The National Center for Learning Disabilities has issued special education scorecards for every state in the nation.

Student Population

• The source for the state enrollment is Table 1. Public school student membership, by grade and state or jurisdiction: School year 2007-08, Table 1. Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010309. 
• The source for the state special education and specific learning disabilities (SLD) data is IDEA 618 Data, Part B Child Count (2007) Table 1-3, Students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, by disability category and state. Retrieved from https://www.ideadata.org/TABLES31ST/AR_1-3.htm.

Special Education Funding

• The source is a special tabulation by the National Education Association (NEA). The source for the FY 2009 appropriation amounts by state is the U.S. Department of Education. Full funding estimates by state, which are based on the federal government assuming 40 percent of the excess costs of educating students with disabilities, were derived by the NEA based on the state allocation formula.

State Performance on Key Indicators of State Performance Plan and U.S.ED Ratings

• 2005-2006: Part B State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report State Determination Letters (GRANT YEAR 2005-2006 - Issued June 15, 2007)
• 2006-2007: Part B State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report State Determination Letters (GRANT YEAR 2006-2007 - Issued June 6, 2008)
• 2007-2008: Part B State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report State Determination Letters (GRANT YEAR 2007- 2008 - Issued June 1, 2009)
• 2008-2009: Part B State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report State Determination Letters (GRANT YEAR 2008- 2009 - Issued June 3, 2010); Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/fund/data/report/idea/partbspap/allyears.html
• In cases where state Annual Performance Reports do not aggregate a proficiency score for all grades assessed in reading and math, the source is Annual Performance Report analyses of Part B Indicator 3C completed by the National Center on Educational Outcomes for FFY2005, FFY2006, FFY2007, FFY2008.

Note: For the reporting period of 2008-2009, the U.S. Department of Education directed States to report graduation rate (SPP Indicator 1) using the graduation rate calculation and timeline (2007-2008) as used for reporting under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This represents a significant change in the measurement of Indicator 1, moving from the assorted methods that States had previously employed in calculating their graduation rates to the use of a uniform, adjusted cohort calculation. To calculate dropout rate (SPP Indicator 2), States were directed to report the same dropout data used in the graduation rate calculation (Indicator 1) and to follow the timeline established under the ESEA.

This project was supported by The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation and the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.