SPP: Public Agency Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment

Purpose

Before beginning the Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment, please review the Self-Assessment Manual.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI) is responsible for developing and implementing methods to ensure public agencies comply with requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 and Subchapter V, Chapter 115, Wis. Stats. The WDPI has worked in collaboration with stakeholders to establish a system of general supervision, which includes compliance monitoring of public agencies, complaint investigation, dispute resolution through IEP facilitation, mediation and due process hearings, fiscal monitoring, data verification, and Focused Review of Improvement Indicators (FRII).

The duties of the WDPI include developing and implementing effective methods to identify noncompliance and to ensure noncompliance is corrected as soon as possible, but no later than one year after identification. As part of this effort, the WDPI reviews special education policies, procedures, and forms, and conducts cyclical compliance monitoring of public agencies’ implementation of special education requirements. The purpose of this document is to describe the procedures WDPI follows to implement cyclical procedural compliance monitoring of public agencies.

Overview of Special Education Compliance Monitoring

• The WDPI monitors approximately 440 public agencies, including independent 2r charter schools, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
• The WDPI ensures all public agencies establish policies, procedures, and special education forms forms that comply with special education requirements.
• IDEA budgets are reviewed for compliance with special education requirements.
• All public agencies are monitored for implementation of selected special education requirements at least once during the five-year IDEA State Performance Plan cycle through a self-assessment.
• Annually, WDPI conducts activities to validate the accuracy of self-assessments.
• Public agencies are required to correct noncompliance as soon as possible, but no later than one year after identification.
• Annually, the WDPI conducts activities to verify noncompliance has been corrected and the agency is currently in compliance with regulatory requirements.
• The WDPI publishes a report summarizing the findings of monitoring activities.
• Monitoring efforts are evaluated annually.

Implementation Monitoring: The Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment

One method of monitoring implementation of special education requirements is a public agency self-assessment using samples of students’ individualized education program records and other sources. The self-assessment content includes selected requirements of IDEA 2004 and state law, which are closely related to improving student outcomes. The requirements included in the self-assessment are related to the IDEA State Performance Plan indicators. WDPI collects data for Wisconsin State Performance Plan indicator 11 through the procedural compliance self-assessment. The requirements and indicators are listed in Appendix A. Independent charter schools (2r charter schools) are required to meet IDEA requirements and report data for State Performance Plan indicators but are not required to meet additional requirements of State special education law. Procedural compliance self-assessment requirements that do not apply to students attending independent 2r charter schools are noted in Appendix A.

Within three samples and several census items, the procedural compliance self-assessment addresses the following topic areas: parent participation, evaluation, IEP team, IEP content, discipline, and private schools. The WDPI may modify the content of a public agency’s self-assessment to include other potential compliance issues identified by the WDPI special education team. Sources of information include: state IDEA complaints; previous compliance monitoring or Focused Review of Improvement Indicators (FRII) reports; due process hearings; fiscal monitoring; agency policies submitted for WDPI review; data review; and state-wide issues identified by WDPI or the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.

• Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Visuals
  • Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment (PCSA) Process
  • Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment (PCSA) Timeline
  • PCSA Validation Process
  • PCSA Verification Process
• Self-Assessment Training, Section 1, Overview: Recorded Webinar - High Definition Version - PowerPoint Presentation
  
  
• Self-Assessment Content and Related SPP Indicators
• SPP Indicators: Targets and Goals
• Special Education Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Manual - complete print version

If you have questions about the self-assessment process that are not answered in this section or on the Self-Assessment Questions and Answers page, please submit your question by email.

For questions about this information, contact Paul Sherman 608-267-9157 or Patricia Williams 608-267-3720.

Last updated on 10/7/2011 9:39:20 AM