Special Education in Charter Schools

Summary

As public schools, charter schools must have open enrollment for any student seeking to enroll in the school, and when the school has greater demand than seats must administer a non-discriminatory selection process (this is typically done through a lottery). Charter schools are encouraged to evaluate their programming for educating students with disabilities and to identify the technical assistance they may need in order to effectively implement quality programs. The best programs that are most supportive to successful enrollment and instruction for students with disabilities come from schools and authorizers that develop clear plans for how to support effective student transitions. This planning should include ensuring that the school and the authorizer have clear expectations for understanding each other's roles as they relate to IDEA compliance, liabilities and responsibilities, curricular adaptations, and instructional modifications. Charter applications and contractual negotiations should provide explicit language for identifying and serving special education students.

Parent Resources 

• CDE Exceptional Student Services Unit Newsletter Signup
• CDE Exceptional Student Services Parent Resources
  • Disability Categories and Eligibility Criteria
  • IEP Resources
  • Parent Counseling and Training
• Charter School Institute Model Resources
  • Special Education Enrollment Rule Changes Administrative Alert
• College Board: SAT and PSAT Accommodations
• Dispute Resolution
• Ensuring Enrollment Equity for Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools PowerPoint
• Find my Special Education Director

Educator Resources​

• ACCESS for Multi-Lingual Learners
• Additional Educator Resources
  • ​Behavior
  • CLD Learners
  • Secondary Transition
  • Preschool Special Education and Child Find
• Assessment and Testing
• College Board: SAT and PSAT Accommodations
• CDE Exceptional Student Services Unit Newsletter Signup
• CDE/CEE Learning Series: From Policy to Practice: Changing Beliefs about Charter Schools' Inclusivity of Diverse Learners
• Dispute Resolution
• IEP Resources
  • Disability Categories and Eligibility Criteria
  • IEP Forms 
  • Procedural Safeguards
• Keeping Great Special Educators Webinar (recorded 12/13/2019)
• Law and Regulations Licensure
  • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
  • ​ECEA (State)
  • IDEA (Federal)
• Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), Standards, and Accommodations
• Special Education Enrollment Rule Changes Administrative Alert

Authorizer Resources

• ACCESS for ML’s
• CDE Exceptional Student Services Unit Newsletter Signup
• CDE/CEE Learning Series: From Policy to Practice: Changing Beliefs about Charter Schools' Inclusivity of Diverse Learners
• Law and Regulations
  • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
  • ECEA (State)
  • IDEA (Federal)
• Services Resources
• Special Education Director's Corner
• Charter School Institute Model Resources
  • Special Education Enrollment Rule Changes Administrative Alert
• College Board: SAT and PSAT Accommodations
• Testing and Assessment

Additional Resources & Research

• Center for Learner Equity, "Report on Enrollment of Students with Disabilities in Colorado Charter Schools"
• Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA) Special Education Resources
• Colorado Charter School Institute Special Education Resources
• Colorado League of Charter Schools Exceptional Student Services
• National Charter School Resource Center - Special Education Toolkit: Guidance for Charter School Authorizers
• OSEP - Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs