Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Disproportionality in CA Public Schools

Impacts on Special Education including information and resources on disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of students receiving special education services.

Disproportionality is the overrepresentation of a specific race or ethnicity identified in one or more of four areas: identification of a disability in general; identification of a specific race or ethnicity in a specific disability category; discipline; and placement.

Significant Disproportionality is the identification of disproportionality for three consecutive years in the same indicator and category of disproportionality.

Under the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements, if a local educational agency (LEA) is identified as significantly disproportionate, the LEA must reserve 15 percent of its 611 and 619 IDEA grant funds to provide Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) to students in the LEA. These services are for children from age 3 through grade 12, particularly, but not exclusively, children in those groups that were significantly over-identified who need additional academic and behavioral supports.

For more information about Disproportionality, Significant Disproportionality, and the CCEIS process in Special Education, please refer to the State Performance Plan Technical Assistance Project website External link opens in new window or tab..

For questions regarding Disproportionality in Special Education, please email Dispro@cde.ca.gov.

For questions regarding Significant Disproportionality in Special Education, please email SigDisp@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Special Education Division | Dispro@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Monday, March 18, 2024
Recently Posted in Special Education
  • Small Local Educational Agencies Monitoring (updated 08-May-2025)
    This is the home page for all monitoring activities for local educational agencies (LEAs) that have been designated as “small” LEAs.
  • CALPADS Special Education Data Spring Roadshows (updated 08-May-2025)
    California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Regional trainings in Spring 2025 to inform local educational agencies (LEAs) with updates and changes to the collection of data for students with disabilities.
  • ACSE Agenda April 16-17, 2025 (updated 16-Apr-2025)
    Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) meeting agenda.