This recent Education Week article highlights a subtle but consequential proposal by the U.S. Department of Education: removing the requirement that states publicly report changes to the methodology they use to calculate “significant disproportionality” under IDEA. While described as a paperwork reduction move, this shift could weaken a critical transparency mechanism that helps ensure states identify and address persistent racial inequities in special education.  At a time when there are ongoing discussions about potential staffing adjustments to the office responsible for oversight—currently on hold due to a federal court decision—the proposal raises important considerations about how best to support equity for students with disabilities. The majority of public comments oppose the change, with critics citing reasons such as the inability of accountability to function without transparency, and the fact that transparency cannot exist without publicly accessible data. As the Education Week article underscores, the reporting requirement is not just administrative detail; it is the “check engine light” that alerts families, advocates, and researchers to inequities that would otherwise remain hidden. The Department’s next steps will signal whether it intends to preserve that essential oversight or dim it.

For the full article, please see:  

The agency said in an Aug. 21 proposal that ending the requirement that states report changes to their methods for calculating “significant disproportionality” on their annual federal applications under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would ease paperwork burdens for state education departments.

But comments on the proposal, which the agency accepted until Oct. 21, overwhelmingly oppose the plan. Those advocates contend the change would save states little time and come at the cost of important transparency.

www.edweek.org/…