SIRS - p-12 - New York State Education Department

Introduction
Introduction
The New York State Student Information Repository System (SIRS) Manual is
designed for use by districts, schools, Regional Information Centers (RICs), and other
individuals interested in understanding how the accountability system used by New York
State to fulfill No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements works; how some specialeducation
data required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are
collected; who is responsible for submitting data to the New York State Education
Department (NYSED); and what, when, and how data must be submitted to NYSED. If
you have questions or comments about SIRS or the SIRS Manual, contact NYSED at
dataquest@mail.nysed.gov.
Audience/Purpose
Each chapter in this manual is designed for a particular audience, as some
chapters focus on policy and reporting responsibilities while others deal with more
technical details that might assist programmers in designing data collection and
reporting programs. Superintendents, principals, and other school officials might be
most interested in chapters that include information about how federal and State
accountability requirements are implemented in New York State, who is responsible for
testing and reporting data on students, which students must be tested and reported, and
who is responsible for certifying that reported data are accurate. Other chapters that
provide information on New York State’s data collection and reporting system, the data
elements that must be reported in the system, the format in which the data elements
must be reported, and the process of verifying the data might be of most interest to staff
responsible for the technical side of data reporting. Regional Information Centers (RICs)
and Big 5 City School District coordinators will most likely find all chapters useful, as
these individuals are interested in most aspects of policy and data reporting.
Guidance on the Role of District Data Coordinator
Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are responsible for maintaining and
transmitting certain State-specified data elements in specified file formats to the State
Student Information Repository System (SIRS). As such, LEAs should employ District
Data Coordinators whose responsibility is maintaining and transmitting the State’s
required data elements.
In particular, these District Data Coordinators should be responsible for
implementing accurate reporting of individual student and other data by completing the
following activities:
• Assembling and leading a team of district personnel who have
o technical expertise in the district’s management system(s) and
infrastructure,
1 Student Information Repository System Manual for 2010–11 Version 6.2