As a result of the reauthorization of IDEA 2004, increased accountability at the state and local level and changes in the Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) monitoring priorities, Kansas has shifted from a Focused Monitoring System to an Integrated Accountability System. The Kansas Integrated Accountability System is in alignment with IDEA 2004 and General Supervision requirements as outlined by the OSEP and Kansas Special Education Statutes.

The shift to the Kansas Integrated Accountability System results in a continuous monitoring cycle involving data collection, verification, reporting, and improvement activities by both the State and LEAs. The system will ensure both state level and individual district compliance with the federal special education requirements and monitor those areas most closely associated with improved academic achievement results for children and youth with exceptionalities.

In 2004, Congress reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As part of the 2004 IDEA Reauthorization, Congress required that every State Educational Agency (SEA) submit a State Performance Plan (SPP) to the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

The SPP is a six-year performance plan, which evaluates a SEA’s efforts to implement IDEA requirements and describes how the SEA will improve its performance in twenty critical areas, known as indicators. Fourteen of the SPP indicators (Indicators One through Fourteen) are a combination of areas that gauge educational outcomes for students with disabilities, as well as school districts’ strict compliance with IDEA requirements. The last six SPP indicators (Indicators Fifteen through Twenty) judge the SEA’s exercise of general supervisory authority under IDEA. 

Each State must report annually to the public on the performance of each local educational agency (LEA) located in the State on the targets in its Part B - SPP. The State also must report annually to the Secretary on the State’s performance under its Part B - SPP. This report is called the Part B Annual Performance Report (Part B – APR).