Resource Library

The Success Gaps Toolkit presents a process for using data and the Success Gap Rubric to identify root causes of gaps between groups of children in districts or schools. These success gaps occur when the education system is not meeting the needs of all groups of children and outcomes for some groups are different than outcomes for most groups. The toolkit, with its process and materials, provides a manageable and defined way for districts or schools to identify success gaps that are present and their root causes and then make a plan for addressing the gaps. The success gaps may be the graduation rate of students who are English learners compared to the rate of all other children, the out-of-school suspension rate of children who are Black compared to the rate of all other children, the identification of children who are Hispanic as children with specific learning disabilities compared to the identification of all other children, and other gaps.

The Equity in IDEA regulations require states to determine annually if local education agencies (LEAs) are identified with significant disproportionality. The regulations outline specific requirements related to methods for identifying LEAs and activities the LEAs must complete after they are identified. These significant disproportionality resources can assist states with implementing these requirements and supporting LEAs through the process of meeting the requirements.

The IDC Part B Indicator Data Display Wizard helps state education agency (SEA) staff communicate complex data to stakeholders in a more user-friendly manner. This tool is designed to create data visualizations, in the form of charts, based on State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) data the user enters. IDC has updated the tool to make it easier for users to create visualizations based on the charts’ purposes. Many of the visualizations are dynamic and automatically update based on the data the user enters into the tool. States can easily transfer the visualizations to other programs to meet their reporting needs based on the audience, message, and purpose of the desired report or presentation they are preparing.

This TA guide addresses the more common methods for calculating racial/ethnic disproportionality in special education. IDC revised the guide, which the Data Accountability Center (DAC) originally published in October 2011, because of a change in SPP/APR Indicators 9 and 10 to remove underrepresentation from the measure.

The TA guide describes the methods a state might use to appropriately determine which of its districts has a significant discrepancy (including a significant discrepancy by race or ethnicity) in the rates of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions totaling greater than 10 days for children with disabilities.

The LEA EDFacts Edit Check and Data Display Tools allow states to identify potential business rule errors or errors in category sets, subtotals, or totals prior to submitting the data to OSEP via the EDFacts Submission System. The tool also provides states with user-friendly data summaries.

IDC designed these two technical assistance products to be used by state personnel responsible for IDEA 618 and/or 616 data. The products include a step-by-step guide on completing an outlier analysis, with a brief introduction on the principles of outlier analyses, and a tool state staff can use to conduct outlier analyses with their local data. IDEA Part B state staff working with LEAs also can use both products to analyze their local data.