The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) allows, and sometimes requires, local education agencies (LEAs) to use funds provided under Part B of the IDEA for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS). This provision, which is found in § 613(f) of the IDEA (20 U.S.C. § 1413(f) and the regulations in 34 CFR § 300.223, permits LEAs to use Part B funds to develop and provide CEIS for students not currently identified as needing special education services.
CEIS is an integral part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and is intended to address child learning problems early by reducing academic and behavioral problems in the general education environment. Additionally, CEIS benefits special education by ensuring that students are appropriately referred to special education and in turn helps reduce disproportionate representation of racial/ethnic groups.
The requirement for using CEIS funds by an LEA is the identification of significant disproportionality in special education in the following areas: identification, disability category, least restrictive environment, and discipline. Districts identified as having a significant disproportionate representation of racial/ethnic groups within one or more of the mentioned areas are required to budget and expend 15% of the current fiscal year Part B allocation to offer CEIS to general education students at risk of being identified as needing special education and related services.
To provide guidance to districts on CEIS, the Arkansas Local Education Agency Resource Network (AR LEARN) will host a one day workshop on October 13, 2008, at the Holiday Inn Airport, Little Rock, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The workshop will cover the CEIS requirements and the law, budgeting and expending CEIS funds, addressing CEIS in the Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP), and student tracking and data reporting.
Districts that are required to or permissively offer CEIS are encouraged to participate in the workshop. However, the workshop is open to all districts wanting to learn more about this IDEA requirement. The intended audience includes special education supervisors, finance/budgeting personnel, CEIS coordinators/program personnel, and data entry personnel.
Registration fee is $55.00 per person. Registration is on ECSWorks (http://www.escweb.net/ar_esc/). Contact Terri Miller Terrim@dawson.dsc.k12.ar.us or by phone: 1-870-246-3077