Indicator 8 Cohort Assignments and Fielding Data (2010–2025)
Dear New Jersey Department of Education,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Records requested:
Dear Custodian of Records,
Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), I am requesting access to the following records related to the New Jersey Department of Education’s implementation of Indicator 8 (parent involvement survey reporting) from 2010 through 2025:
1. Annual district cohort lists for each year from 2010 to 2025
• A list of all school districts selected to participate in Indicator 8 reporting (i.e., designated as part of the “cohort” for that year).
• If no centralized list exists, then any document showing which districts were selected or contacted for participation in each year’s cycle.
2. Fielding and distribution documentation
• Any documents, reports, or correspondence showing how surveys were distributed to families in selected districts each year.
• Method of survey distribution (mail, email, etc.), including how parents were selected or contacted.
3. District-level response data
• Number of survey invitations distributed and number of responses received for each participating district, annually from 2010 to 2025.
4. Sampling and substitution procedures
• Documentation showing the approved sampling plan for Indicator 8, including any procedures for substitution (e.g., what happens if a district declines or does not yield enough responses).
• Any updates or revisions made to the sampling plan during this period.
If these records exist in spreadsheet, CSV, or database format, please provide them in that form. If redaction is necessary, I request that all non-exempt material be released in accordance with OPRA’s severability requirement.
Please let me know if clarification is needed. This request is made for the purpose of analyzing statewide compliance with federally required parent involvement reporting under Indicator 8 and ensuring the integrity of public data used in IDEA State Performance Plan (SPP/APR) .
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.
Kai Collins
Dear Requestor,
Below please find responses to the above referenced request.
1. .Annual district cohort lists for each year from 2010 to 2025
• A list of all school districts selected to participate in Indicator 8
reporting (i.e., designated as part of the
“cohort” for that year).
• If no centralized list exists, then any document showing which districts
were selected or contacted for
participation in each year’s cycle.
Records responsive to this request can be located at the following link.
[1]Indicator 8: Parental Involvement (Survey)
2. Fielding and distribution documentation
• Any documents, reports, or correspondence showing how surveys were
distributed to families in selected districts each year.
Records responsive to this part of your request are located at the
following link. [2]Indicator 8: Parent Involvement. Please note, pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g), requests for correspondence must contain: (1) the
name or specific job title/position of the sender and/or recipient, (2) a
specific subject matter, and (3) a specific date or range of dates, which
must be confined to a reasonable time period. Please provide this
information so that we may process the part of your request seeking
correspondence.
• Method of survey distribution (mail, email, etc.), including how
parents were selected or contacted.
This part of your request seeks only information and fails to identify
with reasonable clarity the specific government records sought, as is
required by Bent v. Stafford Police Department, 381 N.J. Super. 30, 37
(App. Div. 2005). Accordingly, this part of your request is denied. As a
courtesy, we are providing you with the following link. [3]Indicator 8:
Parent Involvement
3. District-level response data
• Number of survey invitations distributed, and number of responses
received for each participating district, annually from 2010 to 2025.
Additional time is needed to respond to this part of your request.
Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request is extended to
August 25, 2025. A receipt indicating same is attached.
4. Sampling and substitution procedures
• Documentation showing the approved sampling plan for Indicator 8,
including any procedures for substitution (e.g., what happens if a
district declines or does not yield enough responses).
• Any updates or revisions made to the sampling plan during this period?
Additional time is needed to respond to this part of your request.
Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request is extended to
August 25, 2025. A receipt indicating same is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [4]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/m...
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be7fAgR3...
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be7fAgR3...
4. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear OPRA Custodian,
Clarification for item #2 Fielding and distribution documentation;
1) a copy of the communication letter or email sent by the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE), Office of Special Education (OSE), or by a survey vendor on DOE OSE's behalf, to the districts in each of Cohorts 15 (2021), 16 (2022), 17 (2023), 18 (2024), and 19(2024-25) requesting that those districts provide the distribution list and contact details of parents to whom the annual survey would be distributed, and
2) the DOE policy or procedure to confirm accuracy and completeness of the distribution list and contact details provided by those districts, and
3) sample communication (letter or email) issued by the DOE OSE, or by a survey vendor on its behalf, to parents on those distribution lists enclosing or attaching the survey and requesting parent completion.
Thank you,
Kai Collins
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to respond to parts 3 and 4 of this request.
Accordingly, the due date for those parts of your request is extended to
September 4, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Please see responses below for parts 3 and 4 of the above referenced
request.
3. District-level response data:
• Number of survey invitations distributed and number of responses
received for each participating district, annually from 2010 to 2025.
Responsive records can be found on our website under [1]State Performance
Plan Annual Performance Report.
4. Sampling and substitution procedures:
• Documentation showing the approved sampling plan for Indicator 8,
including any procedures for substitution (e.g., what happens if a
district declines or does not yield enough responses).
Attached please find responsive records for this part of your request.
Additional responsive records can be located on our website under
[2]Special Education Determinations.
• Any updates or revisions made to the sampling plan during this period.
The Department of Education does not make or maintain records responsive
to this part of your request. Accordingly, this part of your request is
denied.
Additional time is needed to respond to part 2 of your request regarding
“correspondence”. Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request
is extended to September 16, 2025. A receipt indicating same is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [3]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/m...
2. https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/m...
3. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to respond to part 2 of your request.
Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request is extended to
September 19, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to respond to part 2 of your request regarding
“correspondence”. Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request
is extended to September 30, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to respond to part 2 of your request regarding
“correspondence”. Accordingly, the due date for this part of your request
is extended to September 30, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Attached please find records responsive to part two of the above
referenced request. Additional time is needed to determine whether the
Department of Education maintains additional records responsive to your
request, and to review and process any additional records that may exist.
Accordingly, the due date is extended to October 21, 2025. A receipt
indicating same is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to determine whether the Department of Education
maintains additional records responsive to your request, and to review and
process any additional records that may exist. Accordingly, the due date
is extended to October 28, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Additional time is needed to determine whether the Department of Education
maintains additional records responsive to your request, and to review and
process any additional records that may exist. Accordingly, the due date
is extended to November 5, 2025. A receipt indicating same, is attached.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/
Dear Requestor,
Attached please find additional records responsive to the above referenced
request, along with a receipt indicating that your request has been
closed.
Jeannette Larkins
Records Custodian
New Jersey Department of Education
100 Riverview Plaza, Trenton, NJ – 08625
Web: [1]https://www.nj.gov/education/
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication
from the New Jersey Department of Education is privileged and confidential
and is intended for the sole use of the persons or entities who are the
addressees. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, the
dissemination, distribution, copying or use of the information it contains
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error,
please immediately contact the New Jersey Department of Education at (609)
376-3500 to arrange for the return of this information.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.nj.gov/education/