Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

Policy

This policy outlines the requirements and resources available for schools to participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD).

Summary

• The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability.
• The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school.
• All Australian schools are required to participate in the NCCD.
• Victorian government schools must submit their data for the collection via CASES21 by the first Friday in August.

Details

About the NCCD

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. All Australian schools are required to participate in the NCCD.

The data collected is used by schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can best be supported at school.

Through the NCCD, school teams make evidence-based decisions about students who are receiving reasonable adjustments to access education because of disability. The information collected relates to the level of adjustment being provided for each student with disability and the broad category of disability which best fits the student.

The NCCD reflects and supports the ongoing work of schools. The NCCD draws on teachers' professional judgement and practices throughout the year supporting students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.

The NCCD model is based on mandatory obligations to students under the national Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE). Understanding the legal obligations to students with disability is essential for all staff.

For more information refer to: Students with Disability.

Students who are eligible to be included in the NCCD

Students must satisfy the following conditions for eligibility to be included in the NCCD:

1. the student’s condition meets the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 broad definition of disability
2. the student has been provided with reasonable adjustments to address the functional impact of a disability.

Undiagnosed (imputed) disability

Students are not required to have a formal medical diagnosis to be included in the NCCD.

An imputed disability is an undiagnosed disability the school team considers a student to have that is having a functional impact on their learning. All students who meet NCCD criteria, including those with imputed disability, must be included in the annual collection. Case studies where a student has been imputed with a disability are available on the NCCD portal.

Adjustments or learning support for reasons other than a disability

Students receiving adjustments for reasons other than a disability are not eligible for inclusion in the NCCD. Case studies where a student is receiving an adjustment and not eligible to be included in the NCCD can be found on the NCCD portal.

Further eligibility information is available on the NCCD portal: When is a student eligible to be included?

2023 dates for schools to collect and submit data

Schools must submit their data for the collection by the census date: Friday 4 August 2023.

The department encourages schools to begin entering their NCCD data into CASES21 from Term 2. Schools are not required to wait until the census date in August to begin entering data.

The NCCD is a retrospective record of adjustments that are undertaken in schools over a minimum of 10 weeks. Evidence of adjustments can be collected anytime between the census dates in 2022 (5 August) to 2023 (4 August).

Schools are not required to create new evidence for the purposes of the NCCD. Schools will already have documented evidence of adjustments that support their decisions as standard practice to meet their legal obligations. This includes:

• Individual Education Plans (IEP)
• Student Support Group (SSG) minutes
• Disability Inclusion Profile
• teacher work programs
• teacher anecdotal notes.

The following timeline is a recommendation of actions for schools to collect, submit and review data for the NCCD in 2023.

Term 1 – Preparation

• Identify the staff in the school responsible for implementation of the NCCD (school team)
• Staff implementing the NCCD must complete professional learning on the DDA and requirements under the DSE
• Preparation activities may continue into Term 2

Term 2 – Begin entering data

• Provide all teachers with the NCCD fact sheet (DOCX) and encourage staff to engage in professional development through the NCCD portal
• Schools are to apply the NCCD model to determine which students will be included in the collection, the level of adjustments that are being made, and the broad category of disability for each student individually
• Moderation: School team leads professional discussions to confirm that decision making has been applied consistently through moderation meetings with teachers at the school and other schools, teachers use the evidence collected throughout the year to make decisions that are consistent, reliable, and defensible
• Nominated school staff member begins entering data into CASES21

Term 3 – Data verification and submission

• School teams continue to enter data into CASES21 at any time before the census date
• School principal verifies and finalises any changes to NCCD data, supported by evidence held in the school
• Schools submit data by the census date: 4 August 2023

Term 4 – Review and evaluation

• Process, review and reflect
• School team evaluates the application of the NCCD model and how school practices and processes could be improved to facilitate next year's NCCD. School teams can refer to the Reflection Tool

Information to support schools with the NCCD process

• What is the NCCD model?
• Data Collection Model (interactive)
• Step 1: Is there an adjustment?
• Step 2: What is the level of adjustment?
• What evidence is the NCCD based upon?
• Levels of adjustment viewer
• Step 3: What is the category of disability?
• Step 4: Record and submit the data

NCCD data entry

Victorian government schools submit their data through CASES21. This is explained in the guidance section, and in the CASES21 Administration Guide Chapter 7 (PDF).

NCCD resources

Refer to the Resources tab for a range of resources and tools to support the NCCD process including the 2023 NCCD Guidelines and case studies.

NCCD and Disability Inclusion

The NCCD and Disability Inclusion are both initiatives that help Victorian government schools to support students with disability to access educational activities on the same basis as their peers.

