Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ........................................................................................................X-1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes.......................................................................X-2

Appropriation, Adjustments and Transfers ..............................................................................X-3

Summary of Changes .............................................................................................................X-4

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................X-5

Appropriations History.............................................................................................................X-6

Significant Items in FY 2014 Appropriations Reports...............................................................X-7

Summary of Request ............................................................................................................X-10

Activities:

Research, development, and dissemination .....................................................................X-13

Statistics...........................................................................................................................X-24

Regional educational laboratories ....................................................................................X-38

Assessment......................................................................................................................X-43

Research in special education..........................................................................................X-50

Statewide longitudinal data systems.................................................................................X-57

Special education studies and evaluations .......................................................................X-64

Account
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Appropriation s L angu age

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

For carrying out activities authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the 

National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act, section 208 of the Educational 

Technical Assistance Act of 2002, and section 664 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act, [$576,935,000] $637,180,000, which shall remain available through September 30, [2015] 

2016: 1 Provided, That funds available to carry out section 208 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act of 2002 may be used to link Statewide elementary and secondary data systems 

with early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce data systems, or to further develop such 

systems: 2 Provided further, That up to [$6,000,000] $10,000,000 of the funds available to carry 

out section 208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 may be used for awards to 

public or private organizations or agencies to support activities to improve data coordination, 

quality, and use at the local, State, and national levels.3

 (Department of Education 

Appropriations Act, 2014.)

NOTE

Each language provision that is followed by a footnote reference is explained in the Analysis of Language 

Provisions and Changes document which follows the appropriation language.
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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 [$576,935,000] $637,180,000, which shall 

remain available through September 30, 

[2015] 2016:

This language provides 2-year availability of 

funds for the account. This language is 

needed to facilitate the planning of long-term 

programs of research and to accommodate 

cyclical surveys and assessments.

2 Provided, That funds available to carry out 

section 208 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act of 2002 may be used to link 

Statewide elementary and secondary data 

systems with early childhood, postsecondary, 

and workforce data systems, or to further 

develop such systems:

This language provides the authority to use 

funds to expand Statewide longitudinal data 

systems to include postsecondary and 

workforce information and information on 

early childhood.

3 Provided further, That up to [$6,000,000] 

$10,000,000 of the funds available to carry 

out section 208 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act of 2002 may be used for 

awards to public or private organizations or 

agencies to support activities to improve data 

coordination, quality, and use at the local, 

State, and national levels.

This language provides the authority to make 

Statewide longitudinal data systems awards 

to agencies and organizations, in addition to 

State educational agencies, in order to 

further the purposes of the program.
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Appropriation, Adjustments and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriations/Adjustments/Transfers 2013 2014 2015

Discretionary:

Discretionar y appropriati on Appropriation $593,664 $576,935 $637,180

Discretionar y appropriati on Across-the-board reduction (P.L. 113-6) -1,187 0 0

Total, discretionary appropriation 592,477 576,935 637,180

Discretionar y appropriati on Sequester (P.L. 112-25) -29,865 0 0

 Total, adjusted discretionary appropriation 562,612 576,935 637,180
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Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2014.............................................................................................................................. $576,935

2015.............................................................................................................................. 637,180

Net change........................................................................................ +60,245

Increases: 2014 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Increase for Research, Development, and Dissemination to 

conduct additional program activities. $179,860 +$10,413

Increase for Statistics to allow the National Center for Education 

Statistics to collect State-level Program for International Student 

Assessment data and to collect certain National Postsecondary 

Student Aid Survey data every 2 years instead of every 4 years. 103,060 +19,688

Increase for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems to provide 

funding to support new grant awards. 34,539 +35,461

Increase for Special Education Studies and Evaluations to 

provide needed support for a critical educational area. 10,818 +2,597

Subtotal, increases +68,159

Decreases

Program:

Decrease for National Assessment to reflect need to focus the 

program on key assessments. 132,000 -7,384

Decrease for National Assessment Governing Board to reflect 

need to focus on key activities. 8,235 -530

Subtotal, decreases -7,914

Net change +60,245
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2014

Authorized

 2014

Estimate

 2015

Authorized

2015

Request

Research and Statistics

Research, development, and dissemination (ESRA, parts A, B, and D, 

except section 174)

01,2 $179,860 02 $190,273

Statistics (ESRA, part C) 01,2 103,060 02 122,748

Regional educational laboratories (ESRA, section 174) 02 54,423 02 54,423

Assessment

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEPAA, section 303) 02 132,000 02 124,616

National Assessment Governing Board (NAEPAA, section 302) 02 8,235 02 7,705

Research in special education (ESRA, part E) 03 54,000 03 54,000

Statewide longitudinal data systems (ETAA, section 208) 02 34,539 02 70,000

Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) 03 10,818 03 13,415

Total definite authorization 0 0

Total appropriation 576,935 637,180

Portion of request not authorized 576,935 637,180

1

 Section 194(a) of the Education Sciences Reform Act provides that not more than the lesser of 2 percent of the amount appropriated to carry out the Act 

(excluding amount appropriated for the Regional Educational Laboratories) or $1,000 thousand shall be made available for the National Board of Education 

Sciences and that the National Center for Education Statistics shall be provided not less than its fiscal year 2002 amount ($85,000 thousand). 2

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2015 through appropriations 

language. 3

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2015 through appropriations 

language.
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFoot

-

note

2005 $449,621 $526,804 $536,804 $523,233

2006 479,064 522,696 529,695 517,468

2007 554,468 N/A1 N/A1 517,485

2008 594,262 535,103 589,826 546,105

2009 658,247 615,7472 642,4422 617,175

Recovery Act Supplemental

 (P.L. 111-5)  250,000  250,000

2010 689,256 664,256 679,2563 659,006

2011 738,756 659,0064 722,7563 608,7865

2012 760,473 620,9036 609,7883 593,664

2013 621,150 593,6647 618,6617 562,612

2014 671,073 N/A8 652,9373 576,935

2015 637,180 ___________________________

1 This account operated under a full-year continuing resolution (P.L. 110-5). House and Senate allowance 

amounts are shown as N/A (Not Available) because neither body passed a separate appropriations bill. 2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2009 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 110th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 3

 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only. 4

 The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution. 5

 The level for appropriation reflects the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 

(P.L. 112-10). 6

 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill. 7

 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 8

 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.
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Significant Items in FY 2014 Appropriations Reports

Institute for Education Sciences

Senate: Report 113-71. The Committee directs IES to submit an operating plan within 90 

days of enactment of this act detailing how it plans to allocate funding available 

to the Institute for research, evaluation, and other activities authorized under law.

Response: The fiscal year 2015 Institute of Education Sciences (IES) justification of 

appropriations estimates to the Congress responds to this request by providing 

detailed information on IES plans for research, evaluation, statistics, assessment, 

and other activities authorized by law and shows the Administration request for 

funding for each of the IES programs. The justification for each program 

provides information on current and proposed activities, and the Program Output 

Measures tables provide estimated funding levels for key program areas. For 

grant programs, the specific amounts for particular activities in 2015 will depend 

on the results of grant competitions, because IES remains committed to funding 

only highly rated applications. For other activities, the 2015 figures are the 

Department’s best estimates at this point in time, but are subject to change, e.g., 

funding for surveys could go up or down depending on initial response rates.

The Department plans to publish the request for applications for its 

2015 research grant competitions in the spring of 2014.

Research Agenda and Problems of Practice

Senate: Report 113-71. The Committee urges IES to consider how it can organize its 

investment opportunities to bring more focus to solving specific and enduring 

problems of practice in our Nation's classrooms. The Committee requests that 

IES include in the fiscal year 2015 congressional budget justification the specific 

changes it will make to bring more focus and coherence to its investments and 

how those changes are expected to solve specific problems of practice. To the 

extent that it believes that it is achieving this goal, the Committee requests that 

IES identify and describe the problems of practice that have been solved through 

its investments.

Response: The overarching priority of the Institute’s research programs is to support 

research that identifies more effective approaches to improving school readiness 

and academic achievement for all students, and particularly for those whose 

education prospects are hindered by inadequate education services and 

conditions associated with poverty, race or ethnicity, limited English proficiency, 

and family circumstance. Because these are complex and longstanding 

problems, no single study can solve them. In order to develop a strong evidence 

base, the Institute administers ongoing, coordinated programs of research that 

are focused on improving achievement in reading, writing, mathematics, and 

science in kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as research on early 

childhood, postsecondary, and adult education. In the 12 years since it was
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Significant Items in FY 2014 Appropriations Reports (continued)

created, the Institute has taken many steps to ensure that its research 

investments address specific problems of practice, including requiring that 

research be conducted in authentic education settings (e.g., school classrooms, 

after-school programs, or center-based prekindergarten programs), encouraging 

researchers to partner with education practitioners or other stakeholders, and 

requiring researchers to disseminate their results to a wide range of audiences, 

including other researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the public.

One way in which the Institute ensures that its research investments target 

specific problems of practice is to support partnerships between researchers and 

State and local educational agencies. In 2009, the Institute established the 

Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies research program, which 

supports research carried out in partnership with States and school districts. In 

the fiscal year 2013 grants cycle, the Institute began providing support to 

encourage the formation and expansion of researcher-practitioner partnerships, 

receiving more than 70 applications and awarding 6 partnership grants. For its 

fiscal year 2014 cycle of grants, the Institute created an overarching program of 

research, Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice, that 

encompasses both the Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies and 

the Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships and adds support for continuous 

improvement research, in which a research partnership addresses a specific 

issue or problem of high importance to the education agency through a process 

of adapting and revising an intervention or set of interventions based on short 

cycles of testing. Although the Institute’s investments in these areas are still 

fairly new, findings have begun to emerge that provide important insights into 

State and local efforts to improve the school readiness of disadvantaged 

students through prekindergarten programs. An evaluation of the Tennessee 

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program found positive effects at the end of 

prekindergarten, but these effects do not appear to be sustained at the end of 

kindergarten. However, another evaluation of a prekindergarten mathematics 

curriculum, Building Blocks, found that, in order to sustain the effects found in 

prekindergarten for students participating in this curriculum, kindergarten and first 

grade teachers need to be supported in delivering instruction that builds on the 

additional knowledge that students who participated in Building Blocks bring to 

the classroom.

Another example of a specific problem of practice addressed by the Institute’s 

research is improving access to postsecondary opportunities for disadvantaged 

students. One grantee found that simplifying the financial aid application process 

and partnering with tax preparation companies to provide application assistance 

increased college enrollment among low-income students. Another project 

supported by the Institute found that when high-achieving, low-income students 

were informed about their college options, they applied to and matriculated at 

more selective colleges than their peers who were not given this information, 

addressing the problem of “undermatching” in which high-achieving, low-income 

students do not apply to or attend more selective colleges.
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Significant Items in FY 2014 Appropriations Reports (continued)

Now that its research investments have identified a growing number of policies 

and practices with demonstrated efficacy in improving student outcomes, the 

Institute is working to ensure that these findings are synthesized and widely 

disseminated. Beginning in 2012, the Institute adopted a policy requiring that all 

peer-reviewed publications supported through its research grants be submitted to 

the Education Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC), where they are 

available to members of the public free of charge. In 2013, the Institute released 

a synthesis of findings from its research on early intervention and early childhood 

education and a second synthesis focused on what we have learned about 

supporting reading achievement in struggling readers was released on 

February 27, 2014. These efforts complement and support the Institute’s efforts 

to make research findings more accessible and useful for practitioners and 

policymakers through the reports and practice guides developed by the What 

Works Clearinghouse and the technical assistance efforts of the Regional 

Educational Laboratories.

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

Senate: Report 113-71. The Committee requests that, prior to obligating any funds for 

this purpose, the Department provide to the Committee an operating plan

describing the proposed purpose and use of such funds.

Response: The Department will comply with this request, but notes that a small amount of 

money was obligated while the Department was operating under a continuing 

resolution.
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Summary of Request

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2015 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET 

Click here for accessible version 

(in thousands of dollars) 2015

Category 2013 2014 President's

 Account, Program and Activity Code Appropriation Appropriation Budget Amount Percent

Institute of Education Sciences

1. Research and statistics:

(a) Research, development, and dissemination (ESRA I-A, B and D) D 179,860 179,860 190,273 10,413 5.790%

(b) Statistics (ESRA I-C) D 103,060 103,060 122,748 19,688 19.103%

2. Regional educational laboratories (ESRA section 174) D 54,423 54,423 54,423 0 0.000%

3. Assessment (NAEPAA):

(a) National assessment (section 303) D 122,836 132,000 124,616 (7,384) -5.594%

(b) National Assessment Governing Board (section 302) D 8,235 8,235 7,705 (530) -6.436%

Subtotal 131,071 140,235 132,321 (7,914) -5.643%

4. Research in special education (ESRA, Part E) D 47,295 54,000 54,000 0 0.000%

5. Statewide longitudinal data systems (ETAA section 208) D 36,085 34,539 70,000 35,461 102.669%

6. Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) D 10,818 10,818 13,415 2,597 24.006%

Total D 562,612 576,935 637,180 60,245 10.442%

NOTES: D = discretionary program; M = mandatory program; FY= fiscal year

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Compared to 2014 Appropriation

2015 President's Budget 

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Summary of Request

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) supports research, data collection and analysis 

activities, and the assessment of student progress. IES serves as a leader in the Department of 

Education and works with other Federal agencies to develop standards for research, improve 

the use of evidence in grant competitions, and reduce burden and improve quality through the 

use of administrative data in evaluations and research. The Administration requests 

$637.2 million for this account for fiscal year 2015, an increase of $60.2 million over the final 

2014 level.

The Administration requests $190.3 million for research, development, and dissemination, an 

increase of $10.4 million from the 2014 appropriation. The requested increase would support 

critical investments in education research, development, dissemination, and evaluation that 

provide parents, teachers, and schools with evidence-based information on effective 

educational practice. The request would enable IES to invest in new grants under existing 

programs of research and development in areas where knowledge of learning and instruction is 

inadequate. The request for 2015 would also support ongoing dissemination activities including 

the What Works Clearinghouse, the Education Resources Information Center, and the National 

Library of Education.

For Statistics, which provides funds to support the collection, analysis, and reporting of data 

related to education at all levels, the Administration requests $122.7 million, $19.7 million more 

than the 2014 appropriation. The request would allow the National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES) to offer a number of States the opportunity to participate in the 2015 Program 

for International Student Assessment (PISA) and to collect certain National Postsecondary 

Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) data every 2 years instead of every 4 years, providing more timely 

data on educational costs, financial aid, enrollment, and student progress.

