SPP: Public Agency Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment

Purpose

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 the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring and the Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System (CIFMS) stakeholder group to establish a system of general supervision, which includes compliance monitoring of public agencies, complaint investigation, dispute resolution through mediation and due process hearings, Local Performance Plans, and focused monitoring in priority areas related to student outcomes.

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.
• The WDPI ensures all public agencies establish policies, procedures, and individualized education program (IEP) team forms that comply with special education requirements.
• Local Performance Plans 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 six-year IDEA State Performance Plan cycle through a self-assessment.
• Annually, WDPI conducts activities to verify 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.
• The WDPI publishes a report summarizing the findings of monitoring activities annually.
• 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, interviews, 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 Wisconsin's Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System (CIFMS) priorities and IDEA State Performance Plan indicators. They were selected with guidance provided by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring. WDPI also collects data for Wisconsin State Performance Plan indicators 11 and 13 through the procedural compliance self-assessment. The requirements and indicators are listed in the Special Education Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Handbook, Appendix A. 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 charter schools are also noted in Appendix A.

The requirements in the procedural compliance self-assessment fall into six topical 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 CIFMS reports; due process hearings; the public agency's Local Performance Plan; agency policies submitted for WDPI review; and state-wide issues identified by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.

• Special Education Mediasite Live Trainings - Select the training you wish to view.
  
  
• Self-Assessment Training Webcast, Section 1, Overview: Webcast - PowerPoint Presentation
  
  
• Self-Assessment Content and Related SPP Indicators
• SPP Indicators: Targets and Goals
• Special Education Procedural Compliance Self-Assessment Manual - complete print version
  
  
• Self-Assessment/Sampling Activities for the Cycle

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 Elliot Weiman 608-266-3648 or Patricia Williams 608-267-3720.

Last updated on 2/22/2008 1:31:56 PM