Department of Education

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request 

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ......................................................................................................... I-1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes........................................................................ I-4

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers .............................................................................. I-9

Summary of Changes ............................................................................................................ I-10

Authorizing Legislation........................................................................................................... I-11

Appropriations History............................................................................................................ I-12

Significant Items in FY 2020 Appropriations Reports.............................................................. I-13

Summary of Request ............................................................................................................. I-14

Activities

State grants

Grants to States ..........................................................................................................I-16

Preschool grants .........................................................................................................I-33

Grants for infants and families .....................................................................................I-42

National activities

State personnel development......................................................................................I-50

Technical assistance and dissemination......................................................................I-56

Personnel preparation .................................................................................................I-64

Parent information centers...........................................................................................I-72

Educational technology, media, and materials.............................................................I-80

Special Olympics education programs ..............................................................................I-88

State tables*

State tables reflecting final 2019 allocations and 2020 and 2021 estimates are posted on the 

Department’s webpage at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html

SPECIAL EDUCATION

I-1 

Appropriation s L angu age

For carrying out the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Special 

Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, [$13,885,228,000] $13,985,228,000, of which 

[$4,352,129,000] $4,452,129,000 shall become available on July 1, [2020] 2021, and shall 

remain available through September 30, [2021] 2022, and of which $9,283,383,00 shall become 

available on October 1, [2020] 2021, and shall remain available through September 30, [2021] 

2022, for academic year [2020-2021] 2021-2022:

1 Provided, That the amount for section 

611(b)(2) of the IDEA shall be equal to the lesser of the amount available for that activity during 

fiscal year [2019] 2020, increased by the amount of inflation as specified in section 619(d)(2)(B) 

of the IDEA, or the percent change in the funds appropriated under section 611(i) of the IDEA, 

but not less than the amount for that activity during fiscal year [2019] 2020:2 Provided further, 

That the Secretary shall, without regard to section 611(d) of the IDEA, distribute to all other 

States (as that term is defined in section 611(g)(2)), subject to the third proviso, any amount by 

which a State's allocation under section 611, from funds appropriated under this heading, is 

reduced under section 612(a)(18)(B), according to the following: 85 percent on the basis of the 

States' relative populations of children aged 3 through 21 who are of the same age as children 

with disabilities for whom the State ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education 

under this part, and 15 percent to States on the basis of the States' relative populations of those 

children who are living in poverty: 3 Provided further, That the Secretary may not distribute any 

funds under the previous proviso to any State whose reduction in allocation from funds 

appropriated under this heading made funds available for such a distribution:4 Provided further, 

That the States shall allocate such funds distributed under the second proviso to local 

educational agencies in accordance with section 611(f):5 Provided further, That the amount by 

which a State's allocation under section 611(d) of the IDEA is reduced under section 
I-2 

612(a)(18)(B) and the amounts distributed to States under the previous provisos in fiscal year 

2012 or any subsequent year shall not be considered in calculating the awards under section 

611(d) for fiscal year 2013 or for any subsequent fiscal years:6 Provided further, That, 

notwithstanding the provision in section 612(a)(18)(B) regarding the fiscal year in which a 

State's allocation under section 611(d) is reduced for failure to comply with the requirement of 

section 612(a)(18)(A), the Secretary may apply the reduction specified in section 612(a)(18)(B) 

over a period of consecutive fiscal years, not to exceed five, until the entire reduction is applied:7 

Provided further, That the Secretary may, in any fiscal year in which a State's allocation under 

section 611 is reduced in accordance with section 612(a)(18)(B), reduce the amount a State 

may reserve under section 611(e)(1) by an amount that bears the same relation to the 

maximum amount described in that paragraph as the reduction under section 612(a)(18)(B) 

bears to the total allocation the State would have received in that fiscal year under section 

611(d) in the absence of the reduction: 8 Provided further, That the Secretary shall either 

reduce the allocation of funds under section 611 for any fiscal year following the fiscal year for 

which the State fails to comply with the requirement of section 612(a)(18)(A) as authorized by 

section 612(a)(18)(B), or seek to recover funds under section 452 of the General Education 

Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1234a): 9 Provided further, That the funds reserved under 611(c) of 

the IDEA may be used to provide technical assistance to States to improve the capacity of the 

