Criteria for Notifications for State Performance Plan Indicators 4, 9 and 10
Indicator 4A: Significant Discrepancy in Suspensions/Expulsions of Students with Disabilities
Indicator 4B: Significant Discrepancy in Out of School Suspensions/Expulsions of Students with Disabilities
Indicator 9: Disproportionality in the Identification of Students for Special Education
Indicator 10: Disproportionality by Race and Ethnicity in the Identification of Students by Specific Disabilities
Criteria for Notification and Explanation of Data Used
for Indicator 4A
Significant Discrepancy in Suspensions/Expulsions of
Students with Disabilities
Notification Year: 2021-22 School Year, based on 2020-21 Data
Indicator 4A: Percent of districts identified by the State as having a significant discrepancy in the rate of suspensions and expulsions of students with disabilities for greater than 10 days in a school year. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(A); 1412(a)(22))
Measurement:
The number of students with disabilities suspended out-of-school for more than 10 days in a school year, divided by the school year count of students with disabilities ages 3-21.
Source of Data:
Numbers of suspensions are reported in the PD8 report for the 2020-21 school year in Table 1, Section 3, Column B Total. The school year count of students age 3-21 are reported through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS). To view a description of PD system reports, including SIRS codes, please click here.
Criteria for Notification:
- Minimum of 10 students with disabilities suspended out of school for more than 10 days;
- Minimum of 30 students with disabilities enrolled during the 2020-21 school year; and
- The district's suspension rate is two times or more than the statewide 2004-05 school year baseline rate of 1.34.
- Districts with a suspension rate of 2.70 percent or higher are notified they have a significant discrepancy.
Criteria for being “At Risk”:
- Minimum of 10 students with disabilities suspended out of school for more than 10 days;
- Minimum of 30 students with disabilities enrolled during the 2020-21 school year; and
- Districts with a suspension rate above the statewide 2004-05 school year baseline rate of 1.34 and below 2.70.
- Districts with a suspension rate above 1.34 and below 2.70 are notified that they are at risk of significant discrepancy.
Criteria for Notification and Explanation of Data Used for Indicator 4B
Significant Discrepancy in Out of School Suspensions/Expulsions of Students with Disabilities
Notification Year: 2021-22 School Year, based on 2020-21 Data
Indicator 4B:
Percent of districts identified by the State as having a significant discrepancy in the rates of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions of greater than 10 days in a school year of students with disabilities by race and ethnicity. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(A); 1412(a)(22))
Measurement:
The number of students with disabilities suspended out-of-school for more than 10 days in a school year by race and ethnicity, divided by the school year count of students with disabilities ages 3-21, by race and ethnicity.
Source of data:
Numbers of suspensions were reported in the PD8 report for the 2020-21 school year in Table 1, Section 3, Column B Total. The school year count of students age 3-21 are reported through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS). To view a description of PD system reports, including SIRS codes, please click here.
Criteria for notification:
- Minimum of 10 students with disabilities of a specific race and ethnicity were suspended out of school for more than 10 days;
- Minimum of 30 students with disabilities of a specific race and ethnicity enrolled during the 2020-21 school year; and
- The district's 4B suspension rate is two or more standard deviations above the 2020-21 statewide average suspension rate of 0.08. The 2020-21 standard deviation was 0.55.
- Districts with any race and ethnicity with a 4B suspension rate of 1.19 or higher are notified they have a significant discrepancy.
Criteria for being “At Risk”:
- Minimum of 10 students with disabilities of a specific race and ethnicity were suspended out of school for more than 10 days;
- Minimum of 30 students with disabilities of a specific race and ethnicity enrolled during the 2020-21 school year; and
- The district's 4B suspension rate is above the statewide average suspension rate of 0.08 but lower than 1.19 (two standard deviations above the statewide average).
Criteria for Notification and Explanation of Data Used for Indicator 9
Disproportionality in the Identification of Students for Special Education
Notification Year: 2021-22 School Year
Indicator 9:
Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services that is the result of inappropriate identification. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(C))
Measurement:
Relative risk ratios are computed for each race and ethnicity. The ratios are a comparison of the risk of each race and ethnicity category to be identified for special education services compared to the risk of all other race and ethnicity categories combined to be identified for special education services. The ratios indicate how much more or less likely each race and ethnicity is to be identified for special education services compared to all other races and ethnicities combined.
