Research suggests that students achieve more when they are in classrooms with access to high-quality curriculum and instruction daily. However, in some school systems, students from certain races or ethnicities may not fully benefit from these proven strategies because they are:
- identified as having a disability;
- are subject to exclusionary discipline practices; and/or
- are placed in restrictive classroom settings at greater rates than their peers.
These types of adjustments to a student’s education should be provided because of their unique needs, not because of their race or ethnicity.
To ensure that disproportionality based on race and or ethnicity is not occurring in school systems at significant rates, the Louisiana Department of Education annually collects and examines data related to the:
- identification of students with disabilities, including particular impairments;
- placement of children with disabilities in restrictive educational settings; and
- exclusionary discipline of children with disabilities, including suspensions and expulsions.
The Department then analyzes the likelihood that students from one race or ethnicity will be subject to a certain outcome (over identification, restrictive placement, or exclusionary discipline) relative to students from all other races and ethnicities in each school system across the state.
If a school system is identified as significantly disproportionate, they must set aside 15 percent of their IDEA Part B funding for coordinated early intervening services (CEIS). These services can reduce disproportionality over time by creating equitable outcomes for all students with disabilities and those students who simply need additional academic and behavior support to succeed.