IEP Implementation Data Collection
This page provides information about the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Implementation data collection, an annual collection of local educational agency (LEA) level data related to their performance of implementation of IEPs.Overall Purpose
The California Department of Education (CDE) is conducting an annual data collection in efforts to fulfill its monitoring and enforcement responsibilities under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 34 Code of Federal Regulations sections 300.600 and 300.323.
The goals of this data collection include the effort to identify systemic issues with local educational agencies (LEAs), and help the State identify LEAs that are not providing the services promised in individualized education programs (IEPs).
Data collected from LEAs to identify IEPs surveyed will be categorized by three designated percentage of completion ranges (detailed below).
Technical assistance may be provided by the CDE to help improve LEA’s program efficiency and effectiveness through monitoring special education services to students across California.
Procedure/Methodology Overview
CDE will provide a random sample of Students with Disabilities (SWDs) to each LEA via a survey web application, which will also provide tools to report and certify data submitted.
Once each LEA has obtained the random sample of Statewide Student Identifiers (SSIDs) provided by the CDE, LEAs will collect and analyze local level implementation service data.
Measurements will be based upon the total number of service minutes provided for all services in the IEP (numerator), and the total number of service minutes prescribed (denominator) over a designated collection period. Each IEP ratio will then be summarized into one of three categories:
A. 100 to 95% of IEP services implemented
B. 94.9 to 90% of IEP services implemented
C. Less than 90% of IEP services implemented
Data Validation Requirements
The CDE will require that each Superintendent of each LEA certify to the State that the data submitted regarding an LEA's implementation of IEP services are accurate and that school principals have certified to the LEA's Superintendent that such submitted data are accurate; and
To assess the validity and reliability of data submitted in response to the State’s annual statewide data collection regarding an LEA's implementation of IEP services, for those LEAs who submit such data, the CDE will randomly select 10% of those LEAs and audit the data submitted by those LEAs regarding the LEA's implementation of IEP services.
Further details regarding process, methodology, calculating and reporting data, may be found in the resources linked below.
Resources
IEP Implementation Data Collection Portal
Technical Assistance Guide (TAG) (DOCX)
Webinar Power Point Slides (PPTX)
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Implementation Data Collection Training 2025 (Video; 1:16:56)
This webinar outlines the requirements for the IEP Implementation Data Collection including timelines, methodology, accessing the collection portal, and frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Category | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Absences | What does the IEP Implementation denominator (services minutes prescribed) include and exclude? |
The following should be INCLUDED in the denominator: Service minutes included in the special education plan to which the parent/guardian has agreed/signed, including:
The following student absences may be EXCLUDED from the denominator:
|
| Absences | Why are student absences due to illness or other excused or unexcused reasons counted in the denominator? | Although student absences may have an impact on a particular student's implementation percentage, when evaluating IEP Implementation at a local educational agency-level, the CDE is examining the percentage of students in the randomly selected sample that are falling into the 90% and below range. A significant percentage of students falling into the 90% and below range may identify systemic issues that may offer an opportunity for CDE to provide
programmatic and technical assistance to LEAs. |
| Absences | When students don't physically attend school (such as students enrolled in an independent study program), how should we calculate IEP implementation? | Students who are in Independent Study will still need to meet with service providers as required to receive services prescribed. If the student does not make themselves available, this would be treated the same way as an absence in traditional school attendance. The service minutes prescribed by the IEP would remain the same, with the number of service minutes provided affected by the student absence. |
| Absences | If the student is absent should an LEA require them to make up services? | Students may receive compensatory services but are not required to. If they are provided, the sum total of service minutes provided should fall within the prescribed evaluation period for the IEP Implementation data collection. If an LEA is providing compensatory time, the hours to be made up would need to fall within the evaluation period |
| Absences | Could you please give a numerical example of reporting for students with chronic absences vs the occasional absence? Ex. student has 100 minutes per day, but has only attended 3 days this school year, can you explain how that would be reported? | If a student is chronically absent, it is likely that the calculation for IEP Implementation success rate will fall in the category of below 90% implementation, and should be reported as such. |
