Special Education

Special Education Policy Memo SY2025-2026 — 6

2025-2026 Determinations of Need for Special Education Technical Assistance or Intervention

To:
Administrators of Special Education, Superintendents, School Leaders, and Other Interested Parties
From:
Jamie Camacho, Acting State Director of Special Education, Office of Special Education Planning and Policy
Date:
May 1, 2026

Similar to the general Accountability and Assistance System for all students, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),1 the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department) must make an annual determination of the extent to which each Local Education Agencies' (LEA)2 meets the requirements and purposes of IDEA. Massachusetts is then required to take enforcement action(s) based on the determinations.3

In alignment with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Memo 23-01: State General Supervision Responsibilities Under Parts B and C of the IDEA , and based on the information in the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), information obtained through monitoring visits, and any other publicly available information, the Department makes LEA determinations based on four categories:

  • Meets Requirements (MR)
  • Needs Assistance (NA)
  • Needs Intervention (NI)
  • Needs Substantial Intervention (NSI)

Every spring, the Department makes LEA determinations and notifies each LEA of their annual determination and specific needs for technical assistance or intervention in special education. Determination notification letters are disseminated to LEAs through the security portal and include an individualized data Matrix and the corresponding enforcement requirements. These materials inform LEAs of their specific determination in a timely manner and also provide the means to begin to plan for and take any actions necessary for improvement as soon as possible. To the extent that the determination and resulting enforcement actions impact funds for LEAs, the Department shares its determinations before LEA subgrants are issued under Part B.4

In making the 2025-2026 LEA determinations, the Department assessed LEAs' performance and compliance data,5 including data from the Special Education General Supervision System, Integrated Monitoring Review process, State complaints, State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Reports, and other data available to the State about the LEA's performance and compliance with IDEA. This year the Department has made three changes to the scoring of criteria in the Performance section of the Matrix.

  • For both Exiting Criteria (Indicator 1 Graduation and Indicator 2 Drop Out), the Department has established a threshold for the criteria to be used. Districts with 10 or more exiters in the 2023-2024 school year the criteria will be used in the Matrix. If a district had 9 or less exiters, then the criteria will not be used, but the percentage will still be provided to the district.
  • Similarly, if a district does not have 10 or more students with disabilities ages 3–5 (not in K) enrolled in the district, then Indicator 6A will not be used in the Matrix.
  • Lastly, the Department has created a composite score for ELA and Math MCAS for Grades 4, 8, and HS. In last year's Matrix MCAS results were disproportionately weighted compared to other Performance Criteria, in an effort to weight things equally, both content areas will receive a composite score that is used in the Matrix.

The Department supports all districts assigned the NA, NI, or NSI determination by offering targeted and technical assistance related to special education. Coordinated assistance and intervention are available from multiple offices including, the Offices of Special Education Planning and Policy (SEPP), Public School Monitoring (PSM), Charter Schools & School Redesign (CSSRD), Effective Practices and Partnerships (OEPI), Statewide System of Support (SSOS), and Strategic Transformation (OST). Assistance will be tailored to meet an LEA's needs depending on the reasons for which an LEA was identified as needing technical assistance or intervention. The Department and its partner, SPED Strategies, will communicate directly with LEAs about this assistance and intervention. Many LEAs are already engaged in accountability and assistance activities with the Department; special education improvement activities may be directed in collaboration with the LEAs' existing accountability and assistance Department liaisons to ensure a coordinated approach to providing LEAs technical assistance and intervention.

Contained in the Matrix, the final LEA determinations reflect both performance and compliance in special education. This year, all the performance criteria are aligned with the LEA's performance on the State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR) Indicators: 1 (Graduation Rate of SwD), 2 (Drop Out Rate of SwD), 3B (Proficiency of SwD on Statewide Assessments), 5 (LRE 5-21), 6 (LRE 3-5), 7 (Preschool Outcomes), and 14 (Post School Outcomes). Compliance criteria are aligned with SPP/APR Compliance Indicators: 4B (Significant Discrepancy in Discipline), Indicator 9 (Disproportionate Representation), Indicator 10 (Disproportionate Representation in Specific Disability Categories), Indicator 11 (Child Find), Indicator 12 (Early Childhood Transition), and Indicator 13 (Secondary Transition). Additionally, points for Problem Resolution System (PRS) Findings were combined with Public School Monitoring (PSM) Findings into two categories: Identification of Non-Compliance and Verified Correction of Non-Compliance and reported as total number of findings of noncompliance.