States to meet the data collection requirements of sections 616 and 618 and to administer and 

carry out other services and activities to improve data collection, coordination, quality, and use 

under parts B and C of the IDEA:10 Provided further, That the Secretary may use funds made 

available for the State Personnel Development Grants program under part D, subpart 1 of IDEA 

to evaluate program performance under such subpart:11 Provided further, That States may use 

funds reserved for other State-level activities under sections 611(e)(2) and 619(f) of the IDEA to 

make subgrants to local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, other public 
I-3 

agencies, and private non-profit organizations to carry out activities authorized by those 

sections: 12 Provided further, That notwithstanding section 643(e)(2)(A) of the IDEA, if 5 or fewer 

States apply for grants pursuant to section 643(e) of such Act, the Secretary shall provide a 

grant to each State in an amount equal to the maximum amount described in section 

643(e)(2)(B) of such Act: 13 Provided further, That if more than 5 States apply for grants 

pursuant to section 643(e) of the IDEA, the Secretary shall award funds to those States on the 

basis of the States' relative populations of infants and toddlers except that no such State shall 

receive a grant in excess of the amount described in section 643(e)(2)(B) of such Act. 14

(Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2020.)

NOTE

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

Provisions and Changes document which follows the appropriations language.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 ...[$13,885,228,000] $13985,228,000, of 

which [$4,352,129,000] $4,452,129,000 shall 

become available on July 1, [2020] 2021, and 

shall remain available through September 30, 

[2021] 2022, and of which $9,283,383,00

shall become available on October 1, [2020] 

2021, and shall remain available through 

September 30, [2021] 2022, for academic 

year [2020-2021] 2021-2022: 

This language provides for funds to be 

appropriated on a forward-funded basis for a 

portion of the Grants to States program, and 

all of the Preschool Grants, and Grants for 

Infants and Families programs. The 

language also provides that a portion of the 

Grants to States funds are for an advance 

appropriation that becomes available for 

obligation on October 1 of the fiscal year 

following the year of the appropriation. 

2 Provided, That the amount for section 

611(b)(2) of the IDEA shall be equal to the 

lesser of the amount available for that activity 

during fiscal year [2019] 2020, increased by 

the amount of inflation as specified in section 

619(d)(2)(B) of the IDEA, or the percent 

change in the funds appropriated under 

section 611(i) of the IDEA, but not less than 

the amount for that activity during fiscal year 

[2019] 2020: 

This language limits the amount of funds 

required to be transferred to the Department

of the Interior under the Grants to States 

program to the lesser of an amount equal to 

the amount transferred to the Department of 

the Interior in 2020 plus inflation or the 

percent change in the appropriation for the 

Grants to States program. This language 

also clarifies that in the event of a decrease 

or no change in the appropriation for the 

Grants to States program, the amount of 

funds required to be transferred to the 

Department of the Interior remains level with 

the amount they received under the fiscal 

year 2020 appropriation.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

I-5 

Language Provision Explanation

3 Provided further, That the Secretary shall, 

without regard to section 611(d) of the IDEA, 

distribute to all other States (as that term is 

defined in section 611(g)(2)), subject to the 

third proviso, any amount by which a State’s 

allocation under section 611, from funds 

appropriated under this heading, is reduced 

under section 612(a)(18)(B), according to the 

following: 85 percent on the basis of the 

States’ relative populations of children aged 

3 through 21 who are of the same age as 

children with disabilities for whom the State 

ensures the availability of a free appropriate 

public education under this part, and 15 

percent to States on the basis of the States’ 

relative populations of those children who are 

living in poverty:

This language authorizes the Department to 

reallocate funds that are reduced from a 

State’s award as a result of a failure to meet 

the maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA and 

requires that those funds be distributed to 

other States on the basis of their relative 

populations of children in the age ranges for 

which a State ensures a free appropriate 

public education and those children living in 

poverty. 

4Provided further, That the Secretary may 

not distribute any funds under the previous 

proviso to any State whose reduction in 

allocation from funds appropriated under this 

heading made funds available for such a 

distribution:

This language ensures that any State 

receiving a reduction in their section 611 

allocation as a result of not meeting the 

maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA 

does not receive funds redistributed as a 

result of another State’s failure to meet those 

same requirements.

