2021 SPP/APR and State Determination Letters PART C – Illinois

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 S TATES D EPARTMENT OF E DUCATION O FFICE OF S PECIAL E DUCATION AND R EHABILITATIVE S ERVICES June 22, 20 21 Honorable Grace B. Hou Secre tary Illinois Department of Human Services Harris Building, 100 South Grand Ave East, 3rd Floor Springfield , Illinois 62762 Dear Secretary Hou : I am writing to advise you of the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) 2021 determination under sections 616 and 642 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Department has determined that Illinois needs assistance in meeting the requirements of Part C of the IDEA. This determination is based on the totality of the State’s data and infor mation, including the Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2019 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), other State - reported data, and other publicly available information. With the FFY 2019 SPP/APR submission, OSEP requested that States and Entities report whether and how the data collection for any indicator was impacted by the COVID - 19 pandemic. Specifically, OSEP requested that States and Entities include in the narrative for each impacted indicator: (1) the impact on data completeness, va lidity, and/or reliability for the indicator; (2) an explanation of how COVID - 19 specifically impacted the State’s or Entity’s ability to collect and verify the data for the indicator; and (3) any steps the State or Entity took to mitigate the impact of CO VID - 19 on the data collection and verification. OSEP appreciates States’ and Entities’ level of transparency regarding the impact of COVID - 19 on the data reported in the FFY 2019 SPP/APR. When making determination decisions for 2021, OSEP considered all in formation submitted that related to the impact of the COVID - 19 pandemic. For 2021 determinations, no State or Entity received a determination of “Needs Intervention” due solely to data impacted by COVID - 19. Your State’s 2021 determination is based on the data reflected in the State’s “ 2021 Part C Results - Driven Accountability Matrix” (RDA Matrix). The RDA Matrix is individualized for each State and consists of: (1) a Compliance Matrix that includes scoring on Compliance Indicato rs and other compliance factors; (2) Results Components and Appendices that include scoring on Results Elements; (3) a Compliance Score and a Results Score;