The Administration requests $54.4 million for the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) 

program, the same as the 2014 level. The RELs serve as a necessary bridge between 

education research and practice, with an emphasis on providing technical assistance on 

performing data analysis functions, evaluating programs, and using data from State longitudinal 

data systems for research and evaluation that addresses important issues of policy and 

practice.

A total of $132.3 million is requested for Assessment in 2015. Of this amount, $124.6 million 

would provide support for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and 

$7.7 million would support the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). The current 

schedule includes 2015 assessments in reading, mathematics, and science; a grade 8 arts 

assessment is scheduled for 2016.

The Administration requests $54.0 million for Research in Special Education, the same as the 

2014 level. The requested funds would support programs of research, including research 

intended to improve the developmental outcomes and school readiness of infants, toddlers, and 

young children with disabilities; improve educational outcomes in core subject areas for children 

with disabilities; improve social and behavioral outcomes; and assist adolescents with 

disabilities to be college- and career-ready.
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Summary of Request (continued)

The Administration requests $70 million for the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program, 

an increase of $35.5 million from the 2014 appropriation. The request would support new

awards to States to allow them to improve the ability of their data systems to provide information 

on early childhood programs and education equity, as well as to improve their ability to use data 

to improve education and inform policy. Funds also would support awards to public and private 

agencies and organizations to improve data coordination, quality, and use at the national, State, 

and local levels.

The request includes $13.4 million for Special Education Studies and Evaluations, an increase 

of $2.6 million. The increase would sustain work on oversampling students with disabilities in 

the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study in order to obtain information on the transition of middle 

students with disabilities to high school. In addition, funds would support the evaluation of 

school-wide positive behavior support, a school-wide strategy to improve classroom and school 

climate, student behavioral competence, and academic achievement, and thereby reduce the 

number of students referred to or identified for special education; a study of post high school 

outcomes for youth with disabilities that will provide information on the extent to which they 

graduate from high school prepared to pursue postsecondary education or to begin productive 

jobs; and a design task to determine whether or not it would be feasible to conduct an outcome 

or impact evaluation of special education and related services for young children with 

disabilities.ies:
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Research, development, and dissemination

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Parts A, B, and D)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01 2 3

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$179,860 $190,273 +$10,413

 1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language. 2 The authorizing law provides that not more than the lesser of 2 percent of the amount appropriated to carry out 

the Education Sciences Reform Act (excluding appropriations for the Regional Educational Laboratories) or 

$1.0 million shall be made available for the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES). 3 The authorizing law requires that of the amount appropriated for the Education Sciences Reform Act (excluding 

appropriations for the Regional Educational Laboratories), the National Center for Education Statistics shall be 

provided not less than its fiscal year 2002 amount ($85,000 thousand).

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), the Institute of Education Sciences 

(IES) supports research and development that is both rigorous and relevant to the needs of 

educators and policymakers. As these investments have begun to yield promising and 

significant findings, IES has also transformed the way that the Federal Government 

disseminates research information, translating complex methodological and statistical details 

into materials that can be more easily accessed and applied to classroom instruction and policy 

decisions. 

IES includes four national centers: the National Center for Education Research (NCER), the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Center for Education Evaluation 

and Regional Assistance (NCEE), and the National Center for Special Education Research 

(NCSER). The request for research, development, and dissemination includes activities in 

NCER and NCEE. The Director of IES is responsible for coordinating the activities of the 

centers, establishing and maintaining peer review standards, and ensuring that all publications 

are based on sound research. The National Board for Education Sciences (NBES), which is 

funded from this appropriation, is composed of private sector leaders as well as researchers 

and educators. Its responsibilities include approving priorities and peer review procedures and 

providing guidance to IES.

NCER conducts sustained programs of scientifically rigorous research that build an evidence 

base to drive better decisions and eventually more effective education practice. Activities within 

NCER are organized around focal research topics such as reading and writing, early learning, 

mathematics and science education, effective teachers and effective teaching, and education 

systems and policies. Since 2002, IES has awarded over 800 grants and contracts to build a 

NCER research portfolio that includes national research and development centers, field-initiated 
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Research, development, and dissemination

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research projects, research training projects, field-initiated evaluations of State and local 

programs and policies, and research on statistical and research methodology. 

NCEE supports evaluation, technical assistance, and dissemination. The Center conducts 

evaluations of the implementation and impact of key Federal education programs and serves as 

a standards and validation body for education evaluations. NCEE is also responsible for 

translating research findings into information that is accessible to education practitioners and for 

enhancing the use of research knowledge by policymakers and practitioners. Current NCEE 

dissemination programs are the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), the Education Resources 

Information Center (ERIC), and the National Library of Education. These programs work with 

NCES, NCER, and NCSER to promote and make accessible the results of their work. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010................................................................................... $200,196

2011..................................................................................... 199,796

2012..................................................................................... 189,787

2013..................................................................................... 179,860

2014..................................................................................... 179,860

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $190.3 million, an increase of $10.4 million over the

2014 appropriation, to support its investments in research, development, evaluation, and 

dissemination to build a rich evidence base on what works in education and to make this 

evidence more accessible to practitioners and policymakers. The requested funds would 

enable IES to sustain its efforts to develop and identify interventions and approaches that are 

effective for improving student learning and achievement from early childhood through 

postsecondary and adult education.

The Administration’s request would enable IES to invest approximately $60-$75 million in new 

awards in fiscal year 2015. This investment in new research is critical because IES had very 

limited funds available to support new research in 2013 and as a result was only able to fund a 

fraction of the high quality applications received. The Administration’s 2015 request would 

restore this program to its 2012 funding level, which is critical for maintaining a regular cycle of 

research grants and thus a consistent source of support for building a high-quality evidence 

base for what works in education, as well as providing ongoing support for IES’ dissemination 

efforts to ensure that the evidence base informs practice.

In 2015, IES would launch a new Virtual Learning Laboratory to take advantage of the 

opportunities that online and blended learning strategies provide in order to better understand 

and improve student outcomes. The Virtual Learning Laboratory would consist of a research 

and development center on online and blended learning strategies; a summer institute on 

techniques for analyzing data and providing useful feedback to students, teachers, and school 

administrators; and a post-doctoral training program to ensure that the next generation of 
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Research, development, and dissemination

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researchers are prepared to use data from online and blended learning strategies in education 

research.

In order to provide the flexibility IES needs to plan and administer a regular cycle of research 

competitions, the Department requests that funding be available for 2 years, as it has been in 

previous years.

NCER Programs of Research

In 2015, IES plans to fund research and research training in six programs: Education Research 

Grants, Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences, National Research and 

Development Centers, Statistical and Research Methodology in Education, Partnerships and 

Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy, and Small Business Innovation 

Research. The level of funding and number of grants in each grant program is based on the 

quality of applications received as rated by panels of scientists.

Education Research Grants. Through the Education Research Grants program, IES invites 

applications each year for research on the following topics:

• Reading and Writing

• Mathematics and Science Education

• Cognition and Student Learning

• Effective Teachers and Effective Teaching

• Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning

• Early Learning Programs and Policies

• English Learners

• Postsecondary and Adult Education

• Education Technology

• Improving Education Systems: Organization, Management, and Policy

Under each of these topics, IES supports a range of investigator-initiated scientific research, 

development, and evaluation activities that can provide solutions to the Nation’s education 

challenges. Exploratory research projects identify factors and conditions that are associated 

with academic achievement in order to build knowledge of how education programs operate, 

generate hypotheses for future testing, and contribute to development of interventions that can 

improve student outcomes. Development and innovation projects create potent and innovative 

interventions to address continuing problems that the Nation has not yet solved (e.g., the 

achievement gap) and emerging problems and challenges (e.g., integrating new technologies 

into effective classroom instruction). Efficacy and replication projects examine whether fully 

developed interventions produce a beneficial impact on student outcomes when implemented in 
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Research, development, and dissemination

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authentic educational delivery settings such as a school or classroom. These studies often 

involve technical assistance and close monitoring by the research team to make sure the 

interventions are implemented with fidelity. Effectiveness studies (formerly known as scale-up 

evaluation projects) determine whether fully developed interventions with prior evidence of 

efficacy produce beneficial education outcomes when implemented under routine conditions 

(e.g., if a district implemented an intervention on its own without special support from the 

developer or research team). Measurement projects support research to develop and validate 

measurement instruments, which are needed for screening, progress monitoring, and outcome 

assessments.

Research Training. There are significant capacity issues within the education research 

community. In general, schools of education have not provided rigorous research training for 

doctoral students. While adequate training is often provided elsewhere at universities, such as 

in psychology or economics departments, these training programs are seldom focused on topics 

in education, and students are pointed towards other careers and areas of research. Through 

the predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs, IES supports grants to institutions of higher 

education to develop programs to train graduate students and researchers, respectively, to 

conduct exploratory research, implement rigorous evaluation studies, develop and evaluate new 

products and approaches that are grounded in a science of learning, design and validate tests 

and measures, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge and theory in education. In 

2015, funding would support a new post-doctoral training program to ensure that the next 

generation of researchers is prepared to use data from online and blended learning strategies in 

education research as part of the new Virtual Learning Laboratory initiative.

Statistical and Research Methodology in Education. A critical aspect of IES’ mission is to 

provide education scientists with the tools they need to conduct rigorous applied research. This 

program supports the development of new statistical and methodological approaches to 

research, the extension and improvement of existing methods, and the creation of other tools 

that would enhance researchers’ ability to conduct high-quality research and evaluation 

projects, regardless of whether these projects are directly funded by the Federal Government. 

IES encourages applications on a wide range of issues, such as improving evaluation design 

and analysis of education interventions in order to increase the applicability of studies or 

improving value-added models. IES also encourages research that addresses methods 

typically used in special education studies on low-incidence disabilities, such as single-case 

experimental designs.

National Research and Development Centers. The Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA)

requires that IES support no less than eight national research and development (R&D) centers, 

each of which must support research in at least 1 of the 11 research topics specified by the 

statute. Previous and current centers have produced research on topics such as policies 

regarding the hiring, compensation, certification, recruitment, retention, and assignment of 

teachers; strategies for improving education outcomes for English learners; school choice; and 

programs for improving behavioral and educational outcomes for youth in rural areas. IES also 

has centers that conduct directed research—for example, in modifying and evaluating 

mathematics and science curricula based on principles of learning derived from cognitive 

science, and in developing “serious games” designed to challenge and engage students, 

particularly underperforming students, in mathematics and science knowledge and skills. 
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Information on all of the National Research and Development Centers and their reports is

available on the IES Web site (http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/RandD/). In 2014, IES invited applications 

for R&D centers on Knowledge Utilization and Developmental Education Assessment and 

Instruction and is currently processing applications. In 2015, IES plans to support new R&D 

Centers on online and blended learning strategies and college- and career-ready standards.

Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy. Beginning in 

2014, IES invited applications for this new research program, which consolidates the Evaluation 

of State and Local Education Programs and Policies, and the Researcher-Practitioner 

Partnerships in Education Research programs. This program also incorporates a third line of 

research focused on understanding strategies intended to support continuous improvement at 

the systemic level. The research supported through this program is based on needs identified 

by practitioners or policymakers and these practitioners or policymakers would collaborate with 

researchers to carry out the research.

Small Business Innovation Research. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 

program provides support for qualified small businesses to conduct innovative research and 

development projects. Under the SBIR program, small businesses can receive Federal support 

for the first two phases of research and development. Phase I awards are designed to 

determine the scientific or technical merit of ideas by testing the feasibility of a technological 

approach. Phase II awards are designed to expand on the results of Phase I projects and to 

further pursue their development. Phase II awards require a more comprehensive plan for 

research and development and must include a description of the commercial potential of the 

technological approach. More information on the SBIR program is available on the IES Web 

site at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/sbir/.

NCEE Dissemination Activities

What Works Clearinghouse. The WWC (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/) was established in 2002

to serve as a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. To 

date, the WWC has published more than 550 reports that assess the rigor of research evidence 

on the effectiveness of interventions in topics such as reading, mathematics, dropout 

prevention, early childhood education, and students with learning disabilities. Other products 

and services provided by WWC include user-friendly practice guides that provide researchbased recommendations to educators and practitioners to address instructional challenges 

within schools and classrooms. In 2013, IES awarded new contracts for the WWC, with a 

specific charge to continue to innovate on new products that engage educators.

With these contracts, IES will expand the WWC to review studies in postsecondary education, 

enhance the WWC Web site, and improve communication and dissemination efforts while 

continuing to review individual studies, produce intervention reports, and update standards 

across the entire WWC. One example of a new strategy for communicating the WWC’s work 

was August 2013’s “Back to School with the What Works Clearinghouse” campaign 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/news.aspx?sid=01), during which traffic to the WWC Web site 

increased by 130 percent. These changes are consistent with the feedback IES received from 

education stakeholders during a joint meeting in August 2013 on ways to improve the products 

and dissemination strategies of the WWC and the Regional Educational Laboratory programs.
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Education Resources Information Center. The mission of the ERIC online system 

(http://www.eric.ed.gov) is to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable Internet-based 

bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information for educators, 

researchers, and the general public. ERIC is one of the Department’s most popular Web 

sites. In August 2013, for example, 1.7 million people visited the site from all 50 States and 

almost every country in the world. The only exceptions were North Korea, Kosovo, Serbia, 

Montenegro, São Tomé, and Guinea-Bissau. During fiscal year 2013, IES awarded new 

contracts that substantially improved ERIC’s content, usability, Web security, and costeffectiveness. The new ERIC Web site has a simplified interface reminiscent of commercial 

search engines; more full-text evidence resources; and a more powerful search algorithm. 

These changes laid the foundation for future improvements to ERIC, including more full-text of 

research work supported by the Department and plain-language topic pages written by content 

experts that orient visitors to key issues in education and relevant ERIC resources. The new 

contract is estimated to reduce direct costs of ERIC by more than 40 percent over 5 years. 

