About the Office of Approved Special Education Schools

Approved Special Education Schools

The authority for DESE to monitor and provide oversight of approved special education schools is established by:

• State laws and regulations, including but not limited to:
• Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71B,
• 603 CMR 18.00, Program and Safety Standards for Approved Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs regulations,
• 603 CMR 23.00 Student Records regulations,
• 603 CMR 28.00, Special Education regulations, and
• 603 CMR 46.00, Prevention of Physical Restraint and Requirements, If Used, regulations.
• Federal law (IDEA Part B), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. and accompanying regulations (e.g., 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.145 – 300.147).

Approved special education schools are also subject to certain other requirements, such as certain civil rights laws including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. DESE bases its Program Monitoring Standards for Approved Special Education Schools and Collaborative Programs on the applicable statues and regulations. These monitoring standards are organized by various compliance criteria. Each criterion discusses requirements that Programs must adhere to and policies, procedures, or other supporting documents that Programs must maintain to drive internal practices and meet the applicable requirements. Programs are required to maintain compliance with all criteria, regardless of whether they are reviewed in a current monitoring cycle. These monitoring standards and OASES policies are made available to the public on the DESE website.

Each monitoring criterion includes information about:

• Relevant laws and regulations that inform monitoring requirements.
• Specific requirements for each compliance criterion that guide requirements for the Program's policies and procedures.
• Required documentation to be developed and maintained by each Program.

Collaboratives

The authority for DESE to monitor and provide oversight of Collaborative Programs is established by:

• State laws and regulations, including but not limited to:
  • Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40, Section 4E,
  • Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71B,
  • 603 CMR 18.00, Program and Safety Standards for Approved Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs regulations,
  • 603 CMR 28.00, Special Education regulations,
  • 603 CMR 46.00, Prevention of Physical Restraint and Requirements, If Used regulations, and
  • 603 CMR 50.00, Educational Collaboratives regulations.
• Federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to:
  • IDEA Part B and accompanying regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 300.

Educational collaboratives are also subject to certain other requirements, such as certain civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Frequency of Monitoring

OASES monitoring consists of two review processes: the Program Review, which happens once every six (6) years; and the Mid-Cycle Review, which occurs three (3) years after the Program Review. The Mid-Cycle review includes a subset of criteria reviewed during the Program Review in addition to any criteria that had findings of noncompliance from the Program Review. All Programs are reviewed on this cyclical schedule. Additionally, OASES will perform Targeted Monitoring when DESE deems it appropriate, such as if significant concerns arise about a program's compliance with the applicable requirements. More information regarding Targeting Monitoring is included below.

Cohort Model

Each year, programs scheduled for a monitoring review are grouped into three cohorts (fall, winter, and spring). Programs are notified of their assigned cohort during the spring of their monitoring year (Program Review or Mid-Cycle Review).

Monitoring Phases

The Program Review and Mid-Cycle Reviews consist of three phases: Discovery, Engagement, and Close-out, which occur over twenty (20) weeks. The diagram below provides a graphical representation of these phases with subcomponents associated with each phase.

Last Updated: May 7, 2025