Special Education Data System (SPEDS)

The Special Education Data System Collection is a data collection used by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to gather data for some State Performance Plan (SPP) indicators.

Special Education Summer Submission

The Special Education Summer Submission joins together the Early Childhood Outcomes (SPPI-7), Timely Initial Evaluation and Eligibility Determination (SPPI-11), Early Childhood Transition (SPPI-12), and Secondary Transition (SPPI-13) indicators into one submission.

Early Childhood Outcomes (SPPI-7)

SPPI-7 measures the demonstrated improvement for preschool children aged three through five with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in the following areas:

1. Positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships).
2. Acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early literacy); and
3. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.

Local education agencies (LEAs) utilize the Childhood Outcomes Summary (COS) Process to document children's progress in the three outcomes. LEAs report these outcomes using a specific rating category on a seven-point scale at entry and exit of all students aged three through five (not in kindergarten) who receive early childhood special education (ECSE) services for six months or more during the school year.

Child Find (SPPI-11 and 12)

In the TSDS Core Collection, the SPPI-11 and 12 were combined into one collection, Child Find. 

SPPI-11 (Timely Initial Evaluation) refers to compliance with the state-established timeframes (19 TAC §89.1011) for evaluating children, ages 3-21, for special education under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

SPPI-12 (Early Childhood Transition) refers to compliance for children referred from Part C of IDEA before age three, found eligible for Part B, and have an individualized education program (IEP) developed and implemented by their third birthday to receive early childhood special education (ECSE) services.

LEAs will submit student-level data for children who had an eligibility determination (ED) date during the annual data collection period which occurs from July 1 to June 30.

SPPI-11 and SPPI-12 are compliance indicators used for meeting federal public reporting requirements for the State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR). They are also part of the federally required elements (FREs) used along with the results-driven accountability (RDA) indicators for making annual LEA special education determinations (34 CFR §300.600(a)(2)).

Secondary Transition (SPPI-13)

SPPI-13 measures the percentage of youth with IEPs aged 16 up to age 21 with an IEP that includes:

• Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals that are annually updated and based upon an age-appropriate transition assessment;
• Transition services, including courses of study, that will reasonably enable the student to meet those postsecondary goals and
• Annual IEP goals related to the student's transition service needs.

Additionally, there must be documented evidence that the student was invited to the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee meeting where transition services are to be discussed and evidence that, if appropriate, a representative of any participating agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services was invited to the ARD meeting with the prior consent of the parent or student who has reached the age of majority.

LEA special education program staff are responsible for the Special Education Data System Collection.