National Library of Education (NLE). Information services are critical to enable the 

Department to use data to make decisions and build evidence of program effectiveness. During 

fiscal year 2013, IES completed a major effort to improve the resources provided through the 

NLE at a reduced cost. To better align library resources with Department priorities, IES 

developed a new collection policy for the NLE, removed 27,000 out-of-scope print items from 

the collection, and reduced the library footprint. The NLE examined data on historical patterns of 

usage to develop a new list of journals for subscription and procured a new staffing contract that 

better aligns personnel to NLE needs and reduced contractor personnel costs by 9 percent 

annually. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Research activities:

Education research grants: 

Education r esearch: Number of new grant awards 36 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Average new grant award $530 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Total new grant awards $19,065 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Total award continuations $69,973 $66,005 $30,3511

Research training: 

Research tr aini ng: Number of new grant awards 5 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Average new grant award $149 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Total new grant awards $747 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Total grant award continuations $14,225 $2,409 $1,7031

_________________

NOTE: Amounts listed as “TBD” are still to be determined. The number and size of new research awards will 

depend on the quality of applications received. 1 Includes only 2015 continuation costs for grants awarded prior to 2014. Actual 2015 continuation costs will be 

higher due to the continuation costs for new 2013 awards, which are likely to be roughly equivalent to the estimated 

$40,089 thousand available for new awards in 2014 across the programs of research.
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Research, development, and dissemination

X-19

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands) (continued)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Statistical and research methodology in education: 

 rch methodol og y in education: Number of new grant awards 1 TBD TBD

 arch methodol og y in education: Average new grant award $295 TBD TBD

 rch methodol og y in education: Total new grant awards $295 TBD TBD

 rch methodol og y in education: Total grant award continuations $2,671 $993 $2991

National research and development centers: 

 esearch and development centers: Number of new grant awards 0 TBD TBD

esearch and development centers: Average new grant award 0 TBD TBD

esearch and development centers: Total new grant awards 0 TBD TBD

 esearch and development centers: Total grant award continuations $10,618 $10,325 $6,0061

Evaluation of State and local education programs 

and policies: 

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Number of new grant awards 1 0 0

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Total grant award continuations $9,586 $6,2452 $1,6921,2

Research partnerships: 

Research partnershi ps: Number of new grant awards 6 0 0

Research partnershi ps: Average new grant award $216 0 0

Research partnershi ps: Total new grant awards $1,294 0 02

Total grant award continuations 0 $1,071 02

Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on 

Problems of Practice or Policy:

Research partnershi ps:Number of new grant awards 0 TBD TBD

Research partnershi ps:Average new grant award 0 TBD TBD

Research partnershi ps:Total new grant awards 0 TBD TBD

Research initiative on reading for 

understanding: 

Total grant award continuations $23,748 $22,916 0

_________________

NOTE: Amounts listed as “TBD” are still to be determined. The number and size of new research awards will 

depend on the quality of applications received. 1 Includes only 2015 continuation costs for grants awarded prior to 2014. Actual 2015 continuation costs will be 

higher due to the continuation costs for new 2013 awards, which are likely to be roughly equivalent to the estimated 

$40,089 thousand available for new awards in 2014 across the programs of research. 2

 2014 and 2015 continuation costs would be funded under the Partnerships and Collaboration and 

Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy program.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands) (continued)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Other research: 

Other r esearch: New $260 TBD TBD

Other r esearch: Continuations $546 0 TBD

Subtotal, Research activities $153,511 $150,0533 $161,0324

Dissemination activities:

Education Resources Information Center $7,058 $3,833 $3,389 

What Works Clearinghouse $5,996 $10,939 $9,263 

National Library of Education $1,757 $2,305 $1,943 

Dissemination/Logistical/Technical Support $967 $2,729 $3,297 

Subtotal, Dissemination activities $15,778 $19,806 $17,892 

Other activities:

Small business innovation research (SBIR):

Number of new SBIR contract awards 20 20 TBD

Average new SBIR contract award $375 $375 TBD

Total new SBIR contract awards $7,496 $7,498 $7,500 

Peer review of applications for new awards $3,500 $3,500 $3,500 

National Board for Education Sciences $40 $275 $349 

Subtotal, Other activities $11,036 $11,273 $11,349 

Carryover to next year $1,272 0 0

Carryover from prior year ($1,737) ($1,272) 0

Total, Research, development, and dissemination $179,860 $179,860 $190,273

Number of full-time equivalent personnel associated 

with NBES 1 1 1

_________________

NOTE: Amounts listed as “TBD” are still to be determined. The number and size of new research awards will 

depend on the quality of applications received. 3 The amount available for research activities is estimated by subtracting planned investments in dissemination, 

evaluation, and other activities from the total appropriation for the program. After providing continuation awards for 

existing research grants, IES estimates that approximately $40,089 thousand of the $150,053 thousand shown for 

research activities will be available for new research awards across the programs of research, excluding SBIR. 4

 The amount available for research activities is estimated by subtracting planned investments in dissemination, 

evaluation, and other activities from the total appropriation for the program. After providing continuation awards for 

existing research grants (including continuation awards for new grants awarded in 2013 and 2014), IES estimates 

that approximately $60,000 thousand to $75,000 thousand of the $161,032 thousand shown for research activities 

would be available for new research awards across the programs of research, excluding SBIR. 
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures 

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of results is based on the 

cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in FY 2015

and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

New measures for the National Center for Education Research have been proposed by IES. 

The Department is working with OMB to revise and implement these draft measures in the hope 

that data may be collected beginning in fiscal year 2015.

Goal: Transform education into an evidence-based field. Decisionmakers will routinely 

seek out the best available research and data in adopting and implementing programs 

and practices that will affect significant numbers of children.

Objective: Raise the quality of research funded or conducted by the Department. 

Annual Measures

Measure: The cumulative number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 

improving student outcomes in reading or writing.

Year Target Actual

2011 17 17

2012 20 23

2013 22 25

2014 24

2015

Measure: The cumulative number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 

improving student outcomes in mathematics or science.

Year Target Actual

2011 15 16

2012 18 20

2013 20 23

2014 22

2015
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Research, development, and dissemination

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Measure: The cumulative number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 

enhancing teacher characteristics with demonstrated positive effects on student outcomes.

Year Target Actual

2011 12 12

2012 15

2013 18

2014 20

2015

Additional information: For these measures, research specialists from the WWC review 

reports from IES-supported projects and evaluate them using the WWC published evidence 

standards to determine whether these findings meet the evidence standards and, if so, if the 

projects demonstrate a statistically significant positive effect in improving achievement 

outcomes for students. Although the targets for each of these measures may appear to be 

modest, they represent significant expansions to the evidence base in these areas. Before the 

establishment of the National Center for Education Research (NCER) in 2003, very few existing 

research studies in these areas would have met the WWC’s quality standards and even fewer 

studies showed statistically significant positive effects. IES sets targets for these measures 

based on the number of NCER-funded studies that are designed to test efficacy or effectiveness 

of interventions designed to improve outcomes of students on each of these topics and the 

anticipated time to completion of the studies. IES has met or exceeded the targets for each of 

these measures every year and appears to be well-positioned to meet its long-term outcome 

measures by 2014. Reported numbers are cumulative. 

Measure: The cumulative number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 

one of four areas: (1) improving school readiness outcomes for young learners, (2) improving 

behavior outcomes that are linked to academic outcomes, (3) increasing high school graduation 

rates and decreasing dropout rates, and/or (4) improving access to, retention in, and completion 

of postsecondary education.

Year Target Actual

2013 6

2014 9

2015

Additional information: This new indicator measures IES’ progress in producing evidence of 

efficacy in four important topic areas with less well-developed evidence bases: early learning;

behavior, high school graduation, and postsecondary education. As IES-supported investments 

in these areas mature, the Department anticipates splitting this measure into separate 

measures for each topic area.
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Measure: The cumulative number of individuals who have been or are being trained in 

IES-funded research training programs.

Year Target Actual

2011 600 600

2012 650 639

2013 700 819

2014 725

2015

Additional information: This measure tracks efforts by IES to expand the capacity of the 

education research field to conduct high-quality research and suggests that IES is wellpositioned to meet its long-term goal of producing researchers who are actively engaged in 

education research. Data for this measure are compiled from grantee reports and then 

confirmed by IES grants program officers. IES discovered that the initial figure reported for 

2011 in the fiscal year 2013 Budget Request of 725 individuals trained was inaccurate, so this 

figure has been corrected to 600 individuals, which still meets the 2011 target. 

Efficiency Measures

Measure: The average number of research grants administered per each program officer 

employed in the National Center for Education Research.

Year Target Actual

2011 38 35

2012 40 34

2013 41 31

2014 41

2015

Additional information: The principal efficiency measure for IES is the ratio of research staff 

to research grants. From fiscal year 2001 to 2011, funding for the Research, Development, and 

Dissemination program increased significantly from $120.6 million to $199.8 million, but the 

number of grants administered by each program officer has increased from 1.3 to 35 during that 

period. The number of grants per program officer has increased significantly without sacrificing 

the quality of IES research, as indicated by its excellent performance on the outcome measures 

described above. IES believes that the current number of research grants per program officer 

represents an appropriate level of oversight and capacity, so future targets would maintain this 

level rather than add additional grants.
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X-24

Statistics

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 0 1 2

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$103,060 $122,748 +$19,688

_________________

1

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language. 2

 The statute authorizes such sums as may be necessary for all of Title I, of which not less than the amount 

provided to the National Center for Education Statistics for fiscal year 2002 shall be available for Part C, which is 

$85,000 thousand.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the chief Federal entity engaged in 

collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the U.S. and, as such, makes a 

unique contribution to our understanding of the American educational system. NCES is one of 

four Centers in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which was established by the 

Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) of 2002.

NCES is authorized to collect, acquire, compile, and disseminate full and complete statistics on 

the condition and progress of education in the U. S.; conduct and publish reports on the 

meaning and significance of such statistics; collect, analyze, cross-tabulate, and report data, 

where feasible, by demographic characteristics, including gender, race, ethnicity, 

socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, mobility, disability, and urbanicity; and help 

public and private educational agencies and organizations improve their statistical systems. 

NCES also is authorized to acquire and disseminate data on U.S. education activities and 

student achievement compared with foreign nations; conduct longitudinal and special data 

collections necessary to report on the condition and progress of education; and help the IES 

Director prepare a biennial report describing the activities of IES. NCES may also establish a 

program to train employees of public and private educational agencies, organizations, and 

institutions in the use of statistical procedures and concepts and may establish a fellowship 

program to allow such employees to work as temporary fellows at NCES.

Statistical information collected by NCES contributes to the identification of needs; the 

development of policy priorities; and the formulation, evaluation, and refinement of programs. 

The authorizing statute requires the Commissioner of NCES to issue regular reports on 

education topics, particularly in the core academic areas of reading, mathematics, and science, 
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Statistics

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and to produce an annual statistical report on the condition and progress of education in the 

U.S. Over the last few years, NCES studies have provided information to inform debate on 

issues such as preparation for higher education, college costs, student financial aid, high school 

dropouts, school crime, teacher shortages, teacher mobility and attrition, and the achievement 

of students in the U.S. compared with that of other nations. NCES coordinates with other 

Federal agencies when carrying out surveys to ensure that the information collected is valuable 

to relevant agencies. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

contributes to the Kindergarten Cohort of the 2010−11 Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey

(ECLS-K), and the National Science Foundation has participated in the 2009 High School 

Longitudinal Study. Most work is conducted through competitively awarded contracts.

The Education Sciences Reform Act authorizes the National Board for Education Sciences to 

advise the NCES Commissioner, and the Board may establish a standing committee to advise 

the Center.

Five areas, each with a set of specific activities, make up the Statistics budget:

• Elementary and Secondary Education surveys provide information on both public and 

private education in the United States. These surveys provide extensive information about 

State and local educational agencies, schools, teachers, and funding for education.

• Postsecondary and Adult Education surveys provide comprehensive information on the 

Nation’s postsecondary institutions, faculty, and students; postsecondary financial aid; and 

adult workforce credentials, skills, and literacy.

• Elementary and Secondary Longitudinal Surveys collect information on the same students 

over time. This information provides with a tool for understanding the reciprocating 

processes through which individuals influence their education and education influences 

individuals, and can ultimately provide parents, educators, and policymakers with 

information to improve the quality of education.

• International Studies provide insights into the educational practices and outcomes in the 

United States by enabling comparisons with other countries. Interest in these studies has 

grown with the increasing concern about the Nation’s global competitiveness and the role 

education plays in ensuring economic growth.

• Cross-cutting Surveys and Other Activities include the National Household Education 

Survey (NHES), NCES items in the Bureau of the Census Current Population Survey, 

activities designed to enhance the quality and usefulness of statistical data collections, key 

publications, and printing.
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Statistics

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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010.................................................................................$108,521

2011...................................................................................108,304

2012...................................................................................108,748

2013...................................................................................103,060

2014...................................................................................103,060

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $122.748 million for Statistics, $19.688 million more than the 2014 

appropriation. The request includes funds for a broad range of surveys and activities that 

provide information on education at all levels. The Department requests that funding be 

available for 2 years, as it was in prior years.

The increase requested for 2015 would allow for support for two specific projects:

• $6 million would allow NCES to provide States the opportunity to participate in a pilot 

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, which would allow the 

participating States to benchmark the performance of their 15-year-old students against 

international standards. PISA is a system of international assessments that focuses on 

15−year-olds’ capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. 

PISA is administered every 3 years, with the next assessment, which has a special focus on 

science, scheduled for 2015.

• $8 million would allow the Department to collect National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey 

(NPSAS) administrative data every 2 years, providing more timely information on 

educational costs, financial aid, enrollment, and student progress, including one of the most 

important issues facing postsecondary education today, tuition increases and their 

relationship to future enrollment and financial aid. This relatively small investment in more 

frequent data collection will help ensure that higher education reforms, including any 

changes to policies, are based on recent and relevant information. Given the magnitude of 

the student aid programthe Department estimates that over $150 billion in new student aid 

will be available in 2014such data are essential.

In addition, the requested funding would allow NCES to maintain its core activities and recover 

from losses caused by sequestration. In 2012, the program was funded at $108.748 million; this 

figure was reduced to $103.060 million in 2013 and 2014. Funding would support the following 

surveys and activities:

Elementary and Secondary Education

The Elementary and Secondary Education program, which provides information on both public 

and private education in the United States, would receive approximately $24.752 million in 

2015 for support of the following surveys and activities:
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• The Common Core of Data (CCD) (http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/), the Department’s primary 

database on public elementary and secondary education in the United States, provides 

comprehensive, annual information on all school districts and public elementary and 

secondary schools (including public charter schools). The CCD contains basic descriptive 

information, including student enrollment, demographic, dropout, and high school 

completion data; numbers of teachers and other staff; and fiscal data, including revenues 

and expenditures. CCD data are available on the Web site and users can construct custom 

tables using the “Build A Table” tool (http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/bat/). The CCD data collection 

is coordinated with the EDFacts Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN), and States 

report non-fiscal CCD data through the EDEN portal.

• The Teacher Compensation Survey uses State administrative records to obtain data on 

salaries, benefits, years of teaching experience, highest degree earned, race/ethnicity, and 

gender for each public school teacher. While only 7 States participated in the 2005 - 2006 

survey, by 2009 - 2010, data were collected from 26 states, with 10 States reporting on a full 

set of expenditures on employee benefits.