While the 2 programs use similar language and concepts, they are distinct processes. Victorian government schools need to participate in both programs for students with disability. For further information on the differences between Disability Inclusion and the NCCD, refer to: Disability Inclusion and NCCD factsheet (DOCX).

A Disability Inclusion Profile meeting will not determine a level of adjustment for the purpose of the NCCD. However, it will provide further information and evidence to support the school team's professional judgement. Similarly, schools can also use the NCCD to help in identifying students to undertake a Disability Inclusion Profile.

All students receiving individualised funding must be included in the NCCD. This includes Tier 3 Disability Inclusion Funding or funding through the Program for Students with Disabilities.

Moderation of student data

School staff are recommended to meet in teams to discuss and moderate the collected data and evidence to decide a student’s place in the NCCD.

When moderating school-based decisions, staff should engage in professional discussions using the evidence collected throughout the year about their students’ level of adjustment and category of disability to make decisions that are consistent, reliable, and defensible.

This practice ensures that the NCCD data submitted is accurate and consistent.

Schools are advised to undertake moderation processes (PDF) during Term 2. This allows schools sufficient time to address any significant discrepancies in judgements that can affect the consistency and reliability of data.

A professional learning webinar is available on the NCCD portal to support school teams to engage in moderation discussions.

Process and data entry in CASES21

What to do:

• the department requires the principal to verify that the process undertaken and student information collected is accurate
• a nominated school staff member enters verified data for each identified student in CASES21 following the instructions in the CASES21 administration user guide: Chapter 7, pages 22 to 26
• when all data has been entered in CASES21, schools are encouraged to run the following reports for their reference. At the end of each year, NCCD data in CASES21 will reset as part of the annual process. This means that schools should save a copy of the reports for their records next year*:
  • Students with disability – disability summary [ST21428]
  • Students with disability – student summary [ST21429].

* Note: If the PDF version of summary reports were not saved at time of submission, school staff can still access the previous year’s data. This is found through the autosave Excel document in their school’s local P:Drive at any time. There will be 2 Excel documents saved at 2 timepoints of the previous year, on the census date (early August) and in mid-October.

In 2022, the census date for submitting data is 5 August via the CASES21 system. The department supports schools entering data from Term 2, with all data to be verified and finalised by the census date.

Professional learning

The department provides training for all school-based staff on their role in the NCCD via the LearnEd portal on eduPay (staff login required).

The NCCD Portal provides free information and professional learning resources for teachers, school leaders, support staff, parents and carers. The portal includes a significant amount of information and guidance to help teachers and school teams work through the steps to complete the NCCD.

To access these support materials, visit the NCCD Portal.

The NCCD is designed to complement and reinforce the legislative requirements that apply to all Australian schools and education institutions under the:

• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
• Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth)

Before completing the NCCD, all school staff should undertake professional learning to develop or refresh their knowledge and understanding of the legal obligations relating to students with disability.

eLearning resources on the DDA and the DSE are freely accessible on the professional learning page on the NCCD Portal.

Practical guides about the DSE for individuals, families and communities can be accessed on the NCCD Portal.

Related policies

• Disability Inclusion Funding and Support
• Disability Inclusion Profile
• Individual Education Plans
• Program for Students with Disabilities
• Students with Disability
• Student Support Groups

Relevant legislation

• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
• Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth)
• Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)

Guidance

There is no further guidance for this topic. For more information, refer to the Resources tab.

Resources

Professional learning on the NCCD Portal

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) Portal provides free information and professional learning resources for teachers, school leaders, support staff, parents and carers. The portal includes a significant amount of information and guidance to help teachers and school teams work through the steps for completing the NCCD.

Key resources

• NCCD 2023 guidelines
• NCCD overview video
• NCCD quick guide
• Resources for principals and administrators
• Resources for teachers
• NCCD fact sheet for teachers (DOCX)
• NCCD specialist school fact sheet (DOCX)
• NCCD and Disability Inclusion fact sheet (DOCX)

Other tools to assist schools with data collection

• Case studies
• NCCD case study e-learning for primary schools
• NCCD case study e-learning for secondary schools
• Illustrations of practice
• Student summary sheet
• Strategies to support decision making
• Moderation process
  • Moderation process professional learning webinar
• Reflection Tool
• Glossary

NCCD promotional material

• A3 poster for display (PDF)
• A4 poster for display (PDF)
• Introductory booklet on the NCCD portal (PDF)
• Sample letter for parents, guardians and carers (DOCX)

Additional information notices

• Data collection legislation
• Notice for schools and school principals
• Public information notice