Participation of Different Categories of Students with Special Needs in Enrollment Options. Research Report No. 4. Enrollment Options for Students with Disabilities.

A random sample of Minnesota school districts participated in a study that examined the participation rates of students with disabilities in school choice options and tuition agreements. Surveys were sent to 100 Directors of Special Education; the response rate was 74%. The Directors of Special Education were asked to document the number of students with disabilities transferring in or out of their districts by means of open enrollment, high school graduation incentives (HSGI), tuition agreements between boards, and any other enrollment option. A large majority of students with disabilities were found to be transferring school districts using tuition agreements. Students demonstrating emotional/behavioral disorder were found to be the largest disability group (31 percent) transferring schools and utilizing both open enrollment and tuition agreements between boards. The greatest number of students (73 percent) were transferring schools using tuition agreements between boards. Very few participants used the HSGI option to transfer schools. Significant differences were found in participation rates between districts of differing enrollments with districts having enrollments over 20,000 also having the greatest percentage of students transferring in. Possible reasons for the high numbers of students with emotional and behavior disorders are discussed. (DB)