• The Private School Survey (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/), conducted every 2 years, 

provides information on the number of private schools, teachers, and students. The survey, 

which includes all private schools, is being conducted in 2013-2014 and will next be 

conducted in 2015-2016.

• The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/), which was last 

conducted in 2011 - 2012, is an extensive sample survey that provides information on

K-12 public and private schools, the principals who head these schools, and the teachers 

who work in them. The survey has been conducted every 4 years, but NCES is shifting 

SASS to a 2-year data collection cycle in order to provide more timely teacher and principal 

data. NCES is exploring strategies for collecting much of the school-level information 

through administrative data sources.

• The biennial School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey is 

co-designed by NCES and the Bureau of Justice Statistics and collects information about 

school-related victimization, crime, and safety in schools through a national survey of 

students ages 12 through 18 in public and private schools. The supplement was previously 

funded by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, but the Statistics 

program has supported the survey since 2012.

• The School District Demographics program provides support for the Census Mapping

project, which uses school district geographic boundaries to map census blocks to school 

districts and the Decennial Census School District Project, which allows users to view 

aggregated Census data for public school districts across the Nation.

• The Surveys and Cooperative Systems program provides support for a number of efforts to 

improve the quality, timeliness, and comparability of statistics used for education 

policymaking at all levels of government, including the National Forum on Education 

Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/forum/about.asp), which is composed of representatives from 

NCES, other Department offices, and State and local educational agencies from the 
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50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the 

Department of Defense dependents schools.

Postsecondary and Adult Education

The Postsecondary and Adult Education program, which provides comprehensive information 

on the Nation’s postsecondary institutions, faculty, and students; postsecondary financial aid; 

and adult education, would receive approximately $34.435 million in 2015. Key activities 

include:

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/) is 

a comprehensive collection system for postsecondary institutions, including all Title IV 

institutions. Components of the survey include: institutional characteristics, fall enrollment, 

completions, salaries, finance (including current fund revenues by source; current fund 

expenditures by function, assets, and indebtedness; and endowment investments), student 

financial aid, and staff. IPEDS also collects academic library statistics on a 2-year cycle 

from approximately 3,700 postsecondary institutions. Students and families make extensive 

use of IPEDS data to assist them in college choice through the NCES College Navigator 

Web site. Policymakers and researchers at the Federal, State, and local levels, as well as 

the media, use information from IPEDS. IPEDS retention and graduation rate data are used 

for performance measurement for a number of the Department’s postsecondary education 

programs, and its data on tuition trends and net price provide important information to key 

policymakers. IPEDS is conducted annually, although not all data are collected every year.

• The National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS)

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/) is a comprehensive study conducted every 4 years that 

examines how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It includes 

nationally representative samples of undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree 

students, including students attending public and private less-than-2-year institutions, 

community colleges, 4-year colleges, and major universities. NPSAS serves as the base 

year survey for two postsecondary longitudinal studies conducted on an alternating basis, 

the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Survey and the Baccalaureate and 

Beyond Survey. Students who receive financial aid as well as those who do not receive 

financial aid participate in NPSAS. The latest NPSAS was conducted in 2012. As noted on 

page X-26, the Administration is requesting an additional $8 million in 2015 to allow for the 

collection of administrative data every 2 years. The full NPSAS, which includes student 

interviews to gather data not available from student aid applications or other administrative 

sources, would still occur every 4 years.

• The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Survey (BPS) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/) provides information on the progress of postsecondary 

students, following first-time postsecondary students through their postsecondary education 

and into the labor force. The third BPS cohort was based on the 2004 NPSAS, which 

collected information on students in 2006 and 2009, and did so for a final time in 2011. The 

fourth BPS will use the 2012 NPSAS as a base, and will conduct follow-ups in 2014 and 

2017, with revised strata for institution sampling to reflect the recent growth in enrollment in 

for-profit 4-year institutions.
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• The Baccalaureate and Beyond Survey (B&B) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/b&b/) follows 

students who complete their baccalaureate degrees. Initially, students in the NPSAS 

surveys who are identified as being in their last year of undergraduate studies are asked 

questions about their future employment and education expectations, as well as about their 

undergraduate education. In later follow-ups, students are asked questions about their job 

search activities, education, and employment experiences after graduation. The most 

recent B&B was conducted in 2009 with a sample of 2008 bachelor's degree recipients from 

public and private postsecondary institutions; recipients were surveyed again in 2012 and a 

second follow-up is scheduled for 2018.

• The Adult Training and Education Study (ATES) will collect information on subbaccalaureate education and training for adults. NCES traditionally has only collected data 

on postsecondary certificates and degrees awarded through credit-bearing instruction in 

institutions of higher education that participate in Title IV Federal student aid programs. 

These institutions comprise only a portion of sub-baccalaureate education and training. The 

ultimate goal of this study is to develop a methodology to collect valid information on all 

postsecondary certificates and training, not just on those that are offered by traditional 

institutions of higher education. In 2015, ATES will be administered as part of the National 

Household Education Survey, which is discussed on page X-32 under Cross-cutting 

Surveys and Other Activities.

• The postsecondary and adult education area includes funding for a number of other 

activities, including two National Postsecondary Education Cooperatives 

(NPECs)(http://nces.ed.gov/npec/), one focused on IPEDS and one on the postsecondary 

longitudinal and sample surveys; the Survey of Earned Doctorates; and analysis and 

reporting. The NPECs bring together a wide range of representatives from the 

postsecondary community who work with NCES to improve the quality and utility of 

postsecondary data. The Survey of Earned Doctorates in the United States

(http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvydoctorates/) collects basic statistics from the universe of 

doctoral recipients in the United States. It is conducted by the National Science Foundation 

(NSF) and is supported by NCES, as well as several other Federal agencies, including the 

NSF, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 

National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Elementary and Secondary Longitudinal Student Surveys

The elementary and secondary longitudinal student surveys are designed to collect information 

on the same students as they progress over time. NCES supports a set of surveys that follow 

students over various age spans. The data from these surveys provide analysts with a tool for 

understanding how education leads individuals to develop their abilities, and can ultimately 

provide parents, educators, and policymakers with information to improve the quality of 

education. Under the 2015 request, funding for these elementary and secondary longitudinal 

surveys would be an estimated $22.967 million.

• The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:11) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/) is the third in an important series of longitudinal studies that 

examine child development, school readiness, and early school experiences. The 
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ECLS-K:11 will provide data relevant to emerging policy-related domains not measured fully 

in previous studies.

• The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study will be the first longitudinal study to provide 

information on children’s development in grades 6 through 8 and on factors associated with 

successful transition from elementary school to high school. The study will include a 

nationally representative sample of 6th graders in the 2016-2017 school year and will focus 

on topics associated with students’ high school readiness and will examine math learning in 

the middle grades. The field test for the study will be conducted in early 2015. The 

Administration is requesting funding in the Special Education Studies and Evaluations 

program to support an oversample of students with disabilities in order to collect information 

on the transition of these students to high school. Additional information on the study is 

available at 

https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=21ba038826473b31d4b638658168c7d

5&tab=core&_cview=1.

• The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hsls09/)

collected data in the fall of 2009 from a sample of students in the 9th grade, a crucial 

transition year for most students and a critical grade in determining high school success. 

The second round of data collection was in the spring of 2012, when most of the student

cohort was completing 11th grade. A short data collection occurred in the summer of 2013, 

when most cohort members would have finished high school, to learn about postsecondary 

plans and financing, and the next round is scheduled for 2016. Subsequent waves of data 

collection will follow the sample members into college and beyond, providing information on 

transitions from high school to postsecondary education or work. This data collection 

schedule will allow researchers and policymakers to learn if and how 9th graders’ plans are 

linked to their subsequent behaviors and outcomes, from course-taking to postsecondary 

choices, and how these plans evolve over time. The study also will examine factors that are 

associated with students’ success, with a special focus on science, technology, engineering, 

and math (STEM), curricular coverage, and at-risk students.

International Studies

The International Studies program (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/) provides insights 

into U.S. educational practices and outcomes by allowing comparisons with other countries. 

Interest in these studies has grown with increasing concern about the Nation’s global 

competitiveness and the role education plays in ensuring economic growth. International 

program activities are a vital component of the Department's strategy for providing information

to support education reform. The International Studies program would receive approximately 

$22.625 million in 2015. Surveys and activities include:

• The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which is sponsored by 

the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, is a study of 

4th and 8th graders’ mathematics and science achievement in the United States and other 

participating nations. The study is conducted every 4 years, with the next data collection 

scheduled for 2015. The study has gained the attention of educators, policymakers, and the 

public and has stirred interest in improving middle school mathematics and science learning 
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and achievement. The TIMSS International Data Explorer (IDE) allows users to create their 

own tables and charts using TIMSS data (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/).

• The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is sponsored by the 

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is designed to monitor, 

on a regular 3-year cycle, the achievement of 15-year-old students in three subject areas: 

reading literacy, mathematical literacy, and scientific literacy. While some elements covered 

by PISA are likely to be part of the school curriculum, PISA goes beyond mastery of schoolbased learning to include the knowledge and skills acquired outside of school. The survey

had a special focus on reading literacy in 2000, on mathematical literacy in 2003, and on 

scientific literacy in 2006. This cycle is being repeated in 2009, 2012, and 2015. A Web 

site-based IDE allows users to create their own tables and charts from data available on line 

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/).

The Administration is requesting $6 million to help support a pilot State-level PISA that

would allow participating States to benchmark the performance of their 15-year-old students 

against international standards. The total cost per State would be approximately $600,000, 

so $6 million in 2015 would allow the Department to pay the full costs for 10 States or half 

the cost for 20 States.

• The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assesses the reading literacy 

of 4th graders and the experiences they had at home and school in learning to read. PIRLS 

was first conducted in 2001, was next conducted in the spring of 2006 and of 2011, and is 

scheduled to be conducted every 5 years thereafter. An IDE also is available for this survey 

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/).

• The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/talis/) 

is an international survey of teachers and principals focusing on the working conditions of 

teachers and the teaching and learning practices in schools. TALIS was first administered 

in 2008, when 24 countries participated, and will be conducted every 5 years; 2013 is the 

first year of participation by the United States. TALIS will provide information to help 

countries identify policies that support effective schooling.

• The International Analysis funding supports a number of activities, including the Indicators of 

National Education Systems Project (INES), a cooperative project among member countries 

of the OECD to develop an education indicator reporting system. The goal is to improve the 

comparability of education data across the 34 member OECD countries and to develop, 

collect, and report on a key set of indicators measuring the condition of education in these 

countries. The set of indicators includes measures of student enrollment and achievement, 

labor force participation, school and school system features, and costs and resources. The 

primary vehicle for reporting on these indicators is an annual OECD report entitled 

Education at a Glance (http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/). The United States plays an active role 

through participation in OECD working groups formulating and reviewing indicators for the 

report.
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Cross-cutting Surveys and Other Activities

The Cross-cutting Surveys and Other Activities category would receive approximately 

$17.969 million in 2015. Activities receiving funding would include:

• The National Household Education Survey (NHES) (http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/) is designed to 

provide descriptive data on a wide range of education-related issues. Funding in 2015

would be used to support surveys examining parent and family involvement in education 

and early childhood program participation. NCES also is developing content for future 

NHES collections that focus more specifically on readiness to start kindergarten, afterschool activities for children through the 8th grade, and college planning for high school 

students.

• The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/) collects issueoriented data, quickly and with minimum response burden, from elementary and secondary 

schools and districts. Data collected through FRSS surveys are representative at the 

national level, drawing from a universe that is appropriate for each study. The FRSS 

collects data from State educational agencies and national samples of other educational

organizations and participants, including local educational agencies, public and private 

elementary and secondary schools, elementary and secondary school teachers and 

principals, and public libraries and school libraries. To ensure minimal burden on 

respondents, the surveys are generally limited to three pages of questions and sample sizes 

are relatively small. One recent survey was the 2012-13 survey on the condition of public 

school facilities, which is scheduled to be released in the early spring of 2014.

• The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly household survey conducted by the 

Bureau of the Census. Since the late 1960s, NCES has provided funding for a supplement 

that gathers data on enrollment in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education and

on educational attainment. NCES funds additional items on education-related topics such 

as language proficiency, disabilities, computer use and access, student mobility, and private 

school tuition.

• Annual Reports and Indicators include three major annual statistical compilations of critical 

education indicators: The “Condition of Education” (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/), the 

“Digest of Education Statistics” (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/), and “Projections of 

Education Statistics” (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/projections/projections2021/). NCES also 

produces short-format statistical briefs on emerging issues in education.

• Technical Assistance to States developing statewide longitudinal data systems

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/) helps States find solutions to common problems. Funds 

from the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program also support this activity.

• Funding for Data Development and Statistical Standards provides methodological and 

statistical support to NCES, as well as to Federal and non-Federal organizations that 

engage in statistical work in support of NCES’s mission. Activities include developing 

standards that ensure the quality of statistical surveys, analyses, and products; coordinating 

the review of NCES products; and coordinating revisions to the NCES Statistical Standards.
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• Information technology funding includes support for NCES Web servers and related 

activities.

• Other activities include special studies to improve the quality and utility of assessments, 

including enhancements of survey methodology, assessment development, data analysis, 

and dissemination, as well as quality control procedures for NCES products; a training 

program provides technical training for researchers who use NCES data as well as nontechnical information sessions for other users; obtaining expert assistance; interagency 

activities to improve statistical quality and data use, including the Joint Program in Statistical 

Methodology and FedStats; and printing and publications.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Elementary and Secondary Surveys $25,024 $24,358 $24,752

Postsecondary and Adult Surveys 28,460 21,273 34,435

Elementary and Secondary Longitudinal Surveys 18,093 20,530 22,967

International Studies 15,028 16,625 22,625

Cross-Cutting Surveys, Program Development, and Support 16,455 20,274 17,969

Total 103,060 103,060 122,748

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals and objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in 2015

and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

NCES uses customer survey data to help identify areas where improvements are needed in the 

data collection and reporting systems. Specifically, NCES collects data from a random sample 

of visitors to the NCES Web site, who receive a “pop-up box” asking them to complete an online 

survey. NCES has set the target for each of the measures at 90 percent of customers reporting 

that they are satisfied or very satisfied.

NCES has used the same measures for a number of years, and during the next year will 

examine both the measures and their targets to determine whether both should be revised.
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Goal: To collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the condition of education in 

the United States and to provide comparative international statistics.

Objective: Provide timely and useful data that are relevant to policy and educational 

improvement.

Measure: The percentage of customer respondents satisfied or very satisfied with the following 

aspects of NCES data files.

