The purpose of this memorandum is to provide federal and State guidance relating to coordinated early intervening services (CEIS) under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In July 2008, the Office for Special Education Services of the U.S. Department of Education released the attached guidance document on this subject. All school districts should review this federal guidance along with the information in this memorandum.

CEIS are services that are provided to assist students in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on students in kindergarten through grade three) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and/or behavioral assistance to enable them to be successful in a general education environment. In 2004, Congress authorized the use of a limited amount of a school district's federal IDEA funds to be used for the purpose of providing CEIS to reduce academic and behavioral problems in the general education environment, thereby leading to fewer and more appropriate referrals for special education services.

Archived Memo: This older memo is being provided for reference purposes on this topic. The links in the PDF are no longer functional web pages. Please see the link below for the full memo.