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"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."
– Mark Twain
Needs Assessment and Data
Needs assessments can be conducted for a variety of reasons and at different levels by the state education agency (SEA), state agency, local education agency (LEA) or facility. They can focus on a single area of interest (e.g., transition) or take a broader perspective to identify gaps throughout a system.
If selected for monitoring, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will require evidence to be submitted to show a needs assessment is being conducted annually by the district and facility coordinator to ensure current needs are met. Student data should help inform the needs identification process for the program. Student data should be reviewed a minimum of three times a year (beginning, middle and end) to ensure the educational program needs are being evaluated and to determine any necessary changes.
The completed needs assessment document should be kept on file at the facility and sent to the state agency or LEA, depending on the subpart, to be kept on file there as well. A needs assessment document template is provided under Related Documents in GMAP.
The needs assessments will be submitted to KDE with the application through GMAP. There is a needs assessment template on the Title I, Part D webpage if you need a tool to use. For more information, contact your state coordinators.
This guidance was issued by the Title I, Part D: Neglected, Delinquent and At-Risk Youth; Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent or At-Risk (N or D). Although issued under No Child Left Behind, the U.S. Department of Education still considers this a valid resource.
Local education agencies (LEAs) with a program for youth who are neglected, delinquent or at-risk (under Subparts 1 and 2) must evaluate the program, disaggregating data on participation by gender, race, ethnicity and age. The purpose of the evaluation is to measure the program’s effect on the ability of participants to do the following:
- Improve and continue educational achievement.
- Earn credits that meet state requirements.
- Transition into a regular program (or other education program) operated by an LEA.
- Complete secondary school (or secondary school equivalency requirements).
- Become employed after leaving the correctional facility or institution for neglected or delinquent youth and pursue postsecondary education and job training.
LEAs must use multiple measures of student progress. LEAs must do the following:
- Complete the annual performance report (which submits evaluation results to the state agency and the U.S. Department of Education); and
- Use evaluation results to plan and improve programs for participating youth.
Title I, Part D programs should be focused on ensuring that youth have the opportunity to meet the same challenging state academic standards as all children. Evaluations should be tied to the same standards and assessments that the school district has in place for all students. During monitoring, KDE will require evidence to be submitted to show that an annual program evaluation is being conducted.
Data Analysis
When comparing school years 2018-2019 and 2021-2022 Performance Report data, we noticed some positive patterns in student academic and vocational outcomes:
- The percentage of students who obtained employment (while in the facility) increased from 2.9% to 3.3%.
- The percentage of students who enrolled in a job training course or program (while in the facility) increased from 3.9% to 6.4%.
- The percentage of students earning high school credits (after exiting facility) increased from 24.7% to 27.3%. This could indicate that students are successfully transitioning into a local school and are being successful to a higher degree.
These data are interesting to see and show the positive impact expenditures can have on student outcomes.
Student Recognition
Congratulations to the winners of the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children’s (KECSAC) second annual writing contest!
Grades 9-12 Persuasive
- 1st place: Juveniles Need More Phone Calls Throughout the Week – Lake Cumberland YDC
- 2nd place: Should Felons Have Their Voting Rights Reinstated? – Lake Cumberland YDC
- 3rd place: Ban School Uniforms – Christian County Day Treatment
- Honorable Mention: Phones or No Phones? – Warren County Day Treatment
Grades 6-8 Persuasive
- 1st place: Why I Should Get off of The Naughty List This Year – Pulaski County Day Treatment
Grades 9-12 Narrative
- 1st place: Hospital Trip – Christian County Day Treatment
- 2nd place: Best Friends – Christian County Day Treatment
- 3rd place: Turning Negatives into Positives – Lake Cumberland YDC
Grades 6-8 Narrative
- Honorable Mention: The Day the Biggest Double M got Arrested – Christian County Day Treatment
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