Year

Ease of 

Understanding 

Target

Ease of 

Understanding 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Relevance 

Target

Relevance 

Actual

2010 90% 90% 90% 87% 90% 96%

2011 90 91 90 89 90 94

2012 90 90 90 87 90 93

2013 90 90 90 88 90 92

2014 90 90 90

2015 90 90 90

Additional information: The 2013 NCES customer survey showed most users (90 percent) 

were satisfied with the ease of understanding of NCES data files. The survey also showed that 

a clear majority of users (88 percent), although slightly less than the target figure of 90 percent, 

were satisfied with the timeliness of NCES data files. NCES strategies for improving the 

timeliness of data and publications include online data collections that provide respondents with 

immediate feedback about out-of-range or questionable items, thus reducing the amount of time 

needed to edit the data and making them available sooner for analysis and reporting. NCES 

also is releasing products, including data files, on the Internet, which makes it easier for most 

NCES customers to obtain needed information quickly. In addition, IES has established 

timeliness goals for the release of data from NCES surveys.

The percentage of customers (92 percent) satisfied with the relevance of NCES data files 

exceeded the target (90 percent). NCES has devoted considerable effort to working with 

researchers, educators, and policymakers to ensure that data meet their needs.

Measure: The percentage of customer respondents satisfied or very satisfied with the following 

aspects of NCES publications.

Year

Ease of 

Understanding 

Target

Ease of 

Understanding 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Relevance 

Target

Relevance 

Actual

2010 90% 94% 90% 88% 90% 97%

2011 90 94 90 91 90 93

2012 90 91 90 89 90 93

2013 90 91 90 89 90 93

2014 90 90 90

2015 90 90 90

Additional information: NCES exceeded its targets for the percentage of customers who were 

satisfied with the ease of understanding or the relevance of the publications, but the percentage 
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who found the NCES publications to be timely just missed the target. NCES policy is to solicit 

feedback from users to ensure that materials meet their needs, and it has established an 

efficiency indicator, discussed below, to track the timeliness of the release of information from 

its surveys.

Measure: The percentage of customer respondents satisfied or very satisfied with the following 

aspects of NCES services.

Year

Courtesy of 

NCES staff 

providing 

services 

Target

Courtesy of 

NCES staff 

providing 

services 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Ease of finding 

information on 

nces.ed.gov 

Target

Ease of finding 

information on 

nces.ed.gov 

Actual

2010 90% 95% 90% 91% 90% 83%

2011 90 93 90 93 90 87

2012 90 94 90 92 90 84

2013 90 93 90 91 90 85

2014 90 90 90

2015 90 90 90

Additional information: Most customers were satisfied with the courtesy of the NCES staff 

providing services (93 percent) and the timeliness of NCES services (91 percent), but only 

85 percent of respondents found it easy to find information on the NCES Web site.

A key component of NCES’s mission is disseminating statistical information to its constituents. 

In 2007, NCES added three measures that help assess how well it is fulfilling this part of its 

mission. These measures—the average number of visits to the NCES Web site each month,

the average monthly number of users of the NCES Data Analysis System (an online tool for 

analyzing NCES data sets), and the average monthly number of downloads of NCES reports—

allow the Department to track use of NCES information. 

Number of Web site visits. NCES recorded 1,328,395 Web site visits, on average, per month in 

2013, a decline from the 1,456,942 Web site visits in 2012. In 2012, NCES began using 

different software for counting the number of visits and the numbers are not comparable to 

those reported for earlier years. Use of the new software decreases costs and analysis time 

and excludes users from within the Department from the counts. The 2012 figure was used to 

establish a new target (1,475,000) for 2013, which was not met. 

Number of Downloads of NCES Reports. NCES established a new target of 185,000 average 

monthly downloads for 2013 (an increase from the old target of 122,084) and exceeded this 

number, with an average of 191,532 downloads per month in 2013.

One way in which NCES is attempting to ensure the accuracy of its work is by maintaining high 

survey response rates. High response rates help ensure that survey data are representative of 

the target populations, and NCES has set specific benchmarks for different types of studies 

(e.g., universe surveys, cross-sectional surveys, and longitudinal studies). When a survey 

response rate is lower than 85 percent, the NCES statistical standards require that NCES 

conduct bias analyses to help determine the effect of the low rate on the survey results. All 
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NCES surveys in 2009 through 2012 either had an 85 percent response rate or higher or had 

nonresponse bias analyses conducted and weight adjustments, as needed.

NCES also provided information on the number of the data collections for which the response 

rate was below 85 percent. In 2013, NCES released 14 reports that included 31 survey 

components. The response rates for 48 percent (15 components) were 85 percent or above 

and the remaining 52 percent (16 components) had nonresponse bias analyses conducted 

because their response rates were below 85 percent. This is substantially higher than in 2012, 

but the figures will vary from year to year depending on the surveys included. The nonresponse 

bias analyses, which were conducted for all surveys with a response rate of less than 

85 percent, informed the nonresponse weight adjustments to help ensure published results 

accurately reflected the target population values.

Year

Number of 

Reports

Number of 

Survey 

Components

Number of Survey 

Components with Response 

Rates Below 85%

Percent of Survey 

Components with 

Response Rates Below 85%

2010 21 29 3 10%

2011 14 29 9 31

2012 9 18 2 11

2013 14 31 16 52

2014 NA

2015 NA

NCES collects additional customer satisfaction information through the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (http://www.theacsi.org/), which provides satisfaction scores based on 

samples of customers. The measure examines the extent to which respondents would 

recommend NCES to others and would rely on NCES in the future. The baseline for this 

measure, 74 percent, was established using 2008 data, and the 2010 value was 76 percent. 

Data for 2013 will be available in May 2014.

Efficiency Measures

NCES has adopted two efficiency measures. One of the measures looks at timeliness; the 

other examines cost per completed case (e.g., respondent).

The first NCES efficiency measure tracks the time it takes to release survey information. The 

efficiency measure addresses customers’ concerns about the data timeliness and helps assess 

how efficiently NCES completes work in a timely manner. The goal is to release reports to the 

public within 12 months. However, for collections where the release date is determined by an 

entity other than NCES (e.g., OECD for certain international studies), the release date will be 

the date the report is released to the other entity. The NCES goal is to release results within 

12 months, and in 2011 and 2012 all initial releases were made within that time frame. In 2013, 

88 percent of all initial releases met the target (14 out of 16 reports). The average time to 

release of the 16 reports was 10 months.
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The second efficiency measure is the average cost per completed case (response unit) for 

selected surveys.

Measure: The average cost per completed case, adjusted for inflation.

Year

Fast 

Response 

Survey 

System 

Target

Fast 

Response 

Survey 

System 

Actual

National 

Postsecondary 

Student Aid 

Study Target

National 

Postsecondary 

Student Aid 

Study Actual

Trends in 

Mathematics 

and Science 

Study Target

Trends in 

Mathematics 

and Science 

Study Actual

2008 $159.09 $158.68 $174.12 $166.98 NA

2009 $159.09 $121.69 NA NA

2010 $159.09 $196.63 NA NA

2011 $159.09 $131.90 NA $177.77 $132.59

2012 $159.09 $134.50 $174.12 $141.10 NA

2013 $159.09 $142.50 NA NA

2014 $159.09 NA NA

2015 $159.09 NA $177.77

Additional information: Data are available for three surveys: the FRSS, NPSAS, and TIMSS. 

The three collections being monitored were selected because they have alternative modes of 

operation: the FRSS is a school-based mail survey, NPSAS is administered via the Internet

with a computer-assisted telephone interview follow-up, and TIMSS is administered in schools. 

NCES calculates the average cost per completed case by dividing the total survey costs for data 

collection and processing by the final number of completed cases. The target is no increase 

from the baseline, which, in 2006 dollars, was $159.09 per case for the FRSS generic survey 

(spring 2006), $174.12 for the NPSAS Student Component (academic year 2003-04), and 

$177.77 for TIMSS (spring 2003). Data will not be available every year for NPSAS and TIMSS 

because they are on a 4-year cycle. The FRSS met its targets except in 2010. In that year, all 

but one of the surveys completed were arts surveys, which required significantly more 

nonresponse follow-ups and data clarification work than other surveys, which increased the 

costs. NPSAS met its 2008 and 2012 targets, and TIMSS met its 2011 target.
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Regional educational laboratories

(Education Sciences Reform Act, section 174)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$54,423 $54,423 0

_________________

1

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) program supports a network of 10 laboratories 

that serve the needs of their regions of the United States by conducting applied research and 

evaluations, developing and disseminating products and processes based on the best available 

research findings, and providing training and technical assistance to State educational agencies 

(SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), school boards, and State boards of education to aid 

their school improvement efforts and increase student achievement. Allocation of resources 

amongst the RELs is based on the number of LEAs and the number of school-age children, as 

well as the cost of providing services within the geographic area encompassed by the region. 

The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is authorized to enter into 5-year 

contracts with research organizations, institutions of higher education, or partnerships among 

such entities or individuals with the demonstrated ability or capacity to carry out these activities. 

The program is administered by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional 

Assistance.

In response to previous concerns about the quality of some of the products and services 

provided by laboratories under previous contracts, the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 

(ESRA) required that IES establish a system for technical and peer review to ensure that 

applied research activities, research-based reports, and products of the regional educational 

laboratories are consistent with the rigorous standards applied to all other research grants and 

contracts administered by IES. IES ensures that all REL research products meet IES standards 

for scientifically valid research before being published online on the REL Web site at 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs. In this way, policymakers and practitioners, the primary users of 

REL research products, can be assured that REL research has met high standards for scientific 

quality, ensuring that the information is valid and reliable. More information on the REL 

standards and the peer review procedures is available on the IES Web site at: 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/peerreview/index.asp. 
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The ESRA also required IES to develop specific objectives and measureable indicators to 

assess the performance of the RELs, to ensure that the educational needs of the regions are 

met, and to ensure that the products and services provided by the RELs are based on the latest 

high-quality research and proven practices. In early 2006, the Department awarded 5-year 

contracts to 10 RELs that, in addition to meeting more rigorous standards, required each REL to 

develop a 5-year plan describing how they would identify and serve the needs of their regions. 

The 2011 appropriations language permitted the Department to extend these contracts for an 

additional year to permit the RELs to complete rigorous research studies that were underway. 

New REL contracts were awarded in fiscal year 2012.

IES awarded a contract to evaluate the REL program in 2009. The evaluation is examining 

(1) how well the RELs respond to the needs of their regions by providing short- and long-term 

research assistance and evidence-based technical assistance and (2) the effectiveness of the 

program’s coordination activities across the RELs. The evaluation is discussed further in the 

Program Performance Information section of this request.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010....................................................................................$70,650

2011......................................................................................57,535

2012......................................................................................57,426

2013......................................................................................54,423

2014......................................................................................54,423

_________________

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $54.423 million in fiscal year 2015, the same as the 2014

appropriation, for the REL program. The REL program serves as a necessary bridge between 

the research community and State and local educational agencies by providing expert advice, 

including training and technical assistance, to bring the latest high-quality research and proven 

practices into school improvement efforts. The requested funds would support the 4th year of 

activities under the 5-year contracts the Department awarded in December 2011.

The REL program is a regional resource designed to increase State and local educational 

agency capacity to use data and research to make well-informed improvements. To build this 

capacity, the RELs work with SEAs and LEAs to use data to understand the nature and scope 

of their specific educational challenges, access high-quality research that can inform decisions, 

identify opportunities to conduct original research, and track progress over time using credible 

data and methods. REL technical assistance takes a variety of forms, but the focus is always 

on using data and research to systematically understand and address problems. The RELs 

tailor technical assistance to the level of experience of the SEAs and LEAs with which they 

work. For example, RELs provide assistance to build capacity among State and district 

personnel to access their data; identify opportunities to use data to improve student 

achievement; conduct a wide range of types of research studies; and present research findings 

in clear, understandable formats.
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RELs conduct most of their work through sustained, ongoing partnerships with stakeholders at 

the State and district levels. The composition of these partnerships, or “research alliances,” is 

locally-defined in accordance with regional needs and opportunities. Some research alliances 

include State and district representatives from a single State, some include districts across a 

region, and others include State representatives from a single region.

Under the direction of their regional governing boards, RELs identify priority topic areas on 

which to focus their activities. Each research alliance focuses on a particular challenge that has 

an actionable componentsuch as college access and readinessso that the research and 

technical assistance are closely linked to a clear goal. Across the REL program, there is a 

considerable amount of work on dropout prevention; college and career readiness; teacher 

evaluation; and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). RELs are required 

to collaborate with other Federal technical assistance entities. See, for example, the description 

of the State Support Initiative in the justification for the Comprehensive Centers.

Although the research alliances and regions are the primary partners of each REL, in order to 

maximize the impact of REL funds, the Department expects the RELs to prepare their materials 

for national distribution through the IES Web site. In addition to reports and studies, these 

materials include tools (such as rubrics or data organizers) and technical assistance documents 

(such as PowerPoint presentations, workshop activities, facilitators’ guides) that can be used by 

others who are not directly involved in the RELs’ work. In order to prepare these materials for 

wide distribution, and ensure they are technically strong, readable, usable, and relevant, funds 

also would support an independent peer review of REL project plans, products, and 

publications. 
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Annual support for each REL:

1

Northeastern Region $7,642 $4,921 $4,920

Mid-Atlantic Region 8,748 4,446 4,440

Southeastern Region 10,752 4,627 4,630

Appalachian Region 6,871 4,292 4,290

Midwestern Region 5,465 7,194 7,190

Central Region 4,353 4,995 4,990

Southwestern Region 2,478 9,202 9,200

Western Region 10,478 5,678 5,680

Northwestern Region 7,694 3,774 3,770

Pacific Region 6,112 3,312 3,310

Subtotal, Regional educational laboratories 70,593 52,441 52,420

Independent review of REL plans and products 1,535 4,846 2,000

Total, REL program 72,128 57,287 54,420

Program activities:

2

Regional educational laboratory contracts $51,847 $52,153 $54,423

Independent review of REL plans and products 2,576 2,270 2,080

Total 54,423 54,423 54,423

___________________________

1

 Funding reflects estimated amounts obligated in the fiscal year, not the annual appropriation, and includes 

prior year carryover. 2

 The amounts show the estimated funding for each activity by year of the appropriation. Funds may be carried 

over into the next year.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 established standards for the REL program. IES 

awarded the first contracts subject to these requirements in early 2006, and the new contracts 

awarded in fiscal year 2012 continued to reflect those standards. The Department identified 

common performance indicators for its technical assistance programs that assess their quality, 

relevance, and usefulness. The Department is working with the Office of Management and 

Budget to determine the specific measures that will be used for the RELs. The RELs collect 

common information on customer satisfaction that gauges the extent to which the RELs are 

meeting the needs of the States, districts, and other stakeholders in their regions.

