Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

Fiscal Year 2014 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 2013 Appropriations Reports...............................................................X-7

Summary of Request ..............................................................................................................X-9

Activities:

Research, development, and dissemination .....................................................................X-12

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

Regional educational laboratories.....................................................................................X-39

Assessment......................................................................................................................X-44

Research in special education ..........................................................................................X-52

Statewide data systems....................................................................................................X-59

Special education studies and evaluations .......................................................................X-66
X-1

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, $671,073,000, which shall remain available through September 30, 2015: 1 Provided, That 

funds available to carry out section 208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act 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 $25,000,000 of the funds available to carry out section 208 of the Educational 

Technical Assistance Act 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

 

NOTES

A full-year 2013 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, 

this account is operating under a continuing resolution (P.L. 112-175).

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.
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

X-2

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 $671,073,000, which shall remain available 

through September 30, 2015:

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 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 State data systems to 

include postsecondary and workforce 

information and information on early 

childhood.

3 Provided further, That up to $25,000,000 of 

the funds available to carry out section 208 of 

the Educational Technical Assistance Act 

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 

awards to agencies and organizations, in 

addition to State educational agencies, in 

order to further the purposes of the program.
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

X-3

Appropriation Adjustments and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriations/Adjustments/Transfers 2012 2013 2014

Discretionary:

Discretionar y appropriati on: Appropriation $594,788 $593,664 $671,073

Discretionar y appropriati on Across-the-board reduction (P.L. 112-74) -1,124 0 0

Discretionar y appropriati on Across-the-board increase (P.L. 112-175) 0 3,633 0

Total, adjusted discretionary appropriation 593,664 597,297 671,073
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Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2013 .................................................................................................. $593,6641

2014 .................................................................................................. 671,073

Net change................................................................. +77,409

___________________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase of $3,633 thousand in FY 2013 provided in P.L. 112-175.

Increases: 2013 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Increase for Research, Development, and Dissemination to

conduct additional research, development, dissemination, and 

evaluation activities. $189,787 +$12,486

Increase for Statistics to allow NCES to collect State-level 

Program for International Student Assessment data and to 

collect certain National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey data 

every 2 years. 108,748 +14,000

Increase for Research in Special Education to conduct 

additional research and research training in special education. 49,905 +10,000

Increase for Statewide Data Systems to provide funding to 

support postsecondary data initiatives designed to improve 

information on students as they progress from high school to 

postsecondary education and the workforce and to support new 

grant awards. 38,077 +46,923

Subtotal, increases +83,409

Decreases

Program:

Decrease for National Assessment to reflect need to focus the 

program on key assessments. 129,616 -5,000

Decrease for National Assessment Governing Board to reflect 

need to focus on key activities. 8,690 -1,000

Subtotal, decreases -6,000

Net change +77,409
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X-5

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

 2013

Authorized

 2013

Estimate

 2014

Authorized

 2014

Request

Research and Statistics

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

except section 174)

01,2 $189,787 02 $202,273

Statistics (ESRA, part C) 01,2 108,748 02 122,748

Regional educational laboratories (ESRA, section 174) 02 57,426 02 57,426

Assessment

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEPAA, section 303) 02 129,616 02 124,616

National Assessment Governing Board (NAEPAA, section 302) 02 8,690 02 7,690

Research in special education (ESRA, part E) 03 49,905 03 59,905

Statewide data systems (ETAA, section 208) 02 38,077 02 85,000

Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) 03 11,415 03 11,415

Total definite authorization 0 0

Total appropriation 593,664 671,073

Portion of request subject to reauthorization

Portion of request not authorized 593,664 671,073

Total appropriation including 0.612 percent ATB increase 597,297

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 2014 through appropriations

language. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2014 through appropriations 

language.
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

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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) 0 250,000 0 250,000

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

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

2012 760,473 620,9036 609,788 6 593,664

2013 621,150 593,6647 618,6617 597,2978

2014 671,073 ___________________________

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 and the level for the Senate allowance reflects 

Senate Committee action only. 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 amount shown includes the 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided by P.L. 112-175, in effect 

through March 27, 2013.
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Significant Items in FY 2013 Appropriations Reports

Research and Development Related to Gifted and Talented Education

Senate: Report 112-176. The Committee directs IES to continue support for research 

and development activities related to gifted and talented education that directly 

support learning and improve the academic achievement of gifted and talented 

students, including those who may not be formally identified as gifted and those 

who are from underrepresented populations. The Committee also directs IES to 

support a National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and to ensure 

that gifted and talented education is reported in national reports produced by IES.

Response: The Institute of Education Sciences is supporting gifted and talented projects in 

their regular education research grant program, and they revised the request for 

applications in the 2013 competition to specifically note that projects focused on 

gifted and talented could be submitted under any of the relevant research grant 

topics. The current gifted and talented research center was funded in 2006 with 

Javits gifted and talented program funds and will be active until at least June 

2013.

Comprehensive Research Agenda for Special Education

Senate: Report 112-176. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement 

Act of 2004, Congress established NCSER to improve the overall quality and 

rigor of the special education research conducted by the Department, and to 

ensure that the needs of children with disabilities are included throughout other 

research programs, data collection efforts, and related activities conducted at 

IES, OSEP, and other offices of the Department. The Committee therefore 

directs the Director to submit a report within 90 days of enactment on the 

Institute's plans for a comprehensive research agenda for special education.

Response: The Department will comply with this request concerning the National Center for 

Special Education Research.

Statewide Data Systems

Senate: Report 112-176. The Committee bill allows up to $20,000,000 to be used for 

awards to public or private agencies or organizations to support activities to 

improve data coordination, quality, and use at the local, State, and national 

levels. 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.
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Significant items in FY 2013 Appropriations Reports (continued)

Statistics

Senate: Report 112-84. The fiscal year 2012 Senate Committee report included 

language stating that sufficient resources were provided for NCES to update the 

report Condition of America’s Public School Facilities: 1999. The Committee 

indicated it expected a First Look report on this topic to be published in calendar 

year 2013.

Response: IES anticipates completing the report in late 2013 or early 2014.
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X-9

Summary of Request

Click here for accessible version 

(in thousands of dollars) 2014

Category 2012 2013 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 189,787 189,787 202,273 12,486 6.579%

(b) Statistics (ESRA I-C) D 108,748 108,748 122,748 14,000 12.874%

2. Regional educational laboratories (ESRA section 174) D 57,426 57,426 57,426 0 0.000%

3. Assessment (NAEPAA):

(a) National assessment (section 303) D 129,616 129,616 124,616 (5,000) -3.858%

(b) National Assessment Governing Board (section 302) D 8,690 8,690 7,690 (1,000) -11.507%

Subtotal 138,306 138,306 132,306 (6,000) -4.338%

4. Research in special education (ESRA I-E) D 49,905 49,905 59,905 10,000 20.038%

5. Statewide data systems (ETAA section 208) D 38,077 38,077 85,000 46,923 123.232%

6. Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) D 11,415 11,415 11,415 0 0.000%

Subtotal D 593,664 593,664 671,073 77,409 13.039%

Across-the-board 0.612% increase applied to discretionary appropriation, provided in P.L. 112-175. 3,633

Total 593,664 597,297 671,073 77,409 13.039%

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

FY 2013 discretionary appropriation amounts are based on P.L. 112-175, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013, that provided appropriations through March 27, 2013. FY 2013 mandatory amounts are 

either specifically authorized levels, or are based on FY 2013 President's Budget Policy, updated for more recent estimates of mandatory costs, or FY 2014 President's Budget Policy, as applicable.

