2025–26 Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Special Education Data System (SPEDS) Summer Submission for State Performance Plan Indicators (SPPI) 7, 11, 12, and 13 Data Submission

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is streamlining its special education data submission process with the new Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Special Education Data System (SPEDS) Summer Submission. Beginning with the 2025–26 school year, local educational agencies (LEAs) will submit required special education data through the SPEDS Summer Submission for state performance plan indicators (SPPI) 7 (Preschool Outcomes), 11 (11A Timely Initial Evaluation; 11B Eligibility Determination), 12 (Early Childhood Transition) and 13 (Secondary Transition). The deadline for submitting data to the SPEDS Summer Submission is July 30, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. 

Background 

The new SPEDS Summer Submission is the culmination of TEA’s multi-year effort to improve the quality, efficiency, and coordination of special education data reporting. Since 2018, the TEA has worked to transition SPPI data collections from the TEAL SPP application to TSDS to reduce the reporting burden on LEAs and establish a single, unified platform. SPPI 14 (Post-School Outcomes) was first moved to TSDS in 2019–20, followed by SPPI 11A/11B and 12 into the Child Find collection in 2021–22. In 2025–26, SPPI 7 and 13 will complete the transition, consolidating all special education indicator reporting into TSDS. As a result, the SPP application will be archived, and the TEAL SPP system will be decommissioned beginning with the 2025–26 school year.

Key Dates 

The following timeline outlines key dates for the 2025–26 SPEDS Summer Submission:

• Data Collection Period: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
• TSDS Ready to Load Data to IODS: August 4, 2025
• SPEDS Summer Ready for Users to Complete: May 18, 2026
• SPEDS Submission Deadline for LEAs: July 30, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. (last Thursday in July)

LEAs can review the data submission timelines in the TSDS Web-Enabled Data Standards (TWEDS).

LEA Responsibility for Ensuring Data Flow to TSDS

TEA encourages LEAs to begin loading and promoting SPEDS data into TSDS early in the 2025–26 submission window. Under the TSDS Upgrade Project, data must now be transmitted via Application Programming Interface (API) transactions from source systems—primarily student information systems (SIS) and third-party special education vendors—rather than through manual eXtensible Markup Language (XML) uploads. While this modernization enhances data quality and system efficiency, it also places increased responsibility on LEAs to work closely with their SIS or third-party vendors to ensure systems are configured properly, and data flows correctly to TSDS. Importantly, TEA does not have authority over SIS or third-party vendor systems; therefore, LEAs must work proactively with their SIS or third-party vendor to resolve any data transmission or configuration issues as early as possible within the submission window.

LEAs will continue to promote data, review reports, validate and complete their TSDS submissions as they have in the past based on the latest TWEDS publication. Promoting data regularly throughout the year provides time to resolve validation errors, ensure policy alignment, and achieve both a “fatal-free” and “Complete” status for SPEDS prior to the data submission deadline.

Data Submission Policies 

To ensure valid, reliable, and timely data submission, LEAs must adhere to the data submission policies.

• User Access and Certification: LEAs must designate at least one staff member with appropriate TSDS roles (e.g., certifier or data approver) to oversee and certify SPPI data submissions. TSDS/TEAL access lists should be reviewed early to ensure the correct personnel have authority for TSDS SPEDS. If a certifier has left or changed roles, a replacement must be appointed. 
• No-Data Certifications: If an LEA has no students meeting the data submission criteria for a specific indicator (e.g., no eligible preschool students for SPPI 7), the LEA must still log in to TSDS and indicate that “no students meet the data collection criteria.” This step is required to confirm the intentional absence of data and to ensure reporting completeness and accuracy.
• Extension Requests: TEA expects LEAs to meet the deadline on the last Thursday in July. If this deadline is missed, an extension request can be submitted within five business days. LEAs will have three additional business days to complete the data submission. LEAs granted an extension will not be eligible to participate in the SPP clarification process and will be penalized for failing to meet the valid, reliable, and timely data submission requirement.

Steps to Ensure Data Submission Readiness

1. Coordinate with your source system vendors to configure API transactions
2. Receive training from your supporting ESC
3. Ensure LEA staff have obtained the appropriate TEAL access
4. Verify data are loading as expected to TEA’s Data Management Center (DMC) through the Load Summary and Search Data functions
5. Establish effective support channels with your ESC and vendor to resolve issues
6. Complete the TSDS SPEDS data submission by the published TEA deadlines

Technical Support 

LEAs seeking technical assistance with the data submission process or TSDS should first contact their regional ESC TSDS support staff (TSDS Champions). ESCs can assist with data loading, validation errors and navigation of the TSDS portal. LEAs should also reach out and coordinate with their SIS vendor or third-party special education software. As a last resort, LEAs should submit a help ticket through the TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS) within the TSDS portal.

Resources 

• ESC TSDS Champions for both ESCs 1–10 and ESCs 11–20
• TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS): Online technical support system for LEAs 
• TSDS Upgrade Project: Webpage for general project information, data collection documentation and resources for LEAs and vendors
• TSDS Training & Support Certified Vendors and ESCs: Vendors certified to train and support LEAs with TSDS
• TWEDS: Online resource for changes to the TSDS Core collection, data elements, descriptor tables, submission timelines, validation rules and other reporting requirements

Contact Information 

If you have questions, please contact your supporting ESC, SIS vendor or third-party special education software provider, or submit a TIMS ticket for technical support.