Department staff reported the state submitted its annual performance report (APR) to the U.S. Department of Education and described the results and implications for next‑year planning.

Staff said the report covered 18 SPP indicators (a mix of compliance and student‑outcome measures) and that the data are reported on a one‑year lag: the APR submitted in February reflects the 2023–24 school year. The department described improvements in multiple areas: statewide LEAP results showed percent mastery increases for students with disabilities in ELA and math; the department also highlighted National Assessment of Educational Progress results that showed growth for students with disabilities where most other states reported declines.

Officials pointed to specific outcomes included in the APR: an increase of 4.69 percentage points in the share of students with disabilities graduating with a regular high school diploma, a decline in dropouts, reductions in long‑term suspensions and expulsions for students with disabilities (indicator 4a), and near‑100% compliance on timely evaluations (indicator 11). The department also said several indicators for students assessed on alternate assessments (LEAP Connect) showed gains and that preschool outcomes improved.

Panel members asked for underlying data and disaggregation. Department staff said the public release of determination results would include the numerators and denominators that generate the percentages and that those details would be available when determinations post. Panelists requested breakdowns by disability category, a clearer explanation of indicator 3d (the proficiency gap between students with and without IEPs) and guidance on how survey‑based indicators are collected. Department staff confirmed indicators derived from surveys include parent involvement and post‑school outcomes (indicators 8 and 14) and described the sampling approach used for the parent survey (a rotating representative sample of districts each year with an open statewide option), noting response‑rate challenges and steps to boost participation.

During discussion panel members and staff identified priority areas for the coming year: building educator capacity in evidence‑based instruction and targeted interventions (particularly for middle and high school bands), expanding high‑quality preschool supports, improving intervention quality and implementation fidelity, clarifying data disaggregation to target supports by exceptionality, and continuing work on literacy and numeracy supports tied to core instruction. Staff said the department will align some IDA (IDEA) funding priorities with those goals and will seek to tailor statewide professional development offerings accordingly.

Panelists also discussed operational considerations: how to increase parent survey response rates through district outreach, how to use APR numbers to target interventions for students scoring below proficiency, and how to frame intervention programming in secondary settings so students do not perceive supports as stigmatizing. Department staff said they will publish the APR determination and the underlying numbers when they are released and will use the panel’s feedback to inform planning for 2025–26.