DATA COLLECTIONS AND REPORTING
GNETS Programs – Frequently Asked Questions

Each student served in a Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) program must have completed due process procedures and have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) documenting GNETS as the student’s location of services.

The student data reporting requirements for students receiving services in a GNETS program are the same as the requirements for all other students. Students participating in GNETS must be enrolled in a Local Education Agency (LEA) and have an assigned Georgia Test Identifier (GTID). LEAs must coordinate with their GNETS program to develop a data exchange system. LEAs must have the required information to enter and maintain accurate student information within the LEAs Student Information System (SIS). To facilitate the transfer of data, IEPs for students participating in GNETS should be written in the IEP platform of their LEA of residence.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

  1. Who reports students participating in GNETS for all state level data collections?
    The resident LEA of the student even if the student attends non-GNETS classes in a school in the LEA where the GNETS program is located.
  2. What is the LEA of residence for students who attend a GNETS Program located in another LEA?
    For students who attend a GNETS program located in another LEA their LEA of residence would be the LEA they would attend if they were not enrolled in a GNETS program. This also applies to students who attend non-GNETS classes (general education or special education) in the LEA where the GNETS program is located when it is not their LEA of residence.
  3. Are GNETS programs considered “schools”?
    No. GNETS programs do not meet the definition of a “school” as defined in State Board Rule 160-5- 1-.03 Identification and Reporting of Schools. GNETS programs are defined as special entities. A special entity is defined as an educational facility other than a school that houses students for all or part of the instructional day and does not report students for the purpose of earning FTE-based QBE funds. GNETS programs do not claim the GTID of participating students.

FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) CYCLES 1 AND 3

Each annual FTE Cycle has a count date for the reporting of data by the LEAs. Data collected for state reporting on the count day during Cycles 1 and 3 can be thought of as a “snapshot” or “point in time” of the scheduled instructional services provided for the student. FTE provides an enrollment count of students as well as an indication of program participation based on the instructional services received during the six segments. The Federal Child Count is also collected in the October FTE 1 Count. The Federal Child Count is unrelated to state funding and is required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The Federal Child Count is one factor used in calculating IDEA grant and influences IDEA funds allotted t LEAs.

QUESTIONS RELATED TO FTE CYCLE 1 AND CYCLE 3

  1. How is FTE for a special entity reported?
    Georgia Board Rule 160-5-1-.03 Identification and Reporting of Schools (d), states that FTE for special entities shall be reported at the student’s home school. The home school is defined as the school the student would be assigned to if the student being served is a nonresident student of the LEA where the entity is located.
  2. Are GNETS students reported in FTE cycle 1 and cycle 3?
    Students must be reported by the LEA of residence (home school) in the October (FTE 1) and March (FTE 3) counts.
  3. What FTE program code is used to report segments of GNETS services?
    Students served for segments in GNETS should be coded with FTE PROGRAM CODE = ‘4’ in the appropriate segments on the day of the count for FTE 1 and 3, regardless of the funding source for the GNETS teacher.
  4. What FTE program code is used to report segments of services that are not provided by GNETS?
    Students receiving segments of services from a non-GNETS program should be reported with the PROGRAM CODE(S) specific to the other program(s) for the segments served by that program. Example: If the student receives 3 segments of Emotional and Behavioral Disorder instruction (PROGRAM CODE = ‘T’) on the FTE count day and attended a GNETS class for the other 3 segments, only the 3 segments in the GNETS class would be coded with PROGRAM CODE = ‘4’. The other segments would be coded with PROGRAM CODE = ‘T’.
  5. Is there an FTE funding weight program code assigned to GNETS?
    There is not an FTE weight assigned the GNETS FTE PROGRAM CODE. GNETS programs are funded through a separate grant appropriated from the Georgia General Assembly.
  6. Where are segments reported when a student is participating in a GNETS program located in another LEA?
    All segments for students, who are placed by the system of residence by IEP determination, must be reported for FTE by the resident district.
  7. Where are segments reported when a student participating in GNETS is served in non-GNETS classes in an LEA that is not the resident LEA?
    All segments for students, who are placed by IEP determination by the resident LEA, are reported for FTE by the resident LEA.
  8. How are students formerly participating in GNETS but no longer attending a GNETS program reported for tracking and monitoring purposes?
    Unless the GNETS service meets the definition of “consultative” services, the service is not reported in FTE 1 or 3. For funding, consultative services are defined as the student receiving regularly scheduled direct instruction in the regular education setting from a GNETS teacher for at least one segment per month AND direct instruction for the majority of a segment on the day of the FTE count. If the service meets the definition of “consultative” services, the segment is reported with PROGRAM CODE ‘4’ resulting in no funding for the school district.

