Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting

Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting

Coordinated Early
Intervening Services (CEIS) Step by Step

Learn How To:

  • Identify the need for mandatory comprehensive CEIS or voluntary CEIS.
  • Understand and implement mandatory comprehensive CEIS or voluntary CEIS.
  • Track and report CEIS funds expended and children served.
  • Identify Technical Assistance (TA) centers and resources to help states understand and implement these opportunities and requirements.

Do you know that local educational agencies (LEAs) may use up to 15 percent of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Section 611 and 619 funds for CEIS?

Voluntary CEIS are used for children in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on children in kindergarten through grade 3) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services but who need additional academic or behavioral support to succeed in general education. (These services are defined in 34 CFR §300.226.) Congress’s intent was to prevent unnecessary referral for special education and to provide earlier intervention to children who are struggling; for example, through a multitiered system of supports.

Permissible voluntary CEIS activities include:

  • Providing professional development for teachers and other school staff to enable them to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, including scientifically based literacy instruction and, where appropriate, instruction on the use of adaptive and instructional software; and
  • Providing educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports, including scientifically based literacy instruction.

Comprehensive CEIS are required when an LEA is identified as having a significant disproportionality. (These services are defined in 34 CFR §300.646.) They must address the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality. They may include professional development and educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports and must address a policy, practice, or procedure identified by the LEA as contributing to the significant disproportionality. The funds may be used to serve children from age 3 through grade 12. They may be used for children with and without disabilities. Their use may not be limited to children with disabilities.

This means that you can use IDEA funds to provide professional development for teachers and other school staff as well as scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions to K–12 students without a disability. For LEAs identified with significant disproportionality of racial and ethnic groups in special education, 15 percent of IDEA Part B funds must be reserved for mandatory comprehensive CEIS. (Please note that the IDEA regulations regarding significant disproportionality were revised in December 2016; see 34 CFR §300.646 and 34 CFR §300.647.)

States are required to provide, in their State Supplemental Survey and IDEA Part B Application, their definition of significant disproportionality. The definition must conform to a national standard provided at 34 CFR §300.647. OSEP guidance requires states to report all risk ratio thresholds, minimum cell sizes, minimum n-sizes, standards for measuring reasonable progress, and the rationales for each as a part of that definition.

TA Centers & Resources

With assistance from the state, an LEA identified as having significant disproportionality must identify and address the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality, which may include, among other identified factors, a lack of access to scientifically based instruction; economic, cultural, or linguistic barriers to appropriate identification or placement in particular educational settings; inappropriate use of disciplinary removals; lack of access to appropriate diagnostic screenings; differences in academic achievement levels; and policies, practices, or procedures that contribute to the significant disproportionality.

TA Centers & Resources

When planning to improve results for children who need additional supports, school and LEA officials (general and special education administrators) may identify a need for intervening services to assist children who are not eligible for special education and related services but who need additional academic and behavioral supports to succeed in a general education environment. In planning to improve child outcomes, an LEA may identify specific early intervening services that may appropriately be supported by Part B CEIS funds. An LEA should identify the needs of a specific subgroup based on data analyses. The LEA may also conduct an analysis of its current multitiered system of supports (MTSS), positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), or response to intervention (RTI) models to determine whether additional appropriate interventions are needed for any subgroup.

TA Centers & Resources

LEAs identified with significant disproportionality are required to reserve 15 percent of IDEA Part B Section 611 and 619 funds to be used for comprehensive CEIS. Comprehensive CEIS must address the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality and can be used for children with and without disabilities age 3 through grade 12. They may be used for children with and without disabilities. Their use cannot be limited to children with disabilities.

LEAs not identified with significant disproportionality can voluntarily reserve up to 15 percent of IDEA 611 and 619 funds for CEIS, but funds must be reserved for children in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on children in kindergarten through grade 3) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic or behavioral support to succeed in general education.

LEAs that reduce maintenance of effort (MOE) under 34 CFR §300.205(a) and voluntarily reserve funds for CEIS are required to ensure that the combined amount of both does not exceed the lesser of the maximum amount available for CEIS or the maximum amount available for MOE reduction.

LEAs must follow any procedures put in place by their SEA to apply to use or to report the intended uses of funds reserved for CEIS. The approval process may take place through the IDEA subgrant application.

