2020 DETERMINATION LETTERS ON STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEA

U.S. D EPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2020 D ETERMINATION L ETTERS ON S TAT E IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEA REVISED NOVEMBER 25, 2020 The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services released S tate determinations on implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for Part B and Part C for fiscal year 201 8. The 2004 Amendments to the IDEA require each State to develop a State Performance Plan (SPP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) that evaluates the State’s efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of the IDEA, and describes how the State will improve its implementation. The Part B SPP/ APR and Part C SPP/APR include Indicators that measure child and family results, and other indicators that measure compliance with the requirements of the IDEA. Since 2015, the Part B SPP/APR and Part C SPP/ APR have include d a State Systemic Improvement Plan through which each State focuses its efforts on improving a State-selected child or family outcome. The IDEA also requires each State to report annually to the Secretary on its performance under the SPP. Specifically, the State must report in its APR, the progress it has made in meeting the measurable and rigorous targets established in its SPP. The Secretary is required to issue an annual determination to each S tate on its progress in meeting the requirements of the statute. The determinations are part of the ongoing efforts to improve e ducation for America’s 7.5 million children with disabilities . IDEA details four categories for the Secretary’s determinations. A State’s determination may be:  Meet s the requirements and purposes of IDEA;  Needs assistance in implementing the requirements of IDEA;  Needs intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA; or  Needs substantial intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA. For the first time in 2014, and again in 2015, 2016, 2017, 201 8, 2019, and 2020 , the Department made Part B determinations us ing both compliance and results data, giving each equal weight in making a State’s determination. For the first time in 2015 and again in 2016, 2017 2018, 2019, and 2020 , the Department made Part C determinations us ing both compliance and results data, giving each equal weight in making a State’s determination. For the first time in 2018, and again in 2019 and 2020, the Department made Part B determinations for the outlying areas, freely associated States, and the Bureau of Indian Education using both compliance and results data, 2020 DETERMINATION LETTERS ON STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEA 2 with a 60% weight and 40% weight respectively. OSEP’s accountability framework, called Results Driven Accountability (RDA), brings into focus the educational results and functional outcomes for children with disabilities while balancing those results with the compliance requirements of IDEA. Protecting the rights of children with disabilities and their families is a key responsibility of State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) for Part B, and Lead Agencies and early intervention service programs for Part C , but it is not sufficient if children are not attaining the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish the ideals of IDEA: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self- sufficiency. IDEA identifies specific technical assistance or enforcement actions that the Department must take under specific circumstances for States that are not determined to “ meet requirements.” If a State “needs assistance” for two consecutive years, the Department must take one or more enforcement actions, including, among others, requiring the State to access technical assistance, designating the S tate as a high-risk grantee, or directing the use of S tate set-aside funds to the area( s) where the S tate needs assistance. If a State “needs intervention” for three consecutive years, the Department must take one or more enforcement actions, including among others, requiring a corrective action plan or compliance agreement, or wi thholding further payments to the S tate. Any time a S tate “needs substantial intervention” the Department must take immediate enforcement action, such as withholding funds or referring the matter to the Department’s inspector general or to the Department of Justice. 2020 DETERMINATION LETTERS ON STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEA 3 IDEA P ART B D ETERMINATIONS Following is a list of each S tate’s performance in meeting the requirements of IDEA Part B, which serves students with disabilities, ages 3 through 21: MEETS REQUIREMENTS Arkansas Florida Georgia Illinois Kansas Kentucky Ma ine Massachusetts Minnesota Missouri New Hampshire New Jersey North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma Pennsylvania Republic of the Marshall Islands South Dakota Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Wyomin g NEEDS ASSISTANCE (one year) Arizona Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Connecticut Indiana Montana Nebraska Ohio NEEDS ASSISTANCE ( two or more consecutive year s) Alabama Alaska American Samoa D istrict of Columbia California Colorado Delaware Federated States of Micronesia Guam Hawaii Iowa Idaho Louisiana Maryland M ichigan Mississippi New Mexico Nevada Oregon Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Washington NEEDS INTERVENTION ( one year ) New York Virgin Islands Vermont NEEDS INTERVENTION ( three years) Palau NEEDS INTERVENTION ( nine consecutive years) Bureau of Indian Education 2020 DETERMINATION LETTERS ON STATE IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEA 4 IDEA P ART C D ETERMINATIONS Following is a list of each State’s performance in meeting the requirements of IDEA Part C, which serves infants and toddlers birth through age 2: MEETS REQUIREMENTS Alabama Arkansas Arizona District of Columbia Georgia Idaho Kansas Kentucky Loui siana Maryland Mi nnesota North Carolina North Dakota New Mexico Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Washington West Virginia Wyoming NEEDS ASSISTANCE (one year) Alaska Connecticut Missouri Montana Nevada New York Virginia Wisconsin NEEDS ASSISTANCE ( two or more consecutive years) American Samoa California Colorado Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Delaware Florida Guam Hawaii Iowa Illinois Indiana Massachusetts Mississippi Ma ine Mi chigan New Hampshire New Jersey South Carolina Vermont Virgin Islands NEEDS INTERVENTION ( one year ) Nebraska