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Districts are flagged for disproportionate representation if, for three consecutive years, the district exhibits a weighted or alternative risk ratio of 3.0 or greater for possible over-representation. Any district flagged for disproportionate representation, based on this quantitative analysis, receives a letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department) letting them know of their status and requiring the districts to send policies, practices and procedures (PPPs) to the Department for review.
If in this review, the Department determines the PPPs are inappropriate or otherwise inconsistent with federal and state regulations and concludes that the PPPs likely caused the disproportionate representation, then the LEA is identified as having disproportionate representation due to inappropriate identification and is required to take corrective actions.
What does it mean if a district exhibits a weighted or alternative risk ratio of 3.0 or greater?
This means that a student of a certain racial or ethnic group appears to be three times more likely to be identified as eligible for special education than expected based on the overall incidence rate for that racial or ethnic group.
When is a weighted risk ratio used for an indicator 9 calculation? When is an alternative risk ratio used for an indicator 9 calculation?
A weighted risk ratio method is used for districts in which there are at least 10 students in the racial/ethnic group in question eligible for special education overall (for SPP indicator 9) and at least 10 students in the comparison group (students from all other racial/ethnic groups eligible for special education overall or within a particular disability category).
An alternate risk ratio method is used for districts in which there are at least 10 students in the racial/ethnic group in question eligible for special education overall (for SPP indicator 9) but fewer than 10 students in the comparison group (students from all other racial/ethnic groups eligible for special education overall or within a particular disability category).
What is the formula for calculating weighted risk ratio and alternative risk ratio?
Weighted Risk Ratio
How many times greater is a Hispanic students' risk of being identified as eligible for special education and related services in comparison with all other racial/ethnic groups in the district?
[(1-State composition of Hispanic and Latino Students) * District Risk for Identification of Hispanic] ÷ (Divided by) [(State composition of African American Students * District Risk for African American Students) + (Added to) (State composition of Asian Students* District Risk for Asian Students) + (Added to) (State composition of Native American Students * District Risk for Native American Students) + (Added to) (State composition of Native Hawaiian Students * District Risk for Native Hawaiian Students) + (Added to) (State composition of Multiracial Students * District Risk for Multiracial Students) + (Added to) (State composition of White Students * District Risk for White Students)]
Alternative Risk Ratio
How many times greater is a Hispanic and Latino students' risk of being identified as eligible for special education and related services comparison with all other racial/ethnic groups in the state?
(District Risk for Identification of Hispanic and Latino Students) ÷ (Divided by) [(State Risk for African American Students) + (Added to) (State Risk for Asian Students) + (Added to) (State Risk for Native American Students) + (Added to) (State Risk for Native Hawaiian Students) + (Added to) (State Risk for Multiracial Students) + (Added to) (State Risk for White Students)]
How does one interpret the weighted risk ratio and the alternative risk ratio?
When applied to overall special education eligibility within a district, the weighted risk ratio (WRR) answers the question, "How many times greater is a specific racial/ethnic group's risk of being identified as eligible for special education and related services in comparison with all other racial/ethnic groups in the district?"
When applied to overall special education eligibility within a district, the alternate risk ratio (ARR) answers the question, "How many times greater is a specific racial/ethnic group's risk of being identified as eligible for special education and related services in comparison with all other racial/ethnic groups in the state?"
In both cases, a risk ratio of 1.0 means that students from that group are as likely to be identified as eligible for special education as all other students. Risk ratios greater than 1.0 indicate the degree to which students in the racial/ethnic group are over-represented. For example, a risk ratio of 4.17 for African American students in the intellectual impairment category means that African American students in the district are 4.17 times more likely to be identified in the intellectual impairment category than all other students in the district (WRR) or in the state (ARR).
Has the Department found any districts to have disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education that is the result of inappropriate identification?
No, under these analyses and verification procedures, the Department has not made a finding of disproportionate representation due to inappropriate or inconsistent policies, practices, and procedures regarding disability determination and eligibility determination. Even if the Department has not issued a finding, however, the Department may require school districts flagged for disproportionate representation to take specific actions to review their own data and conduct self-assessments to reflect on policies, practices, and procedures and underlying assumptions that may be contributing to disproportionate representation.
Indicator 9 PowerPoint
Last Updated: January 26, 2023
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