This brief two-page document outlines the fundamental aspects of significant disproportionality for State and Local Educational Agencies. According to IDEA Section 618, states are required to collect and examine data to identify significant disproportionality among the seven federally identified race and ethnicity categories in:
Identification of children as having disabilities.
Placement in less inclusive educational settings.
Incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions.
States use 98 separate calculations for each Local Education Agency (LEA) to determine the presence of significant disproportionality. These calculations must follow a standard methodology and analyze disparities based on race/ethnicity in identification, placement, and discipline.
Citation: The Data Center for Addressing Significant Disproportionality. 2023. “Significant Disproportionality: For SEAs and LEAs.” https://dcasd.org/resources/SigDisproIntro-SEA.pdf (accessed, June 14, 2024).
