educational needs of students experiencing homelessness. This information can be used to design interventions that support the social emotional and academic success of students.. Accurate data collection and reporting is crucial. It impacts funding and programming for your district and determines eligibility for McKinney-Vento grants. Each spring NYS TEACHS reviews the preliminary data reported into the NYS Students Information Repository System (SIRS) on the number of students experiencing homelessness reported by NYS school districts.
Tale: A McKinney-Vento liaison called the NYS TEACHS Helpline to inquire about the verification letter she received from NYS TEACHS. In the letter it indicated the number of students experiencing homelessness as reported by her school district. She was wondering about who reports the data to the New York State Education Department because she believes that the number of students experiencing homelessness reported for her district is inaccurate.
Questions:
1. Who is responsible for reporting the number of students experiencing homelessness in my district?
2. What to do if a school district does not agree with the preliminary data reported in the verification letter from NYS TEACHS?
3. How does a district verify that homeless data are correct?
Resources
SIRS Manual (NYSED’s Information and Reporting Services Office)
NCHE Overview of data collection and reporting of federal data
Answers:
1. Who is responsible for reporting the number of students experiencing homelessness in my district?
All districts and charter schools must report data to the SIRS Data Warehouse on each student experiencing homelessness during the school year. McKinney-Vento liaisons should work together with the Data Coordinator to verify the correct number of students experiencing homelessness as indicated on the STAC forms.
2. What to do if a school district does not agree with the preliminary data reported in the verification letter from NYS TEACHS?
3. How does a district verify that homeless data are correct?