The Department began an independent evaluation of the REL program in 2009. The evaluation 

is addressing the following evaluation questions for each REL funded between fiscal years 2006 

and 2011 and for the REL program as a whole:
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• What activities did the RELs undertake to fulfill their missions?

• What were the technical quality and relevance of REL proposals and reports?

• How relevant and useful were the REL technical assistance products to the needs of the 

States, localities, and policymakers in their regions? 

This descriptive study is relying on a combination of extant data, fiscal year 2010 interviews with 

REL directors, and fiscal year 2012 surveys of potential REL customers from State and local 

educational agencies. Panels of experts met during fiscal years 2010 and 2012 and rated the 

quality and relevance of REL Fast Response Project proposals and final reports and REL 

impact study proposals and final reports.

An interim report was released in September 2013 that provides information on the activities 

undertaken by the RELs and the quality and relevance of fast response projects conducted by 

the RELs (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20134014/pdf/20134014.pdf). Preliminary findings show 

that these short-term research and technical assistance projects address educational needs and 

inform policy and practice. Independent expert reviewers rated the project proposals and 

reports for quality and relevance, and both received a mean rating between “adequate” and 

“strong” for quality and between “adequate” and “relevant” for relevance. The final report, which 

the Department expects to release in 2014, will provide information on the technical quality and 

relevance of impact study proposals and reports.
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Assessment

(National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

Program area 2014 2015 Change

National Assessment of Educational Progress $132,000 $124,616 -$7,384

National Assessment Governing Board 8,235 7,705 -530

Total 140,235 132,321 -7,914

_______________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative 

and continuing assessment of what American students know and can do. Also known as “The 

Nation’s Report Card”, NAEP measures and reports on the status of and trends in student 

learning over time and by subject. By making objective information on student performance 

available to policymakers, educators, parents, and others, NAEP has become an integral part of 

the Nation’s measurement of educational progress.

Assessment frequency is specified in the authorizing statute. The Commissioner for Education 

Statistics must conduct:

• National reading and mathematics assessments in public and private schools at 

grades 4 and 8 at least once every 2 years;

• National grade 12 reading and mathematics assessments in public and private schools on a 

regular schedule; and

• Biennial State assessments of student achievement in reading and mathematics in 

grades 4 and 8.

If time and resources allow, the Commissioner may conduct additional national and State 

assessments in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades in public and private schools at regularly scheduled 

intervals in additional subject matters, including writing, science, history, geography, civics, 

economics, foreign languages, and arts; may conduct 12th grade State reading and 

mathematics assessments; and may conduct long-term trend assessments of academic 

achievement at ages 9, 13, and 17 in reading and mathematics. Whenever feasible, information 
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must be collected and reported by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and 

limited-English proficiency. The NAEP schedule is available at http://www.nagb.org/.

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is responsible for formulating policy for 

NAEP. NAGB is composed of 25 voting members including Governors, State legislators, chief 

State school officers, a superintendent, State and local board of education members, testing 

and measurement experts, a representative of business or industry, curriculum specialists, 

principals, classroom teachers, and parents. The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences 

serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Board. Using a national consensus approach, 

NAGB develops appropriate assessment objectives and achievement levels for each grade in 

each subject area to be assessed. The Assessment budget has supported the following major 

program components:

• National NAEP. The main NAEP assessments report results for the Nation and are 

designed to follow the curriculum frameworks developed by NAGB. They periodically 

measure student achievement in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, 

geography, and other subjects.

• State NAEP. State assessments address the needs of State-level policymakers for reliable 

data concerning student achievement in their States in reading, mathematics, science, and 

writing.

• The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). Begun in 2002, the TUDA provides 

information on student achievement in a small number of urban school districts. 

Participation is voluntary.

• Long-term trend NAEP. In its long-term trend program, NAEP administers identical 

instruments from one assessment year to the next, measuring student achievement in 

reading and mathematics. These assessments do not evolve based on changes in 

curricular or educational practices.

• Evaluation and validation studies. Congress mandates that the Secretary provide for 

continuing review of the national and State assessments and student performance levels by 

one or more nationally recognized evaluation organizations. NAEP funds also support 

studies to examine critical validity issues involving NAEP design, interpretation, and 

operations.

In order to inform the American public about the performance of the Nation's students, NAEP 

produces a series of public audience and technical reports. All NAEP reports are available 

through the Internet (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/). In addition, an online data tool 

(http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/) allows users to create their own data tables 

with national and State data.

The statute requires biennial State assessments in reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8 

and requires reporting of NAEP results, where feasible, by disability and limited-English 

proficiency as well as by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. The Federal 

Government is specifically prohibited from using NAEP to influence standards, assessments, 

curriculum, or instructional practices at the State and local levels, or from using NAEP to 

evaluate individual students or teachers or provide rewards or sanctions for individual students, 
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teachers, schools, or school districts. In addition, the statute specifies that nothing in the law 

shall be construed to prescribe the use of NAEP for student promotion or graduation purposes, 

and that NAEP should not affect home schools. Maintenance of a system of records containing 

personally identifiable information on students is prohibited, and assessments must not evaluate 

or assess personal or family beliefs or attitudes.

The statute also ensures the Department’s ability to maintain test integrity by allowing the NCES 

Commissioner to decline to release cognitive test items that will be used in future assessments 

for 10 years (and longer if important to protect long-term trend data) while continuing to provide 

for public access to assessment materials in secure settings. The statute requires that the 

public be notified about such access; requires that access be provided within 45 days in a 

mutually convenient setting; and establishes procedures for receiving, reviewing, and reporting 

complaints. The law provides criminal penalties for unauthorized release of assessment 

instruments.

The statute also mandates that participation is voluntary for students and schools, as well as for 

local educational agencies. Each participating State must give permission for the release of the 

results of its State assessment. However, under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act (ESEA), each State participating in the Title I program had to develop a State 

plan (ESEA, Title I, Part A, Section 1111) in which it agreed to participate in the biennial 

grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics NAEP assessments beginning in the 2002 - 2003 

school year, provided that the Secretary of Education pays for the costs of participation. Any 

State with an approved plan under section 1111 is deemed to have authorized the release of its 

grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics NAEP data.

Funding levels for both NAEP and NAGB for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010..................................................................................$138,844

2011....................................................................................138,567

2012....................................................................................138,306

2013....................................................................................131,070

2014....................................................................................140,235

_________________

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $132.321 million for Assessment in 2015, a decrease of 

$7.914 million from the 2014 appropriation. Of this amount, $124.616 million would provide 

support for the National Assessment of Educational Progress and $7.705 million would support 

the National Assessment Governing Board. NAGB is responsible for formulating policy for 

NAEP and develops appropriate assessment objectives and achievement levels for each grade 

in each subject area to be assessed. The NAEP State-level assessments are held every other 

year, meaning that costs are considerably higher in some years and lower in others. The 

Department requests that these funds remain available for 2 years, as they have been in recent 

years. Extending the availability of funds for an additional year allows the Department the 

flexibility it needs to fund the assessments.
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NAEP funding for a particular fiscal year provides support for the analysis and reporting of 

assessments conducted in prior fiscal years, the administration of current year assessments, 

and preparation for future assessments. The current NAGB schedule for assessments includes:

• 2014 assessments: 8th grade assessments in U.S. history, civics, and geography, as well as 

a technology and engineering literacy assessment.

• 2015 assessments: 4th, 8th, and 12th grade assessments in reading, mathematics, and 

science. The reading, mathematics, and science assessments will be conducted at both the 

national and State levels. State participation in 12th grade NAEP is voluntary; 13 States 

participated in 2013. In addition, the 2015 assessments will once again include data for 

certain large urban districts. In 2013, 21 urban districts participated.

• 2016 assessment: 8th grade arts.

• 2017 assessments: 4th, 8th, and 12th grade assessments in reading, mathematics, and 

writing.

The requested funding for NAGB would allow it to carry out its responsibilities for NAEP, 

including selecting subject areas to be assessed; developing student achievement levels for 

each grade and subject tested; taking appropriate actions to improve the form, content, use, and 

reporting of NAEP; developing test objectives and specifications for assessments in each 

subject; handling the initial public release of NAEP reports; and developing and implementing 

procedures for the review of NAEP methodology, content, frameworks, reporting, and 

dissemination. NAGB also conducts special studies to inform the validity and relevance of 

NAEP. Among the activities NAGB is planning are special focused reports that use NAEP 

results together with the contextual information NAEP collects on school policies and practices 

to inform discussions about improving achievement, outreach activities to provide information on 

the Technology and Engineering Literacy assessment that was first administered in 2014, and 

preliminary research to determine what results on the 8th grade reading and mathematics 

assessments suggest that students are “on track” to be academically prepared for college and 

job training.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

NAEP $122,836 $132,000 $124,616

NAGB 8,235 8,235 7,705

Total, Assessment 131,071 140,235 132,321

Number of full-time equivalent permanent

 personnel associated with NAGB 14 14 14

_________________
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2015 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

this program.

Since 2006, NCES has used an online survey of a random sample of visitors to the NCES Web 

site to assess customer satisfaction with products and services. Data are reported for the 

Statistics and Assessment programs as a whole and are presented in the Statistics justification.

In addition to these customer satisfaction measures, NCES collects customer service 

information through the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (http://www.theacsi.org/), 

which provides satisfaction scores based on samples of customers. The ACSI measure tracks 

the extent to which respondents would recommend the Nation’s Report Card to others and 

would rely on the Nation’s Report Card in the future. The baseline for this measure, which 

showed that 81 percent of respondents would recommend the Nation’s Report Card to others 

and would rely on it in the future, was established using data for 2008, and data will be collected 

approximately every other year. The figure for 2010 was 79 percent. Data for 2013 will be 

available in May 2014.

NCES established three measures—the number of visits to the NAEP Web site, the number of 

users of the NAEP Data Explorer (an online tool for analyzing NAEP data sets), and the number 

of downloads of NAEP reports—to allow the Department to track use of NAEP information. The 

baselines, which were established in 2008, were used as the targets for future years. NCES 

exceeded the targets for these measures in each succeeding year. In 2012, NCES changed the 

software used to track Web site visits and users of the Assessment Explorer data tool, and the 

data are not comparable with data from the prior years.

Measure: Average month use.

Year

Web Visits 

Target

Web Visits 

Actual

Assessment Explorer 

Data Tool Users

Target

Assessment Explorer 

Data Tool Users

Actual

2012 Baseline 74,023 Baseline 7,612

2013 75,000 85,934 8,000 13,234

2014 76,000 8,000

2015 TBD TBD

The monthly averages for both measures rose in 2013 and exceeded the targets. In addition, 

there were an average of 33,265 downloads of electronic versions of NAEP reports each month

in 2013, exceeding the target of 30,500 and an increase from the 30,245 downloads in 2012.
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Efficiency Measures

The efficiency measure examines the actual time from the end of data collection to release of 

the initial national reading and mathematics assessments to NAGB. The goal is to ensure that 

NAEP results are available within 6 months of each reading and mathematics assessment, and 

the measure is an indication of how efficiently the Department is analyzing and reporting NAEP 

results. Because any year with new frameworks requires additional work to analyze the results 

(e.g., conducting trend studies and having achievement levels set by NAGB) and produce the 

final reports, NCES believes it is appropriate to exempt assessments with new frameworks from 

the efficiency measure calculations. This provides more comparable measurement from year to 

year, since different percentages of assessments may have new frameworks each year.

The measures are:

• The timeliness of National NAEP data for Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

• The percentage of NAEP reports on State-level reading and mathematics assessments 

ready for release by NAGB within 6 months of the end of data collection.

• The percentage of NAEP initial releases, excluding national and State reading and 

mathematics assessments, ready for release by NAGB within 12 months of the end of data 

collection.

Timeliness of National NAEP Data for Reading and Mathematics Assessments. NCES has 

committed to releasing National NAEP results for reading and mathematics to NAGB within 

6 months of the end of data collection in any year in which there are not new frameworks. It met 

this goal for 2009 (4th, 8th, and 12th grade mathematics) and 2011 (4th, 8th, and 12th grade

reading and mathematics). In 2009, the reading assessment had new frameworks, and the 

results for the 4th, 8th, and 12th grade reading assessments were released to NAGB in 

12 months. NCES met the goal again in 2013, when 4th, 8th, and 12th grade assessments were 

conducted in reading and mathematics.

Timeliness of State-level Reading and Mathematics Assessments. NCES also has committed 

to releasing State-level reading and mathematics assessments to NAGB within 6 months, 

except when the assessments have new frameworks. NCES met the goal: In 2009, the 4th, 8th, 

and 12th grades mathematics results were released in 6 months, and in 2011, both reading 

(4th and 8th grades) and mathematics (4th and 8th grades) were released within 6 months. (There 

was no 12th grade assessment in 2011.) The 2009 State reading results, which had new 

frameworks, were released in 12 months. NCES met the goal in 2013, when State 

assessments were conducted in reading and mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 12.

Timeliness of Other Assessments. NCES has committed to releasing results of all other 

assessments to NAGB within 12 months, except in years with new frameworks. In 2007, 

80 percent of other initial releases that did not have new frameworks were released within that 

time period, and since then NCES has reported that all such assessments met that time 

schedule.
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NCES also is examining the average cost per completed case (respondent) for the 

assessments conducted in odd years. The “odd year assessments” include the national, State, 

and urban district assessments in reading and mathematics, as well as selected other subjects, 

and represent a reasonably comparable set of assessments from one measurement year to the 

next.

Measure: After adjustment for inflation, the average cost per completed case for the 

assessments (in 2006 dollars). 

Year Target Actual

2007 Baseline $79.68

2009 $79.68 81.79

2011 79.68 90.54

2013 79.68 91.00

2015 79.68

Additional information: NCES established a baseline of $79.68 in 2007, and set the outyear 

targets at this level. The goal is to have each case cost no more than in the base year, after 

adjusting for inflation. NCES did not meet the target in subsequent years. NCES, along with 

other statistical agencies, is experiencing increased difficulty in obtaining acceptable response 

rates. Increasing the response rates is expensive, with agencies needing to conduct more 

follow-ups than in the past, and to increasingly rely on incentive payments.