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

2014 President's Budget 

Compared to 2012 Appropriation

X-9
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

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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. The Administration requests $671.1 million 

for this account for fiscal year 2014, an increase of $77.4 million over the 2012 level.

The Administration requests $202.3 million for research, development, and dissemination, an 

increase of $12.5 million over the 2012 level. 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 our knowledge of learning and instruction is 

inadequate. The request for 2014 would also support ongoing dissemination activities including 

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

Library of Education.

An increase of $14.0 million over the 2012 level, to $122.7 million, is requested for the Statistics 

program, which collects, analyzes, and reports data related to education at all levels. The 

request would allow the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to obtain State 

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

Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) data every 2 years, providing more timely data on 

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

The Administration requests $57.4 million for the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) 

program. 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.

The Administration requests $132.3 million for Assessment in 2013, a decrease of $6.0 million 

from the 2012 level. 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 2014 assessments in 

U.S. history, civics, and geography, as well as a technology and engineering literacy 

assessment.

The Administration requests $59.9 million for Research in Special Education, an increase of 

$10.0 million over the 2012 level. The requested funds would support newer programs of 

research on families of children with disabilities and technology for special education, as well as 

ongoing programs of research, including research intended to improve the developmental 

outcomes and school readiness of infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities; to 

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

social and behavioral outcomes; and to assist adolescents with disabilities to be college and 

career ready.
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Summary of Request (continued)

The Administration requests $85.0 million for the Statewide Data Systems program, an increase 

of $46.9 million. The request would support awards to States to allow them to improve their 

data systems, including ensuring that information is available at the pre-school, postsecondary, 

and workforce levels in addition to kindergarten through grade 12. Pre-school data will allow 

researchers and educators to determine what practices are effective in helping children to be 

ready to learn; postsecondary and workforce data will provide information on whether students 

leave high school prepared for further education and work. Up to $25.0 million would be used 

for awards to public and private agencies and organizations to improve data coordination, 

quality, and use at the national, State, and local levels, including $10.0 million to support 

postsecondary data initiatives designed to improve information on students as they progress 

from high school to postsecondary education and the workforce.

The request includes level funding of $11.4 million for Special Education Studies and 

Evaluations, most of which would support an evaluation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and 

Supports, a school-wide strategy designed to improve classroom and school climate, student 

behavioral competence, and academic achievement, and to reduce the number of students 

referred or identified for special education. Activities:
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Activities:

Research, development, and dissemination

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 01 2

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

Change

from 2012

$189,787 $189,7873 4$202,273 +$12,486

 

1

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

program in FY 2014 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). 4

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

(IES) promotes excellence and equity in education by providing information to ensure that all 

students meet or exceed challenging academic standards and master skills they will need 

throughout their lives. In the past 10 years, IES has significantly expanded its investments in 

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.
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Research, development, and dissemination

X-13

NCER conducts sustained programs of scientifically rigorous research that will produce 

knowledge to inform 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 research 

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

policies, and research on statistical and research methodology. 

IES has taken a leadership role in promoting the use of experimental research designs to 

examine claims of causal relationships in education, but its investments are not limited to 

randomized controlled trials. For example, projects that employ experimental or quasiexperimental research designs to test whether programs, practices, and policies have positive 

impacts on education outcomes currently represent 28 percent of the Education Research 

Grants program portfolio. The remainder of grant awards under this program has been for 

projects that explore factors affecting education outcomes, develop innovative approaches to 

improve these outcomes, or develop and validate instruments to measure progress on these 

outcomes. This research serves as the building blocks for experimental or quasi-experimental 

projects that are critical to establishing whether or not a particular approach or intervention 

causes positive or negative effects for the students it is designed to help. IES remains 

committed to supporting a broad range of research and development activities, while ensuring 

that it funds only projects that employ research designs and methods that are appropriate to the 

research question posed.

The role of NCEE encompasses evaluation, technical assistance, and evaluation. 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. To date, NCEE has 

launched over 30 studies of Federal education programs on such topics as early literacy, 

mathematics, teacher quality, school choice, educational technology, afterschool programs, and 

drug and violence prevention. Most of these evaluations have been supported through 

evaluation set-asides or specific appropriations for evaluations under other programs. 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, the 

Education Resources Information Center, and the National Library of Education. These 

programs work with NCES, NCER, and NCSER to promote and make accessible the results of 

their work. 
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Research, development, and dissemination

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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009................................................................................... $167,196

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

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

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

2013..................................................................................... 189,7871

 1 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $202.3 million, an increase of $12.5 million above the 2012 level, 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. Despite decades of education research and the recent growth 

in research that explicitly addresses improving learning in areas such as reading and 

mathematics, there continue to be many unanswered questions about how children and adults 

learn in these areas and how best to support that learning. Continued investment in the longterm programs of research is necessary to accumulate empirical knowledge and develop 

theories that will ultimately result in improved academic achievement. The requested funds 

would enable the 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 $53.5 million in new 

awards in fiscal year 2014. This investment in new research is critical because IES will only be 

able to support $31.0 million in new research in 2013, which represents a nearly 30 percent 

decrease from what was supported in 2012; in 2013, IES will likely be unable to fund all high 

quality projects for the first time. The Administration’s request for 2014 would restore this 

program to its 2010 funding level, which is critical for maintaining a regular cycle of research 

grant competitions and providing ongoing support for IES’ dissemination efforts to ensure that 

evidence from research informs practice.

In 2014, IES proposes to initiate a new research program tentatively titled Partnerships and 

Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy. The new research program would 

incorporate two existing programs of research, Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in 

Education Research and Evaluation of State and Local Programs and Policies, while also 

supporting research focused on understanding strategies intended to support continuous 

improvement at the level of education systems, which include both the individual decisionmakers and the array of policies, practices, and tools designed to help teachers and school 

leaders affect a particular set of outcomes. This new focus is intended to address two specific 

needs: (1) developing continuous improvement strategies for education interventions that result 

in a self-sustaining learning process within the education system; and (2) conducting research 

on the importance of education systems in relation to school improvement. To ensure that the 

findings would be relevant and applicable to pressing education problems, research projects 
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would be required to address needs identified by practitioners and/or policymakers and would 

be carried out in collaboration with practitioners and researchers.

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

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

previous years.

NCER Programs of Research

In 2014, 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

Although IES identifies broad areas of interest, the research grants competition is field-initiated, 

with the specific topics for research and methodologies proposed by the applicants. Panels of 

distinguished scientists review the proposals and then IES funds the highest-rated.

Under each of these topics, IES supports a range of field-initiated research, development, and 

evaluation activities necessary for building a scientific enterprise 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 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 
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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.

National Research and Development Centers. ESRA requires that IES support no less than 

eight national research and development centers, each of which must support research on 1 or 

more of 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. Information on all of the National Research and Development 

Centers and their reports is available on the IES Web site at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/RandD/.

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, 

whether or not 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.

Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy. As 

mentioned above, beginning in 2014, IES would invite 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 

new program would also incorporate a third line of research focused on understanding 
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Research, development, and dissemination

X-17

strategies intended to support continuous improvement at the systemic level. The research 

supported through this program would be 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 1 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 Evaluation Activities

In 2012, Research, Development, and Dissemination funds supported an independent peer 

review for Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) project plans and products, including 

reports and technical assistance materials. The purpose of this review is to make REL products 

models in the education research field by ensuring that the products are technically sound, 

readable, useful, and relevant. In 2013 and 2014, this activity will be supported solely using 

REL funds.