5 Provided further, That the States shall 

allocate such funds distributed under the 

second proviso to local educational agencies 

in accordance with section 611(f):

This language requires States to distribute 

the funds received under the second proviso 

to local educational agencies without 

reserving a portion of those funds for Statelevel activities.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

I-6 

Language Provision Explanation

6 Provided further, That the amount by which 

a State’s allocation under section 611(d) of 

the IDEA is reduced under section 

612(a)(18)(B) and the amounts distributed to 

States under the previous provisos in fiscal 

year 2012 or any subsequent year shall not 

be considered in calculating the awards 

under section 611(d) for fiscal year 2013 or 

for any subsequent fiscal years:

This language allows the Department to 

calculate a State’s allocation under section 

611(d) in future years without regard to 

reductions in awards made as a result of a 

failure to meet the maintenance of State 

financial support requirements in section 612. 

This language mitigates the potential longterm impact of one-time reductions in 

awards.

7 Provided further, That, notwithstanding the 

provision in section 612(a)(18)(B) regarding 

the fiscal year in which a State's allocation 

under section 611(d) is reduced for failure to 

comply with the requirement of section 

612(a)(18)(A), the Secretary may apply the 

reduction specified in section 612(a)(18)(B) 

over a period of consecutive fiscal years, not 

to exceed five, until the entire reduction is 

applied:

This language permits the Secretary to 

spread out a reduction from a State’s award 

as a result of a failure to meet the 

maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA over 

a maximum of 5 years.

8 Provided further, That the Secretary may, in 

any fiscal year in which a State's allocation 

under section 611 is reduced in accordance 

with section 612(a)(18)(B), reduce the 

amount a State may reserve under section 

611(e)(1) by an amount that bears the same 

relation to the maximum amount described in 

that paragraph as the reduction under 

section 612(a)(18)(B) bears to the total 

allocation the State would have received in 

that fiscal year under section 611(d) in the 

absence of the reduction:

This language permits the Secretary to 

reduce the maximum State set-aside for 

State administration by the same percentage 

as the reduction in the State’s overall IDEA 

section 611 grant.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

I-7 

Language Provision Explanation

9 Provided further, That the Secretary shall 

either reduce the allocation of funds under 

section 611 for any fiscal year following the 

fiscal year for which the State fails to comply 

with the requirement of section 612(a)(18)(A) 

as authorized by section 612(a)(18)(B), or 

seek to recover funds under section 452 of 

the General Education Provisions Act (20 

U.S.C. 1234a):

This language permits the Secretary to: 

(1) seek to recover non-Federal (State) funds 

in the amount of the State’s failure to meet 

the maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 under the 

recovery of funds provision in section 452 of 

the General Education Provisions Act, or 

(2) reduce the State’s IDEA section 611 

grant. 

10Provided further, That the funds reserved 

under 611(c) of the IDEA may be used to 

provide technical assistance to States to 

improve the capacity of the States to meet 

the data collection requirements of sections 

616 and 618 and to administer and carry out 

other services and activities to improve data 

collection, coordination, quality, and use 

under parts B and C of the IDEA: 

This language authorizes the Department to 

use funds available under section 611(c) to 

provide technical assistance and support to 

States on a broad range of issues, including 

compliance with applicable privacy laws and 

appropriate coordination and linking of 

information within and across Federal, State 

and local data systems for the unique needs 

of students with disabilities and their families 

and the purposes of the IDEA programs and 

data collections.

11Provided further, That the Secretary may 

use funds made available for the State 

Personnel Development Grants program 

under part D, subpart 1 of IDEA to evaluate 

program performance under such subpart:

This language permits the Secretary to use 

funds appropriated for the State Personnel 

Development Grants program under Part D 

of the IDEA to evaluate program 

performance.

12 Provided further, That States may use 

funds reserved for other State-level activities 

under sections 611(e)(2) and 619(f) of the 

IDEA to make subgrants to local educational 

agencies, institutions of higher education, 

other public agencies, and private non-profit 

organizations to carry out activities 

authorized by those sections

This language permits States to subgrant 

funds that they reserve for “Other State-level 

activities” under the Grants to States and 

Preschool Grants to States programs.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

I-8 

Language Provision Explanation

13 Provided further, That notwithstanding 

section 643(e)(2)(A) of the IDEA, if 5 or fewer 

States apply for grants pursuant to section 

643(e) of such Act, the Secretary shall 

provide a grant to each State in an amount 

equal to the maximum amount described in 

section 643(e)(2)(B) of such Act:

In years in which five or fewer States apply 

for funding under the State Incentive Grants 

program under Part C of the IDEA, this 

language would allow the Department to 

provide all States that apply 20 percent of the 

funds reserved for the program.

