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and related services are provided annually to about 124,000 eligible students in the state across 295 school districts. Special education represents about 11.6
percent of the state's total K-12 population.
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) establishes the template for which special education services are provided.
RCW 28A.155 provides the statutory basis for special education services in Washington, and
WAC 392-172A provides the regulatory basis for both IDEA and RCW 28A.155.
There are three major components of the special education section at OSPI: data management, compliance program review, and
compliance dispute resolution.
Annual Federal Special Education Child Count and LRE Reporting
Federal and state special education regulations require that school districts provide information regarding the numbers and types of special education students by placement option within the district’s continuum of alternative placements, as well as the student’s disability category, ethnicity, gender, and English Language Learner (ELL) status. The intent of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) data is to show the extent to which special education students participate in regular education programs.
Districts count students who are eligible on the federal count date
(November 2, 2009), or the first business day of the month if that day falls
on a non-student day. Student’s age, LRE, and disability codes are
calculated as of the count date.
To submit and verify data, districts must
log in to CEDARS and complete the
steps outlined in the PDF or Word document linked on this page. Data must be
validated no later than December 31, 2009. Districts may begin the process
as soon as their data files have been loaded into CEDARS. Depending on the
district’s submission cycle, many will be able to begin as early as November
9, 2009.
Reporting Instructions: PDF |
Word
OSPI, Special Education Rule Adoption for WAC 392-172A
OSPI adopted rules on October 1, 2009, which amend certain sections of WAC 392-172A. The final rules were adopted after public and written comment. The rules are effective November 2, 2009, which is 31 days after filing the rule making order.
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