NCEE Dissemination Activities

What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). 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 reports that assess the rigor of research evidence 

on the effectiveness of 542 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 February 2013, IES awarded a new 5-year contract for the 

WWC, with a specific charge to continue to innovate on new products that engage educators.

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). 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. The current contract to administer ERIC ends in fiscal year 

2013, and IES is currently exploring ways to improve the quality and utility of these services to 

inform the next contract cycle.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Research activities:

Education research grants: 

Education r esearch: Number of new grant awards 65 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Average new grant award $502 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Total new grant awards $32,636 TBD TBD

Education r esearch: Total award continuations $74,086 $70,019 $45,8481

Research training: 

Research tr aini ng: Number of new grant awards 3 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Average new grant award $49 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Total new grant awards $147 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Total grant award continuations $13,230 $14,069 $1,4621

Statistical and research methodology in education: 

 rch methodol og y in education: Number of new grant awards 4 TBD TBD

 arch methodol og y in education: Average new grant award $212 TBD TBD

 rch methodol og y in education: Total new grant awards $851 TBD TBD

 rch methodol og y in education: Total grant award continuations $2,984 $2,681 $6871

National research and development centers: 

 esearch and development centers: Number of new grant awards 2 TBD TBD

 esearch and development centers: Average new grant award $2,013 TBD TBD

 esearch and development centers: Total new grant awards $4,025 TBD TBD

 esearch and development centers: Total grant award continuations $7,126 $10,618 $10,3251

Evaluation of State and local education programs 

and policies: 

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Number of new grant awards 3 TBD 0

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Average new grant award $671 TBD 0

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Total new grant awards $2,014 TBD 0

Eval uation of State and l ocal programs: Total grant award continuations $6,052 $9,586 $5,7531,2

Research partnerships: 

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

Research partnershi ps: Average new grant award 0 TBD 0

Research partnershi ps: Total new grant awards 0 TBD 02

Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on 

Problems of Practice or Policy:

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

Research partnershi ps:Average new grant award 0 0 TBD

Research partnershi ps:Total new grant awards 0 0 TBD
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands) (continued)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Research initiative on reading for 

understanding: 

Total grant award continuations $23,052 $23,748 $22,916

Other research: 

Other r esearch: New 0 TBD TBD

Other r esearch: Continuation 0 $546 TBD

Subtotal, Research activities $166,203 $162,2743 $171,5044

Evaluation activities:

Independent Review/Evaluation of RELs $465 05 05

Dissemination activities:

Education Resources Information Center $6,158 $5,500 $5,400

What Works Clearinghouse $3,453 $5,679 $7,460

National Library of Education $1,453 $2,000 $2,000

Dissemination/Logistical/Technical Support $3,859 $2,985 $4,560

Subtotal, Dissemination activities $14,923 $16,164 $19,420

Other activities:

Small business innovation research (SBIR):

Number of new SBIR contract awards 11 20 TBD

Average new SBIR contract award $395 $375 TBD

Total new SBIR contract awards $4,344 $7,500 $7,500 

Peer review of applications for new awards $3,646 $3,500 $3,500 

National Board for Education Sciences $206 $349 $349 

Subtotal, Other activities $8,196 $11,349 $11,349

Total, Research, development, and dissemination $189,787 $189,787 $202,273

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. 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in 

P.L. 112-175. 1 Includes only 2014 continuation costs for grants awarded prior to 2013. Actual 2014 continuation costs will be 

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

$31,000 thousand available for new awards in 2013 across the programs of research. 2 2014 continuation costs would be funded under the Partnerships and Collaboration and Collaborations 

Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy program.
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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 $31,000 thousand of the $162,300 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), IES estimates that 

approximately $53,500 thousand of the $171,500 thousand shown for research activities would be available for new 

research awards across the programs of research, excluding SBIR. 5 The REL evaluation, which was partially funded under Research, Development, and Dissemination in 2012, 

will be supported entirely by REL funding in 2013 and 2014.

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 2014 

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

Goal: Transform education into an evidence-based field. Decision-makers 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. 

Long-term Measures

Measure: By 2013, at least 15 IES-supported interventions on reading or writing will have been 

reported by the What Works Clearinghouse to be effective at improving student outcomes.

Measure: By 2013, at least 12 IES-supported interventions on mathematics or science 

education will have been reported by the What Works Clearinghouse to be effective at 

improving student outcomes. 

Measure: By 2013, at least 10 IES-supported interventions on teacher quality will have been 

reported by the What Works Clearinghouse to be effective at improving student outcomes.

Measure: By 2013, at least 200 individuals who have completed IES-supported pre- or postdoctoral research training programs will be actively engaged in education research.

Measure: By 2013, 25 percent of decision-makers surveyed will indicate that they consult the 

What Works Clearinghouse prior to making decisions on interventions in reading, writing, 

mathematics, science, or teacher quality.
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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

2009 13 13

2010 15 15

2011 17 17

2012 20

2013 22

2014 24

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

improving student outcomes in mathematics or science.

Year Target Actual

2009 10 11

2010 12 15

2011 15 16

2012 18

2013 20

2014 22

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

2009 7 7

2010 10 10

2011 12 12

2012 15

2013 18

2014 20

Additional information: For these measures, research specialists from the What Works 

Clearinghouse (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 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 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 
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appears to be well-positioned to meet its long-term outcome measures by 2013. Reported 

numbers are cumulative. 

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

one of four areas: (a) improving school readiness outcomes for young learners, (b) improving 

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

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

of postsecondary education.

Year Target Actual

2013 6

2014 9

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 these measures into separate 

measures for each topic area.

Measure: The cumulative number of individuals who have been or are being trained in 

IES-funded research training programs.

Year Target Actual

2009 265 360

2010 325 556

2011 600 609

2012 650

2013 700

2014 725

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 200 researchers who are actively engaged in 

education research by 2013. 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 2013 Budget Justifications of 725 individuals trained was inaccurate, so this figure 

has been corrected to 609 individuals, which still exceeds the 2011 target. 
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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

2009 34 35

2010 36 36

2011 38 35

2012 40

2013 41

2014 41

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

to research grants. In 2001, the Department’s predecessor research organization employed 69 

staff in its 5 national research institutes. Those staff administered 89 active research grants. By 

2007, 13 staff in the IES National Center for Education Research administered 417 active 

research grants with support from 4 staff in the IES Standards and Review and Grants 

Administration Staff offices. 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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Statistics

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 0 1 2

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

Change

from 2012

$108,748 $108,748 3 $122,748 +$14,000

_________________

1

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

FY 2014 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. 3

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

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; help public 

and private educational agencies and organizations improve their statistical systems; 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. 
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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, 

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

United States. 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 United States 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.

ESRA authorizes the National Board for Education Sciences to provide advice to 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 in-depth information on the same 

students over time. This information provides analysts 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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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009...................................................................................$98,521

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

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

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

2013...................................................................................108,7481

_________________

1 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $122.7 million for Statistics, an increase of $14.0 million over 2012. 

The request includes funds for a broad range of surveys and activities that provide information 

on education at all levels. The Administration requests that funding be available for 2 years, as 

it was in prior years.

The increase would provide funding 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 critical National Postsecondary Student Aid 

Survey (NPSAS) 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 evidence. 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 studies are essential.

Additional information on PISA and NPSAS is provided below.

