Responding to Special Education Disproportionality

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Responding to Special Education Disproportionality

• Understanding your Data
• Presenters
• Nancy Fuhrman Dani Scott, DPI

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Presentation Topics

• Indicators 9 10
• Criteria
• Risk
• Risk Ratio
• Weighted Risk Ratio

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Indicator 9 Disproportionate Representation in
Special Education Related Services

• Percent of districts with disproportionate
• representation of racial and ethnic
• groups in special education and related
• services that is the result of inappropriate
• identification

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Indicator 10 Disproportionate Representation in
Specific Disability Areas

• Percent of districts with disproportionate
  representation of racial and ethnic groups in
  specific disability categories that is the result
  of inappropriate identification
• Six Specific Categories

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Criteria

• A total enrollment of 100 students for any given
  racial group
• There must be 10 students with disabilities in
  the particular racial group in question and
• The specific criteria must be met for three
  consecutive years

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Additional Criteria

• Risk levels for a racial group that are 1 or
  higher than the state risk for White students
• Weighted risk ratio that is at least 2.0 times
  compared to risk for all others in the district
• Other criteria may be applied depending on unique
  circumstances

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Sources of Data

• ISES 3rd Friday September Count
• October 1 Child Count

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What Is Risk?

• Risk is a particular racial groups likelihood of
  being identified for special education or for a
  given disability category
• Risk answers the question, What percentage of a
  particular racial group is receiving special
  education or has been identified as having a
  particular disability?

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What Is Risk?

• Calculation
• Number of students from racial/ethnic group in
  disability category
• Number of enrolled students from racial/ethnic
  group
• Multiply by 100 to express as a percentage

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Risk

• For Example
• Black students with CD 4 4
  
• Black students enrolled 100
• The risk of an enrolled Black student being
  labeled as having CD 4.

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Exercises for Calculating Risk

• Use your own data
• Calculate for all disabilities within your
  district
• Example Statewide all disabilities
• Hispanic students with disabilities
• for 2006-07 7,127
• Total Hispanic public enrollment 59,450
  100 11.99

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Exercises for Calculating Risk (continued)

• Calculate the risk for all special education
  categories and for the specific disability
  category in which you were identified
• Explore racial gaps graph your results
• Comparison to White risk

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What Is Risk Ratio?

• Risk Ratio---Compares the risk for one
  racial/ethnic group to the risk for all other
  groups
• If there were no differences between
  racial/ethnic groups, the risk ratio would be 1.0
  (everybody would have equal risk)

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What Is Risk Ratio?

• Calculation
• Risk for racial/ethnic group for disability
  category
• Risk for comparison group for disability category

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Risk Ratio

• For example
• Black students with CD 4 Risk
  4
• Black students enrolled 100
• White students with CD 2 Risk 2
• White students enrolled 100
• Risk Ratio 4
• 2 2.0

Black students are twice as likely as White
students to be identified
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Exercises for Calculating Risk Ratio

• Calculate risk ratio for disability category your
  district was identified for
• Criteria for district identification examine
  risk ratios of one racial group as compared to
  all others
• Still may want to look at individual risk levels

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Weighted Risk Ratio

• Risk ratios are not comparable across districts
• Weighted risk ratio adjusts for district
  variability
• Allows for comparisons across districts
• Use weighted risk ratio for identification (per
  federal guidelines)

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Resources

• Westat TA Guide Methods for Assessing
  Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Special
  Education
• https//www.ideadata.org/docs/Disproportionality2
  0Technical20Assistance20Guide.pdf
• Wisconsin State Performance Plan Indicators 9
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• http//www.dpi.state.wi.us/sped/spp-disp.html