Compliance and Improvement Monitoring
The CIM is a multi- year process and the CDE recognizes that meaningful improvement likely does noe occur in a short period of time and requires substantial focus on areas in need of improvement to effect positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
The CIM process is a series of steps and activities which identify LEAs that need assistance and address the identified problems of practice.
The Special Education monitoring framework uses a tiered system that differentiates the level of monitoring and technical assistance supports for each local educational agency (LEA) based on data analyses and to determine the LEA’s need for support and intervention. At the core of the monitoring framework is the Compliance and Improvement Monitoring (CIM) process. LEAs in Targeted or Intensive Monitoring Levels for performance are required to participate in and complete the CIM process as part of their ongoing, annual monitoring activity.
The CIM process is a series of steps and activities which identify LEAs that need assistance with correction, improvement, and the development of an integrated action plan to address the identified problems of practice. CIM is designed to ensure that LEAs, with differentiated levels of involvement and review, examine a wide-range of both compliance and performance data and identify the root causes of areas of concern so that an effective improvement action plan can be developed and implemented.
The CIM is a multi-year process which recognizes that meaningful improvement likely does not occur in a short period of time and requires sustained focus on the areas in need of improvement to effect positive outcomes for students with disabilities.
Cyclical Monitoring for Small LEAs
For monitoring purposes, small LEAs are defined as school districts and charter schools serving 100 or fewer students with disabilities on census day. Small LEAs will not be selected for monitoring based on State Performance Plan Indicators. Instead, these LEAs will be monitored on a cyclical basis every three years:
YEAR 1
Cycle A 2022 selection and monitoring
YEAR 2
Cycle B 2023 selection and monitoring
YEAR 3
Cycle C 2024 selection and monitoring
Targeted
An LEA identified as Targeted Level 1 or 2 in the Annual Determination Letter is required to participate in all three steps of the Compliance and Improvement Monitoring (CIM) process, with activities conducted independently with special education local plan area (SELPA) support. By the end of the 2023 monitoring period, the LEA is required to have a fully developed improvement plan that seeks to implement high leverage activities which will improve outcomes for students with disabilities in the areas identified by the Annual Determination Letter.
The California Department of Education (CDE) identifies LEAs who have not met the target for one or two elements as Targeted Level 1, and LEAs who have not met the target for three or more elements as Targeted Level 2.
The CDE identifies LEAs for Targeted Level 3 monitoring in one or more of the three ways:
The LEA is identified as disproportionate for two or more years
The LEA is ranked in the bottom 11–20% of either the Intensive Evaluation or Preschool Intensive Evaluation
The LEA is ranked in the bottom 10% for any of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Indicators.
LEAs identified for Targeted Levels 1-3 monitoring and support are required to attend all trainings as outlined below in the Trainings table. Targeted Levels 1-3 LEAs will conduct all activities of the CIM steps independently, but with the support of their SELPA. The LEA will develop a CIM Team, conduct an independent data drill down and review of the procedural compliance elements associated with the targets or areas in need of review, perform a root cause analysis, and develop an improvement plan.
Significant Disproportionality
If your local educational agency (LEA) was identified as Significantly Disproportionate in the Annual Determination Letter, your LEA has overidentified a specific race and/or ethnicity in one or more of the following special education categories:
Disciplinary Action (Suspension and Expulsion)
Placement:
Placement: More Restrictive Environments
The LEA is ranked in the bottom 11–20% of either the Intensive Evaluation or Preschool Intensive Evaluation
Indicator 10: Special Education within a Specific Disability Category
LEAs identified for Targeted Levels 1-3 monitoring and support are required to attend all trainings as outlined below in the Trainings table. Targeted Levels 1-3 LEAs will conduct all activities of the CIM steps independently, but with the support of their SELPA. The LEA will develop a CIM Team, conduct an independent data drill down and review of the procedural compliance elements associated with the targets or areas in need of review, perform a root cause analysis, and develop an improvement plan.
Intensive
LEAs identified for Targeted Levels 1-3 monitoring and support are required to attend all trainings as outlined below in the Trainings table. Targeted Levels 1-3 LEAs will conduct all activities of the CIM steps independently, but with the support of their SELPA. The LEA will develop a CIM Team, conduct an independent data drill down and review of the procedural compliance elements associated with the targets or areas in need of review, perform a root cause analysis, and develop an improvement plan.
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