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

support the following surveys and activities:
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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 $24.8 million in 2014 

for support of the following surveys and activities:

• 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 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 2005–06 

survey, by 2009-10, 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, will next be conducted in 2013-2014.

• 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 

kindergarten through 12th-grade 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 

and was next scheduled for 2015-16, 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. Previously supported by funding 

from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program, this survey has been 

supported by the Statistics program 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.
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• 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 

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 $34.4 million in 2014. 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. Policymakers and researchers at the 

Federal, State, and local levels, as well as the media, use information from IPEDS. 

Students and families make extensive use of IPEDS data to assist them in college choice 

through the NCES College Navigator Web site. 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. 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. 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. 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 above, the Administration is requesting an additional $8 million to allow for the 

collection of 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 
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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.

• 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 survey 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 Education and Training Study will collect information on sub-baccalaureate 

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.

• The Postsecondary Studies area includes funding for a number of other activities, including 

two National Postsecondary Education Cooperatives (NPECs), 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/) has 

collected basic statistics from the universe of doctoral recipients in the United States each 

year since the 1920’s. 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

Longitudinal student surveys are designed to collect in-depth 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 

2014 request, funding for the longitudinal surveys would be an estimated $22.3 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 
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examine child development, school readiness, and early school experiences. The 

ECLS-K:11 will provide data relevant to emerging policy-related domains not measured fully 

in previous studies. Further, coming more than a decade after the previous kindergarten 

study, ECLS-K:11 will also allow cross-cohort comparisons of two nationally-representative 

kindergarten classes experiencing different policy, educational, and demographic 

environments.

• 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 completing the 8th grade ready for high school, including 

the nature and extent of math learning in the middle grades. The field test for the study will 

be conducted in early 2015. (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 students in the 9th grade, a crucial transition year for 

most students and a critical grade in determining overall high school experience. The 

second round of data collection was in the spring of 2012, when most students were 

completing 11th grade; 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 up-to-date 

knowledge to support education reform. The international studies program would receive 

approximately $22.6 million in 2014. 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 

and achievement. Because both TIMSS and the National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP) were conducted in 2011, NCES is conducting a linking study 
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(http://nces.ed.gov/timss/naeplink.asp) that will allow States to compare the math 

achievement of their 8th grade students to that of countries that are the Nation’s economic 

competitors. 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 requests an additional $6 million in 2014 to support a pilot State-level 

PISA. The pilot would allow participating States to benchmark the performance of their 15-

year-old students against international standards. The Administration requested funds for 

the State pilot in 2013 and initially assumed that the Department would ask States to pay for 

a portion of the costs. Given the current economic environment, it is unlikely that many 

States will participate if they are required to pay half the costs. The total cost per State 

would be approximately $600,000, so $6 million in 2014, coupled with an additional 

$6 million in 2015, would allow the Department to pay the full costs 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) 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 will be the first year of participation 

by the United States. TALIS will provide information to help countries identify policies that 

support effective schooling.

• The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/), conducted in 2011, measures adult skills and 

competencies in 26 participating countries and provides comparable information from other 

countries to enable the U. S. to compare its adults’ skills and abilities to those in other 

economically advanced countries that represent our competitors and trading partners. The 

central purpose of PIACC is to measure the extent to which Americans possess literacy, 

numeracy, and computer-based problem-solving skills that enable them to function 

successfully and compete in an international marketplace increasingly based on technology 

and information. This assessment will provide crucial information for the crafting of 

legislation and policies designed to ensure the continued competitiveness of the American 
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economy. Fiscal year 2014 funds would support continued data analysis and reporting of 

assessment data.

• 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.

Cross-cutting Surveys and Other Activities

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

$18.7 million in 2014. 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 2014 

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 grade 8, and college planning for high school students. 

Depending on the progress of that work, NCES may field one of those three topics in 2014.

• The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) collects issue-oriented 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 late 2013 or early 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 school enrollment and educational attainment for elementary, 

secondary, and postsecondary education. NCES funds additional items on educationrelated topics such as language proficiency, disabilities, computer use and access, student 

mobility, and private school tuition.
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• Annual Reports and Indicators include three major annual statistical compilations of critical 

education indicators: the Condition of Education, the Digest of Education Statistics, and 

Projections of Education Statistics. NCES also produces short-format statistical briefs on 

emerging issues in education.

• Technical Assistance to States developing statewide longitudinal data systems provides 

support to help States find solutions to common problems. Funds from the Statewide Data 

Systems program also support this activity. Additional information on the technical 

assistance program is available at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/.

• 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.

• Information technology costs include 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 2012 2013 2014

Elementary and Secondary Surveys $23,746 $24,752 $24,752

Postsecondary and Adult Surveys 27,247 26,447 34,447

Longitudinal Surveys 22,267 22,267 22,267

International Studies 16,625 16,625 22,625

Cross-Cutting Surveys, Program Development, and Support 18,863 18,657 18,657

Total 108,748 108,7481 122,748

__________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

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 
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the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in 2014

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.

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

2009 90 87 90 84 90 92

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

2014 90 90 90

Additional information: The 2012 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 (87 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 Web, 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 (93 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.
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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

2009 90 90 90 84 90 93

2010 90 94 90 88 90 97

2011 90 94 90 91 90 93

2012 90 91 90 89 90 93

2013 90 90 90

2014 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 

who found the NCES publications to be timely just missed the target. NCES’s policy is to solicit 

advice from providers and 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

2009 90 94 90 92 90 81

2010 90 95 90 91 90 83

2011 90 93 90 93 90 87

2012 90 94 90 92 90 84

2013 90 90 90

2014 90 90 90

Additional information: Most customers were satisfied with the courtesy of the NCES staff 

providing services (94 percent) and the timeliness of NCES services (92 percent), but only 

84 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 1,456,942 Web site visits in 2012. While this was a 

decline from the 1,773,790 reported in 2011, NCES used different software for counting the 

number of visits and the numbers are not comparable. Use of the new software decreases 
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costs and analysis time and excludes users from within the Department from the counts. The 

2012 figure will serve as the baseline against which future years are measured.

Number of Users of the Data Analysis System. NCES established a target of 13,282 users and 

exceeded the target in 2009 and 2010, but the number declined to 12,122 in 2011 and was 

12,553 in 2012. The decrease may have been related to the implementation in 2010 of a new 

data tool, Powerstats, which houses much of the postsecondary sample survey data. As part of 

its examination of performance measures, NCES will determine whether the measure should be 

modified to capture Powerstats use as well as Data Analysis System use.

Number of Downloads of NCES Reports. NCES established a target of 122,084 downloads and 

has exceeded this number since 2010, with the averages being 157,673 in 2010, 167,770 in 

2011, and 184,353 in 2012.

In 2008 NCES also began reporting the number of times NCES Statistics program data are 

cited on the Web sites of 90 education associations and organizations. This measure provides 

an additional source of information on use of NCES data.

Measure: The number of times NCES Statistics program data are cited on the Web sites of 

90 education associations and organizations.

Year Target Actual

2009 155 95

2010 155 111

2011 155 76

2012 155 102

2013 155

2014 155

Additional information: In 2008, data were cited 155 times, and this figure became the target 

for subsequent years. The actual number of citations has been considerably lower since 2008, 

possibly because of the timing of the release of high-profile reports. The Department will 

examine the measure as part of its re-examination of performance measures for the Statistics 

program.

