Special Education Compliance and Improvement Monitoring
Parent Survey – CDE, Special Education Division
The parent survey is designed to provide LEAs and the CDE with information on parents' experience of their child receiving special education services over the past year and how well schools are supporting parents' involvement in this process. Information gathered will be helpful in identifying areas of strength and areas that may need improvement within the school district. The survey is intended for parents or guardians of students from California school districts, involved in the current year monitoring activities.
The information you share is subject to a Public Records Act request, accessible to your local school district, and will not be handled or filed as a formal complaint. To file a formal complaint with CDE, please visit the CDE SED Complaint Process web page or call the Procedural Safeguards and Referral Services toll-free Help Line at 800-926-0648.
We encourage you to complete only one survey per student, per school year. Responses are anonymous, please do not share confidential information in the comments sections.
At this time, there are no active Intensive or Targeted Reviews currently collecting parent surveys. This means the survey time period has not yet started or has just concluded for this school year or review cycle.
CIM General Overview
The California Department of Education, Special Education Division (CDE-SED) annually reviews Local Educational Agency (LEA) performance and compliance data related to implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements in accordance with the IDEA Section 616(e) and Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) sections 300.600–604, and 34 CFR sections 300.646–300.647. The purpose is to ensure that the LEAs, including charter schools, County Offices of Education (COE), and Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs), are providing appropriate supervision and monitoring for special education programs and services. The Compliance and Improvement Monitoring (CIM) process was developed by the California Department of Education (CDE) to ensure Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) meet the needs of students with disabilities. It is a process based on federal law under IDEA, to help LEAs provide the services and support students with disabilities need to succeed. The CIM process provides three levels of support to ensure compliance and improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Its main goal is to improve school programs, especially in areas that directly impact the success of students requiring specialized support. To learn more, access the CIM Process At-A-Glance. Explore information about local school districts by using the California School Dashboard. This resource provides parents and educators with meaningful information on school and district progress.
Parent Input as Part of the CIM
There are many activities LEAs complete as part of their identified monitoring tier. Parent Input is one of those activities. Requirements vary by monitoring tier and level. The purpose of the parent input activity is for the local educational agency (LEA) to better understand parent/guardian opinions, perspectives, perceptions, and experiences related to their student receiving special education supports and services, and how the LEA engages parents/guardians in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and special education process to improve services, learning environments, and outcomes for children and families. Several LEAs utilize the CDE Special Education Division Special Education Parent Survey as one tool to collect parent input as part of this process.