When IDEA funds are used for comprehensive or voluntary CEIS, they may be used for activities funded by and carried out under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) if the IDEA funds are used to supplement, and not supplant, funds made available under the ESEA for the activities and services. (See OSEP Letter to Hokenson.)

TA Centers & Resources

In consultation with the SEA, LEAs plan the activities to be funded with CEIS funds and to which children CEIS will be provided. LEAs’ CEIS plans must be approved by the SEA before services are implemented.

When planning CEIS, LEAs should ensure that the CEIS activities supported by the IDEA funds are permissible activities. Permissible activities include professional development and educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports.

An LEA implementing voluntary CEIS must also ensure that funds are used for children who are not identified as children with a disability but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment.

LEAs implementing comprehensive CEIS may include children with disabilities but must use the reserved funds to identify and address the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality in the LEA for the identified category, including policies, practices, and procedures contributing to the significant disproportionality.

TA Centers & Resources

LEAs that use IDEA Part B funds for CEIS are required to track the funds and the children receiving services. LEAs are required to report to the SEA the Part B funds reserved (whether voluntary or comprehensive), the number of children who receive voluntary CEIS, and the number of children provided voluntary CEIS who subsequently received special education services under Part B. Starting with the 2023-24 school year, LEAs will also be required to track the numbers of children with and without disabilities who received comprehensive CEIS.

TA Centers & Resources

For each LEA, SEAs are required, as part of the MOE reduction and CEIS data submission to OSEP, to report the amount of IDEA funds reserved for CEIS (whether voluntary or comprehensive), the number of children provided voluntary CEIS supported by those funds, and the number of children provided those services who subsequently received special education services under Part B. Starting with the 2023-24 school year, SEAs are required to report the number of children with and without disabilities who received comprehensive CEIS.

TA Centers & Resources

LEAs with significant disproportionality are required to review and, if appropriate, revise the policies, procedures, and practices relevant to the significant disproportionality and publicly report on resulting revisions consistent with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This report may include how comprehensive CEIS were used to address significant disproportionality.

TA Centers & Resources

Has your LEA been identified as having significant disproportionality?

One purpose of CEIS is to address significant disproportionality. States must collect and examine data to determine whether significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity is occurring in the state and in LEAs in the state with respect to the:

  • Identification of children as children with disabilities, including identification as children with particular impairments;
  • Placement of children in particular educational settings; and
  • Incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions.

By July 1 2018, states must use a standard method to determine significant disproportionality. (That method is defined in 34 CFR §300.647.) By that time, states with input from stakeholders must choose reasonable:

  • Risk ratio thresholds,
  • Minimum cell sizes, and
  • Minimum n-sizes.

States may define certain flexibilities — all with input from stakeholders. An LEA identified as having significant disproportionality must, among other requirements, address the disproportionality by reserving 15 percent of its IDEA Part B funds for comprehensive CEIS.

Do you have children who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment?

State Educational Agency

determine whether each LEA has significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity with respect to identification, placement, and disciplinary removals

Local Educational Agency

identify the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality

Local Educational Agency

identify and make needed revisions to policies, procedures and practices

Local Educational Agency

determine a need for CEIS to improve results for children without disabilities

Local Educational Agency

conduct fiscal planning for comprehensive or voluntary CEIS

Local Educational Agency

plan and implement comprehensive or voluntary CEIS

Local Educational Agency

Track funds for and children receiving comprehensive or voluntary CEIS

State Educational Agency

report comprehensive or voluntary CEIS funding and child data to OSEP

The Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting (CIFR) provides technical assistance to state educational agencies to help them meet their federal obligation to collect and report special education fiscal data. Although CIFR does not provide technical assistance related to each step of comprehensive or voluntary CEIS, we believe that accurate data begins with the first step, and that using the high-quality resources provided for each step will lead to high-quality data collection and reporting.

If you have questions about the contents of this resource guide, please contact us.

Acknowledgments:
Many CIFR staff contributed to this work. Danielle Crain led its development with contributions from Sara Doutre and Tom Munk. Sanjay Pardanani was production coordinator. CIFR co-directors Cecelia Dodge, Jenifer Harr-Robins, and Dave Phillips guided its development.

Suggested Citation:
Center for IDEA Fiscal Reporting. (2016). Coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) resources: step by step. San Francisco, CA: WestEd.