14 Provided further, That if more than 5 

States apply for grants pursuant to section 

643(e) of the IDEA, the Secretary shall award 

funds to those States on the basis of the 

States' relative populations of infants and 

toddlers except that no such State shall 

receive a grant in excess of the amount 

described in section 643(e)(2)(B) of such Act.

In years in which more than five States apply 

for funding under the State Incentive Grants 

program under Part C of the IDEA, this 

language would allow the Department to 

ensure that all funds are allocated to eligible 

States on the relative basis of the number of 

infants and toddlers in each State.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2019 2020 2021

Discretionary:

Discretionary Appropriation ................................................... $13,468,728 $13,885,228 $13,985,228

Total, discretionary appropriation............ 13,468,728 13,885,228 13,985,228

Advance:

Advance for succeeding fiscal year................ -9,283,383 -9,283,383 -9.283,383

Advance from prior year................................. 9,283,383 9,283,383 +9,283,383

Total, budget authority ............................ 13,468,728 13,885,228 13,985,228
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2020 .................................................................................................... $13,885,228

2021 .................................................................................................... 13,985,228

Net change ................................................................................. +100,000

Increases: 2020

Change 

from base

Program: 

State grants: Grants to States $12,764,392 +$100,000

Net change +100,000
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2020

Authorized

Footnote

2020

footnote

2021

Authorizedfootnote

2021

Request

footnote

State Grants:

State grantsGrants to States (IDEA-B-611) .............................. Indefinite 1 $12,764,3922 Indefinite1 $12,864,3922 

State grantsPreschool grants (IDEA-B-619) ............................. Indefinite 394,120 Indefinite 394,120

State grantsGrants for infants and families (IDEA-C) ................ 0 3 477,000 03 477,000

National activities:

National activiti es State personnel development (IDEA-D-1) ............. 03 38,630 03 38,630

National activiti es Technical assistance and dissemination (IDEA-D2-663) ............................................................. 03 44,345 03 44,345

National activiti es Personnel preparation (IDEA-D-2-662) .................. 03 89,700 03 89,700

National activiti es Parent information centers (IDEA-D-3-671-673) .... 03 27,411 03 27,411

National activiti es Educational Technology, Media, and Materials

(IDEA-D-3-674) ..............................................

03 29,547 03 29,547

Special Olympics education programs (SOSEA 3(a)) Indefinite 20,083 Indefinite 20,083

Total definite authorization 0 0

Total annual appropriation..................................... 13,885,228 13,985,228

Portion of request subject to reauthorization ......... 706,633

1 Funding for technical assistance on State data collection is limited to $25,000 thousand adjusted for inflation. This amount is estimated to be $34,709 thousand 

for fiscal year 2020 and $35,497 thousand for fiscal year 2021. 2 Includes $10,000 thousand for technical assistance on State data collection in fiscal year 2020 and $15,000 thousand in fiscal year 2021. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in fiscal year 2021 through appropriations language.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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12

Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate

to Congress

House 

Allowance footnote

Senate 

Allowance footnote Appropriation

2012 $12,861,351 $13,757,844 1 $12,553,066 1 $12,640,709

(2012 Advance for 2013) (9,433,103) (8,592,383) (8,592,383) (9,283,383)

2013 12,687,307 12,640,709 2 12,770,709 2 11,982,364

2013 Advance for 2014 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2014 12,657,307 N/A3 12,803,387 12,497,300

2014 Advance for 2015 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2015 12,600,627 N/A 12,555,044 4 12,522,358

2015 Advance for 2016 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2016 12,822,358 13,024,510 

5 12,636,817 5 12,976,858

2016 Advance for 2017 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2017 13,066,858 13,406,5176 13,066,8586 13,001,315

2017 Advance for 2018 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,220,340)

2018 12,942,125 13,251,6917 13,066,8587 13,038,6817

2018 Advance for 2019 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2019 13,051,776 13,422,6518 13,493,6848 13,468,728

2019 Advance for 2020 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2020 13,451,145 14,523,544 13,473,2289 13,885,2289

2020 Advance for 2021 (10,124,103) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2021 13,985,228

2021 Advance for 2022 (9,283,383)

1 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill and the level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate 

Committee action only.

2 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. 3 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.

