Understanding Comprehensive Coordinating Early Intervening Services

As required by federal law and regulations, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) must identify local educational agencies (LEAs) that experience significant disproportionality in special education representation/identification, discipline, and/or placement
[20 U.S.C. 1418(d) and 34 CFR 300.646-.647]. These LEAs must set aside and spend 15 % of their Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B funds to identify and address the factors contributing to their significant disproportionality through Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) [20 U.S.C. 1418(d) and 34 CFR 300.646(d)]. Texas identifies LEAs with significant disproportionality as those that exceed the risk ratio threshold in the same category for three consecutive years—reported as “SD (Year 3).”

In 2018, the Office of Special Education Programs within the U.S. Department of Education released revised regulations to clarify the use of the required 15 percent set aside for LEAs identified with significant disproportionality. CCEIS funds may be used to benefit all students (both with and without disabilities) of all ages (age 3 through grade 12) and with no limitation on activities, provided the funds are used to identify and address factors contributing to significant disproportionality. This document provides an overview of the allowable uses of CCEIS funds and examples of how LEAs can use these funds to identify and address factors contributing to significant dis