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State Determinations
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to make annual determinations of each state's performance on IDEA Part B requirements:
- meets requirements in implementing the requirements of Part B;
- needs assistance in implementing the requirements of Part B;
- needs intervention in implementing the requirements of Part B; or
- needs substantial intervention in implementing the requirements of Part B.
State determinations are based on each state's Annual Performance Report (APR), information from monitoring, audit findings and other public information.
Ohio's 2012 determination is Meets Requirements. Additional information is available in the determinations letter and response table from OSEP.
LEA Determinations
Scroll down for links to the website for accessing LEA determinations, as well as a PowerPoint presentation explaining the 2012 local education agencies (LEA) determinations process.
IDEA requires state education agencies to make annual determinations on the performance of special education programs operated by LEAs that receive federal IDEA Part B funding. These annual determinations evaluate the performance of each LEA against a subset of indicator targets established in the State Performance Plan (SPP) / Annual Performance Report (APR). States make LEA determinations using the same criteria OSEP uses in making determinations of states' performance.
To make LEA determinations states must consider:
• Performance on compliance indicators;
• Whether data submitted by LEAs are valid, reliable and timely;
• Uncorrected noncompliance from other sources; and
• Any findings from state financial audits conducted during the determination year.
2012 Determinations
The Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) released 2012 determinations to LEAs in June. These determinations were primarily based on data from the 2010-2011 school year, per federal requirements. OEC posted each LEA’s determination materials to http://www.edresourcesohio.org/determinations2011.
The 2012 determinations assess LEA performance on the following IDEA compliance indicators:
- Indicator 4b – Disproportionality in discipline;
- Indicator 9 – Disproportionality in special education;
- Indicator 10 – Disproportionality in specific disability categories;
- Indicator 11 – Child find (initial evaluation timelines);
- Indicator 12 – Early childhood transition;
- Indicator 13 – Secondary transition;
- Indicator 15 – Timely correction of noncompliance; and
- Indicator 20 – Timely, valid and reliable data.
The 2012 determinations also take into account audit findings related to the use of IDEA funds. This potentially affects LEAs that had findings from the Ohio Auditor of State’s office during the 2010-2011 school year.
Click here for additional details on how determinations are calculated.
Click here to view a presentation explaining the determinations process.
Appeal Process
LEAs that wish to appeal their determination must submit a completed appeal form and supporting documentation by August 15, 2012 to OEC. LEAs considering an appeal are encouraged to contact OEC at determinations@education.ohio.gov prior to submission.
Appeal Form
Public Reporting
Beginning with 2005-2006 data, states have been required to annually report to the public on the performance of each LEA on a subset of the targets in the SPP/APR. OEC posts this report to the department website each year.
In May, 2012, states were required to report on the 2011 determination given to each LEA as part of Table 8 for the IDEA Section 618 data submitted to OSEP each year. Table 8 collects data on maintenance of effort (MOE) reducation and coordinated early intervening services (CEIS).
OEC has included the 2011 LEA determinations in the public report of SPP/APR data on ODE's website. OEC will add the 2012 LEA determination to this report in August, 2012. Click here to access the report.
For general information on LEA Determinations:
Contact Ohio Department of Education, Office for Exceptional Children, (614) 752-1458 or determinations@education.ohio.gov.
For support in addressing a finding in a specific LEA determination:
Contact your regional State Support Team representative.
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