How Does Special Education Funding Work?

True/False: The federal government is required to pay a portion of the nationwide cost of educating students with disabilities. 

• True

• False

What percentage of the cost of special education—above and beyond the average cost of educating students—is the federal government authorized to cover each year? 

• 20 percent

• 40 percent

• 60 percent

• 80 percent

• 100 percent

What was the original name of the federal law now known as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? 

• Education for All Handicapped Children Act

• Education of Disabled Children Act

• Education of Students with Disabilities Act

• Special Education Act

What does IDEA require school districts to do? 

• Provide a free education for students with disabilities that’s comparable to what students without disabilities can access

• Spend at least as much money on special education during one year as they did during the previous year

• Report the amount of money they spend each year on educating students with disabilities

• Both A and B are correct

• Both B and C are correct

What is the consequence for states that fail to meet the requirements of IDEA? 

• They could lose access to federal IDEA grants

• They could lose access to all sources of federal funding

• Their special education programs could be taken over by the U.S. Department of Education

• There are no consequences

Which of the following is the most accurate description of how the federal government calculates special education grants for states to distribute to schools? 

• 40 percent of the average statewide per-pupil expenditure for public school students, times the state’s number of students with disabilities

• 40 percent of the average nationwide per-pupil expenditure for all students with disabilities, times the state’s number of students with disabilities

• 40 percent of the average nationwide per-pupil expenditure for all public school students, times the state’s number of students with disabilities

• 40 percent of the average statewide per-pupil expenditure for all students with disabilities, times the state’s number of students with disabilities

For which of the following factors does IDEA require adjustment? 

• • A. The state’s overall K-12 enrollment

• B. The state’s K-12 enrollment of students from low-income families

• C. The state’s K-12 enrollment of students with disabilities

• D. The state’s total population

• • Both A and B are correct

What does the portion of the IDEA law known as “maintenance of effort” mean? 

• Schools must try as hard as they can to provide an adequate education for students with disabilities

• Students with disabilities must receive the same services from year to year

• Schools must spend at least as much on special education each year as they did the previous year

• Schools must spend more each year on special education than they did the previous year

True/False: It’s virtually impossible to find out how much schools nationwide spend on special education. 

• True

• False

What was the nationwide percentage of K-12 students with disabilities during the 2020-21 school year, the most recent year for which federal data are available? 

• • 5 percent

• 8 percent

• 10.5 percent

• 12 percent

• 14.5 percent