Office of Special Education

2025 School District Determinations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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DATAG Summer Conference

Saratoga Springs, NY

July 10, 2025

State Performance Plan/ Annual Performance Report

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• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires each state to develop a State Performance Plan (SPP)/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.
• States must report annually on their progress against the targets in their SPP/APR.
• A new SPP/APR is developed at least every six years.

Annual IDEA Determinations for School Districts

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NYSED Office of Special Education annually determines if each school district:

School District IDEA Determinations Criteria

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SPP Performance and Compliance Indicators

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Timely and Accurate Data

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Correction of Identified Noncompliance

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Other Data

Including Any Relevant Audit Findings

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Change in IDEA Determination Criteria

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• Current Determinations

• 2025-26 Determinations

Performance Matrix

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Graduation and Drop Out Rates

• SPP Indicator 1: Graduation
• Percent of youth with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) exiting special education due to graduating with a regular high school diploma.

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• SPP Indicator 2: Drop Out
• Percent of youth with IEPs who exited special education due to dropping out.

NYS Graduation and Drop Out Rates

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VR10

SPP 1. Graduation

VR10

SPP 2. Drop Out

2025 Scoring SPP 1

2025 Scoring SPP 2

Data for these indicators are “lag” data

Performance on Reading and Math Assessments

• SPP Indicator 3B: Proficiency Rate
• Proficiency Rate for Children with IEPs Against Grade Level Academic Achievement Standards.
• The 2025 NYSED RDA will evaluate 4^th Grade and 8^th Grade Reading and Math Results in School District IDEA Determinations.

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SPP 3B: Proficiency Rate for Children with IEPs

Against Grade Level Academic Achievement Standards

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Statewide Assessment Data from School Year 2023–2024

School-Age Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

• SPP Indicator 5A: Education Environments
• Percent of children with IEPs aged 5 who are enrolled in kindergarten and aged 6 through 21 served inside the regular class 80% or more of the day.

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• SPP Indicator 5B: Education Environments
• Percent of children with IEPs aged 5 who are enrolled in kindergarten and aged 6 through 21 served inside the regular class less than 40% of the day.

• SPP Indicator 5C: Education Environments
• Percent of children with IEPs aged 5 who are enrolled in kindergarten and aged 6 through 21 served in separate schools, residential facilities, or homebound/hospital placements.

School-Age LRE – SPP 5A, 5B, 5C

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VR5

SPP 5A. Regular Class > 80%

2025 Scoring SPP 5A

VR5

SPP 5B. Regular Class < 40%

2025 Scoring SPP 5B

VR5

SPP 5C. Separate Setting %

2025 Scoring SPP 5C

Statewide Education Environments Data

Preschool LRE

• SPP Indicator 6A: Education Environments
• Percent of children with IEPs aged 3, 4, and aged 5 who are enrolled in a preschool program attending a regular early childhood program and receiving the majority of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program.

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• SPP Indicator 6B: Education Environments
• Percent of children with IEPs aged 3, 4, and aged 5 who are enrolled in a preschool program attending a separate special education class, separate school or residential facility.

Preschool LRE – SPP 6A and 6B

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VR4 & VR5

SPP 6A. Regular Class

2025 Scoring SPP 6A

VR4 & VR5

SPP 6B. Separate Setting

2025 Scoring SPP 6B

Statewide Education Environments Data

Compliance Matrix

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Suspension/Expulsion & Disproportionate Representation

• SPP Indicator 4B: Suspension/Expulsion
• Percent of districts that have: (a) a significant discrepancy by race or ethnicity, in the rate of suspensions and expulsions of greater than 10 days in a school year for children with IEPs; and (b) policies, procedures or practices that contribute to the significant discrepancy, and do not comply with requirements relating to the development and implementation of IEPs, the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and procedural safeguards.

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• SPP Indicator 9: Disproportionate Representation
• Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services that is the result of inappropriate identification.

• SPP Indicator 10: Disproportionate Representation in Specific Disability Categories
• Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in specific disability categories that is the result of inappropriate identification.

