ED to Halt Federal Data Collection on Significant Disproportionality 

Aug 26, 2025

The US Department of Education has announced plans to stop collecting data from states on significant disproportionality. Section 618 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to collect these data, and since 2004, when IDEA was last amended by Congress, and 2019, when final regulations were put into place, states have reported these data to the Department. The state and national look at these data helps states determine whether districts are disproportionately identifying black students for special education, specific disability categories, placement in more restrictive settings, or disciplinary actions. Federal law requires states to collect data to identify these imbalances and, when significant disproportionality is found in a school district, the district must reserve 15% of its IDEA funds for coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) and implement a plan to address the contributing factors, often in the general education environment. There is a public comment period, and COPAA will develop comments as well as provide members to comment as well. 

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