Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Addressing Disproportionality in Special
EducationA Wisconsin Perspective

• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Overview

• Wisconsins Annual Performance Report on
  Disproportionality in Special Education
• Wisconsins Action Plan for Addressing
  Disproportionality

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What is Disproportionality?

• Disproportionate representation is defined as
• the extent to which membership in a given group
  affects the probability of being placed in a
  specific education disability category.
• Oswald, et al 1999

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Wisconsins Demographic Profile
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Statewide Data EBD
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Statewide Data Cognitive Disability
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Statewide Data OHI
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Statewide Data Educational Environment
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Section II
Wisconsins Action Plan For
Addressing Disproportionality
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Workgroup Members

• Deborah Bilzing
• Janice Duff
• Nancy Fuhrman
• Debbie Gaffney-Dilley
• Donna Hart-Tervalon
• Anita Heisig

• John Humphries
• Courtney Reed Jenkins
• Jack Marker
• Brent Odell
• Patricia Williams

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Expanded Workgroup

• Tim Boals
• Tom Grogan
• Jill Haglund
• Laverne Jackson Harvey

• Mary Kleusch
• JP Leary
• Mary Maronek
• Jean Whitcomb

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Advisory Board Representatives

• CIFMS Stakeholders
• Great Lakes Inter-tribal Council
• State Superintendents Council on Special
  Education
• Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education,
  Training Support, Inc. (WI FACETS)
• Wisconsin Special Education Stakeholders
• OthersTo be Determined

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Workgroup Goals

• Improve the quality of education statewide for
  all students, including students with
  disabilities, students of color and students
  living in poverty
• Increase our internal capacity to address
  statewide concerns relative to the
  disproportionate number of students of color
  referred and placed in special education
• Address disproportionality as an educational
  issue, not just as a special education issue

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Workgroup Activities Needs Assessment 02-03

• Develop a network of local, state, and national
  consultants with expertise and experience in
  facilitating statewide initiatives to address
  disproportionality.
• Identify and promote research-based strategies
  that reduce referral rates and improve outcomes
  for all students, particularly students of color
  and students living in poverty.
• Identify, support and develop partnerships with
  LEAs and CESAs who have developed materials,
  resources and training modules to address the
  issue of disproportionality.

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Workgroup Activities 03-04

• Developed an action plan
• Developed and piloted a Disproportionality
  Focused Monitoring Model
• Contracted with the University of
  WisconsinMadison to review and summarize
  research
• Employed a summer intern to develop a resource
  library (Markeda Newell)

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Workgroup Activities 04-05

• Attended conferences, workshops, and
  teleconferences related to addressing
  disproportionality
• Established formal partnership with NCSEAM
• Established formal partnership with NCCRESt
• Contracted with Daniel Losen, Legal and Policy
  Senior Associate, Harvard Civil Rights Project
• Developed a relationship with NCRRC (North
  Central Regional Resource Center)

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Workgroup Activities 05-06

• Revised action plan
• Expanded workgroup
• Employed an intern
• Developed a Summer Institute Addressing
  Disproportionality
• Establishing a website

• Receiving training on disproportionality data
  analysis
• Reviewing and analyzing state and district
  policies and practices
• Developing procedures for identifying significant
  disproportionality based on race and ethnicity as
  required in IDEA 2004.

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Significant Challenges in Addressing
Disproportionality

• Understanding and addressing the new provisions
  in IDEA 2004
• Refining criteria for determining significant
  disproportionality
• Identifying rigorous, measurable targets
• Continuing development of a monitoring process
• Developing a process and technical assistance
  plan for interpreting district-level
  disproportionality data