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

5 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2016 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and Senate Committee. 6 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 

appropriations bill. 7 The level for the House allowance reflects floor action on the Omnibus appropriations bill; the Senate allowance 

reflects Committee action on the regular annual 2018 appropriations bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141). 8 The levels for the House and Senate allowance reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2019 appropriations 

bill; the Appropriation reflects enactment of the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and 

Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245). 9 The Senate allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects the Further Consolidated 

Appropriation Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94).
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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13

Significant Items in FY 2020 Appropriations Reports

IDEA Grants to States

House: The Committee is aware that the Outlying Areas (OAs) and Freely Associated 

States (FAS) may experience significant challenges in funding the excess cost of 

educating students with disabilities. Therefore, the Committee directs the 

Department to explore how it could better support OA and FAS students with 

disabilities, including a consideration of how secretarial discretion is used to 

determine OA and FAS allocations. The Department shall update the Committee 

on its findings, along with data on OA and FAS allocations in the fiscal year 2021 

Congressional Justification.

Response: In fiscal year 2019, the Department increased the reservation for the OAs by 

$3.7 million, a 10.8 percent increase. The Department also reviewed population 

data and updated the relative share the OAs receive of the set-aside funding in 

accordance with their respective populations of individuals aged 3 through 21, as 

required by statute. The Department annually reviews allocations to determine 

whether additional funds should be reserved for the OAs and must balance the

funding needs of all States with the needs of the OAs. The estimated allocations 

for the OAs and FAS can be found in the State tables included in this account. 

The Department has not increased the allocations for the FAS. IDEA requires the 

Secretary to provide each FAS a grant in the amount that such FAS received for 

fiscal year 2003; therefore, the Secretary does not have discretion to increase 

funding for the FAS. 
I-14

Summary of Req Click here for accessible versiont

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2021 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET

(in thousands of dollars)

Cat 

Code

2019

Appropriation

2020

Appropriation

2021 President's 

Budget

2021 President's Budget Compared to 

2020 Appropriation

Amount Percent

1.

Subtotal 12,364,392 12,764,392 12,864,392 100,000 0.78%

(b)

(c)

Subtotal, State grants 13,225,512 13,635,512 13,735,512 100,000 0.73%

2.

Subtotal, National activities 225,633 229,633 229,633 0 0.00%

3.

Total, Appropriation D 13,468,728 13,885,228 13,985,228 100,000 0.72%

Total, Budget authority D 13,468,728 13,885,228 13,985,228 100,000 0.72%

Current 4,185,345 4,601,845 4,701,845 100,000 2.17%

Prior year's advance 9,283,383 9,283,383 9,283,383 0 0.00%

NOTES: D = discretionary program; M = mandatory program 

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

Special Education

State grants:

(a) Grants to States (IDEA B-611)

Annual appropriation D 3,081,009 3,481,009 3,581,009 100,000 2.87%

Advance for succeeding fiscal year D 9,283,383 9,283,383 9,283,383 0 0.00%

Preschool grants (IDEA B-619) D 391,120 394,120 394,120 0 0.00%

Grants for infants and families (IDEA C) D 470,000 477,000 477,000 0 0.00%

National activities (IDEA D):

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

State personnel development (subpart 1) D 38,630 38,630 38,630 0 0.00%

Technical assistance and dissemination (section 663) D 44,345 44,345 44,345 0 0.00%

Personnel preparation (section 662) D 87,200 89,700 89,700 0 0.00%

Parent information centers (sections 671-673) D 27,411 27,411 27,411 0 0.00%

Educational technology, media, and materials (section 674) D 28,047 29,547 29,547 0 0.00%

Special Olympics education programs (Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act) D 17,583 20,083 20,083 0 0.00%
SPECIAL EDUCATION 

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Summary of Request

The Administration is committed to ensuring that all children, including students with disabilities, 

have an equal opportunity to participate in a high quality education; are expected to perform to 

high levels; and to the maximum extent possible, are prepared to lead productive, independent 

lives. The fiscal year 2021 President’s request for Special Education of $13.9 billion is aimed at 

making this goal a reality by helping States and school districts improve results for children with 

disabilities. This request is an increase of $100 million from the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. 

The Administration requests $12.9 billion for the Grants to States program, an increase of 

$100 million from the fiscal year 2020 appropriation, to assist States and schools in covering the 

excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities 

ages 3 through 21. The request would provide an average of $1,739 for each of the 7.4 million 

children with disabilities who are estimated to be served in 2021. Under this request, the 

Federal contribution toward meeting the excess cost of special education and related services 

would be approximately 13 percent of the national average per pupil expenditures.

