State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report
The State is required to develop a six-year performance plan that evaluates the State's efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), Section 616(b). The State Performance Plan (SPP) illustrates how the State will continuously improve upon this implementation, and includes updates through the Annual Performance Report (APR) submitted each February to the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs.
The 2020-21 school year began the State’s next six-year reporting cycle.
State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report (SPP / APR)
Each year the State reports to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on its performance in meeting identified State Performance Plan Indicator (SPPI) targets. This report is called the Part B Annual Performance Report (APR).
Current State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report
Archived State Performance Plans/Annual Performance Reports
Monitoring Priorities
In alignment with the IDEA, the Office of Special Education Programs identifies five monitoring priorities within the State Performance Plan and 17 indicators associated with these monitoring priorities.
| Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) |
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|---|---|
| Disproportionate Representation |
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| Effective General Supervision: Child Find |
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| Effective General Supervision: Effective Transition |
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| Effective General Supervision: General Supervision |
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Data Collection Sampling
The State uses sampling approaches to data collection when there are limited resources (financial and staff) and many sampling units (schools, students, and parents). With more than 600,000 students receiving special education services on over 9,600 campuses in Texas, a sampling approach is essential to examine indicators within the State Performance Plan (SPP).
Importantly, the sampling approach must provide valid and reliable information and must ensure that the
response data is representative of the demographics in the State. Texas represents a high variance in local education agencies and student characteristics that change from region to region and by age groups. To increase the validity of the sample, the State applies different techniques. One technique used is a purposive sampling (selected based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the study). Another method used is a stratified random sampling approach (divides a population by characteristic into smaller groups then sampled).
The Texas sampling plan for SPP Indicators has approval by the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. The current plan considers prior experience with sampling within the special education program in Texas.
As previously noted, there are over 9,600 campuses in Texas, with some local education agencies (LEA) having over 100 separate campuses. As with LEA sampling, there is an established framework for
including campuses based on grade span (e.g., elementary, secondary) and type of population served (e.g., early childhood).
For campus sampling to be employed, there must be at least six campuses of the same grade span within the district. While there are many districts with sampling allowable at the elementary level, there are far fewer that have at least six high schools. Thus, there may be a combination of campus-level
sampling at the elementary level and a district-wide sample at the high school level. Again, the intent of
sampling is, while maintaining an acceptable level of validity, to reduce the burden on individual
campuses to the greatest extent possible.
Given the sampling procedures, the State selects a certain number of students (or student’s parents) each year. In general, the number of students selected is far greater than necessary to establish
acceptable levels of statistical representation at the state level. For example, surveys were sent to
parents of approximately 85,000 students for the 2020-21 Texas Parent Involvement Survey. Statistical bounds are, of course, somewhat lower at the regional level and the local education agency level. In many cases, there are simply too few students to be included in reporting due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) considerations.
To increase return rates and improve the representation of information, the State includes certain groups at higher than expected (based on population) ratios. For example, there are relatively few deaf-blind students, so their proportion of the sample is greater than in the population in general. Likewise, prior history indicates that certain other groups have lower return rates. Increasing
percentages from these eligibility categories and groups will tend to increase the validity of the sample.
The Texas Education Agency monitors survey return rates to determine if reasonable efforts are being made by local education agency (LEA) staff to encourage returns. While the State understands that the LEA cannot directly force survey returns, the historical range of response rates indicates that some LEAs are likely making a reasonable effort in this regard. In contrast, others are, perhaps, not as attentive. The State considers historical return rates among various groups already noted in purposive sampling.
State Determinations
Section 616(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (USDE/OSEP) to review each state’s Annual Performance Report (APR) annually. Based on the information provided in the APR, information obtained through
monitoring visits, and any other public information, the USDE/OSEP will issue one of four possible state
determinations: Meets Requirements, Needs Assistance, Needs Intervention, or Needs Substantial Intervention.
The USDE determination status letters to the State of Texas as well as information concerning how the USDE made determinations can be found on the IDEA Part B Profiles webpage.
| Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) | Data Year Reported | Texas Determination Status / Date |
|---|---|---|
| FFY 2020 | 2020-21 | Needs Assistance / June 2022 |
| FFY 2019 | 2019-20 | Needs Assistance / June 2021 |
| FFY 2018 | 2018-19 | Needs Assistance / June 2020 |
| FFY 2017 | 2017-18 | Needs Assistance / July 2019 |
| FFY 2016 | 2016-17 | Needs Assistance / June 2018 |
| FFY 2015 | 2015-16 | Needs Assistance / June 2017 |
| FFY 2014 | 2014-15 | Needs Assistance / June 2016 |
| FFY 2013 | 2013-14 | Needs Intervention / June 2015 |
| FFY 2012 | 2012-13 | Needs Intervention / June 2014 |
| FFY 2011 | 2011-12 | Needs Assistance / July 2013 |
| FFY 2010 | 2010-11 | Needs Intervention / July 2012 |
| FFY 2009 | 2009-10 | Needs Assistance / June 2011 |
| FFY 2008 | 2008-09 | Needs Assistance / June 2010 |
| FFY 2007 | 2007-08 | Needs Assistance / June 2009 |
| FFY 2006 | 2006-07 | Needs Intervention / June 2008 |
| FFY 2005 | 2005-06 | Needs Assistance / June 2007 |
Special Education Program, Policy, Engagement, and Reporting
Phone: (512) 463-9414
Fax: (512) 463-9560
Email: SPP@tea.texas.gov
Monday-Friday (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
Office of Special Populations
Phone: (512) 463-9414
Fax: (512) 463-9560
Email: specialeducation@tea.texas.gov
Monday-Friday (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
Special Education or IEP-Related Questions?
Consult SPEDTex, the Texas Special Education Information Center. This is a resource backed by TEA to inform and support parents, teachers, and anyone committed to the success of children with disabilities.
Phone: 1-855-SPEDTEX (1-855-773-3839)
Website: www.spedtex.org