The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) issues this guidance to ensure that all District of Columbia Local Education Agencies (LEA) are provided with guidance related to the definition of significant cognitive disabilities, to assist teams in decision making that will ensure compliance under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA). 

This guidance document, which incorporates a review of both professional literature and other State guidance, has been prepared in an effort to provide Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams with additional information by which to guide their decision making related to answering the following questions, "Does this student have a significant cognitive disability?"