The request of $394.1 million for Preschool Grants would assist States and schools in

providing special education services to children ages 3 through 5. The request of $477.0 million 

for Grants for Infants and Families would provide assistance to States to help them implement 

statewide systems of early intervention services for children from birth through age 2. Both 

requests are level with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation.

The $229.6 million request for National Activities programs would maintain support at the 

fiscal year 2020 level for a variety of technical assistance, dissemination, training, and other 

activities to help States, local educational agencies, parents, and others in improving results for 

children with disabilities. The Administration’s request also maintains support for the Special 

Olympics Education Programs at the fiscal year 2020 level.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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State grants: Grants to States

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Section 611)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: Indefinite 1, 2

Budget Authority:

Budget Authority 2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

Annual appropriation $3,481,009 $3,581,009 +$100,000

Advance for succeeding fiscal year 9,283,383 9,283,383 0

Total 12,764,392 12,864,392 +100,000

1 Section 611(c) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act limits technical assistance activities to 

$25,000 thousand, increased by the amount of inflation from year to year. It is estimated that the maximum amount 

authorized for fiscal year 2021 would be $35,497 thousand. 2 Section 611(b)(2) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that from the funds appropriated for 

Grants to States, 1.226 percent shall be set aside for the Department of the Interior. It is estimated that the maximum 

amount authorized for fiscal year 2021 would be $157,717 thousand. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Grants to States program provides formula grants to assist the 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of the Interior, the Outlying Areas, and the Freely 

Associated States in meeting the excess costs of providing special education and related 

services to children with disabilities. In order to be eligible for funding, States must serve all 

children with disabilities between the ages of 3 through 21, except they are not required to serve 

children aged 3 through 5 or 18 through 21 if services are inconsistent with State law or practice 

or the order of any court. A State that does not provide a free appropriate public education 

(FAPE) to children with disabilities aged 3 through 5 cannot receive base payment funds 

attributable to this age group or any funds under the Preschool Grants program.

Funding Formula – Funds are allocated among States in accordance with a variety of factors, as 

outlined under section 611(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). First, 

each State is allocated an amount equal to the amount that it received for fiscal year 1999. If 

the total program appropriation increases over the prior year, 85 percent of the remaining funds 

are allocated based on the number of children in the general population in the age range for 

which the States guarantee FAPE to children with disabilities. Fifteen percent of the remaining 

funds are allocated based on the number of children living in poverty that are in the age range 

for which the States guarantee FAPE to children with disabilities. 

The IDEA also includes several maximum and minimum allocation requirements that are 

triggered when the amount available for distribution to States increases. The amount that any 

single State’s allocation may increase from one year to the next is capped at the amount the 

State received in the prior year multiplied by the sum of 1.5 percent and the percentage 

increase in the total amount appropriated for Part B of IDEA from the prior year. The maximum 

amount that any State may receive in any single fiscal year is calculated by multiplying the 
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number of children with disabilities ages of 3 through 21 served during the 2004-2005 academic 

year in that State by 40 percent of the annual per pupil expenditure, adjusted by the rate of 

annual change in the sum of 85 percent of the children aged 3 through 21 for whom that State 

ensures FAPE and 15 percent of the children living in poverty. Because there are multiple caps, 

in any single year, the “effective cap” on any single State’s allocation is the lowest cap for that 

State.

If the amount available for allocation to States remains the same from one year to the next, 

States receive the same level of funding as in the prior year. If the amount available for 

allocation to States decreases from the prior year, any amount available for allocation to States 

above the 1999 level is allocated based on the relative increases in funding that the States 

received between 1999 and the prior year. If there is a decrease below the amount allocated for 

1999, each State’s allocation is ratably reduced from the 1999 level.

States may reserve a portion of their funding for State-level activities, as described below. Any 

funds not reserved by the State must be passed through to local educational agencies (LEAs). 

These sub-State allocations are made in a fashion similar to that used to allocate funds among 

States when the amount available for allocation to States increases. LEAs receive a holdharmless allocation and the remaining funds are allocated on the basis of 85 percent population 

and 15 percent poverty.

