Responding to Special Education Disproportionality Understanding your Data Presenters: Nancy Fuhrman & Dani Scott, DPI

Presentation Topics  Indicators 9 & 10  Criteria  Risk  Risk Ratio  Weighted Risk Ratio

Indicator 9: Disproportionate Representation in Special Education & Related Services  Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services that is the result of inappropriate identification

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

Criteria  A total enrollment of 100 students for any given racial group;  There must be 10 students with disabilities in the particular racial group in question; and  The specific criteria must be met for three consecutive years

Additional Criteria  Risk levels for a racial group that are 1% or higher than the state risk for White students  Weighted risk ratio that is at least 2.0 times compared to risk for all others in the district  Other criteria may be applied depending on unique circumstances

Sources of Data  ISES 3 rd Friday September Count  October 1 Child Count

What Is Risk?  Risk is a particular racial group’s likelihood of being identified for special education or for a given disability category  Risk answers the question, “What percentage of a particular racial group is receiving special education or has been identified as having a particular disability?”

What Is Risk?  Calculation: Number of students from racial/ethnic group in disability category Number of enrolled students from racial/ethnic group Multiply by 100 to express as a percentage

Risk  For Example: Black students with CD = 4 = 4% Black students enrolled = 100 The risk of an enrolled Black student being labeled as having CD = 4%.

Exercises for Calculating Risk  Use your own data  Calculate for “all disabilities” within your district Example: Statewide all disabilities: # Hispanic students with disabilities for ,127 Total Hispanic public enrollment = 59,450 *100 = 11.99

Exercises for Calculating Risk (continued)  Calculate the risk for all special education categories and for the specific disability category in which you were identified  Explore racial gaps – graph your results  Comparison to White risk

What Is Risk Ratio?  Risk Ratio---Compares the risk for one racial/ethnic group to the risk for all other groups  If there were no differences between racial/ethnic groups, the risk ratio would be 1.0 (everybody would have equal risk)

What Is Risk Ratio?  Calculation: Risk for racial/ethnic group for disability category Risk for comparison group for disability category

Risk Ratio  For example: Black students with CD = 4 = Risk = 4% Black students enrolled = 100 White students with CD = 2 = Risk = 2% White students enrolled = 100 Risk Ratio = 4% 2% = 2.0 Black students are twice as likely as White students to be identified

Exercises for Calculating Risk Ratio  Calculate risk ratio for disability category your district was identified for  Criteria for district identification – examine risk ratios of one racial group as compared to all others  Still may want to look at individual risk levels

Weighted Risk Ratio  Risk ratios are not comparable across districts  Weighted risk ratio adjusts for district variability Allows for comparisons across districts  Use weighted risk ratio for identification (per federal guidelines)

Resources  Westat TA Guide: Methods for Assessing Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Special Education %20Technical%20Assistance%20Guide.pdf %20Technical%20Assistance%20Guide.pdf  Wisconsin State Performance Plan – Indicators 9 & 10