The following calculations and methodologies are used:
For the focus group¹, the count of students with disabilities of a specific race and ethnicity are divided by the total count of students of the specific race and ethnicity. Example: a count of 20 Hispanic students identified as students with disabilities is divided by a count of 75 Hispanic students with and without disabilities enrolled in the district, resulting in a risk ratio of 0.2666. The focus group is the race and ethnicity or race and ethnicity and disability combination being evaluated.
For the comparison group², the count of students with disabilities of all other races and ethnicities are divided by the total count of students of all other races and ethnicities. Example: a count of 59 non-Hispanic students identified as students with disabilities is divided by a count of 400 non-Hispanic students with and without disabilities enrolled in the district, resulting in a risk ratio of 0.1475. The comparison group is all other race and ethnicities or all other race and ethnicity and disability combinations than the focus group.
The focus group risk ratio is divided by the comparison group risk ratio to get the relative risk ratio. Example: 0.2666 is divided by 0.1475 = 1.807
Criteria for Notification:
- At least 10 students with disabilities of particular race and ethnicity were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 10 students with disabilities of all other races and ethnicities were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 30 students of particular race and ethnicity were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 30 students of all other races and ethnicities were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and The relative risk ratio for any race and ethnicity is 2.5 or higher.
Source of data:
- The district count of students with disabilities receiving special education by race and ethnicity as of October 6, 2021 (BEDS Day) was reported through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) and verified in the VR3.
- The district count of all students ages 5 in Kindergarten through 21, with and without disabilities, enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021 (BEDS Day) by race and ethnicity was reported through the SIRS, including out-of-district placements.
¹ The focus group is the race/ethnicity or race/ethnicity/disability combination being evaluated.
² The comparison group is all other race/ethnicities or all other race/ethnicity/disability combinations than the focus group.
Criteria for Notification and Explanation of Data Used for Indicator 10
Disproportionality by Race and Ethnicity in the Identification of Students by Specific Disabilities
Notification Year: 2021-22 School Year
Indicator 10: Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in specific disability categories that is the result of inappropriate identification. (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(C))
Measurement:
Relative risk ratios are computed for each race and ethnicity in six disability categories: intellectual disability, learning disability, emotional disturbance, speech or language impairment, other health impairment and autism. The ratios are a comparison of the risk of each race and ethnicity in these disability categories to be identified for special education services compared to the risk of all other race and ethnicity categories in these disability categories combined to be identified for special education services. The ratios indicate how much more or less likely each race and ethnicity in these disability categories is to be identified for special education services compared to all other races and ethnicities combined.
The following calculations and methodologies are used:
For the focus group¹, the count of students with disabilities of a specific race or ethnicity in a disability category are divided by the total count of students of the specific race or ethnicity. Example: a count of 20 Hispanic students identified in the learning disability category is divided by a count of 75 Hispanic students with and without disabilities enrolled in the district, resulting in a risk ratio of 0.2666. The focus group is the race or ethnicity in the disability category being evaluated.
For the comparison group², the count of students with disabilities of all other races and ethnicities in a disability category are divided by the total count of students of all other races and ethnicities. Example: a count of 59 non-Hispanic students identified in the learning disability category is divided by a count of 400 non-Hispanic students with and without disabilities enrolled in the district, resulting in a risk ratio of 0.1475. The comparison group is all other race and ethnicities in the disability category being evaluated.
The focus group risk ratio is divided by the comparison group risk ratio to get the relative risk ratio. Example: 0.2666 is divided by 0.1475 = 1.807
Criteria for Notification:
- At least 10 students with disabilities of particular race and ethnicity were enrolled in district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 10 students with disabilities of all other races and ethnicities were enrolled in district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 30 students of particular race and ethnicity were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and
- At least 30 students of all other races and ethnicities were enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021; and
- The relative risk ratio for any race and ethnicity is 4.0 or higher.
Source of Data:
- The district count of students with disabilities receiving special education by race and ethnicity as of October 6, 2021 (BEDS Day) was reported through the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) and verified in the VR3.
- The district count of all students ages 5 in Kindergarten through 21, with and without disabilities, enrolled in the district on October 6, 2021 (BEDS Day) by race and ethnicity was reported through the SIRS, including out-of-district placements.
For additional information on relative risk ratios see: https://ideadata.org/resources/resource/140/methods-for-assessing-racialethnic-disproportionality-in-special-education.
¹ The focus group is the race/ethnicity or race/ethnicity/disability combination being evaluated.
² The comparison group is all other race/ethnicities or all other race/ethnicity/disability combinations than the focus group.