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 

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 2012, NCES released 9 reports that included 18 survey 

components. The response rates for 89 percent (16 components) were 85 percent or above 

and the remaining 11 percent (2 components) had nonresponse bias analyses conducted 
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because their response rates were below 85 percent. This represents an improvement 

compared to 2011: however, 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%

2009 19 34 15 44

2010 21 29 3 10

2011 14 29 9 31

2012 9 18 2 11

2013 NA

2014 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 data will be collected every other 

year. The 2010 value was 76 percent. The 2012 value is not yet available.

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 garners its resources to ensure that work is completed 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 2012 all initial releases were made within that 

time frame.
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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 $174.12 NA

2013 $159.09 NA NA

2014 $159.09 NA NA

Additional information: Data are available for three surveys: the Fast Response Survey 

System (FRSS), the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), and the Trends in 

Mathematics and Science Study (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 Web 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 competed 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 target, and TIMSS met its 

2011 target. The cost of TIMSS decreased significantly from 2007 to 2011 because TIMSS was 

administered in conjunction with NAEP in 2011, which reduced recruitment costs.
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Regional educational laboratories

(Education Sciences Reform Act, section 174)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

Change

from 2012

$57,426 $57,4262 $57,426 0

_________________

1

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

program in FY 2014 through appropriations language.

2

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

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 
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standards and the peer review procedures is available on the IES Web site at: 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/peerreview/index.asp. 

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 

and highest 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 

(a) 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 (b) 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 as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009....................................................................................$67,569

2010......................................................................................70,650

2011......................................................................................57,535

2012......................................................................................57,426

2013......................................................................................57,4261

_________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $57.4 million in fiscal year 2014, the same as the 2012 level, for 

the Regional Educational Laboratories (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 and 

highest-quality research and proven practices into school improvement efforts. The requested 

funds would support the third year of activities under the 5-year contracts the Department 

awarded in December 2011.

The current REL contracts place almost equal emphasis on applied research and technical 

assistance. The RELs tailor technical assistance to the level of experience of the SEAs and 

LEAs with which they work. 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. Some of these alliances 

are newly developed, while others are groups of practitioners who have worked together over 

many years to improve education but only recently, through the REL program, have had an 

opportunity to bring data into their work in a sustained way. 

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) topics. RELs are 

required to collaborate with other Federal technical assistance entities, including 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 that 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 2012 2013 2014

Annual level of support for each REL:

Northeastern Region $6,448 $6,448 $6,448

Mid-Atlantic Region 5,890 5,890 5,890

Southeastern Region 6,944 6,944 6,944

Appalachian Region 5,084 5,084 5,084

Midwestern Region 8,122 8,122 8,122

Central Region 5,270 5,270 5,270

Southwestern Region1 7,254 7,254 7,254

Western Region 7,440 7,440 7,440

Northwestern Region 5,208 5,208 5,208

Pacific Basin Region 4,340 4,340 4,340

Total, Regional educational laboratories2 62,000 62,000 62,000 

Program activities:

Regional educational laboratory contracts $55,926 $54,926 $54,926

Independent review of REL plans and products3 1,500 2,500 2,500

Total 57,426 57,426 57,426

___________________________

1

 Due to a delay in the initiation of work in this region, funds are supporting work in the subsequent year. 2

 Since the appropriation for fiscal year 2011 was not enacted until April and 2010 funds remained unexpended 

in the previous REL contracts, the Department was able to support the extension of the previous contracts through 

December 2011 and carry over funds to pay for future REL work. This allowed the Department to maintain the level 

of effort for each region, and the amounts shown for each year reflect those amounts, and not the funding from each 

year’s appropriation. 3

 The independent review of REL plans and products, which was partially funded under Research, 

Development, and Dissemination in 2012, will be supported entirely by REL funding in 2013 and 2014.

NOTE: 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

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 has 

established common performance indicators for its technical assistance programs that will be 

used to measure the extent to which the REL products and services are of high quality, are 

relevant to the needs of practitioners and policymakers, and are being used by their target 

audiences to inform education policy and practice. IES has developed cross-REL indicators of 

success and productivity, and all RELs are expected to report on these measures. The RELs 

collect information on customer satisfaction that will gauge the extent to which the RELs are 

meeting the needs of the States, districts, and other stakeholders in their regions.
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The Department began an independent evaluation of the REL program in 2009. The evaluation 

is examining the quality, relevance, and utility of REL products. An interim report, scheduled for 

publication in the spring of 2013, will address the technical quality and relevance of the fast 

response reports produced by each of the RELs, the alignment of each REL’s work with the 

needs of its region, and the extent to which the RELs collaborated and coordinated technical 

assistance services with each other and with other technical assistance providers supported by 

the Department. The interim report’s findings will be based on interviews with REL directors 

and staff about their projects and activities and reviews of REL products by an outside panel of 

content and methodological experts.

A final report is scheduled to be completed in late 2013. This report will assess the technical 

quality of the applied research studies conducted by the RELs using expert panels similar to 

those conducting reviews of the fast response reports. The final report will also include an 

analysis of information collected through a survey of REL customers about their satisfaction with 

REL products and activities.
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Assessment

(National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 0 1

Budget Authority:

Program area 2012 2013 2014

Change

from 2012

National Assessment of Educational Progress $129,616 $129,616 $124,616 -$5,000

National Assessment Governing Board 8,690 8,690 7,690 -1,000

Total 138,306 138,3062 132,306 -6,000

_______________

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

FY 2014 through appropriations language. 2

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

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 grades 4, 8, and 12 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 grade 12 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 must be collected 
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and reported by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and limited-English 

proficiency. The NAEP schedule is publicly 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 supports 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.

• Grade 4 and 8 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. In 2002, the Department began paying for State 

participation in biennial reading and mathematics assessments in grades 4 and 8. Periodic 

assessments also are administered in science and writing.

• Grade 4 and 8 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, 
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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, 

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 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:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009..................................................................................$138,844

2010....................................................................................138,844

2011....................................................................................138,567

2012....................................................................................138,306

2013....................................................................................138,3061

_________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $132.3 million for Assessment in 2014, a decrease of $6 million 

from the 2012 amount. Of this amount, $124.6 million would provide support for the National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program and $7.7 million would support the 

National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). 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 
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year, meaning that costs are considerably higher in some years and lower in others. The 

Administration 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. The Department believes that the funds 

requested are sufficient to enable NAEP to fulfill its mission and continue to provide the critically 

important information needed on student achievement over time.

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 plans are to use the 2014 funds for:

• Analyzing and reporting data from the 2013 national and State reading and math 

assessments at grades 4, 8, and 12. State participation in 12th grade NAEP is voluntary;

11 States participated in 2009. In addition, the 2013 assessments will once again include 

data for certain large urban districts. In 2009, 18 urban districts participated; 21 participated 

in 2011 and have indicated a commitment to participate in 2013.

• Conducting the 2014 assessments. The current NAGB schedule includes assessments in 

U.S. history, civics, and geography, as well as a technology and engineering literacy 

assessment.

• Preparing for the 2015 assessments in reading, mathematics, and science, as well as a high 

school transcript study.

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.

Specific activities that would be supported with 2014 funds include work to determine the 

usefulness of NAEP for informing the national conversation about college and career readiness; 

NAGB activities related to initial releases of NAEP reports and outreach and dissemination 

services; and outreach activities with various constituencies such as policy officials, stakeholder 

groups, educators, media, parents, and business leaders. The purpose of the outreach is to 

promote wider understanding of NAEP and to obtain feedback from key NAEP audiences.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

NAEP $129,616 $129,616 $124,616

NAGB 8,690 8,690 7,690

Total, Assessment 138,306 138,3061 132,306

Number of full-time equivalent permanent

 personnel associated with NAGB 13 14 14

_________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

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 2014 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 

every other year. The figure for 2010 was 79 percent.