GNETS QUESTIONS RELATED TO FTE CYCLE 1 – FEDERAL REPORTING

  1. How are SPECIAL ED ENVIRONMENT codes reported?
    SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT codes indicate the type of educational setting in which the student receives special education services. For information on determining the correct environment, or about calculating time in an environment, see the school age environment code documents on the Data Collection FTE website. The guidance for reporting environment code for GNETS is the same as for any other student with a disability.
  2. What environment code is used to report students participating in GNETS who are served in a “center-based” separate facility for greater than 50% of the day?
    A separate facility is defined as a standalone program that does not afford students the opportunity to access age-appropriate non-disabled peers during the school day. If the GNETS program is in a separate facility and the student is served at this location for greater than 50% of the day, the student is reported with Environment = ‘4’– more than 50% of the day in public-separate day school facilities.
  3. What environment code is used to report students participating in GNETS who are served in a school-based GNETS program which allows access to age-appropriate non-disabled peers?
    If GNETS participating students are served in a location allowing access to age- appropriate non-disabled peers and served in the generalized setting, students will be reported with Environments 1 through 3. The Environment Codes 1, 2, or 3 are based on the percentage of time the student spends in a generalized setting (see below). A generalized setting is defined as the total number of hours in the school day, including lunch, recess, and study periods, when a student has access to non-disabled peers.
    • Environment ‘1’ – In a generalized setting at least 80% of the school day
    • Environment ‘2’ – In a generalized setting at least 40% of the school day but no more than 79% of the school day
    • Environment ‘3’ – In a generalized setting less than 40% of the school day
    • Environment ‘3’ – In a generalized setting less than 40% of the school day
  4. How is the percentage of time in a general education setting calculated?
    An Environment Calculator is available on the FTE Data Collections website. To manually calculate the amount of time a student is in a generalized setting, divide the number of hours the student spends inside the general classroom (the time spent outside the general classroom receiving services unrelated to the student’s disability is considered time inside the general classroom) by the total number of hours in the school day (including lunch, recess, and study periods). Now, multiply this number by 100 to obtain the percentage of time.

STUDENT RECORD DATA COLLECTION
Student Record (SR) is a year-end, cumulative record of student activity that occurred throughout the school year. Unlike the FTE collection, which is a “point-in-time” collection, SR provides information about any student services received during the school year.

GNETS – Student Record Program Level Record

  1. What is the GNETS PROGRAM TYPE code?
    The PROGRAM TYPE data element identifies the type of program being reported for each record’s activity. The PROGRAM TYPE for GNETS is ‘02’.
  2. What are the PROGRAM CODES for GNETS programs?
    When the PROGRAM TYPE = GNETS ‘02’, the code for PROGRAM CODE must equal one of the following codes:
    ‘02A’ = GNETS – Center-Based
    ‘02B’ = GNETS – School-Based

    • GNETS – Center-Based (‘02A’) is defined as a separate facility that operates as a standalone program and does not afford students the opportunity to access age-appropriate non-disabled peers during the school day.
    • GNETS – School-Based (‘02B’) is defined as a program that allows student access to non-disabled peers during the school day.

    If a student attends both a center and school-based program while enrolled continuously through the same GNETS facility and code, report the PROGRAM CODE ‘02A’ or ‘02B’ associated with the ENDING DATE of the record.
  3. What SCHOOL CODE is used for students participating in GNETS?
    Two codes are reported for students participating in and attending a GNETS program. The SCHOOL CODE is the school where the student is enrolled (home school). The ALTERNATE SCHOOL NUMBER is the GNETS Program Code (in the Facilities Database) assigned to the GNETS program the student attends.
  4. What SYSTEM CODE is used for students participating in GNETS?
    The system or LEA where the student is enrolled (reporting system) is reported for the SYSTEM CODE and the ALTERNATE SYSTEM CODE. For example, if the student is being reported by Fulton County, both the SYSTEM CODE and ALTERNATE SYSTEM CODE = ‘660’ are reported.
  5. How is duration of enrollment in a GNETS program determined?
    The duration of services for a student enrolled in a GNETS program is calculated using the BEGINNING DATE and ENDING DATE. For students with continuous enrollment, the BEGINNING DATE would be the first day of school and the ENDING DATE would be the last day of school. If a student enters and exits a GNETS program multiple times during the school year, a new Program Level Record must be created for each entry.
  6. What should be reported if a student moves but does not change GNETS programs or moves and changes GNETS programs?
    If a student changes LEAs, but not GNETS programs, both systems should report a Program Level Record for the student reflecting the appropriate BEGINNING DATE and ENDING DATE. The SYSTEM CODE used to report the system and the SCHOOL CODE used to report the home school the student would attend, if not enrolled in a GNETS program, will be different in the Program Level records but the ALTERNATE SCHOOL NUMBER, the GNETS program code assigned to the GNETS program the student attends, would not change.

