Monitor preK and K–12 inclusion rates and collect systematic SELPA service and funding data before permitting more single-district SELPA conversions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (2 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 associational), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report recommends that if large districts are allowed to leave multidistrict SELPAs, the state should monitor inclusion rates for students receiving special education services in preK and grades K–12, review IEP placement-decision documentation during monitoring, and provide training and guidance on placement best practices. It also recommends collecting data on SELPA services, fund use, and administration costs: "the state should consider collecting additional data to better understand differences in per pupil funding within and between SELPAs."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• State capacity to monitor inclusion rates and review IEP placement documentation across district sizes and SELPA configurations

Constraints¶

• Findings are exploratory and cross-sectional; the study does not support causal inferences about the effects of large districts withdrawing from multidistrict SELPAs, and implications beyond California are limited because the SELPA membership requirement is unique to California

Target Learners¶

• Students receiving special education services (students with IEPs) in California school districts, including preK and K–12 students in small, midsized, and large districts

Target Learning Goals¶

• Access to the general education curriculum and least restrictive environment placement; equitable special education service provision and funding across district configurations

Claims¶

• Single-district SELPAs had meaningfully lower inclusion rates, with a higher proportion of students with disabilities in general education less than 40 percent of the school day [+W]
• Multidistrict SELPAs without a large district received higher per pupil special education funding and had higher preK and K–12 inclusion rates than those with a large district [+W]
• Among small districts in multidistrict SELPAs, membership in a SELPA without a large district was associated with higher preK inclusion but lower K–12 inclusion [~W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Doutre, S. M., Barrett, T., & Rice, J. (2021). California's Special Education Local Plan Areas: Funding patterns, inclusion rates, and student outcomes. Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs