Mission Statement
All students, including those with disabilities, are held to high expectations and have equitable access to educational opportunities that enrich their lives and prepare them for future success.
Our goal as educators is to improve outcomes for all students. This can be accomplished through a system that ensures equity and access. Equitable Access is the guarantee that all students are provided the necessary and individualized supplementary aids and services, accommodations, modifications, or supports to meaningfully participate in the general education curriculum. Equitable access must be accompanied by a school-wide acceptance or belief in shared responsibility, shared accountability, and high expectations. According to the Dear Colleague letter on the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (November 2015) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (December 2015), improving outcomes also requires a strong core curriculum, high quality instruction, unbiased assessment that guides instruction, and collaboration among administrators, general and special education staff, parents, and the community. Multi-tiered system of support and universal design for learning provide the foundation necessary to reach the overall goal.
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- State Performance Plan / Annual Performance Report
- Dispute Resolution
- Fiscal Management
- State Advisory Council on Education of Children with Disabilities
- Early Childhood
- Results Driven Accountability
RDA Local Educational Agency (LEA) Level Data
- Large: 10,001 - 30,000 Students
- Medium: 2,501 - 10,000 Students
- Small: 1,001 - 2,500 Students
- Extra Small: Fewer than 1,000 Students
- Extra Small Charter: Charters, Lab Schools, and State Schools
RDA Resources
- Monitoring and Compliance Resources
Indicator Monitoring and Compliance Guides
- Indicator 1 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 2 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 3 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 4 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 5 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 6 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 7 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 8 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 9 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 10 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 11 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 11 Overview
- Indicator 12 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 13 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Indicator 14 Monitoring and Compliance Guide
- Alternate Assessment - 1% Cap
Indicator Monitoring Tools
- Indicator 4 Root Cause Analysis Tool
- Indicator 4 Corrective Action Plan Template
- Indicator 9 Root Cause Analysis Tool
- Indicator 9 Corrective Action Plan Template
- Indicator 10 Root Cause Analysis Tool
- Indicator 10 Corrective Action Plan Template
- Indicator 11 Root Cause Analysis Tool
- Indicator 11 Corrective Action Plan Template
- Indicator 12 Root Cause Analysis Tool
- Indicator 12 Corrective Action Plan Template
- Indicator 9/10 Calculator Excel Sheet
- Indicator 9/10 Video Walk Through
- Indicator 4 Calculator Excel Sheet
- Indicator 4 Video Walkthrough
- Data and Data Reporting
Data Collection Resources
- LEAs: 415
- Charter Schools: 120
The data user manual can be accessed through the DEX Knowledge Hub for information on reporting and data collection.
Data Collection Reports
616/618 Reporting
- Public Special Education Data SY 2022-2023
- Public Special Education Data SY 2021-2022
- Public Special Education Data SY 2020-2021
- IDEA Section 618 State Level Data Files
State Child Count of Students with Disabilities
Each academic year, the Indiana Department of Education conducts two official counts of students with disabilities. These counts are of the number of students with disabilities who are eligible for special education services and are receiving those services on the day of the count. The first count, on December 1st of each year, is used to generate state funding for students with disabilities under IC 20- 43-7-6. The second count, on April 1st of each year, is used for informational purposes. Both counts are certified by the Indiana State Board of Education under IC 20-43-4-4.
Memoranda to State Board of Education Regarding Child Counts
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
- Secondary Transition
- Graduation Pathways
- Mastering Transition IEPs for Student Success Presentation Slides
- Indiana Secondary Transition IEP Best Practices Self-Assessment Toolkit Rubric
- Indiana Secondary Transition IEP Compliance Checklist
- Transition Portfolio Guide
- Transition Portfolio
- Transition Assessment and Postsecondary Goals
- Transition Services and Activities
- Transition Annual Goals
- Monitoring Cycle Rotation Groups
- Spread the Word: Alternate Diploma
- Spread the Word: Options for Supporting Choice (Supported Decision Making)
- Spread the Word: Communicating Choice
- Spread the Word: Pre-Employment Transition Services
- PASAR LA VOZ: COMUNICANDO POSIBILIDADES
- Pasar la voz: Comunicando Oportunidades
- Pasar la voz: Diploma Alterno
- Pasar la voz: Servicios de Transición Previos al Empleo
- Parent and Community Resources
- FINDER (Indiana Disability Resource Finder)
- IN*SOURCE - The Indiana Resource Center for Families with Special Needs
- IEP Technical Assistance Center (formerly Indiana IEP Resource Center)
- Indicator 8: Parent Involvement
- Procedural Safeguards (English)
- Procedural Safeguards (Spanish)
- Article 7 (English, Spanish)
- Reglamento de Educación Especial Título 511 Artículo 7
- Hoosier Workforce Resources
- Navigating the Course
- FAQ - Learning More About Common Topics in Special Education
- Improving Communications One-Pager
- Instructional and Assessment Resources
Indiana Administrative Code for Special Education Policies
General Resources
- 2023-2024 Accessibility and Accommodations for Statewide Assessments
- Accommodations vs. Modifications
- Extended School Year (ESY)
- Charter School Special Education Toolkit
Spread the Word
- Spread the Word: Accommodations
- Spread the Word: ADHD
- Spread the Word: Communication
- Spread the Word: Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)
- Spread the Word: Developmental Delay
- Spread the Word: Autism Diagnosis - Educational vs Medical
Evaluation (EV) Roster & Data Exchange (DEX)
- Technical Assistance
Requesting Technical Assistance
To ensure we are most effectively and efficiently responding to the needs of our local educational agencies (LEAs), you may now request technical assistance directly from IDOE. This is an opportunity for LEAs to voluntarily request targeted support with a development need or problem.
LEAs may request varying levels of technical assistance for the purpose of improving outcomes for students in one or more of the areas identified below.
- Universal, General
- Targeted, Specialized
- Intensive, Sustained
- Intensive, Longstanding
In addition to the ability for LEAs to voluntarily request technical assistance, IDOE may also require some LEAs to engage in technical assistance under certain circumstances. This identification can be based on the following, but is not limited to, areas of noncompliance (singular or ongoing), student outcomes data, service provision, and program effectiveness. IDOE will identify LEAs and, in some cases, identify areas of need for technical assistance.
Click here to submit a technical assistance request form!
Discipline Resources:
- Before During and After Manifestation Determination
- Manifestation Determination One Pager
- Manifestation Determination Review Template
- SPED Student Removal Practices Two Pager
Additional Resources:
- Office of Special Education Moodle Community
- Events and PD Calendar
- Special Education Quick Start Guides
- Specialized Populations Quick Start Guides
- Special Education Program Evaluation Toolkit
- Specialized Populations Program Evaluation Toolkit
- Science of Reading for Students with Disabilities
Indiana Resource Network
The Indiana Resource Network (IRN) is made possible by the Indiana Department of Education's Office of Special Education. The IRN offers Indiana public schools free or low cost in-person and virtual professional development and technical assistance options to improve teaching and learning.
- IEP Technical Assistance Center (formerly Indiana IEP Resource Center)
- Indiana Educational resource Center
- Easterseals Crossroads
- IN*SOURCE
Facilitated IEP
Facilitated IEP Defined
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is dedicated to ensuring that local educational agencies (LEAs) receive effective and efficient targeted support when needed. A Facilitated IEP (FIEP) is an option available at the request of schools and parents for conflict prevention and resolution. This service is provided at no cost to parents or schools. A trained impartial professional (facilitator) helps the case conference committee with the IEP process by keeping the meeting focused on the student, ensuring everyone at the table has a voice, encouraging active listening by all participants, helping keep team members on task and within the time allotted for the meeting, and participating as a non-committee member, which does not impose decisions on the group.
Consideration for FIEP Request:
- The case conference committee is spending more time trying to resolve conflicts than working on activities that promote student achievement and success.
- Multiple case conferences have been convened with little or no resolution.
- One or more case conference committee members believes their voice is not being heard.
- There is a large amount of new information to be processed, or the student's situation is particularly complex.
- Team members would like to create a better understanding of the accommodations and language within the IEP.
- Team members want clarity on the IEP facilitation process.
- There is a specific disagreement with which the team would like help to resolve.
Click here to submit a Facilitated IEP request form!