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. However, there were, on average each 

month:
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• 74,023 visits to the NAEP Web site, and

• 7,612 users of the NAEP Data Explorer data tool.

• These figures will be used to set baselines for future years.

• In addition, there were an average of 30,245 downloads of electronic versions of NAEP 

reports each month, exceeding the target of 11,702 set in 2008 and an increase from the 

25,324 downloads in 2011. 

In 2008, NCES also began reporting the number of times NAEP data are cited on the Web sites 

of 90 education associations and organizations. This measure provides an additional source of 

information on use of NAEP.

Goal: To collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the condition of education in 

the United States.

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

improvement.

Measure: Number of times NAEP data are cited on the Web sites of 90 education associations 

and organizations.

Year Target Actual

2009 41 17

2010 41 11

2011 41 NA

2012 41 23

2013 41

2014 41

Additional information: In 2008, NAEP data were cited on 41 of the 90 Web sites examined, 

but the number decreased substantially in subsequent years, then rose to 23 in 2012. (NCES 

has determined that the 2011 data were unreliable and is not reporting a figure for that year.) 

The Department has maintained the baseline as the target, but it appears that the 2008 figure 

was anomalous.

Efficiency Measures

In 2003, NCES added an indicator on timeliness for the Assessment program that measures 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 that 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.
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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, that are 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 (grades 4, 8, and 12 mathematics) and 2011 (grades 4, 8, and 12 reading and 

mathematics). In 2009, the reading assessment had new frameworks, and the results for the 

grades 4, 8, and 12 reading assessments were released to NAGB in 12 months.

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 grades 

4, 8, and 12 mathematics results were released in 6 months, and in 2011, both reading (grades 

4 and 8) and mathematics (grades 4 and 8) were released within 6 months. (There was no 

grade 12 assessment in 2011.) The 2009 State reading results, which had new frameworks, 

were released in 12 months.

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.

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 TUDA assessments in reading and mathematics, as well as selected other subjects, and 

represent a more-or-less 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 $79.68

2009 $79.68 $81.79

2011 $79.68 $90.54

2013 $79.68

Additional information: NCES established a baseline of $79.68 in 2007, and set the outyear 

targets at this level. NCES did not meet the target in 2009 or 2011. NCES, along with other 
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statistical agencies, is experiencing increased difficulty in obtaining acceptable response rates, 

and increasing the response rates is expensive, with agencies needing to conduct more followups 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 2014 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

 Change

from 2012

$49,905 $49,9052 $59,905 +$10,000

 1

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this 

program in FY 2014 through appropriations language. 2 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Research in Special Education program supports research in critical areas of need,

improving 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:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009.................................................................................. $70,585

2010.................................................................................... 71,085

2011.................................................................................... 50,983

2012.................................................................................... 49,905

2013.................................................................................... 49,9051

 1 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.
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FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $59.9 million for special education research in fiscal year 2014, 

$10 million above the 2012 level. 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 

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 Administration requests that funding be available for 2 years, as it has been in 

previous years. 

The 2014 request would support ongoing research and research training in special education 

through three grant programs: Special Education Research Grants, Research Training in 

Special Education, and Special Education Research and Development Centers, 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. In 2012, IES reviewed 59 more applications for these 

programs than in 2011, an increase of 17 percent with a similar increase in percentage of grants 

funded, while maintaining high standards for quality. IES estimates that approximately 

$5.2 million would be available to support new research activities in 2014. 

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. 

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 Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning 

Disabilities Research Initiative (A3 Initiative) will create a research network across a variety of 

disciplines designed to enable researchers to work collaboratively to address the problem. 

Awards for this initiative would be made in fiscal year 2013.

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.

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 
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research that may include several researchers working on separate studies that are designed to 

contribute to our understanding of a particular topic.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Research Activities:

Special Education Research Grants

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Number of new grant awards 45 TBD TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Average new grant award $541 TBD TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Total new grant awards $24,361 TBD TBD

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Total grant award continuations $14,870 $31,824 $34,1431

Special Education Research and Development Centers

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Number of new grant awards 2 TBD TBD

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Total new grant awards $3,635 TBD TBD

 esearch and D evelopment Centers: Total grant award continuations 0 $4,102 $6,3671

Research Training

Research Trai ning: Number of new grant awards 2 TBD TBD

Research Trai ning: Total new grant awards $337 TBD TBD

Research Trai ning: Total grant award continuations 0 $485 $6611

Subtotal, Research activities $43,203 $48,1812 $58,1283

Other activities:

Small Business Innovation Research $5,400 0 0

Logistics and Analytical Support/Other $52 $474 $527

Peer review of new award applications $1,250 $1,250 $1,250

Subtotal, Other activities $6,702 $1,724 $1,777 

Total, Research in special education $49,905 $49,905 $59,905 ___________________________

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. 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in 

P.L. 112-175. 1 Includes only 2014 continuation costs for grants awarded prior to 2013. Actual 2014 continuation costs will be 

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

$11,800 thousand available for new awards in 2013 across the programs of research. 2

 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 $11,800 thousand of the $48,200 thousand shown for research activities would be 

available for new research awards across the programs of research. 3

 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 

(including continuation awards for new grants awarded in 2013), IES estimates that approximately $5,200 thousand 

of the amount available for research activities ($58,100 thousand) 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 2013 

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

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 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 What Works 

Clearinghouse 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 What Works Clearinghouse 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 decision-makers 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.

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

2010 3 3

2011 6 4

2012 11 6

2013 13

2014 14
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Measure: The number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving 

school readiness outcomes for students with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2010 3 3

2011 7 4

2012 10 6

2013 12

2014 14

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

behavior outcomes for students with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2010 3 3

2011 5 5

2012 7 6

2013 9

2014 11

Additional information: For these measures, research specialists from the What Works 

Clearinghouse (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 these areas: 

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. Reported numbers are cumulative. IES met its 2010 

targets for reading, writing, or language and behavior outcomes and its 2011 target for behavior 

outcomes. IES did not meet its 2012 target for school readiness outcomes and for reading, 

writing, or language outcomes. However, since 2006, IES has awarded 43 grants for research 

on early intervention and early learning in special education and 24 grants and 1 research and 

development center in reading, writing, or language development and expects that, as more of 

these grants reach completion, the evidence base on school readiness and reading, writing, or 

language outcomes will expand more rapidly.
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Research in special education

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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

2014 50

Additional information: These data are reported by grantees administering research training 

program reports and confirmed by IES program officers. Targets were based on the 

postdoctoral research training grant program. In 2013, IES only invited applications for the early 

career research training program. Since the number of individuals trained may depend on the 

type of research training program supported, IES may adjust the targets for future years based 

on the outcome of the 2013 competition.

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

2014 41

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. The targets for 2012 and 2013 have been increased 

because the actual data for 2010 are higher than the previous targets.
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Statewide data systems

(Educational Technical Assistance Act, Section 208)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

Change 

from 2012

$38,077 $38,0772 $85,000 +$46,923

__________________

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

FY 2014 through appropriations language.

