I-Star Plus Goes Live June 23!
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced that I-Star Plus will go live June 23. I-Star Plus is an enhanced version of the current IEP-Student Tracking and Reporting (I-Star) System application. Please be aware that all data reporting requirements and deadlines will remain unchanged. It is paramount that districts and special education cooperatives ensure that they continue to meet their obligations to enter and submit data, as required.
I-Star is the agency’s web-based system that allows school districts and special education cooperatives to input, manage, and approve data for students with disabilities. I-Star serves as the primary approval process for students with disabilities who are claimed for reimbursement under Sections 14-7.02 (Private Facility Tuition and Separate Public Day School); 14-7.02b (Students with Excess Cost); 14-7.03 (Orphanage); and 14-13.01b (Special Transportation) of the School Code [105 ILCS 5]. Many data elements are collected to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Section 611 Part B Flow Through for students ages 3-21 and Section 619 preschool for students ages 3-5.
Per Section 2-3.30 of the School Code, I-Star compiles an unduplicated count of students with disabilities reported annually to the federal government. It is critical that all students with disabilities who are receiving services as of December 1 each year are reported accurately in an approved status in I-Star. ISBE will only use approved student data to compile and report the December 1 child count, as well as process state reimbursement to districts that file claims. I-Star validates all student entries via coordination and alignment with the Student Information System (SIS). A required SIS identification allows student demographics to automatically be populated, eliminating duplicate entry for school districts.
In addition, I-Star verifies all personnel entries via coordination and alignment with the Employment Information System, which collects and analyzes employee-related information directly from districts. Personnel entries for proper licensure and endorsements are confirmed against the Educator Licensure Information System, which allows all ISBE associate roles such as educators, administrators, district employees, licensure officers, and Regional Offices of Education to operate in one system. Please note that I-Star also is used to collect data on select indicators of the State Performance Plan. Indicator data is used to make Local Education Agency determinations and issue letters of noncompliance. It is critical that accurate indicator data is submitted regularly into I-Star to avoid any findings of noncompliance and/or corrective actions that a district must address.
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