Kate Small
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Special Education Public Reporting
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Iowa Alternate Assessment Participation Rates
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to ensure that the total number of students assessed in each subject using the Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities does not exceed one percent (1%) of the total number of students in tested grades of the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. The ESSA requires that each district complete and submit justification for exceeding the 1.0 percent cap of students assessed in a subject with the alternate assessment, which are then reviewed by Iowa Department of Education staff.
Percent of students participating in the Iowa Alternate Assessment
2019-2020 - Testing requirement waived for the 2019-20 school year as a result of COVID-19.
2020-2021 - Available August 2021
Questions? Contact Jennifer Denne at jennifer.denne@iowa.gov.
IDEA Part B and Part C Section 618 Data
In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires public reporting of all data submitted under Section 618. The IDEA Data Center, a federally funded technical assistance partner, provides an interactive way for states to meet this federal mandate by providing easy-to-read charts and graphs through their Interactive Public Reporting Engine.
State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report
In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires states to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) for IDEA Part B and Part C. The APR outlines how the state is improving opportunities and outcomes for students as measured by required compliance and performance indicators.
Final submissions for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2013 though the current reporting year can be found on the Office of Special Education Programs public reporting webpage. Please note that the most recent report posted on this website is the most recent available. New reports are available each year in June, and the report available at that time will be from two calendar years ago. For example, in June of 2018, the reports for FFY2016 (2016-17) were finalized and made available.
District and Area Education Agency (AEA) Data Profiles
In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has identified Indicators of performance and compliance for which states are required to annually report to the public the performance of the state, area education agencies (AEAs) and local school districts.
Note: The reports posted below are the most recent available. New reports are available each year in June, and the report available at that time will be from two calendar years ago. For example, in June of 2018, the reports were updated to include finalized data for FFY2016 (2016-17).
Part B - FFY 2013 - FFY 2018 (2018-19) Special Education Profiles - District Level
Part B - FFY 2013 - FFY 2018 (2018-19) Special Education Profiles - AEA Level
Part C - FFY 2018 (2018-19) Early Intervention Regional Profiles - AEA Level (Data not available at district level.)
- Part C regional profiles contain three years of trend data. To request historic profiles, contact Tim Glenn at tim.glenn@iowa.gov.
FFY 2019 (2019-2020) Data Profiles (Available June 2021)
IDEA Part B and Part C Annual Determinations
In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires the Iowa Department of Education to make an annual determination for each school district and area education agency (AEA) regarding compliance with, and implementation of, IDEA Part B and IDEA Part C requirements. The Director of Special Education, administrative consultants, and the compliance monitoring team work together in a collaborative effort to make these determinations.
A district or AEA may fall into one of four categories: meets requirements, needs assistance, needs intervention, or needs substantial intervention. Determination categories are not necessarily linear or sequential. A district or AEA may be placed in any of the four determination categories at any time. Explanatory documents posted below explain this process in more detail.
Part B - FFY 2013 - FFY 2017 (2017-2018) Annual Determinations - District Level
Part B and Part C - FFY 2013 - FFY 2017 (2017-2018) Annual Determinations - AEA Level
FFY 2018 (2018-2019) Determinations (Available October 2020)
IDEA Part B Annual Disproportionality Determinations
Significant Disproportionality – Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) and IDEA Part B Indicator B4B, Indicator B9
Under IDEA section 618(d) (20 U.S.C. 1418(d)) and §300.646, States are required to annually collect and examine data to determine whether significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity is occurring in the State and in Local Education Agencies (school districts) with respect to the identification of children as children with disabilities; the placement of children in particular educational settings; and the incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions. In the case of a determination of significant disproportionality, the State must require any district identified as having significant disproportionality in any of the above-mentioned analysis categories to reserve the maximum amount of funds for comprehensive CEIS.
This requirement is different from the requirement to determine disproportionate representation based on inappropriate discipline, Indicator B4, and inappropriate identification, Indicator B9, that are reported in the IDEA Part B Annual Performance Report (APR). One important difference is that the determination of significant disproportionality for CEIS is a data only decision. A review of policies, practices and procedures is a requirement of districts identified as having disproportionate representation, but the review does not impact the determination. In contrast, determinations of disproportionality with respect to Indicator B4 and Indicator B9 are made after a review of policies, practices and procedures that was triggered by a review of data. A district may have data that indicate disproportionate representation, but a review of policies, practices and procedures may prove otherwise. In this case, the district would not be identified for disproportionate representation.
Explanatory Documents
Criteria for Determination of Significant Disproportionality
Explanation of Simple Risk Ratio
Identification Data, Difference Between CEIS and Indicator B9
Removal Data, Difference Between CEIS and Indicator B4
Data and Disproportionality Determinations
2019-2020 School Year (Available November 2020)
IDEA Part B and Part C Annual State Applications
In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 2004, states are required to annually submit eligibility documents to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The plans submitted to OSEP reflect the cooperative efforts of the Department of Education and other agencies to provide a full educational program and related services to all children and youth with disabilities requiring such programs and/or services. The documents include the information required by the U. S. Department of Education for Iowa to continue to receive funding under the provisions of the IDEA Part B and Part C. The documents contain a submission statement, assurances, and a description of use of funds for educational services available for children and youth with disabilities in the State of Iowa. The documents are submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, each year in May.
Approved State Applications
Part B
Iowa's FFY 2019 Approved Application for Part B Funds
Iowa's FFY 2018 Approved Application for Part B Funds
Contact John Lee at john.lee@iowa.gov to request a copy of historic applications.
Part C
Iowa's FFY 2019 Approved Application for Part C Funds
Iowa's FFY 2018 Approved Application for Part C Funds
Contact Kimberly Villotti at kimberly.villotti@iowa.gov to request a copy of historic applications.
Proposed State Applications
State Eligibility Documents for Part B and Part C are available for review and public comment annually between February and May. Detailed information for this process will be posted here in February of 2020.
Part B
Iowa's FFY 2020 Proposed Application for Part B Funds
In order to be taken into consideration prior to submission of the document to the U.S. Department of Education, FFY 2020 comments must be received by April 30, 2020.
Comment Form for Iowa's FFY 2020 IDEA Part B Application - Available for comment until April 30, 2020 - Completed form should be emailed to ideaplanb@iowa.gov
Contact John Lee at john.lee@iowa.gov or 515-281-5733 with questions, to request a copy of the proposed application or fax number or mailing address for comment submission.
Part C
Iowa's FFY 2020 Proposed Application for Part C Funds
In order to be taken into consideration prior to submission of the document to the U.S. Department of Education, FFY 2020 comments must be received by April 27, 2020.
Comment Form for Iowa's FFY 2020 IDEA Part C Application - Available for comment until April 27, 2020 - Completed form should be emailed to ideaplanc@iowa.gov
Contact Kimberly Villotti at kimberly.villotti@iowa.gov or 515-339-5519 with questions, to request a copy of the proposed application or fax number or mailing address for comment submission.