A new report from the Government Accountability Office indicates that students who qualify for special education services in one state might be considered ineligible in another. (Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Nationwide, about 13 percent of students qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but that number varies significantly from one state to the next, according to a Government Accountability Office report out this week. The report identifies disparities in eligibility criteria and disability definitions. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), House education committee chair, said it reveals how “inconsistent state policies and inadequate federal oversight [allows] thousands of young people with disabilities to fall through the cracks.”