Statewide SELPA administrator survey and multi-LEA SELPA allocation plan review

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

The study's mixed-methods evidence base for Sections 4 and 5 comprises a statewide survey of SELPA directors administered February–March 2020, developed with input from the statewide SELPA Executive Board, plus a review of multi-LEA SELPA allocation plans. "Sixty SELPA administrators (from both single- and multi-LEA SELPAs) responded to the survey, representing nearly half of the state's SELPAs." Researchers triangulated survey data with review of allocation plans from 20 of the 54 multi-LEA SELPAs represented in responses; the intended systematic categorization of allocation methods could not be completed due to nonstandard formats and language.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Survey questions were developed with SELPA Executive Board input to solicit robust information about how multi-LEA SELPAs allocate and distribute state special education funding

Constraints

• The intended systematic review and categorization of allocation methods could not be completed due to the plans' nonstandard formats, nonstandard language, and the sheer variety of allocation and distribution mechanisms

Target Learners

• students with disabilities served by California SELPAs and LEAs

Learning Goals

• understanding how special education funds are allocated, distributed, and expended across California SELPAs and LEAs

Claims

• California's statewide high-cost pools are among the lowest-funded in the nation, and SELPA directors report paperwork burdens outweigh their benefit [+W]
• Most educationally related mental health services were provided by LEAs even though funds for them are allocated to SELPAs [+W]

Related Designs

• Utah USBE resource allocation review process for schools eligible for comprehensive improvement support
• California universal prekindergarten mixed-delivery system and the 2022–23 UPK Planning and Implementation Grant Survey

Examples

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Key Sources

• Jason Willis, Sara Menlove Doutre, Kelsey Krausen, Tyson Barrett, Tye Ripma, and Ruthie Caparas. (2020). Study of California's Special Education Funding System: Phase I Report — A Descriptive Analysis of Special Education Funding in California. WestEd. https://www.wested.org

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	selpa-survey-and-allocation-plan-review-2020
title	Statewide SELPA administrator survey and multi-LEA SELPA allocation plan review
description	The study's mixed-methods evidence base for Sections 4 and 5 comprises a statewide survey of SELPA directors administered February–March 2020, developed with input from the statewide SELPA Executive Board, plus a revi...
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-09
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — jason-willis-2020

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