Coordinated Early Intervention Services..
Vocational and Educational Services for
Individuals with Disabilities
(VESID)
Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
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September 2008
To: District Superintendents of Schools
Superintendents of Public Schools
Principals of Schools
Directors of Pupil Personnel Services
Chairpersons, Committee on Special Education
Organizations, Parents and Individuals Concerned with Special
Education
Commissioner'
SETRC Professional Development Specialists
Regional School Support Centers
School Business Officials
From: James P. DeLorenzo
Subject: Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) Under Part B
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide federal and State guidance relating
to coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) under Part B of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In July 2008, the Office for Special
Education Services of the U.S. Department of Education released the attached
guidance document on this subject. All school districts should review this
federal guidance along with the information in this memorandum.
CEIS are services that are provided to assist students in kindergarten through
grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on students
in kindergarten through grade three) who are not currently identified as needing
special education or related services, but who need additional academic and/or
behavioral assistance to enable them to be successful in a general education
environment. In 2004, Congress authorized the use of a limited amount of a
school district's federal IDEA funds to be used for the purpose of providing
CEIS to reduce academic and behavioral problems in the general education
environment, thereby leading to fewer and more appropriate referrals for special
education services.
Use of IDEA Funds for CEIS
IDEA permits, and in some instances, requires school districts to use a portion
of funds provided under Part B of the IDEA for the purpose of CEIS. Federal
regulations specify how and on whom CEIS funds may be spent; the reporting
requirements for school districts providing CEIS; the requirement for using CEIS
funds by a school district that is identified as having significant
disproportionality based on race/ethnicity; and the relationship of CEIS to
maintenance of effort requirements.
Any school district may opt to use up to, but not exceeding, 15 percent of the
total amount of its 611 and 619 Part B IDEA funds for CEIS. However, whenever a
school district is determined by the State, based on the school district's
numerical data, to have significant disproportionality in the
over-identification of students by race/ethnicity who are classified as needing
special education services, in certain disability categories, in particular
special education placements and/or based on the incidence, type and duration of
disciplinary actions, including the long-term suspension of students with
disabilities, the school district must use the maximum amount of 15 percent of
its total 611 and 619 Part B funds for CEIS to help address issues of
disproportionality. CEIS must be provided to students particularly, but not
exclusively, in those race/ethnic groups that were significantly
over-identified.
To apply to use IDEA funds for CEIS, the school district must, in the
"Application for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 611
and Section 619 Federal Funding for the Education of Students with Disabilities,
disabilities in particular race/ethnic groups disproportionality, it must
describe how the funds will be used in particular to address the identified
area(s) of disproportionality. See pages 16 and 17 of the 2008-09 application at
www.vesid.nysed.
Allowable CEIS Activities
The OSEP document provides detailed guidance regarding who is eligible for CEIS
and what activities are permitted. Permissible CEIS activities include the
provision of scientifically-
reading or math specialists to work with
non-disabled students who have not reached grade-level proficiency in those
subjects;
after-school tutoring for non-disabled students who score below "proficient" on
Statewide assessments;the provision of academic and behavioral evaluations to
help determine what scientifically based interventions, services, and supports
an at-risk student might need, (note: CEIS funds may not be used for evaluations
that have the purpose of identifying students for special education
services);school wide or small group behavioral interventions to non-disabled
students who receive a certain number of disciplinary office referrals;
andprofessional development to develop and implement response-to-intervention
approaches (see
http://www.vesid.
http://www.vesid.
IDEA funds for CEIS can also be used to supplement, but not supplant, funds used
for activities under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)
and other federal, State, and local programs that are being utilized by a school
district. CEIS funds can only be used to provide supports to non-disabled
students who need additional academic or behavior supports to be successful.
When CEIS funds are used for school-wide initiatives, documentation must be
provided to show that these funds were used only for students in general
education programs who need additional supports to be successful, and that
separate funds were used to cover the expenses of all other students who
participated.
Data Reporting Requirements for CEIS
School districts that opt and/or are required to use IDEA funds for CEIS must
identify the non-disabled students who will receive additional support and who
are expected to benefit from CEIS activities (e.g., who will be taught by a
teacher who participated in a professional development activity). This is
because federal regulations require school districts to report to SED the number
of students who participated in CEIS activities, and the number of students who
received special education and related services during the two-year period after
participating in CEIS activities. At-risk students who received instruction from
school personnel that participated in CEIS related professional development
programs should be identified and reported. School districts must report a
program service code "5753" for every non-disabled student who was provided CEIS
or was the intended beneficiary of activities supported with IDEA funds during a
particular school year. All Program Services data are provided to SED at the end
of each school year. The definition of the Early Intervening Services (code
5753) is provided on page 72 of the 2007-08 Student Information Reporting System
(SIRS)
Dictionary of Reporting Data Elements
http://www.emsc.
Since data provided through SIRS is on an individual student level and linked
longitudinally by a State identification number, SED will track the status of
students who are identified as benefiting from CEIS funds to determine their
special education status in the two years following their participation in this
program service.
Please share this memorandum with appropriate staff, including Directors of
Special Education, Committee on Special Education (CSE) Chairpersons, Directors
of Pupil Personnel Service, and Principals as well as Parent Teacher
Associations. If you have general questions regarding CEIS activities, please
contact the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with
Disabilities (VESID), Special Education Policy Unit at
vesidspe@mail.
*Please note: If you would like to receive notification of our publications via
e-mail, register at
http://www.vesid.
Attachment - Available in PDF Format Only
Memoradum from Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) -
Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) Under Part B of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)