The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) meets its Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) obligation to provide a “Child Count” through the process of collecting individual student records on December 1st of each year from each intermediate unit. In addition, PDE collects additional data items it needs to meet its reporting obligations at the State level to respond to legislative inquiries and for managing special education resources at the Bureau of Special Education (BSE). The BSE publishes school district information on their web site and in printed reports (e.g. Statistical Summary). The data becomes part of the special education plan approval process, special education compliance monitoring, and Pennsylvania’s reports to the Federal government.