State Administration – A State may reserve for State administration up to the greater of the 

maximum amount the State could reserve for State administration from fiscal year 2004 funds, 

or $800,000, increased by inflation as reflected by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban 

Consumers. For fiscal year 2021, the latter amount is estimated to be approximately 

$1.1 million.

Other State Activities – A State may also reserve funds for a variety of other State-level 

activities such as monitoring, enforcement, addressing personnel needs, and providing technical 

assistance to LEAs. One authorized activity involves allocating set-aside funds to support a risk 

pool, or high-cost fund, that is used to assist LEAs in meeting the costs of serving high-need, 

high-cost children. If a State opts to use State-level funds for a risk pool, it must use 10 percent 

of the funds it reserves for other State-level activities for this purpose. Federal funds set aside 

by a State must be distributed to LEAs or consortia of LEAs to address the needs of specific 

high-cost children.

Starting in 2007, the amount that a State may set aside for other State-level activities is based 

on a percentage of its total allocation for 2006, increased for inflation. The percentage is based 

on whether the State opts to use funds for a risk pool and the amount of funds that the State 

sets aside for administration. If the State opts to use funds for a risk pool and the State sets 

aside $850,000 or less for administration, the percentage is 10.5 percent. If the State opts to 

use funds for a risk pool and the State sets aside more than $850,000 for administration, the 

percentage is 10 percent. If the State opts not to use funds for a risk pool and the State sets 

aside $850,000 or less for administration, the percentage is 9.5 percent. If the State opts not to 

use funds for a risk pool and the State sets aside more than $850,000 for administration, the 

percentage is 9 percent.

Maintenance of Effort – The IDEA also requires each State to maintain its level of State financial 

support for special education and related services from one year to the next. This requirement 

is commonly referred to as the State maintenance of effort, or MOE. However, the IDEA allows 
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any State that provided 100 percent of the non-Federal costs of special education services in 

the 2003-2004 school year, or any subsequent year, to reduce its level of expenditures by up to 

50 percent of any increase in its allocation under the Grants to States program over the prior 

year. The Department may prohibit a State from exercising this authority if it is determined that 

a State is not adequately carrying out its responsibilities under the IDEA.

The IDEA also contains a local “maintenance of effort” requirement. Under this requirement, 

each LEA must maintain its total expenditures on special education from one year to the next. 

The standard for determining whether this MOE requirement has been met is that the LEA 

actually expends, in total or per capita, an equal or greater amount of local, or State and local, 

funds in each subsequent year. However, in any fiscal year that an LEA’s IDEA Part B subgrant 

allocation exceeds the amount that the LEA received in the previous fiscal year, the IDEA also 

permits certain LEAs to reduce the level of support otherwise required by this local maintenance 

of effort requirement by up to 50 percent of any increase in their Part B allocation. LEAs taking 

advantage of this flexibility must use any funds that otherwise would have been used for the 

education of children with disabilities to support activities that are authorized under the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended. Also, if a State 

educational agency (SEA) determines that an LEA is not meeting the requirements of Part B, 

including meeting targets in the State’s performance plan, the SEA must prohibit that LEA from 

reducing its level of support.

Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) – LEAs typically may use up to 15 percent of 

their allocation, less any amount used to reduce that LEA’s maintenance of effort level, for early 

intervening services. Early intervening services generally address the needs of students who 

require additional academic and behavioral supports to succeed but who are not identified as 

needing special education. If an SEA determines that an LEA has significant disproportionality 

on the basis of race in the identification of children as children with disabilities, in particular 

disability categories, in placement in particular educational settings, or in discipline, the SEA 

must require the LEA to use the full 15 percent for comprehensive coordinated early intervening 

services to address the factors contributing to the identified significant disproportionality. 

The IDEA requires awards to the Freely Associated States of the Pacific Basin (Palau, the 

Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) to be the same 

amounts that they received from the fiscal year 2003 appropriation.

The IDEA also authorizes the Department to set aside a portion of the Grants to States 

appropriation to provide technical assistance to improve the capacity of States to meet data 

collection requirements necessary for the implementation of the program.

IDEA requires that, from the funds appropriated for Grants to States, 1.226 percent be set aside 

for the Department of the Interior to meet the need for assistance for the education of children 

with disabilities on reservations aged 5 through 21, inclusive, enrolled in elementary and 

secondary schools for Indian children operated or funded by that Department. It is estimated 

that the maximum amount authorized for fiscal year 2021 would be approximately $158 million. 

