Part B SPP/APR Indicator B1: Graduation

Data Use Considerations for IDEA State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Part B, Indicator 1: Percent of Youth with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) Exiting Special Education Due to Graduating with a Regular High School Diploma

About Part B Indicator 1

Part B Indicator 1 requires States to report the percentage using the number of youth with IEPs (ages 14-21) who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma in the numerator and the number of all youth with IEPs who exited special education (ages 14- 21) in the denominator.

States are instructed to include the following exiting categories in the denominator:

• a) graduated with a regular high school diploma
• b) graduated with a state-defined alternate diploma
• c) received a certificate
• d) reached maximum age
• e) dropped out

States are instructed not to include in the denominator the number of youths with IEPs who exited special education due to: (a) transferring to regular education; or (b) who moved but are known to be continuing in an educational program.

Additionally, States must provide a narrative that describes the conditions youth must meet in order to graduate with a regular high school diploma, and a description of whether the conditions that youth with IEPs must meet in order to graduate with a regular high school diploma are different.

States may not use sampling to report this information. Data for this indicator are “lag” data and report on the results of the State’s examination of the data for the year before the reporting year (e.g., for the FFY 2023 SPP/APR, use data from 2022-2023), and compare the results to the target.

Additional information about Part B Indicator 1 can be found in the 2025 Part-B SPP/APR Measurement Table and the 2025 Part-B SPP/APR Related Requirements.

Instructions for Using the Part B SPP/APR Indicator 1 Data File

The Part B SPP/APR Indicator 1 Data File can be filtered by State; historical or SPP/APR data; Question Text; Federal Fiscal Year; Data (or question responses); Suppression notes (if applicable); and Data format. The data file allows users to view and analyze the data submitted by each State on each outcome and associated progress categories and summary statement listed above. Instructions for accessing and using these data can be found below.

Filtering by State

To filter the data by State, select the drop-down arrow in either column B (to filter using State name) or column C (to filter using State postal code), row 10, and select the State(s) for which data is to be viewed using the checkboxes.

Filtering by Historical or SPP/APR Data

To filter by historical or SPP/APR data, select the drop-down arrow in column F (Sub Section/ Question Header/ Table header), row 10, and select the type of data to be viewed using the checkboxes.

Historical Data

Data reported by the State between FFY 2017 through FFY 2021.

SPP/APR Data

The data reported for the FFY 2022 federal fiscal year (released in calendar year 2024).

Filtering by Question Text

To filter by Question Text, select the drop-down arrow in column G, row 10. The drop-down menu generates several options for selection which correspond to the numerator (the number of youth with IEPs ages 14-21 who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma), the denominator (number of all youth with IEPs who exited special education ages 14-21) and percentage of  (performance pct) of youth ages 14 – 21 who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma as described above in the about Part B Indicator 1 Section.

Key Terms 

• Slippage: A worsening from the previous data AND a failure to meet the target. The worsening also needs to meet certain thresholds to be considered slippage.
• Status: Denotes whether the State Met Target or Did Not Meet Target data

Use Case Examples

If a user wanted to find the percentage of youth who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma in particular state, they would first filter by state using the drop-down arrow in either column B (State name) or column C (State Postal Code) and select the State(s) they were interested in. Then, the user would select the drop-down arrow in column G (Question Text), row 10, and select “Performance Pct” using the checkbox, then click “apply”, as enumerated in column I (Data).

Likewise, if a user wanted to know the number of youth who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma, they would click on the drop-down arrow in column G (Question Text) and select “Number of youth with IEPs (ages 14-21) who exited special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma” using the checkboxes, then click “apply”, as enumerated in column I (Data).

Filtering by Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)

To filter the data by the Federal Fiscal Year in which they were reported, select the drop-down arrow in column H (FFY Name), and select the year(s) for which data is to be viewed.

Data Notes

Sampling is not allowed for Part B indicator 1. Data for this indicator are “lag” data. Included in the denominator are the following exiting categories: (a) graduated with a regular high school diploma; (b) graduated with a state-defined alternate diploma; (c) received a certificate; (d) reached maximum age; or (e) dropped out. The denominator does not include the number of youths with IEPs who exited special education due to: (a) transferring to regular education; or (b) who moved but are known to be continuing in an educational program.