Indicator: 22 - Children With Special Education Needs Entering
School

Why This Is Important

Schools are meant to provide educational opportunities for all children, to enhance their chances to succeed and learn, regardless of a child's needs for support. For children with special learning-related needs, being ready to enter school and to succeed in school partly depends upon having had early intervention and perhaps having ongoing supports in place at the time of school entry for the child and family.

Where We Stand

The Department of Education maintains data on the number of children transitioning into school who need and receive special educational services. For the 1999-2000 school year, 35,239 children with disabilities ages 3-21 were enrolled in public and private schools in the state, a rate of 155.5 per 1,000 students. For the past four years, there has been an increase in the percentage of all children enrolled in school who receive supportive services through Special Education and Chapter One remedial programs.

The Department also monitors the number of children who had received early intervention services but who no longer require special education upon their entry into kindergarten. For the 2000-2001 school year, 484 such children exited to regular education, a distinct rise since the 1995-1996 school year.

Data Sources and Context

The source of these data is the IDEA Child Count, information collected each December 1st by the Division of Special Services, Maine Department of Education.