Other Performance Information

The Department completed an evaluation of NAEP in 2009 

(http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=g915933415) that provides 

information on key aspects of the assessment. The study found that the assessment is well-run 

and of high quality, but it did identify possible areas for improvement, including that the NAEP 

program should specify the intended uses of NAEP, identify unintended uses, and develop a 

validity research agenda around current and proposed uses. The study also recommended that 

technical documentation should be released at the same time as assessment results. In 

response to concerns regarding an organized program of validation research, NCES identified 

staff who are focused on research and development and created a steering committee that is 

responsible for identifying emerging issues and making recommendations for a NAEP research 

and development agenda. In addition, NCES established a Technical Documentation Web site 

(http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/) that provides access to documentation for the 

assessments.
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Research in special education

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part E)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$54,000 $54,000 0

_________________

1

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Research in Special Education program supports research in critical areas of need,

improvements to special education and early intervention services, and results for infants, 

toddlers, and children with disabilities. The National Center for Special Education Research 

(NCSER), established within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in 2005, conducts 

sustained programs of scientifically rigorous research that focus on developmental outcomes for 

infants and toddlers with disabilities; school readiness; achievement in core academic content 

areas (reading, writing, mathematics, science); behaviors that support learning in academic 

contexts for students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities; and functional skills that improve 

education outcomes and transitions to employment, independent living, and postsecondary 

education. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010.................................................................................. $71,085

2011.................................................................................... 50,983

2012.................................................................................... 49,905

2013.................................................................................... 47,295

2014.................................................................................... 54,000 

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $54 million for special education research in fiscal year 2015, level 

with the 2014 appropriation. Despite decades of research and the development of promising 

approaches to improve learning and behavior outcomes for students with disabilities, there

continue to be many unanswered questions about how children with disabilities develop and 

learn and how best to support their development through improved teaching and special 
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education and related services. Continued investment in the long-term programs of research 

administered by NCSER is necessary to accumulate empirical knowledge and develop theories 

that will ultimately result in improved academic achievement, social and emotional well-being, 

behavior, and physical development for children with disabilities. 

In order to provide the flexibility IES needs to plan and administer a regular cycle of research 

competitions, the Department requests that funding be available for 2 years, as it had been in 

previous years. 

The 2015 request would support new and ongoing research and research training in special 

education through four grant programs: Special Education Research Grants, Research Training 

in Special Education, and Special Education Research, all of which are described below. The 

level of funding and number of grants that would be awarded under each of these programs will 

be based on the quality of the applications received as rated by panels of scientists and the 

availability of funds. IES estimates that $22.7 million would be available to support new 

research activities in 2015. 

Special Education Research Grants. Through the Special Education Research Grants 

program, IES supports research on topics that are relevant to the needs of students with 

disabilities, their families, educators, and policymakers, spanning from the early intervention 

needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities to transition outcomes for students with disabilities 

leaving secondary education. Under the Special Education Research Grants program, IES 

invites applications for research and development projects on the following topics:

• Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education

• Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning

• Reading, Writing, and Language Development

• Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities

• Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education

• Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers

• Mathematics and Science Education

• Families of Children with Disabilities

• Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems

• Technology for Special Education

• Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
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Under each of these topics, IES supports a broad range of field-initiated research, development, 

and evaluation activities necessary for building a scientific enterprise that can provide solutions 

to the Nation’s special education challenges. Exploratory research projects uncover underlying 

processes and identify promising approaches to test. This research is intended to inform the 

development of new and more powerful interventions. Development and innovation projects

create potent and innovative interventions to address continuing problems that the Nation has 

not yet solved (e.g., improving mathematics instruction to enable children with learning 

disabilities to succeed) and emerging problems and challenges (e.g., integrating new 

technologies into effective classroom instruction). Efficacy and replication projects examine 

which programs and policies actually produce positive effects on education outcomes, which 

need more work to become more potent or more robust, and which should be discarded. 

Effectiveness studies (formerly known as scale-up evaluation projects) determine whether a 

program or policy is effective when implemented under routine conditions (e.g., a State or local 

educational agency implementing an intervention on its own without special support from the 

developer or research team). Measurement projects support research to develop and validate 

measurement instruments, which are needed for screening, progress monitoring, and 

assessment of students with or at-risk for disabilities. 

Special Education Research and Development Centers. IES currently supports six special 

education research and development centers that are intended to contribute significantly to 

solutions of special education problems in the United States by engaging in research, 

development, evaluation, and national leadership activities. Each of the research and 

development centers conducts a focused program of research in its topic area. As needed, 

each research and development center conducts additional research and analyses within its 

broad topic area and provides national leadership in advancing evidence-based practices and 

policies within its topic area. Unlike special education research grants that support a single 

research study, the research and development center grants support a focused program of 

research that may include several researchers working on separate studies that are designed to 

contribute to our understanding of a particular topic.

Research Training. Through this program, IES supports grants to institutions of higher 

education to develop research training programs. These programs are intended to increase the 

supply of scientists and researchers in special education who are prepared to: conduct 

exploratory research; implement rigorous evaluation studies; develop and evaluate new 

products and approaches that are grounded in a science of learning; design and validate 

assessments and other measurement tools for use with students in special education; and 

contribute to the advancement of knowledge and theory in special education. In 2013, IES 

initiated a new training program, Early Career Development and Mentoring, designed to help 

early career scientists further develop their research skills and begin their own line of rigorous 

research in early intervention and special education through the guidance of a mentor.

Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities Research 

Initiative. In 2012, IES invited applications for a new initiative intended to support research to 

develop and evaluate interventions to accelerate the reading and mathematics achievement of 

students with or at risk for learning disabilities in grades 3 through 8 who demonstrate the most 

intractable learning problems. The A3 Initiative creates a research network across a variety of 

disciplines designed to enable researchers to work collaboratively to address the problem. 
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The A3 Initiative supports research to develop and evaluate interventions (e.g., instructional 

approaches, curricula, technology) to accelerate the academic achievement, particularly in 

mathematics and reading, of students with or at risk for learning disabilities in grades 3 through 

8. The A3 Initiative is designed to create a tightly linked network of researchers across a variety 

of disciplines who will work collaboratively to address the problem through A3 Centers. In 2013,

IES made one award under the A3 Initiative, which will be supported in 2014 and 2015.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Research Activities:

Special Education Research Grants

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Number of new grant awards 14 0 TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Average new grant award $542 0 TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Total new grant awards $7,592 0 TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Total grant award continuations $32,381 $41,567 $20,524

Special Education Research and Development Centers

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Number of new grant awards 0 0 0

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Total new grant awards 0 0 0

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Total grant award continuations $4,101 $6,367 $6,473

Research Training

Research Trai ning: Number of new grant awards 3 0 TBD

Research Trai ning: Total new grant awards $249 0 TBD

Research Trai ning: Total grant award continuations $485 $959 $556

Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students 

with Learning Disabilities Research Initiative

Research Trai ning: Number of new grant awards 1 0 0

Research Trai ning: Total new grant awards $2,000 0 0

Research Trai ning: Total grant award continuations 0 $2,000 $2,000 

Subtotal, Research activities $46,812 $50,893 $52,2501

Other activities:

Logistics and Analytical Support/Other $237 $1,857 $500

Peer review of new award applications $250 $1,250 $1,250

Subtotal, Other activities $487 $3,107 $1,750

Total, Research in special education $47,295 $54,000 $54,000

 NOTE: Amounts listed as “TBD” are still to be determined. The number and size of new research awards will 

depend on the quality of applications received. 1 The amount available for research activities is estimated by subtracting planned investments in other activities 

from the total appropriation for the program. After providing continuation awards for existing research grants, IES 

estimates that approximately $22,697 thousand of the $54,000 thousand available for research activities would be 

available for new research awards across the programs of research.

 
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures 

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of results is based on the 

cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in FY 2015

and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

New measures for the National Center for Special Education Research have been proposed by 

IES. The Department is working with the Office of Management and Budget to revise and 

implement these draft measures in the hope that data may be collected beginning in fiscal year 

2015.

Goal: Transform education into an evidence-based field.

Objective: Raise the quality of research funded or conducted by the Department.

Long-term Measures

Measure: By 2017, at least 15 IES-supported interventions on improving reading, writing, or 

language outcomes for students with disabilities will have been reported by the What Works 

Clearinghouse (WWC) to be effective.

Measure: By 2017, at least 12 IES-supported interventions on improving school readiness 

outcomes for students with disabilities will have been reported by the WWC to be effective.

Measure: By 2017, at least 10 IES-supported interventions on improving behavior outcomes 

for students with disabilities will have been reported by the WWC to be effective. 

Measure: By 2017, at least 125 individuals who have completed IES-supported pre- or postdoctoral research training programs will be actively engaged in research on special education.

Measure: By 2017, 25 percent of decisionmakers surveyed will indicate that they consult the 

What Works Clearinghouse prior to making decision(s) on interventions in reading, writing, 

language, school readiness, or behavior interventions for special education.
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Annual Measures

Measure: The number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving 

reading, writing, or language outcomes for students with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2011 6 4

2012 11 6

2013 13 9

2014 14

2015 14

Measure: The number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving 

school readiness outcomes for students with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2011 7 4

2012 10 6

2013 12 8

2014 14

2015 13

Measure: The number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving 

behavior outcomes for students with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2011 5 5

2012 7 6

2013 9 8

2014 11

2015 12

Additional information: For these measures, research specialists certified by the WWC

review reports from IES-supported projects and evaluate them to determine whether these 

findings meet the WWC published evidence standards and whether a statistically significant 

positive effect in improving achievement outcomes for students with disabilities has been 

demonstrated. Although the targets for each of these measures may appear to be modest, they 

represent significant expansions to the evidence base in the areas of reading, writing or 

language outcomes, school readiness, and behavior outcomes. 

The targets set for these measures were determined by identifying the number of NCSERfunded studies that test the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions designed to improve 

outcomes of students with disabilities in each of these areas, and taking into account the 

anticipated time to complete the studies. IES has not met its annual targets, which were later 

determined to be overly ambitious. Because reported numbers are cumulative, the difference 

between the actuals and the targets increase, which gives the false appearance of a program in 
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decline. In 2014, the targets for 2015 onward were reduced based on the number or currently 

funded efficacy and effectiveness studies that will have results available in 2015. 

Measure: The number of individuals who have been or are being trained in IES-funded special 

education research training programs.

Year Target Actual

2010 15 21

2011 30 30

2012 40 37

2013 41 49

2014 50

2015 54

Additional information: These data are reported by grantees administering research training 

programs and confirmed by IES program officers. Targets were based on the postdoctoral 

research training grant program. In 2013, IES did not compete a postdoctoral research training 

program in special education, but did fund three early career research training program grants.

Efficiency Measures

Measure: The average number of research grants administered per each program officer 

employed in the National Center for Special Education Research.

Year Target Actual

2010 22 36

2011 25 37

2012 38 40

2013 40 38

2014 41

2015 31

Assessment of progress: The principal efficiency measure for IES is the ratio of research 

staff to research grants. These data will be collected from the official grant files for the National 

Center for Special Education Research. Future targets have been decreased because of

decreased grant awards in 2013 and 2014. Budget constraints led to a decrease in the number 

of grants IES was able to fund in 2013, and no research grant competitions in special education 

are being held in 2014.
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Statewide longitudinal data systems

(Educational Technical Assistance Act, Section 208)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$34,539 $70,000 +$35,461

__________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Section 208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act (ETAA) authorizes the Secretary to 

make competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to design, 

develop, and implement Statewide longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately 

manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student data, consistent with the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The goals of the program are to improve data 

quality, promote linkages across States, promote the generation and accurate and timely use of 

data for reporting and improving student achievement, and facilitate research to improve student 

achievement and close achievement gaps.

The grants are expected to help SEAs develop, expand, or improve data systems, and may 

support necessary training, technical assistance, and other activities to promote effective use of 

data. Funds must supplement, not supplant, other State or local funds used for developing 

State data systems and may not be used to support ongoing implementation and maintenance 

of such systems. Grants are awarded competitively, based on the technical quality of the 

proposals.

IES has conducted five competitions to date. The first round of grants was awarded in 

November 2005; the last round in 2012. To date, 47 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 

Rico, and the Virgin Islands have received awards.

The 2012 grants, which ranged in size from $2.6 million to $5.0 million for 3-year projects, were 

to support States' work in one of three priority areas:

• The design, development, and implementation of statewide longitudinal kindergarten 

through 12th grade (K-12) data systems; 

• The development and linking of early childhood data with the States’ K-12 data systems; or 
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• The development and linking of postsecondary and/or workforce data with the States’ K-12 

data systems.

The 2012 awards included 9 grants to support K-12 data systems, 1 grant to support the 

development and linking of early childhood with K-12 systems, and 14 grants to support linking 

postsecondary or workforce data with the K-12 systems.

Beginning in 2008, the Department of Education Appropriations Act authorized the program to 

use a portion of the appropriation for activities to improve data coordination and use. In 

addition, the 2009 Appropriations Act authorized the use of funds for Statewide longitudinal data 

systems that include postsecondary and workforce information and the 2010 Appropriations Act 

added inclusion of information on children of all ages as an authorized activity. Since 2012, the 

Department has had the authority to use funds to link Statewide elementary and secondary data 

systems with early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce data systems, or to further develop 

such systems.

The Department expects States to use funds to significantly improve the ability of data systems 

to provide appropriate information, as governed by national and State privacy laws and 

regulations, needed to support education reform, improve instruction, and promote 

accountability. States must develop the necessary linkages with other agencies and States to 

provide information on high school completion, college completion, and workforce participation. 

Systems developed with support from the Department must improve States’ ability to report 

required data to the Department and should include information needed to help assess the 

effectiveness of Federal education programs, including those for which the State is not the 

grantee. Funded data systems also must improve the ability to provide regular feedback to 

teachers to enable them to use educational data to improve instruction, allow State and local 

educational agencies to devise methods for identifying effective teachers and teaching 

practices, and provide accurate information about student and school progress.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010..................................................................................... $58,250

2011....................................................................................... 42,166

2012....................................................................................... 38,077

2013....................................................................................... 36,085

2014....................................................................................... 34,539 

_________________

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $70 million for Statewide longitudinal data systems in fiscal year 

2015, an increase of $35.461 million above 2014. The 2015 funds for this program would 

provide support to States to improve the availability and use of data on student learning, teacher 

performance, and college- and career-readiness through the development of enhanced data 

systems that can link data on student progress over time and across multiple educational 

environments. At the request level, the Department would fund approximately 20 new grant 
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awards and national activities designed to promote data coordination, quality, and use; a small 

amount of funding also would be used to pay final continuation costs for 2012 grantees.