    If a student changes school system and GNETS programs, both systems should report a Program Level Record for the student reflecting the appropriate BEGINNING DATE and ENDING DATE. The SYSTEM CODE used to report the system, the SCHOOL CODE used to report the home school the student would attend if not enrolled in a GNETS program, and the ALTERNATE SCHOOL NUMBER, the program code assigned to the GNETS program the student attends, will all change in the Program Level Records.
  7. How is frequency of GNETS services determined?
    The NUMBER OF DAILY GNETS SEGMENTS identifies the highest number of daily segments (1-6) a student received in a GNETS program during the school year.
  8. Are students monitored or tracked by GNETS reported with Program Level Record?
    No, unless they meet the definition for consultative services – which states the student receives regularly scheduled direct instruction in the regular education classroom from the GNETS teacher.
  9. Can students have multiple GNETS Program Level Records?
    Yes, multiple GNETS program records are required if the student receives services from GNETS multiple times during the school year. This applies to students who receive services in GNETS, are removed from GNETS, and then subsequently return to GNETS.
  10. Are students served by GNETS in a summer program reported with a GNETS Program Level Record?
    No, only students served by GNETS during the school year are reported with a GNETS Program Level Record. Students receiving Extended Year Services (ESY) beyond the normal school year, in accordance with the student’s IEP, should be reported in Student Record with a ‘Y’ – Special Education ESY received.

QUESTIONS RELATED TO OTHER STUDENT RECORD LAYOUTS –
NON-GNETS SPECIFIC DATA

  1. Should Student Safety events for students participating in GNETS be reported in the LEA Student Record?
    Yes, all Student Safety events for students participating in GNETS must be reported to the LEA and included in the LEA’s Student Safety Level File. This includes, but is not limited to, all incidences of in-school and out-of-school suspensions, continuation of services for students suspended for 10 or more days, and incidences of serious bodily injury. Serious bodily injury is defined as a “bodily injury that involves a substantial risk of death, extreme physical pain; protracted and obvious disfigurement; or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ of faculty” (18 U.S.C. Section 1365(3) (h)). Student safety incidences of bullying and adult actions of restraint must be reported in the Student Safety Level File.

2. Should enrollment and attendance events for GNETS students be reported in the LEA Student Record?
Yes, attendance and enrollment data for GNETS students must be reported in the Enrollment Level File by the LEA.

STUDENT CLASS DATA COLLECTION
1. What is Student Class?
The Student Class layout is the format used to collect and report student schedules. Student Class and the Student Course Profile (SCP) generated by LEA reporting, are used to provide information within the SLDS. Unlike Student Record, which is a year-end collection, Student Class is an ongoing collection of class roster data which links students and teachers to a class.

2. How should GNETS data be reported in Student Class?
Report the student class schedule the same as you would for any other student. Also, include the following additional data elements on the Student Class record: TEACHER LAST NAME, TEACHER FIRST NAME, PRIMARY AREA, ALTERNATE SYSTEM CODE, and ALTERNATE SCHOOL CODE.

3. How are courses reported in Student Class if the teacher of record is not an employee of the LEA where the student resides?
The Course Teacher ID should be reported with SSN. The GNETS facility must provide the district with the SSN. All Student Class information should be provided by the GNETS program to the student’s home system in a timely manner.

4. What is the difference between the data elements for # of Paraprofessionals and Inclusion Code ‘4’ – Paraprofessional?
The total number of paraprofessionals is determined by the number of paraprofessionals supporting the entire class. The number of paraprofessionals is used to determine maximum class size. INCLUSION CODE ‘4’ is used when a student with disabilities is in a general education class taught by a general education teacher, and the student’s IEP includes additional supportive services provided by a paraprofessional. Paraprofessionals in an inclusion setting are not used in a maximum class size determination.

CERTIFIED/CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL INFORMATION (CPI)

  1. Does reporting students served in a GNETS program located in another system or served in non-GNETS classes – in the system where the GNETS program is located, when it is not system of residence for the student, affect the resident LEA’s CPI?
    No, services provided to students, by other school systems, does not affect the resident LEA’s CPI. The resident system would not report CPI data for staff at a GNETS program, or in a school located in another school system.
  2. Is the funding source for a GNETS teacher reflected in their job code in CPI?
    Yes, the job code for a GNETS teacher funded by the GNETS grant is ‘153’; the job code for a GNETS teacher funded by the LEA is ‘152’.
  3. What combinations of job code and fund code are valid for reporting CPI data?

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Download FY2022 GNETS Program Frequently Asked Questions