2

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

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 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. The Statewide longitudinal data systems developed with grant funds must be 

capable of meeting the reporting requirements of EDFacts, the Common Core of Data, and 

reporting requirements under the ESEA. States are encouraged to develop systems that can be 

used by State and local administrators to improve the quality of education. Grants are awarded 

competitively, based on the technical quality of the proposals.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) convened a team of experts to design the program 

and plan the 2005 competition so that it would accomplish the goals set out in the ETAA and in 

the conference report accompanying the 2005 appropriations bill. The conference report 

specified that Congress expected the Department to develop and implement the program so 

that it served the key goals of generating and using accurate and timely data to facilitate 

research needed to improve student achievement, eliminate achievement gaps, and comply 

with reporting requirements of the ESEA, as stated in section 208(c) of the Education Technical 
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Statewide data systems

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Assistance Act. IES awarded the first set of grants, to 14 States, in November 2005; the second 

competition was conducted in fiscal year 2007 and resulted in 13 new awards. The third 

competition made awards to 27 States in the spring of 2009. The American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) provided an additional $250.0 million for the 

program, which was used for 2010 grant awards to 20 States.

The 2012 awards were the fifth set of awards made under the program, with 21 States, the 

District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands receiving awards. To date, all States 

except Alabama, New Mexico, and Wyoming have won at least one award.

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 grade 12 (K-12) data systems; 

• The development and linking of early childhood data with the States’ K-12 data systems; or 

• 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 

developing and linking of early childhood and K-12 systems, and 14 grants to support linking 

postsecondary or workforce data with the K-12 systems.

The Department of Education Appropriations Act of 2008 authorized the program to use up to 

$5.0 million of its 2008 appropriation for State data coordinators and for awards to entities other 

than States to improve data coordination, as did the 2009 Appropriations Act. In addition, the 

2009 Appropriations Act authorized the use of funds for Statewide data systems that include 

postsecondary and workforce information. The 2010 Appropriations Act added inclusion of 

information on children of all ages as an authorized activity; this language continued in 2011. In 

2012, the appropriations language authorized the use of 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 information needed to support education reform, improve instruction, promote 

accountability, and make information available to parents and the public. States must develop 

the linkages with other agencies and States that are needed 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.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009..................................................................................... $65,000

Recovery Act........................................................................ 250,000

2010....................................................................................... 58,250

2011....................................................................................... 42,166

2012....................................................................................... 38,077

2013....................................................................................... 38,0771

_________________

1 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $85.0 million for Statewide data systems in fiscal year 2014, an 

increase of $46.9 million over the 2012 amount. The 2014 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 new grant awards, 

continuations of grants awarded in 2012, and activities designed to promote data coordination, 

quality, and use, with the increase supporting $36 million in new grants and a $10 million 

postsecondary data initiative.

At the 2014 request level, the following activities would be supported:

• Approximately $28 million would support continuation costs for the State awards made in 

2012.

• Approximately $36 million would support new grants to be made in 2014. The Department 

would once again establish priorities for the program aimed at using the data in the State’s 

system to support educational improvement, and anticipates targeting the funds to two 

areas:

 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. The requested funding 

would support a small number of States in developing these linkages and creating model 

practices that can help other States build their early childhood data capacity.

 State data usage. Grants would expand the ways that States are currently using data 

from 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. Unlocking the 

potential of longitudinal data requires overcoming several obstacles, including lack of 

capacity, lack of integrated policy and governance around data usage, and the need for 

high-quality software applications with intuitive interfaces that allow a broad range of 
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Statewide data systems

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stakeholders to access data. Data use grants will support the development of preschool through postsecondary education and workforce reports and tools to inform 

policy-making at the State and local level, and enhance capacity for States and localities 

to conduct research based on data in State systems. 

• Approximately $21 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.

 $10.0 million would support postsecondary data initiatives designed to improve 

information on students as they progress from high school to postsecondary education 

and the workforce. Funding will support projects to provide policymakers, school 

officials, and prospective students with actionable information on higher education, such 

as improved data on student aid and employment outcomes. Enhanced data could help 

assess the effectiveness of Federal education programs and initiatives, allow consumers 

and institutions to evaluate the costs and benefits of postsecondary education and 

training, and help measure progress towards the President’s 2020 goal for college 

completion.

 The Education Data Technical Assistance Program (EDTAP) would receive 

approximately $7.2 million 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 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 Common Education Data Standards project would receive approximately 

$2.0 million of statewide data systems money to 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.

 The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) would receive approximately 

$1.4 million to serve as a 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 

Web at http://www.ed.gov/ptac.

The Administration requests that funding for fiscal year 2014 be available for 2 years, as it has 

been in prior years. The Administration also requests language 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 inclusion of early childhood, 

postsecondary, and workforce information. This language is the same language included in the 

2012 appropriations act.
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The longitudinal data systems funded through this program support the Department’s goal of 

improving student achievement by ensuring data quality and promoting the generation and 

accurate and timely use of student achievement 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 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.

Examples of State activities funded in 2012 (see http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/stateinfo.asp) 

include the following:

• Delaware, which received its first grant in 2012, is using the funds to expand its data 

warehouse reporting and instructional improvement capabilities. The project leverages work 

completed by the State under Race to the Top by addressing data gaps and providing 

support to help users effectively and easily use educational information.

This project is designed to help teachers build their local assessments, present them on-line 

to their students, score them, and analyze the results for interpretation within the context of 

their own curriculum. Grant funds also will be used for training to improve and maintain data 

quality and to ensure proper interpretation and use of the data and reports. In addition to 

direct training activities, this project will create an on-going resource of materials for training 

and support. Finally, funds will be used to complete the migration of legacy repositories and 

reports to the current data warehouse.

• The Virgin Islands, which also received its first grant in 2012, is seeking to improve the 

educational and workforce outcomes of all its residents and plans to establish a set of 

integrated data systems that cover the span from birth to the workforce in order to better 

understand what programs and activities are related to improved outcomes. A goal is to 

improve student success by creating a culture of data use. Grant funds are being used to 

enhance existing early childhood data systems and link the early childhood data systems to 

K-12 data systems. These linked systems will allow education stakeholders to examine the 

relationship between participation in early childhood programs and later school 

achievement.

• North Dakota, which received its second grant in 2012, is using the 2012 grant funds to link 

postsecondary and workforce systems with K-12 data systems. One goal is to develop a 

comprehensive and coordinated feedback reporting system, enabling North Dakota
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Statewide data systems

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postsecondary education institutions to communicate with high schools regarding college 

readiness and college-level performance of their graduates. In addition, the State will 

establish postsecondary linkages to employment data and provide feedback on employment 

patterns and will expand the data portal to accommodate public and policymaker views of 

reports.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Statewide data systems development awards

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $32,424 $31,400 $28,379 

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants to be awarded in FY 2014 0 0 36,000

 Subtotal 32,424 31,400 64,379

Awards to improve data coordination, quality, and use 5,653 6,427 10,621

Postsecondary data initiatives 0 0 10,000

Peer review of new award applications 0 250 0

Total 38,077 38,077 85,000

Number of Grant Awards

Statewide data systems development awards

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants awarded in FY 2012 24 24 24

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants to be awarded in FY 2014 0 0 25

Range of Awards (Entire Grant Period) Low High

Statewide data systems development awards

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $3,034 $4,997

Statewi de data systems devel opment awards: Grants to be awarded in FY 2014 $3,000 $5,000

_________________

NOTE: 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

To evaluate the overall success of this program, the Department will determine at the end of 

each grant whether the State educational agency has in operation a Statewide longitudinal data 

system that meets certain requirements.