At the 2015 request level, the following activities would be supported:

• Approximately $57 million would support new grant awards in three potential priority areas:

o Improving education equity. This new priority would require States to expand their 

longitudinal student data systems to allow links to school-level finance and educator 

data, including educator training, experience, salary, and evaluations. These data would 

allow analyses to determine how resources are allocated across schools and students 

and the relationship between these resources and student outcomes.

o Early childhood data. Only one State received a 2012 award for work in this area, but 

many States are struggling to create linkages with early childhood data to assess the 

effects of early childhood education programs and interventions. States receiving these 

grants would develop these linkages and create model practices that can help other 

States build their early childhood data capacity.

o State data usage. Grants would expand the ways that States are currently using data in

their longitudinal data systems and support broader education reforms including 

kindergarten readiness, secondary and postsecondary transitions, data-driven teacher 

evaluation, and linking labor market outcomes to educational inputs. Data use grants 

could support the development of preschool through postsecondary education and 

workforce reports and tools to inform instruction or policymaking at the State and local 

level, and enhance capacity for States and localities to conduct research based on data 

in State systems. 

• Up to $10 million would support activities to improve data quality, coordination, and use. 

The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program and its partners offer a wide and 

growing range of support to help State educational agencies design, develop, and use 

longitudinal data systems. Three ongoing activities would be supported:

o The Education Data Technical Assistance Program (EDTAP) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/index.asp.) would continue to provide assistance to 

State educational agencies in the planning, development, expansion, and 

implementation of their longitudinal data systems. The program provides a wide and 

growing range of support, including a public domain clearinghouse that provides a

platform for States to share non-proprietary products developed for their statewide 

longitudinal data systems; best practice briefs; “collaboration communities”, where staff 

from small groups of States work together to identify challenges, brainstorm solutions, 

and share best practices; webinars; listservs; and State-specific technical assistance. 

(See http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/index.asp.) The Department anticipates that the 

2015 grant priority areas will require an increase in technical assistance to address 

challenges in carrying out the projects.
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o The Common Education Data Standards project would support continued development 

of voluntary common data standards that help ensure the interoperability of data 

systems both within and across States for all levels of education, from early learning 

through postsecondary education and into the work force, and that are aligned with the 

grant priorities, including work around common accounting standards

(https://ceds.ed.gov/).

o The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) would continue to serve as a valuable

resource center to State and local educational agencies, the postsecondary community, 

and other parties engaged in building and using education databases on issues related 

to the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student records. Additional information on 

the PTAC and resource materials is available on the website (http://www.ed.gov/ptac).

These funds also could support new activities identified during work with the State grantees, 

including activities to help grantees conduct work in the 2015 grant priority areas.

• Approximately $2.638 million would support continuation costs for three State awards made 

in 2012.

The Department requests that funding for fiscal year 2015 be available for 2 years, as it has 

been in prior years. The Department also requests the same language included in the 2014 

appropriations act to allow awards to support activities to improve data coordination, quality, and 

use at the local, State, and national levels, as well as language that permits the use of funds for 

building links to early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce information.

In 2015, the data systems funded through this program would support the Department’s goal of 

improving student achievement and educational productivity by ensuring data quality and 

promoting the generation and accurate and timely use of student achievement and school 

expenditure data. Such data help States meet reporting requirements (including data elements 

required for the U.S. Department of Education’s EDFacts and the Consolidated State 

Performance Report); support decisionmaking at the State, district, school, and classroom 

levels; facilitate research needed to eliminate achievement gaps and improve student learning

and educational productivity; and provide critical information on education to parents and the 

public.

The longitudinal data systems can serve as a vital source of information for parents and the 

public on the performance of schools and students, and can help State and local educational 

agencies identify effective teaching practices. Such systems also can serve as a source of 

information on participation in, and the effectiveness of, Federal education programs. In 

addition, longitudinal data are key to helping educators examine student progress and outcomes 

over time. For example, longitudinal data can be used to identify early childhood programs that 

are associated with strong school readiness outcomes for children, determine whether students 

leave high school with the skills needed for success in college and the workplace, or evaluate 

the effectiveness of teacher preparation courses based on student outcomes.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

 ems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $30,083 $29,133 $2,638

 ems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 0 0 57,112

 Subtotal 30,083 29,133 59,750

Awards to improve data coordination, quality, and use 5,803 5,305 10,000

Peer review of new award applications 199 101 250

Total 36,085 34,539 70,000

Number of Grant Awards

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 24 24 3

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 0 0 20

Range of Awards (Entire Grant Period) Low High

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $3,034 $4,997

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 $1,500 $5,000

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

The Department of Education has identified priority performance goals that will help measure 

the success of the Department’s cradle-to-career education strategy, one of which is “make 

informed decisions and improve instruction through the use of data.” One strategy for ensuring 

that data are available to inform educational decisions is supporting States’ development and 

implementation of Statewide longitudinal data systems, and the Department has established 

three performance measures to assess progress. These measures assess progress of all 

States, not just the States with grants in the measurement years. The Department believes that 

assessing the progress of all States is appropriate, because the goal of the program is to ensure 

that critical information needed to improve student outcomes is available across the Nation. 

New grant competitions take into consideration areas where States are having difficulty making 

progress and establish competition priorities that help direct resources to areas where additional 

assistance is critical.
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Measure: Number of States linking K-12 with early childhood data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 8

2013 12 19

2014 23

2015 26

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to track all public pre-K 

students into public kindergarten using the State longitudinal data system and by the inclusion 

of at least one additional source of early childhood data (e.g., Head Start or private prekindergarten) in the State data system. In 2012, 8 States had data systems that met the criteria; 

by the end of 2013, 19 had met the criteria, exceeding the target.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 and with postsecondary data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 9

2013 21 25

2014 28

2015 35

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to link State K-12 

student data to State data from public 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education. As of the 

end of 2013, 25 States had met the target for this measure, exceeding the goal for the year.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 5

2013 10 12

2014 14

2015 18

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to track all public 2- and 

4-year postsecondary students to, at a minimum, within-State employment records (e.g., State 

unemployment insurance systems.) In 2012, the baseline year, 5 States were able to link their 

K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data; in 2013, 12 States were able to do so, 

exceeding the target of 10.

Key barriers and challenges to meeting these measures include States’ and districts’ limited 

resources, State procurement practices, difficulties with cross-agency governance and data 

sharing, privacy issues, and concerns about the long-term sustainability of data systems without 

long-term Federal funding. Linkages to workforce data have presented the rgest challenges for 

States due to the lack of a common identifier, the need to comply with multiple privacy laws, and 

the challenges of multi-agency coordination. To help overcome these challenges, the 

Department of Education has increased coordination with the Department of Labor and their 
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Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI), which provides support to allow States to develop or 

improve their longitudinal workforce data systems and create linkages to education data.

Many States appear not ready to link early childhood data to their K-12 systems, as evidenced 

by the low number of applications in 2012 for the early childhood priority. To aid States, the 

Department is creating a series of best practice materials and held a privacy workshop for 

States on sharing early childhood data.

Specific activities to be undertaken by the Department over the next year include providing 

ongoing technical assistance to both grantees and non-grantees as they develop their State 

data systems; coordinating monitoring and technical assistance to States with both SLDS and 

WDQI grants through cross-program monitoring calls, joint site visits, technical assistance 

resource sharing, and conference presentations; and providing support for common education 

data standards to improve the utility of data for research and evaluation.
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Special education studies and evaluations

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 664)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2014 2015 Change

$10,818 $13,415 +$2,597

__________________

1

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2015 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Special Education Studies and Evaluation program awards competitive grants, contracts, 

and cooperative agreements to assess the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA) and the effectiveness of State and local efforts to provide special 

education and early intervention programs and services to infants, toddlers, and children with 

disabilities.

The statute authorizes the Department to support studies, evaluations, and assessments that:

• Analyze the results achieved by State and local educational agencies to improve services 

for children with disabilities;

• Analyze State and local needs for professional development, parent training, and other 

activities that can reduce the need for disciplinary actions involving children with disabilities;

• Assess educational and transitional services and results for children with disabilities from 

minority backgrounds;

• Measure educational and transitional services and results for children with disabilities; and

• Identify and report on the placement of children with disabilities by disability category.

In addition, the Department is required to submit to Congress an annual report that summarizes 

the studies and evaluations conducted under this authority; summarizes the research conducted 

under part E of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, which authorizes research on 

special education; and analyzes and summarizes the data on children with disabilities that is 

required by section 618 of the IDEA.

The IDEA requires the Secretary to delegate responsibility for the administration of most studies 

and evaluations in special education to the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

2010....................................................................................$11,460

2011......................................................................................11,437

2012......................................................................................11,415

2013......................................................................................10,818

2014......................................................................................10,818

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $13.415 million, a $2.597 million increase over the 

2014 appropriation, to support studies, evaluations, and assessments related to the 

implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The increase would 

sustain work on oversampling students with disabilities in the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study 

(MGLS) in order to obtain information on the transition of middle school students with disabilities 

to high school. To identify topics for studies and evaluations and to ensure that studies and 

data collections are designed to be relevant to the needs of policymakers and practitioners, IES 

works closely with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to develop a plan for the 

investments under this program. Information on IES evaluations is available online 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/index.asp).

Activities planned to receive funding in 2015 include:

• An oversample of students with disabilities in the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study. In 

2014, NCES is modifying the MGLS design contract to permit an oversample of students 

with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The MGLS will be the first longitudinal study 

to provide information on children’s development in grades 6 through 8 and on factors 

associated with successful transition from elementary to high school. The study will include 

a nationally representative sample of 6th graders in the 2016-2017 school year, and Special 

Education Studies and Evaluation funding will enable NCES to provide information about 

students in five or six disability categories. Collecting information on transition of students 

with disabilities has proven to be difficult and, thus, costly, yet the need for this information is 

crucial to understanding what interventions and strategies improve outcomes for students 

with disabilities and informing reauthorization of IDEA. This pilot work could lead to

uncovering a valid and reliable method for collecting information on the transition of students 

with disabilities.

• Evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). Administrators and 

teachers need effective strategies to address problematic behaviors in order to improve 

classroom management and support effective academic instruction. SWPBS is a schoolwide strategy to improve classroom and school climate, student behavioral competence, 

and academic achievement, and thereby reduce the number of students referred to or 

identified for special education. It provides a framework to help school personnel adopt and 

organize evidence-based behavioral interventions that are integrated with the overall 

management and instructional approaches employed by the school, with the goal of 
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promoting positive academic and social behavior outcomes for all students. Although 

previous evaluations of the PBIS framework have found positive outcomes, such as 

reductions in the number of disciplinary referrals, these evaluations have been conducted on 

a relatively small scale. The study will address the following questions:

o What are the key challenges to training schools in the implementation of SWPBS?

o What are the costs and resource requirements involved with providing training in 

SWPBS?

o What is the impact on school climate, school staff practice, and student outcomes of 

providing training in school-wide positive behavior supports, by type of training program 

and for different subgroups of teachers and students?

o To what extent do school staff members participate in professional development 

activities to support SWPBS implementation, and to what extent do they implement 

SWPBS practices?

The randomized trial evaluation will be conducted in approximately 120 elementary schools 

located in a purposive sample of 12 geographically diverse school districts. The study will 

randomly assign schools to one of two promising SWPBS strategies or to a business-asusual control group. Data collection and analyses will include information about fidelity of 

implementation; implementation challenges; and impacts on student behavior, achievement, 

and identification for special education. District inclusion in the study will be voluntary and 

based on interest in the SWPBS strategies selected for study.

• Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities. Helping students, particularly those 

with disabilities, to complete high school prepared to pursue postsecondary education or 

begin productive jobs is a national priority. IDEA places emphasis on transition services 

focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of students with disabilities 

in order to facilitate their transition from school to post-school activities, including 

postsecondary education and employment. The study, which would first be funded with 

2014 funds, would address such questions as:

o What high school courses do youth with disabilities take as compared with other youth, 

including youth identified for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act? 

o How does course-taking vary with youth characteristics, including disability category, 

age, sex, race/ethnicity, English Learner status, income status, and school type 

(including regular public school, charter school, career/technical school, special 

education school, or other State or federally-operated institution)? 

o To what extent do youth with and without disabilities complete high school, enroll and 

persist in postsecondary education, and find employment? 

o How do these outcomes vary across characteristics of these youth?

This new study will utilize administrative records data to follow a sample of youth with 

disabilities beyond high school. The sample for this study will focus on the youth who 
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participated in the baseline study of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 

2012). The NLTS 2012 sample included a group of over 12,000 students ages 13 to 21 (in 

December 2011), including a small sample of students without disabilities. Study plans 

include collecting: (1) school district administrative records, including transcripts, from 

districts that participated in NLTS 2012; (2) postsecondary enrollment information through 

the National Student Clearinghouse, (3) employment and earnings data from the Social 

Security Administration, and (4) information about vocational rehabilitative services and 

supports youth received from the Department’s Rehabilitative Services Administration.

• Feasibility Study of Outcomes from Preschool Special Education. IES is conducting a design 

task to determine whether or not it would be feasible to conduct an outcome or impact 

evaluation of special education and related services under IDEA for young children with 

disabilities. The feasibility work includes gathering descriptive data on current special 

education programs, services, and practices; these data are needed to identify interventions 

and practices to target in an impact study and to inform sampling. If IES identifies feasible 

options for conducting a study to examine the relationship between service receipt and 

outcomes for children receiving services under the IDEA Grants for Infants and Families 

program (Part C) and/or the IDEA Preschool Grants program (Part B Section 619), then it 

plans to award a contract for a 5-year impact evaluation. 

In addition, IES plans to use 2015 funds to conduct analyses of the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten data and to design a study of the implementation of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The design work would include developing 

plans for new data collection from States and school districts to evaluate the implementation of 

IDEA policies and programs for children and youth with disabilities.

Additional Information on Studies Underway

A number of studies and activities will not receive support from fiscal year 2015 funds, but are 

still underway. The table below provides information on each of these studies; additional 

information is available online (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/disabilities.asp). 

Study Cost Duration

Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities, Phase I

$22,897,534 over 

5 years 

September 2010–

September 2015

Study of Early Intervention and Special 

Education Personnel and Services 

$985,601 over 

3 years 

September 2010 to 

September 2013

Evaluation of Response to Intervention 

Practices for Elementary School Reading 

$14,204,339 over 

6 years

March 2008 to March 

2014

Study of School Accountability for Students 

with Disabilities 

$3,626,218 over 

6 years

February 2008 to 

February 2014

National Evaluation of the IDEA Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Program

$2,995,294 over 

5 years 

September 2009–

September 2014
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavioral 

Interventions and Supports $2,760 $7,100 $7,916

Middle Grades Longitudinal Study 2,480 0 2,597

Post High School Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities 0 3,500 1,500

Feasibility Study of Outcomes from Preschool 

Special Education 2,871 218 702

Early Childhood Longitudinal StudiesKindergarten 

analyses 0 0 200

IDEA Implementation Study 2017/2019 Design 0 0 500

Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities 2,672 0 0

National Study on Alternative Assessment 35 0 0

Total, Special education studies and evaluations 10,818 10,818 13,415