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SPP Compliance Indicators – 4B, 9, 10

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4B. Discrepancy in Suspension and Expulsion %

9. Disproportionate Representation %

10. Disproportionate Representation in Disability Categories %

Scoring is based on the submission of timely and accurate data; whether the data meets the criteria for discrepancy/disproportionality; and whether noncompliance with policies and procedures was identified.

PD8

VR1-9

VR1-9

Evaluation and Transitions

• SPP Indicator 11: Timely Evaluations
• Percent of children who were evaluated within 60 days of receiving parental consent for initial evaluation.

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• SPP Indicator 12: Early Childhood Transition
• Percent of children referred by Part C prior to age 3, who are found eligible for Part B, and who have an IEP developed and implemented by their third birthdays.

• SPP Indicator 13: Secondary Transition
• Percent of youth with IEPs aged 16* and above with an IEP that includes appropriate measurable postsecondary goals that are annually updated and based upon an age-appropriate transition assessment, transition services, including courses of study, that will reasonably enable the student to meet those postsecondary goals, and annual IEP goals related to the student’s transition services needs.

* In New York State, secondary transition begins no later than the first IEP to be in effect when the student is age 15 per regulation 8 NYCRR 200.4(d)(ix)

SPP Compliance Indicators – 11, 12, 13

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11. Child Find %

12. Early Childhood Transition %

13. Secondary Transition %

VR12

SEQA Compliance Review

2025 Scoring SPP 11 & SPP 12

2025 Scoring SPP 13

VR11

Timely and Accurate Data

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Timely and Accurate Data Rubric

• Full Points will be awarded to school districts if their Timely and Accurate School District Data Rubric reflects at least 95 percent compliance with submission and certification reporting requirements. 

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Correction of Noncompliance 

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0

Timeliness of Due Process Hearing Decisions   

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�Audit Findings

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Other Data Including Any Relevant Audit Findings

Audit Finding Resulting in an Outstanding NYSED Enforcement Action, Specific Condition on the School District’s IDEA Part B Grant Award or Required 15% Redirect for Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS).

School Districts that have no outstanding NYSED audit enforcement actions, no specific conditions to the school district’s FFY 2023 IDEA Part B Grant Award and are not required to redirect 15% for CCEIS will receive the full two points for this category.  One point is assigned to school districts with one of these events and zero points are assigned to school districts with two or three of these events.

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Data.nysed.gov

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Appeals Process: Preliminary Determinations

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2025-26 School District IDEA Determinations

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397 Districts

Meets Requirements

Combined Matrix Score 80% or Greater

262 Districts

Needs Assistance Year 1

27 Districts

Needs Assistance Years 2 or More

Combined Matrix Score Greater or Equal to 60% but Less than 80%

14 Districts

Needs Intervention

Years 1 & 2

Combined Matrix Score Less than 60%

8 Districts

Needs Intervention

Years 3 or More

IDEA Determination

10 or more Years

2025-26 School District Interventions

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262 Districts

Needs Assistance Year 1

Proactive Intervention

Professional development selected by the district

27 Districts

Needs Assistance Years 2 or More

Focused Intervention

Required professional development and progress monitoring targeted to address areas of concern

14 Districts

Needs Intervention

Years 1 & 2

8 Districts

Needs Intervention

Years 3 or More

Coordinated Intervention

Enhanced support of the districts’ improvement activities through technical assistance, professional development, and stakeholder engagement, with oversight and monitoring of the district’s actions to resolve areas of concern

Intervention districts may not reduce their maintenance of effort for purposes of the IDEA grant eligibility

IDEA LEA Webpage

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Memo

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Executive Summary

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Guide

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School District Notification Timeline

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IDEA Scoring Walk-Through

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2025–2026 School Year IDEA Accountability Guide 

Educational Partnership Intervention Definitions

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2025 Intervention Tiers and Activities

