Special Education December 1 Child Count
Introduction
School divisions are required to report an unduplicated count of students with disabilities receiving special education on December 1 (or the closest school day to December 1) for state funding and federal reporting under provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B.
Announcements for School Year 2023-2024
Updates and Reminders
A resubmission window will be available to all school divisions beginning Monday, January 8, 2024, and ending Friday, January 12, 2024. Please refer to the December 1 Child Count Specifications for resubmission once the window is closed and the verification is complete. Special education directors and superintendents will be able to review their Child Count between December 14, 2023, and January 8, 2024. If need be, revisions to the data can be made during this penalty-free resubmission window by request of the special education director. Please be sure that the division superintendent is copied on the request.
Resources
- December 1 Specifications Document (Word)
- Collection Event: December 1 Child Count 2023 (Word)
- December 1 Child Count Placement Codes (Word)
- Regular Class Percent Chart (Word)
- Calculation Tool for Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
- Considerations for Reporting Service Time and Regular Class Percent (Word)
- Indicator 6 Reporting Considerations during COVID-19 (Word)
- Information Modules & Training Videos:
- Student Record Collection Codes Values
- Information on Funding for Students with Intensive Support Needs (Word)
- Superintendent Memo
December 1 Child Count Collection Event
The Department of Special Education and Student Services would like to provide local educational agencies (LEAs) with the following information regarding the December 1 Child Count data collection, submission dates, and procedures.
December 1 Child Count data collection questions should be directed to spedprogramdata@doe.virginia.gov.
Student Record Data Collection questions should be directed to RESULTSHELP@doe.virginia.gov.
Student Record Collection (SRC) Presubmission
The Student Record Collection (SRC) Presubmission application will be available for divisions to submit their December 1 Child Count files prior to the opening of the December 1 Child Count window. School divisions are encouraged to utilize this application during November to submit preliminary data files, identify potential errors, and make necessary corrections prior to the final data submission.
December 1 Child Count Submission Window
The December 1, 2023-2024 Child Count submission window will open Friday, December 1, 2023, and will close Thursday, December 14, 2022. All divisions must have a successful submission on or before December 14. Your Superintendent’s verification by electronic signature is also due Thursday, December 14, 2023.
Please ensure every student with an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Services Plan and receiving special education services is reported on the December 1 Child Count. This includes students who are parentally-placed in private schools, as well as students in residential facilities, regional centers, private day schools, and hospitals. To avoid duplicate counts, please communicate with other agencies. Following a successful child count submission, you must complete the Parentally-Placed Private School and Home School Students Data survey before your report will proceed to the superintendent for verification. The LEA does not report students from the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, or state-operated programs; those entities report their own students.
December 1 Child Count Resubmission Window
If a division suspects an error in their verified Child Count report, division Superintendents and Special Education Directors should review their reports during the following 3-4 weeks and resubmit needed revisions/corrections during the penalty-free resubmission period in January.
Submissions made after the Child Count window officially closes for the collection year may impact the division's local determination rubric for timely and accurate data submission.