Students call for disaggregated disability data on California School Dashboard

Students argued that current disability reporting is too coarse to guide targeted interventions and proposed a new dashboard subset that disaggregates outcomes by the 13 disability categories recognized under IDEA.

Zitian Rieques and peers said disaggregated test scores, graduation rates and postsecondary outcomes would let districts identify gaps and allocate supports more effectively. "We want to incorporate an additional subset under the California dashboard using the California Department of Education information that recognizes 13 categories of disabilities already addressed under the Individuals with Disabilities Act," a presenter said.

Legislators endorsed transparency but cautioned that a more complex dashboard could reduce usability for parents and the public; they suggested web‑based expandable displays to preserve accessibility while giving researchers and policymakers richer data. No vote or statutory action was taken in the hearing.