Coordinated Intervention

For those school districts determined to Need Intervention under the IDEA

CI

Higher tiers may include interventions from lower tiers

Support Plan – Systems, Practice, and/or Student Goals

Educational Partnership Progress Monitoring of Support Plan Goals

SEQA Compliance Monitoring Related to Improvement Objectives

Educational Partnership & SEQA Technical Assistance

Focused Intervention

For those school districts meeting Decision-Tree criteria

FI

Higher tiers may include interventions from lower tiers

Support Plan – Systems, Practice, and/or Student Goals

Targeted Skills Group (TSG)

Educational Partnership Progress Monitoring of Support Plan & TSG Goals

Educational Partnership & SEQA Technical Assistance

Proactive Intervention

For those school districts meeting Decision-Tree criteria

PI

Targeted Skills Group (TSG)

Required Regional Learning – NYSED Selected

Required Regional Learning – District Selected

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2025 IDEA Tiered Interventions – NA & NI Districts

Those School Districts with a Needs Assistance or Needs Intervention Determination

IDEA Designation

Support Plan

Targeted Skills Group (TSG)

Required

Regional Learning

NYSED Selected

Required

Regional Learning

District Selected

1)

Coordinated Intervention District Level 2: IDEA Needs Intervention 3 or More Years

Yes

If incorporated in the Support Plan

If incorporated in the Support Plan

N/A

Coordinated Compliance Monitoring

2)

Coordinated Intervention District Level 1: IDEA Needs Intervention 1 or 2 Years

Yes

If incorporated in the Support Plan

If incorporated in the Support Plan

Coordinated

Compliance Monitoring

3)

Focused Intervention District

IDEA Needs Assistance 2 or More Years

Yes

N/A

If incorporated as part of the TSG

Scheduled & Risk-Based Applicable to All Districts

4)

Proactive Intervention District IDEA Needs Assistance Year 1

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Yes

SEQA Monitoring

Scheduled & Risk-Based Applicable to All Districts

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2025 IDEA Tiered Interventions – Focused Interventions

Those Educational Organizations Identified at Regional Planning as Requiring a Focused Intervention

Decision-Tree Designation

Focused Intervention

Support Plan

Focused Intervention

Targeted Skills Group

Focused Intervention

Required Regional Learning NYSED Selected

5)

Focused Intervention: Action Plan to Resolve Outstanding Noncompliance

Yes

Yes

Yes

6)

Focused Intervention: Significant SEQA Concerns following Monitoring

Yes

Yes

Yes

7)

Focused Intervention: Significant RPC/FACE Concerns following Partnership Engagement

Yes

Yes

Yes

8)

Focused Intervention

NYSAA 2.5% or Higher

Yes

If incorporated in the Support Plan

If incorporated in the Support Plan

9)

Focused Intervention

NYSAA between 2% and 2.5%

N/A

Yes

N/A

10)

Focused Intervention: Identified for Significant Disproportionality

N/A

Yes

N/A

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Focused Intervention: CAP for Disciplinary Change in Placement

N/A

N/A

Yes

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

OR

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2025 IDEA Tiered Interventions – Proactive Interventions

Those Educational Organizations Identified at Regional Planning as Requiring a Proactive Intervention

Decision-Tree Designation

Proactive Intervention

Targeted Skills Group

Proactive Intervention

Required Regional Learning

NYSED Selected

12)

Proactive Intervention

Identified for Disproportionality

(Year 1 or Year 2 - No Alt Risk Ratio)

Yes

N/A

13)

Proactive Intervention: Required to Report SPP 8 Next Year

Yes

N/A

14)

Proactive Intervention: Required to Report SPP 13 Next Year

N/A

Yes

School districts and Approved Special Education Programs (ASEPs) that are not identified as requiring an IDEA Tiered Intervention may elect to participate in Regional Learnings (not required) offered by their Regional Partnership Center. (RPC). A list of resources and RPCs are available at the Educational Partnership webpage.

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Additional Support �(Step 3)

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 [KV1]If we add this here, does it belong in the left hand column too? Is the only PI-TSG the SPP 8 TSG?

 [TM2]Not sure what you mean?

BOCES Feedback (Step 4)

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Questions

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