Lastly, the "Additional Criteria" section includes information from fiscal systems (MOE Compliance) and LEA timely reporting of valid and reliable data (Equitable Services Child Count Submissions).

Calculation

(Sum of points earned across all categories with reportable data) ÷ (Total Number of Possible Points in Categories with Reportable Data) = LEA Determination percentage

LEA Determination Categories
Meets Requirements (MR)Needs Assistance (NA)Needs Intervention (NI)Needs Substantial Intervention (NSI)
LEA determination percentage
75.0 – 100.0		 LEA determination percentage
65.0 – 74.9		 LEA determination percentage
0 – 64.9		 A substantial failure to comply with a condition of LEA eligibility under Part B of the IDEA (300.200-300.213)

Targeted Assistance and Intervention Activities

Meets Requirements (MR)

The Department will not be providing targeted technical assistance or intervention to these LEAs based on the LEA determination.

Needs Assistance (NA)

All LEAs with determinations of NA are prohibited from using certain flexibility available under the Maintenance of Effort6 provisions, as required by IDEA.

The Department will provide targeted technical assistance to these LEAs based on this annual LEA determination. Targeted assistance related to identified areas of need may include:

  • Directing the use of IDEA Part B special education Fund Code 240 and/or Fund Code 262 on the area(s) in which the LEA needs assistance; and/or
  • Potential engagement with CSSRD, OEPI, SSOS, or OST; and/or
  • Requiring engagement with PSM to address identified noncompliance or as part of Integrated Monitoring Review activities7; and/or
  • Requiring engagement with SEPP and/or other Department offices to address other special education compliance and performance issues; and/or
  • Requiring participation in specified technical assistance activities.

LEAs with this determination are required to engage in improvement activities to address areas of need as identified by the data used in the determination.

Needs Intervention (NI)

All LEAs with determinations of NI are prohibited from using certain flexibility available under the Maintenance of Effort8 provisions, as required by IDEA.

The Department will provide targeted intervention to these LEAs based on this annual LEA determination. Targeted interventions related to identified areas of need may include:

  • the interventions for NA LEAs.
  • direction of a portion of the funds made available under IDEA Part B special education Fund Code 240 and Fund Code 262 for the improvement of performance issues identified through the LEA determination system, i.e., Making Money Matter (M3).
  • if receiving support from one of the Department's accountability offices including, CSSRD, OEPI, SSOS, or OST, coordination with LEAs' current assistance liaisons to promote a coordinated approach to technical assistance and intervention regarding special education. A SPED Strategies' consultant will meet with each LEA to review the district's matrix data and to develop a plan for targeted and technical assistance for special education.

Needs Substantial Intervention (NSI)

All LEAs with determinations of NSI are prohibited from using certain flexibility available under the Maintenance of Effort9 provisions, as required by IDEA.

The Department will provide targeted intervention to any LEAs with a determination of NSI. Targeted interventions related to identified areas of need may include those interventions for NA and NI LEAs. The Department may also take any other enforcement actions deemed necessary, including:

  • Recovering state or federal special education funds, as appropriate; and/or
  • Conducting a review of the LEA's fiscal effort according to IDEA maintenance of effort requirements; and/or
  • Directing the use of the LEA's Fund Code 240 and/or Fund Code 262 funds
  • Denying the LEA's participation in discretionary grant programs until improvements are completed; and/or
  • Requiring specific personnel assignment under the Department's direction.

A list of LEAs' 2025-2026 special education accountability and assistance level statuses is available on the Department's . For questions about LEA determinations and indicator calculations, please see the Department contact information in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Department contact information can be found on our Special Education Determinations website.

1 As required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1400 —et seq.

2 The term local education agency (LEA) includes school districts composed of single schools such as charter or regional vocational high schools.

3 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.203-300.208 and Appendix E, §§ 300.603(b) and 303.703(b)

4 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.604(b)(2)(v) and 300.604(c)(2); 303.704(b)(2)(iv) and 303.704(c)(2)

5 An LEA must meet state and federal special education requirements and, if any specific areas of non-compliance with special education requirements are identified, the LEA must engage in corrective action(s), regardless of the accountability or special education determination levels.

6 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.203-300.208 and Appendix E.

7 Public School Monitoring Integrated Monitoring Review

8 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.203-300.208 and Appendix E.

9 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.203-300.208 and Appendix E.

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

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