Responding to Special Education DisproportionalityUnderstanding your Data

Presenters:Nancy Fuhrman & Dani Scott, DPI

Presentation TopicsIndicators 9 & 10CriteriaRiskRisk RatioWeighted Risk Ratio

Indicator 9: Disproportionate Representation in Special Education & Related ServicesPercent of districts with disproportionaterepresentation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services that is the result of inappropriate identification

Indicator 10 : Disproportionate Representation in Specific Disability AreasPercent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in specific disability categories that is the result of inappropriate identification

Six Specific Categories

CriteriaA 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

Additional CriteriaRisk 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

Sources of DataISES 3rd Friday September CountOctober 1 Child Count

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?

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

RiskFor Example:Black students with CD = 4 = 4% Black students enrolled = 100

The risk of an enrolled Black student being labeled as having CD = 4%.

Exercises for Calculating RiskUse your own dataCalculate for all disabilities within your districtExample: Statewide all disabilities:

# Hispanic students with disabilities for 2006-07 7,127Total Hispanic public enrollment = 59,450 *100 = 11.99

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

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

What Is Risk Ratio?Calculation:

Risk for racial/ethnic group for disability category

Risk for comparison group for disability category

Risk RatioFor 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

Exercises for Calculating Risk RatioCalculate 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

Weighted Risk RatioRisk ratios are not comparable across districtsWeighted risk ratio adjusts for district variabilityAllows for comparisons across districts

Use weighted risk ratio for identification (per federal guidelines)

ResourcesWestat TA Guide: Methods for Assessing Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Special Educationhttps://www.ideadata.org/docs/Disproportionality%20Technical%20Assistance%20Guide.pdf

Wisconsin State Performance Plan Indicators 9 & 10http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sped/spp-disp.html