Quality Assurance Process

Compliance and Improvement Monitoring Process
At the core of the monitoring framework is the Compliance and Improvement Monitoring (CIM) process. The CIM is a series of activities aimed to assist local educational agencies in identifying their issues and developing an integrated plan to address them.

California Annual Performance Reports
Describes the State's progress or slippage in meeting the measurable and rigorous targets established in the State Performance Plan (SPP); and any revisions to the State's targets, improvement activities or resources in the SPP and justifications for the revisions.

California State Performance Plan (SPP)

SPP - 2011 (DOC; 2MB; Posted 02-Jan-2013)
Seven year plan for special education required by IDEA 04

SPP - 2010 (DOC; 2MB; Revised 07-May-2012) Revisions to Indicator 4 (Suspension and Expulsion), Indicator 9 (Disproportionality Overall), and Indicator 10 (Disproportionality by Disability)

SPP - 2009 (DOC; Posted 21-Oct-2009) Revisions to Indicator #7 (Preschool Assessment)

SPP - 2008 (DOC; Posted 01-Feb 2008)
Revisions to Indicator #7 (Preschool Assessment) and Indicator #14 (Post School Outcomes)

SPP - 2007 (DOC; Revised 01-Feb-2007)
Six year plan for special education required by IDEA 04

• United States Department Of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Response Letter (DOC; Posted 15-Jun-2007)
• United States Department Of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Response Table (DOC; Posted 15-Jun-2007)

Focused Monitoring Technical Assistance Consultant Assignments by Region (Updated 22-Aug-2023)
Special Education Division consultant assignments by County

Disproportionality in California Public Schools (Updated 02-Aug-2022)
Impacts on Special Education including information and resources on disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of students receiving special education services.

Complaint Support Unit

Provides technical assistance information and resources for parents, school districts, advocates, agencies and others of procedural safeguards regarding students between ages 3 and 21 with disabilities and their educational rights.

• Toll-free Help Line: 800-926-0648; Weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Email: speceducation@cde.ca.gov
• FAX: 916-327-3704

Rights of Parents and Children

Special Education Rights of Parents and Children Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, and the California Education Code.

• Notice of Procedural Safeguards (English) - Microsoft Word version (DOCX)
  
• Notice of Procedural Safeguards (English) - Portable Document Format (PDF) version (PDF)
  • Available Translations of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards

Parents' Rights (Updated 25-Aug-2023)
A brief summary of Procedural Safeguards for students with disabilities receiving special education services.

Derechos de Los Padres (Posted 28-Jul-2023)
Un breve resumen de las garantías procesales para los estudiantes con discapacidades que reciben servicios de educación especial.

Procedural Safeguards Resources

California Parent Organizations (Revised 20-Sep-2019)
List of California agencies providing resources for families of children with disabilities.

Complaint Filing, Investigation and Resolution

Complaint Process (English) (Updated 02-Dec-2020)
The special education complaint process with federal and state law resource links.

Procedimiento Quejas (Español) (Posted 28-Jul-2023)
El procedimiento de la queja de educación especial con enlaces de recursos de la ley federal y estatal.

Helpful Hints When Requesting Direct State Intervention (English) (Updated 27-Mar-2023)
Suggestions with examples on how to expedite the investigation process.

Sugerencias cuando se solicita la intervención directa del Estado (Español) (Posted 21-Aug-2023)
Sugerencias con ejemplos de cómo acelerar los procesos de investigación

Request for Complaint Investigation (English) (PDF; Revised 17-Apr-2019)
Form for filing compliance complaint that alleges violation of state or federal special education laws.

Solicitud de Investigación de Quejas (Español) (Coming Soon)
Formulario para presentar una queja de cumplimiento que alega violación de las leyes de educación especial estatales o federales.
Si desea recibir el formulario en español por favor comuníquese con el investigador asignado a su caso.

California Department of Education (CDE) Request for Mediation (English) (PDF; Posted 30-Aug-2023)
Form to request Mediation from the CDE for a state education agency special education complaint. Scheduling Information for Mediation form must also be submitted.

Solicitud de Mediación de Denuncia (Español) (PDF; Posted 30-Aug-2023)
Formulario para solicitar Mediación al CDE para una queja a la agencia de educación estatal acerca de educación especial. También se debe enviar el formulario: Información sobre la Programación de Mediación de Denuncia Estatal.

Scheduling Information for Mediation of State Complaint (English) (PDF; Added 20-Nov-2020)
Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) form necessary to schedule mediation of a state education agency special education complaint. CDE Request for Mediation must also be submitted.

Información sobre la Programación de Mediación de Denuncia Estatal (Español) (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
El formulario de OAH es necesario para programar la mediación de una queja de educación estatal acerca de educación especial. También se debe enviar el formulario: Solicitud de Mediación del CDE.