Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 1 The California Picture Ethnic Disproportionality in Californias Special Education Programs Presented by Kimberly L. McDaniel, Ph.D. California Department of Education

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 2 Policy Context California Demographics Measuring Ethnic Disproportion Statewide Actions Presentation Overview

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 3 WHAT

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 4 Disproportionality Disproportionality refers to the relationship between student representation in both general and special education. Harry and Anderson, 1995

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 5 Contextualizing Disproportionality in California Federal interest No Child Left Behind (NCLB) State Accountability (KPI) History = 2 Primary Lawsuits (Language/Misidentification)

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 6 WHO

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 7 Enrollment in Public Schools California, Student Representation in GE and SE

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 8 Percent of Students Meeting NCLB AYP in Math California,

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 9 Percent of Students Meeting NCLB AYP in ELA California,

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 10 In : 26% of all students in California were English learners 20% of all special education students were English learners 41% of Hispanic students receiving special education services were English learners English Learners in California

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 11 HOW

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 12 Three Ways to View Concept Composition Index Risk Index Odds Ratio

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 13 Risk Index Risk Index: Percent of students in a given ethnic group identified as receiving special education services Sample/Example Statement: In California, 16.01% of African American students receive special education services

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 14 Odds Ratio Odds Ratio: Comparative index Statement: African American students have a 48 percent greater likelihood of being assigned to special education than all students in California

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 15 Composition Index Composition Index: The proportion of all children serviced in special education from the ethnic group Example/Sample statement: African American students comprise 12.00% of all special education students

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 16 E-Formula is on the Record E=A+Sqrt[A*(100-A)÷N] E=maximum percentage of enrollment allowed for a racial/ethic group A=percentage of racial/ethnic group in total school enrollment N=total number of students in special education

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 17 Action

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 18 Quality Assurance Process Statewide Special Education District Review Compliance and Educational Benefit Focus Risk Index

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 19 (Special) Education Equity Implementation Workgroup Primary Goal ~ Develop Work Plan Secondary Goals ~ Identify Partners ~ Education ~ Inform Research

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 20 Reducing ethnic overrepresentation is a matter of creating a successful school environment for all students and accurately distinguishing disabilities from so-called cultural differences, political influences, and socioeconomic factors. We must realize that the causes of low academic performance and challenging behavior do not reside solely within the child or family. -National Institute for Urban School Improvement, 2001 Recommendations: Policy and Program Direction

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 21 #1: Focus on early intervention. Action: Provide universal screenings for kindergarten students. #2: Improve the quality of the pre-referral process. Action: Implement proven pre-referral strategies. #3 Strengthen state technical assistance capacity in the area of ethnic disproportionality in special education. Action:Train field staff in the area of ethnic disproportionality in special education. #4 Create cross-systems relationships to facilitate access to services beyond special education. Action: Establish Interagency State Task Force. #5 Pursue Scholarly Inquiry. Action: Conduct multivariate research. Recommendations: 5 Areas with Actions

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 22 Statewide ethnic disproportionality data Multiple measures Current state efforts Cross-systems solutions Research role Summary

Addressing Disproportionality in California's Special Education Programs Prepared by Dr. McDaniel 23 Q&A State of California Department of Education Special Education Division Assessment, Evaluation, and Support Unit 1430 N. Street Sacramento, CA (916) Fax (916) Tdd (916) Kimberly L. McDaniel, Ph.D. Education Programs Consultant