2017 SPP/APR and State Determination Letters PART B – DC
OSEP Response to SPP/APR
PDFView PDF
OSEP Response to SPP/APR
400 MARYLAND AVE. S.W., WASHINGTON DC 20202-2600
www.ed.gov
The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by
fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
U
NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
O
FFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES
June 28, 2017
Honorable Hanseul Kang
State Superintendent of Education
District of Columbia
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
810 F irst Street NE , 9
th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20002
Dear Superintendent Kang:
I am writing to advise you of the U. S. Department of Education's (Department) 2017
determination under section 616 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA ). The
Department has determined that the District of Columbia (D.C.) needs assistance in
implementing the requirements of Part B of the IDEA. This determination is based on the totality
of the State’s data and information, including the Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2015 State
Per formance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), other State -reported data, and other
publicly available information.
The Department began making determination s under section 616 of IDEA in 2007 and this is the
first year that D.C. has received a Needs A ssistance determination. OSEP acknowledges the D.C.
Office of the State Superintendent ’s leadership and staff for their efforts to improve the State’s
compliance with critical IDEA requirements and to improve results for D.C.’s children a nd youth
with disa bilities. The Department will work with D.C. to ensure that it continues to improve its
compliance with, and performance under, the IDEA.
Your State’s 2017 determination is based on the data reflected in the State’s “ 2017 Part B
Results -Driven Accountabili ty Matrix” (RDA Matrix). The RDA Matrix is individualized for
each State and consists of:
(1) a Compliance Matrix that includes scoring on Compliance Indicators and other
comp liance factors;
(2) a Results Matrix that includes scoring on Results Elements ;
(3) a Compl iance Score and a Results Score;
(4) an RDA Percentage based on both the Compliance Score and the Results Score ; and
(5) the State’s Determination.
Page 2—Chief State School Officer
The RDA Matrix is further explained in a document, entitled “How the Department Made
Determinations under Section 616(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2017:
Part B ” (HTDMD).
OSEP is continuing to use both results data and compliance data in making determinations in
2017, as it did for Part B determinations in 2014, 2015, and 2016. (The specifics of the
determination procedures and criteria are set forth in the HTDMD and reflected in the RDA
Matrix for your State.) In making Part B determinations in 2017, OSEP continued to use results
data related to:
(1) the participation of children with disabilities (CWD) on regular Statewide assessments;
(2) the participation and performance of CWD on the most recently administered (school
year 2014- 2015) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP);
(3) the percentage of CWD who graduated with a regular high school diploma; and
(4) the percentage of CWD who dropped out.
You may access the results of OSEP’s review of D.C.’s SPP/APR and other relevant data by
accessing the SPP/APR module using your State -specific log -on information at
osep.grads360.org. When you access your State’s SPP/APR on the site, you will find , in
Indicators 1 through 16, the OSEP Response to the indicator , and any actions that D.C. is
required to take. The actions that D.C. is required to take are in two places:
(1) actions related to the correction of findings of noncompliance are in the “OSEP
Response” section of the indicator; and
(2) any other actions that the State is required to take are in the “Required Actions” section
of the indicator.
It is important for you to review the Introduction to the SPP/A PR, which may also include
language in the “OSEP R esponse” and/or “ Required Actions ” sections.
You will also find all of the following important documents saved as attachments to the Progress
Page:
(1) the State’s RDA Matrix;
(2) the HTDMD document;
(3) a spreadsheet entitled “ 2017 Data Rubric Part B,” which shows how OSEP calculated the
State’s “Timely and Accurate State- Reported Data” score in the Compliance Matrix;
(4) a document entitled “Dispute Resolution 2015- 16,” which includes the IDEA section 618
data that OSEP u sed to calculate the State’s “Timely State Complaint Decisions” and
“Timely Due Process Hearing Decisions” scores in the Compliance Matrix; and
(5) a Data Display, which presents certain State- reported data in a transparent, user-friendly
manner and is helpful for the public in getting a broader picture of State performance in
key areas.
