The federal Department of Education has released its 39th Annual Report to the Congress, The voluminous report is a wealth of data about special education. If you work in this area, this report contain s a lot of helpful information.
Here are just some of the key Part B findings:
In 2015, a total of 6,050,725 students ages 6 through 21 were served under IDEA, Part B, in
the 50 states, the District of Columbia, BIE schools, Puerto Rico, the four outlying areas, and
the three freely associated states. Of these students, 5,936,518 were served in the 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and BIE schools. This number represented 8.9 percent of the
resident population ages 6 through 21. In 2006, the total number of students ages 6 through
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21 served under IDEA, Part B, in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, BIE schools, Puerto
Rico, and the four outlying areas, was 6,081,890. In each year between 2006 through 2011,
the number of students served was less than in the previous year. However, more students
were served under Part B in 2012 and in each subsequent year through 2015. In 2006, 9
percent of the resident population ages 6 through 21 were served under Part B in the 50
states, the District of Columbia, and BIE schools. Between 2006 and 2010, the percentage of
the population in these jurisdictions served gradually decreased to 8.4 percent. The
percentage served remained at 8.4 percent until 2013, when it increased to 8.5 percent. In
2014, the percentage increased to 8.7 percent. In 2015, the percentage increased to 8.9
percent (Exhibit 19).
In 2015, the most prevalent disability category of students ages 6 through 21 served under
IDEA, Part B, was specific learning disability (specifically, 2,348,891, or 38.8 percent, of the
6,050,725 students ages 6 through 21 served under Part B). The next most common disability
category was speech or language impairment (17.3 percent), followed by other health
impairment (15.0 percent), autism (9.1 percent), intellectual disability (6.9 percent), and
emotional disturbance (5.7 percent). Students ages 6 through 21 in “Other disabilities
combined” accounted for the remaining 7.2 percent of students ages 6 through 21 served
under IDEA, Part B (Exhibit 21).
• The percentage of the resident population ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B,
reported under disability categories changed by less than two-tenths of a percentage point
between 2006 and 2015 for all but three categories. The percentage of the population reported
under autism increased by 0.5 of a percentage point and the percentage of the population
reported under other health impairment increased by 0.4 of a percentage point. The
percentage of the population reported under specific learning disability decreased by 0.6 of a
percentage point (Exhibit 22).
• Between 2006 and 2015, the percentage of the resident population ages 6 through 21 served
under IDEA, Part B, that was reported under the category of autism increased gradually from
0.3 percent to 0.8 percent. Between 2006 and 2015, the percentages of the populations ages 6
through 11, 12 through 17, and 18 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, that were reported
under the category of autism all increased. Specifically, the percentages of these three age
groups that were reported under the category of autism were 106 percent, 189 percent, and
209 percent larger in 2015 than in 2006, respectively (Exhibit 23).
• From 2006 through 2015, the percentage of the resident population ages 6 through 21 served
under IDEA, Part B, that was reported under the category of other health impairment
increased gradually from 0.9 percent to 1.3 percent. The percentages of the populations ages
6 through 11, 12 through 17, and 18 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, that were
reported under the category of other health impairment were 44 percent, 52 percent, and 80
percent larger in 2015 than in 2006, respectively (Exhibit 24).
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• From 2006 through 2015, the percentage of the resident population ages 6 through 21 served
under IDEA, Part B, that was reported under the category of specific learning disability
decreased from 4 percent to 3.4 percent. The percentages of the populations ages 6 through
11, 12 through 17, and 18 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, that were reported under the
category of specific learning disability were 11 percent, 14 percent, and 9 percent smaller in
2015 than in 2006, respectively (Exhibit 25).
For the students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, in 2015, specific learning
disability was the most prevalent disability category, or as prevalent as any other category,
for every racial/ethnic group. In particular, this disability category accounted for 44.7 percent
of American Indian or Alaska Native students, 25 percent of Asian students, 40.7 percent of
Black or African American students, 46.8 percent of Hispanic/Latino students, 51.3 percent
of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students, 34.7 percent of White students, and
34.3 percent of the students associated with two or more racial/ethnic groups. Speech or
language impairment was the second or third most prevalent category for students ages 6
through 21 in every racial/ethnic group. The students served in this disability category
accounted for 14.7 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native students, 25 percent of
Asian students, 13.1 percent of Black or African American students, 18.3 percent of
Hispanic/Latino students, 10.1 percent of Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students,
18 percent of White students, and 17.5 percent of the students associated with two or more
racial/ethnic groups (Exhibit 28).
• In 2015, a total of 5,737,952, or 94.8 percent, of the 6,050,725 students ages 6 through 21
served under IDEA, Part B, were educated in regular classrooms for at least some portion of
the school day. More than 60 percent of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA,
Part B (62.7 percent), were educated inside the regular class 80% or more of the day. A total
of 18.7 percent of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, were educated
inside the regular class no more than 79% of the day and no less than 40% of the day, and
13.5 percent were educated inside the regular class less than 40% of the day. Only 5.2
percent of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, were educated outside of
the regular classroom in “Other environments” (Exhibit 29).
• From 2006 through 2015, the percentage of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA,
Part B, educated inside the regular class 80% or more of the day increased from 55.2 percent
to 62.7 percent. The percentage of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B,
educated inside the regular class no more than 79% of the day and no less than 40% of the
day decreased from 23.5 percent in 2006 to 18.6 percent in 2014. In 2015, the percentage of
students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, educated inside the regular class no
more than 79% of the day and no less than 40% of the day increased to 18.7 percent. The
percentage of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, educated inside the
regular class less than 40% of the day decreased from 16.3 percent in 2006 to 13.5 percent in
2014 and remained at 13.5 percent in 2015. The percentage of students ages 6 through 21
served under IDEA, Part B, educated in “Other environments” ranged from 5 percent to
5.3 percent during the years from 2006 to 2015 (Exhibit 30).
You can read the entire
330 page report here.
