Table E-9. Number and percentage of states using specific focus areas for monitoring and improvement planning, by focus area: 2004-05

Focus area		Percent of
Focus area	Number of states	All states [N=51]	States using focus areas [n=38]
Did not use focus areas	13	25	‡
Participation rate	14	27	37
Child find	29	57	76
Dispute resolution	12	24	32
IFSP requirements/procedures	35	69	92
Staffing levels	13	25	34
Personnel qualifications	21	41	55
Natural environments	32	63	84
Performance on child assessments	14	27	37
Disproportionality of racial/ethnic groups	9	18	24
Transition to other settings	27	53	71
Transition to preschool	33	65	87
Timeliness of referrals/evaluations/services/reporting¹	9	18	24
Other focus areas	12	24	32
‡ Not applicable. ¹ This category did not appear in the questionnaire. It was constructed from other state specific responses. NOTE: States could select more than one focus area, therefore, the Percent column will not sum to 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, Evaluation of States' Monitoring and Improvement Practices Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C Monitoring Evaluation Questionnaire.