Page 3—Chief State School Officer
As noted above the State’s 2017 determination is Needs Assistance. A State’s 2017 RDA
Determination is Needs Assistance if the RDA Percentage is at least 60% but less than 80% . A
State would also be Needs Assistance if its RDA Determination percentage is 80% or above but
the Department has imposed Special Conditions on the State’s last three IDEA Part B grant
awards (for FFYs 2014, 2015, and 2016), and those Special Conditions are in effect at the time
of the 2017 determination. We note here that OSEP will continue the Special Conditions on
D.C.’s FFY 2017 IDEA Part B grant related to ensuring that: (1) reevaluations are provided to
children with disabilities in a timely manner as required by IDEA sections 612(a)(7) and 614(a)
through (c) and 34 CFR §300.303; (2) findings of noncompliance are corrected in a timely
manner, as required by IDEA sections 612(a)(11) and 616, 34 CFR §§300.149 and 300.600(e),
20 U.S.C. 1232d(b)(3)(E), a nd OSEP Memorandum 09-02; and (3) local educational agencies
(L EAs ) comply with the secondary transition requirements in IDEA section 614(d)(1)(A)(i)(VIII)
and 34 CFR §§300.320(b) and 300.321(b). The specific reporting requirements and other
required actio ns will be described in OSEP’s FFY 2017 IDEA Part B grant award documents.
States were required to submit Phase II I of the S tate Systemic Improvement Plan (S SIP) by April
3, 2017. OSEP appreciates the State’s ongoing work on its SSIP and its efforts to improve results
for students with disabilities. We have carefully reviewed your submission and will provide
feedback in the upcoming weeks. Additionally, OSEP will continue to work with your State as it
implements the second year of Phase III of the SSIP, whi ch is due on April 2, 2018.
As a reminder, your State must report annually to the public, by posting on the State educational
agency’s (SEA’s) w ebsite, the performance of each LEA located in the State on the targets in the
SPP/APR as soon as practicable, b ut no later than 120 days after the State’s submission of its
FFY 2015 SPP/APR. In addition, your State must:
(1) review LEA performance against targets in the State’s SPP/APR;
(2) determine if each LEA “meets the requirements” of Part B, or “needs assistance,” “n eeds
intervention,” or “needs substantial intervention” in implementing Part B of the IDEA ;
(3) take appropriate enforcement action; and
(4) inform each LEA of its determination.
Further, your State must make its SPP/APR available to the public by posting it on th e SEA’s
w ebsite. Within the next several days, OSEP will be finalizing your State Profile that:
(1) will be accessible to the public;
(2) includes the State’s determination letter and SPP/APR, and all related State and OSEP
attachments; and
(3) can be accessed via a U RL unique to your State, which you can use to make your
S PP/APR a vailable to the public.
We will provide you with the unique URL when it is live.
Page 4—Chief State School Officer
OSEP appreciates the State’s efforts to improve results for children and youth with disabilities
and looks forward to working with your State over the next year as we continue our important
work of improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families. Please contact your
OSEP State Lead i f you have any questions, would like to discuss this further , or want to request
technical assistance.
Sincerely,
/s/ Ruth E. Ryder
Ruth E. Ryder
Acting Director
Office of Special Education Programs
cc: Amy Maisterra
(Grant Year 2015-2016—Issued June 28, 2017) Contact the Partner Support Center at EDEN-Submission-System@ed.gov or 877-HLP-EDEN (877-457-3336) for state profile.
idea_file-template-default single single-idea_file postid-61888 wp-custom-logo wp-embed-responsive with-font-selector no-anchor-scroll footer-on-bottom animate-body-popup social-brand-colors hide-focus-outline link-style-standard has-sidebar content-title-style-normal content-width-normal content-style-boxed content-vertical-padding-show non-transparent-header mobile-non-transparent-header kadence-elementor-colors elementor-default elementor-kit-82278
Last modified on July 6, 2017