New Platform Supports Compliance and Monitoring for Special Ed

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Designed to make IDEA compliance easier, Stepwell helps school district leaders drive districtwide improvement and ensure results-driven accountability

OKEMOS, MICH. (June 13, 2023) – Stepwell, a collaborative web-based platform providing visibility into special education compliance and monitoring for results, is now available to school districts. The district-level solution will help education leaders plan and implement systemic changes to achieve better outcomes for students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

To meet the requirements of IDEA and ensure students with disabilities grow and develop their skills, school districts must collaborate with families of students to assess each student’s needs and develop and implement an IEP. However, according to a 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Education, more than half of the 50 states and the District of Columbia didn’t meet the requirements or purposes of the IDEA for Part B, which ensures the free appropriate public education for students with disabilities, ages 3–21.

“Stepwell’s most significant impact has been the uptick in the quality of monitoring activities, which decreases the need for school staff to shepherd along the process or manually processing data and creating reports,” said Andrew Henry, President of Red Cedar Solutions Group, the organization that created Stepwell. “Crucial aspects of monitoring are automated by Stepwell, so staff time can be devoted to supporting the people and programs that produce results.”

Stepwell for Districts streamlines relevant information and workflows so that education leaders can focus on system-wide improvement and overcome cumbersome tasks associated with compliance management. Through providing an online, collaborative environment where educators can view top tasks, reports, updates, deadlines and more, Stepwell provides greater visibility into IDEA Parts B and C monitoring and accountability across a school district.

In addition, Stepwell for Districts offers the following benefits:

  • Insights into relevant student data, processes and timelines, making it easier for educators to collaborate with other teams spread across a school district.
  • Improved communication between educators, ensuring important information is shared with others and together, colleagues can highlight what’s working and where additional resources are needed.
  • Embedded best practices to help inform district-level root cause analysis and provide a foundation for improvement planning.
  • Decreased manual reporting and data collection, freeing up educators to work more with their students.

Together, Stepwell provides the structure and support education leaders need to monitor their special education systems in place—and shift the focus from compliance to quality special education districtwide.

To learn more about Stepwell, please visit https://www.stepwelled.com.

About Red Cedar Solutions Group

Red Cedar Solutions Group is a technology company founded and led by experienced educators. Designed to improve special education outcomes, Red Cedar’s Stepwell solution is a collaborative web-based platform for managing all aspects of Parts B and C compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Stepwell provides visibility for all aspects of special education compliance and monitoring at the district, regional and state levels. With in-depth analysis and reporting tools, state education leaders are able to see the complete picture of all special education initiatives. For more information, visit https://www.stepwelled.com.