For grants awarded in fiscal years in 2006 through 2009, the goal was that 100 percent of 

States receiving grants under the program would have an operational Statewide longitudinal 

data system at the end of the grant period. All 14 of the 2006 grants have ended, and all 14 of 

the States were considered to have a functional K-12 longitudinal data system. For this review, 
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NCES considered a State to have a functional longitudinal data system if the system had the 

required system components as well as the required policy and implementation components 

identified in the grant application announcement. Applicants’ grant proposals addressed their 

plan to complete the requirements and their progress was closely monitored and verified by the 

program staff.

Grants awarded in fiscal year 2010 with funds provided under the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act will be judged based on the extent to which their State longitudinal data 

systems contain each of the 12 required data system elements contained in the COMPETES 

Act, as specified in their approved State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) plan. SFSF staff will 

collect information on progress during State monitoring visits, and the Department will compile 

the results for all States (those without SLDS grants as well as those with grants).

Under the original State Fiscal Stabilization Fund grant agreements, States were required to 

have all 12 COMPETES Act data system elements in place by September 30, 2011. This 

deadline proved to be problematic, and on January 31, 2012, the Department published a 

Federal Register notice that extended to December 31, 2013, upon submission of an 

approvable request by a State, the deadline for the development and implementation of a 

Statewide data system that includes the 12 COMPETES Act elements. Elements that States 

have found particularly challenging to implement include: (1) student-level transcript 

information, including data on courses completed and grades earned; (2) information regarding 

the extent to which students transition successfully from secondary school to postsecondary 

education, including whether students enroll in remedial coursework; and (3) other information 

needed to address alignment and adequate preparation for success in postsecondary 

education. To help States address these issues, the Department is providing technical 

assistance and has amended the regulations implementing the Family Educational Rights and 

Privacy Act (FERPA) to allow more effective use of data, while continuing to protect the privacy 

of education records.

For the grants awarded in fiscal year 2012, the Department is working on strategies for 

determining the extent to which all States have in place key features of longitudinal student data 

systems, including whether K-12 systems are linked to early childhood, postsecondary, and 

workforce systems; whether appropriate measures to ensure privacy are in place; and whether 

data are used for decision-making.
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Special education studies and evaluations

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 664)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014

Change

from 2012

$11,415 $11,4152 $11,415 0

__________________

1

 The GEPA extension expired on September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding in 

FY 2014 through appropriations language. 2

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

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.
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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.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009......................................................................................$9,460

2010......................................................................................11,460

2011......................................................................................11,437

2012......................................................................................11,415

2013......................................................................................11,4151

_________________

1

 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P. L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $11.4 million, the same as the 2012 level, to support studies, 

evaluations, and assessments related to the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA). 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.

Two studies would receive funding in 2014, an impact evaluation of school-wide positive 

behavioral supports and a study to design options for evaluating the implementation and 

effectiveness of the IDEA.

• Evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). 

Administrators and teachers need effective strategies to address problematic behaviors in 

order to improve classroom management and support effective academic instruction. PBlS

is 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. 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 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 randomized trial evaluation will be conducted in 120 elementary schools located in a 

purposive sample of 12 geographically diverse school districts. The study will select one or 

two promising PBIS strategies for implementation in the context of a randomized trial. Data 

collection and analyses will include information about fidelity of implementation, 

implementation challenges, and impacts on student behavior and achievement. District 
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inclusion in the study will be voluntary and based on interest in the PBIS strategies selected 

for study.

• Design Options for Evaluating the Implementation and Effectiveness of IDEA. The 

Department will use approximately $0.5 million to develop options for evaluating the 

implementation of IDEA and the effectiveness of programs and services supported by IDEA 

programs.

Additional Information on Studies Receiving Support in 2012 or 2013

A number of studies and activities will receive support from 2012 and 2013 funds, but will not 

require funding in 2014. These include the following:

• Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities. Since 1987, the Department has 

invested in several studies and evaluations of transition outcomes for students with 

disabilities, including the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) (1987-1993) and the 

National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (2001-2011), both of which tracked a cohort of 

secondary school students with disabilities and collected data on high school graduation and 

completion, postsecondary education, employment, social integration, arrest rates, and 

quality of life.

In 2010, IES awarded a 5-year contract to begin data collection for the Study of Transition 

Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/

evaluation/disabilities_ideatrans.asp). The study will rely on administrative records as well 

as new data on a sample of students with disabilities with Individualized Education 

Programs (IEPs) between 13 and 21 years old, which is a comparable population to the 

students in the original NLTS sample from 1987. The study also will collect data on a 

comparison group of students who do not have IEPs (but who may have Section 504 plans) 

and who are enrolled in the same school districts. The Department anticipates releasing an 

interim report by December 2014.

• Evaluation of Response to Intervention Practices for Elementary School Reading. 

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a “multi-tiered” approach to providing early and more 

intensive intervention and monitoring within the general education setting. RtI begins with 

research-based instruction and behavioral support provided to students in the general 

education classroom, followed by screening of all students to identify those who may need 

systematic progress monitoring, intervention, or support. Students who are not responding 

to the general education curriculum and instruction are provided with increasingly intense 

research-based interventions through a multi-tiered system. The students are monitored 

frequently to assess their progress and inform the choice of future interventions, which may 

include special education for students determined to have a disability. IDEA permits some 

Part B special education funds to be used for "coordinated early intervening services" such 

as RtI and also permits districts to use RtI to inform decisions regarding a child's eligibility 

for special education.

The evaluation of RtI strategies for elementary school reading 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/ disabilities_rti.asp) will examine: (1) the effects 

of providing intensive reading interventions on academic achievement of elementary school 
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children identified as being at risk for reading difficulties; (2) how academic outcomes, 

including reading achievement and special education identification, vary with elementary 

schools’ adoption of RtI practices for early grade reading; and (3) how RtI practices vary 

across schools. The study report is scheduled for release in late 2013.

• 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 will include 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.

• What Works Clearinghouse Reports. Program funds will be used to pay for special 

education activities in the What Works Clearinghouse contract, including producing 

intervention reports and practice guides.

• Study of Teacher Preparation Programs (Special Education Supplement). In fiscal year 

2011, as part of a larger effort to evaluate teacher preparation for all teachers funded by 

multiple program offices within the Department, IES awarded a contract for a study of 

promising teacher preparation programs. Funds from Special Education Studies and 

Evaluations are enabling IES to study the preparation that general education teachers 

receive in the area of special education as well as collect information on the preparation of 

special education teachers. The 2013 funds will support secondary analyses of data on 

special education teachers and students.

• Funds from the 2012 appropriation are being used to collect EDFacts data for IDEA studies 

and evaluations and to fund the collection of information relevant to special education in the 

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 2010-11.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Design Options for the Evaluation of School-wide 

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports $250 0 0

Evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavioral 

Interventions and Supports 0 $5,388 $10,915

Design Options for Evaluating the Implementation 

and Effectiveness of IDEA 0 0 500

Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities 7,075 1,027 0

Evaluation of Response to Intervention Practices for 

Elementary School Reading 3,137 0 0

Feasibility Study of Outcomes from Preschool 

Special Education 0 3,000 0

What Works Clearinghouse Reports 0 1,500 0

Study of Teacher Preparation Programs (Special 

Education Supplement) 0 500 0

Data Collection through EDFacts for IDEA Studies 

and Evaluations 602 0 0

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten, 

2010 351 0 0

Total, Special education studies and evaluations 11,415 11,415 11,415

_________________

NOTE: 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.