National Core Indicators Project

In January 1997, the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) and the Human Services Research Institute launched the Core Indicators Project. The name of the data collection collaborative was changed to National Core Indicators (NCI) in 2002. The aim of the initiative is to develop nationally recognized performance and outcome indicators that will enable developmental disabilities policy makers to benchmark the performance of their state against the performance of other states. National Core Indicators also enables each participating state developmental disabilities agency to track system performance and outcomes from year to year on a consistent basis. The NCI Steering Committee, composed of participating state coordinators, determines the overall direction of the initiative. The timeline below summarizes the development of NCI.

Phase I (1998-1999)

The initial phase of the project, which included seven field test states, encompassed three main activities:

• Reaching agreement concerning the areas of system performance that merited attention and were susceptible to data collection across multiple jurisdictions. The result was the selection of 61 "candidate indicators" organized by areas of common concern that the participating states identified.
• Development of data collection protocols including a Consumer Survey and a Family Survey, which assesses the perceptions of families with an adult family member living at home.
• Field-testing data collection tools, assessing the utility and validity of the various measures, and determining future activities.

Phase II (1999-2000)

In September 1998, the NASDDDS Board of Directors reaffirmed its commitment to, and continued sponsorship of the NCI. Phase II encompassed 11 states. The second phase of NCI drew on the lessons learned during Phase I and entailed a refinement in the Core Indicators and the addition of another data collection tool - the Family/Guardian Survey, which assesses the perceptions of families and guardians who have an adult family member receiving residential supports out of the home.

Phase III (2000-2001)

Phase III of the project included 15 states - Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. During this Phase some states employed the new Children/Family Survey to assess the experiences and outcomes for families with family members who are under age 21.

Phase IV (2001-2002)

In its fourth year, CIP had 22 fully participating states plus one state in which a county was participating independently of the state (Regional Center of Orange County, California). Several important changes took place in Phase IV:

• Two "cycles" of data collection were established. Data submitted prior to February 28, 2002 (first cycle) were analyzed and summarized in a preliminary report in June 2002. Remaining data were submitted prior to June 30, 2002 (second cycle). Data from both cycles were analyzed together and included in the final reports.
• Four subcommittees were established to involve states in the continual improvement of indicators and data collection tools. Each subcommittee is led by NCI staff and composed of volunteers from participating states.
• At the Steering Committee meeting in August 2002, members voted to rename the initiative "National Core Indicators" (NCI).

Phase V (2002-2003)

Two new states joined NCI in Phase V, South Carolina and South Dakota.

Phase VI (2003-2004)

Phase VII (2004-2005)

In Phase VII, the District of Columbia joined the NCI effort. The data collection and reporting schedule was changed back to a one cycle, with all data due in at the end of June. Final reports will be published one per year, in the fall.

Phase VIII (2005-2006)

Three new states joined NCI in Phase VIII, Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas. In addition, three Regional Centers from the Bay Area of California joined as a pilot group. The state of South Dakota, which had been on hiatus for two years, re-established participation in the national effort. For additional information regarding the National Core Indicators:

• http://www.hsri.org/cip/coreold.html


• Adult Family Report


• Children Family Report


• Consumer Report


• Family Guardian Report


• Family Guardian Summary


• Consumer Summary