Welcome to the BASICS Infrastructure Assessment Tool

A Resource for Assessing the BASICS Components of Your Special Education Infrastructure

This site was developed to help California’s local education agencies (LEAs) that are committed to having an effective special education system that meets the needs of all students it is intended to serve. (With some adaptation, the tool can be used by LEAs in other states as well.) It identifies six basic, or foundational, components for the kind of infrastructure needed in order to have a well-functioning special education program. It also provides a tool for examining the degree to which these components are in place in your system. The results of that examination can help you decide where best to start system improvement efforts.

Many LEAs have already been working hard to improve their special education systems. In California, the number of LEAs identified for differentiated assistance based on the performance of their students with disabilities decreased from 243 in 2018 to 187 in 2019, a drop of 23 percent. 1 Although such progress is encouraging, the 187 schools identified in 2019 based specifically on how they served students with disabilities accounted for more than half of all California schools identified for differentiated assistance that year for any reason. Improving outcomes for students with disabilities remains a statewide priority — and a challenge.

Developed through a partnership between the California Department of Education (CDE), the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), and WestEd