| Calculate Denominator | If the student is temporary disenrolled, would the services prescribed during that period be counted in the denominator? | No, only services prescribed during periods in which the student is enrolled should be counted. |
| Calculate Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) | How should Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) minutes be counted in the numerator? | If a student is in attendance and receiving SAI from a certificated or licensed staff member or contracted provider, whether or not they are a substitute, then the LEA may count the SAI minutes as provided. |
| Calculate SAI | Can SAI minutes missed due to absence be made up in the same manner as related services? | This determination should be made locally. |
| Calculate Service | How are IEP Implementation success rates calculated if the student refuses services? | If there is an agreement in the IEP that services refused may be excused as part of the prescribed services, they may be left out of the calculation. If not, you would perform the calculation using actual service minutes provided divided by service minutes prescribed in the IEP. Issues with implementation rates may be discussed with monitoring staff if you were selected afterwards as part of the random 10% for monitoring. |
| Calculate Service | When a student transfers into an LEA and there is a delay in receipt of the student's IEP, should those prescribed minutes be counted in the denominator? | The sum total of service minutes provided should fall within the prescribed evaluation period for the IEP Implementation data collection. If an LEA is providing compensatory time, the hours to be made up would need to fall within the evaluation period. |
| Data Collection | When will access codes be distributed? | Access codes will first be distributed to special education local plan area (SELPA) contacts on the first business day after the data collection window opens. From this point, it will be the responsibility of the SELPA contact to distribute the individual member LEA access codes accordingly. |
| Data Collection Certification | Is the designee role self-certified, or will we need our Superintendent to fill something out? | It would be self certified, as per the disclaimer on the submission/certification screen. |
| Data Collection Certification | Does the SELPA Admin certify or the LEA Superintendent or both? | You would have both of them approve just as you do now with California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) where the LEA certifies, and then the SELPA certifies. It's the same process. |
| Data Collection Criteria | Will independently reporting charter schools be included in the IEP Implementation Data Collection? | Charter schools that are independently reporting (IRC), unless they are selected as a Small LEA going through cyclical monitoring, will be receiving/submitting their data separately as the reporting LEA. Whereas, Charter schools that are not IRC are reported by their authorizing districts. |
| Data Collection Criteria | For the percentage of IEPs to review, is this based on the total number of students with disabilities on CALPADS census? | This number is based upon a random sample of students who are enrolled in the LEA during the measurement period. Students must be enrolled (based on the most current data in CALPADS) for the entire measurement period to be included in the student sample. |
| Data Collection Criteria | Did I hear this correctly, small LEAs are exempt from reporting this year? | Yes, small LEAs will only be required to submit IEP Implementation data during their monitoring cycle, beginning with Cycle B in 2025. |
| Data Collection Criteria | Will charters that are schools of the district anticipate submitting for the monitoring separately, or will those students be captured under the authorizing LEA? | Reporting of Charter schools should align with the CALPADS reporting of Charter Schools. Charter schools that are independently reporting (IRC) will be receiving/submitting their data separately, or considered as the reporting LEA. Whereas, regular Charter schools are reported by their authorizing districts. |
| Selection | How can we confirm if we are part of the 10% of LEAs randomly selected for additional review? | The 10% of participating LEAs are selected at random after the collection cycle is complete in June at the end of the IEP Implementation data collection cycle. If you are selected, you will be notified by our Focused Monitoring and Technical Assistance (FMTA) consultants. |
| Selection | Is it possible that the randomly selected sample may include students in nonpublic school (NPS) placement | The random students will be pulled from your CALPADS reported data that may include NPS students if reported. |
| Selection | We service a number of students on service plans that attend private schools located within our district. Why are we monitoring those service plans when they are not a special education IEP or function? | Students on individualized family service plan (IFSPs) or individualized service plans (ISPs) are not selected. Only students who are on an IEP will be included in the IEP Implementation data collection. |
| Small LEAs | What constitutes as a small LEA? | Small LEAs are LEAs that have 100 or less students with disabilities and were selected for Small LEA monitoring in Cycles A, B, or C. |