Grants to States is a forward-funded program that includes advance appropriations. A portion 

of the funds becomes available for obligation on July 1 of the fiscal year in which they are 

appropriated and remains available for Federal obligation for 15 months. The remaining funds 

become available on October 1 of the following fiscal year and remain available for Federal 

obligation for 12 months, expiring at the same time as the forward-funded portion. For fiscal 
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year 2021, school districts will use both the forward- and advance-funded amounts primarily 

during the 2021-2022 school year.

Both forward-funded and advance funds remain available for obligation at State and local levels 

for an additional year. Hence, States and LEAs will have until September 30, 2023, to obligate 

their fiscal year 2021 awards.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016.............................................................. ......... $11,912,848

2017.............................................................. ...........11,939,805

2018.............................................................. ...........12,277,848

2019.............................................................. ...........12,364,392

2020.............................................................. ...........12,764,392

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $12.9 billion for Grants to States, $100 million 

more than the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. The request would represent the highest level of 

funding ever provided under the Grants to States program (excluding funding made available 

under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) and would support States and 

LEAs in providing special education and related services to the estimated 7.4 million students 

with disabilities nationwide in 2021.

The IDEA requires that States and school districts provide any child identified as having a 

disability covered by the Act with access to a free appropriate public education in the least 

restrictive environment. The Grants to States program is aimed at assisting States and districts 

in meeting this mandate.

The request would provide an average of $1,739 per child with a disability. This average is 

based on the assumption that the number of children aged 3 through 21 who will be served will 

continue to increase through 2021 to approximately 7.4 million. The Federal share toward 

offsetting the cost of special education and related services for children with disabilities would 

be approximately 13 percent of the national average per pupil expenditure (APPE) based on the 

anticipated growth of APPE in fiscal year 2021. In fiscal year 2019, the Department increased 

the set-aside for Outlying Areas by approximately 11 percent, which provided $2,982 per child 

with a disability served in the fall of 2018. We continue to explore other ways to further support 

the provision of high quality special education and related services to all students with 

disabilities in those jurisdictions.

From 1975, when the IDEA was enacted, through 2005, the rate of growth in the number of 

children with disabilities served outpaced the rate of growth in the general population aged 3 

through 21. In the 2004-2005 school year, the number of children served peaked at 6.8 million, 

and this number generally declined through the 2011-2012 school year to a low of 

6.5 million. Since that time, the number of children with disabilities served under the IDEA has 

generally increased, with an all-time high of 7.1 million children being served in the 2018-2019 

school year. In estimating future trends in the number of children served under the IDEA, the 

Department uses a rolling three-year average growth rate. Using this methodology, the 
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Department estimates that approximately 7.4 million children with disabilities will be served in 

fiscal year 2021. Additional data can be found in the IDEA Annual Report to Congress found 

here: https://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/index.html. 

One of the primary objectives of the Grants to States program is to improve the quality of the 

education provided to children with disabilities so that they can be educated in, and make 

progress in, the general education curriculum. This includes helping to ensure that eligible 

children have access to challenging grade-level academic content; meet the same rigorous 

standards that have been established for all children to help prepare them for college or 

careers; and are prepared to lead productive, independent adult lives to the maximum extent 

possible.

The request would assist all States in providing special education and related services for 

children with disabilities. In 2018, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 

(OSERS) released the “OSERS Rethink” framework designed to focus its work and to raise 

expectations and improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities. As part of the framework, 

OSERS is working in partnership with States to identify, prioritize, and implement evidencebased strategies intended to improve outcomes for children with disabilities, including efforts 

identified in State Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP). As part of the Department’s Results 

Driven Accountability framework, States submit SSIPs to the Department to evaluate their 

results for children with disabilities, their capacity to improve those results, and the steps 

necessary to improve State support systems and local service delivery systems.

The funds requested under the Grants to States program and the National Activities programs 

would help enhance Statewide technical assistance, professional development, or other 

coordinated activities across a broad range of service providers; build the evidence base for 

promising interventions; and ensure that LEAs and early childhood providers have additional 

resources to provide high quality, direct services to children with disabilities and their families.

All of the funds reserved for technical assistance activities under section 611(c) of the IDEA 

would be used to support the continuation of grants made in prior years. 

Fiscal Year 2021 Proposed Appropriations Language 

The Administration is proposing to continue appropriations language provided in previous years 

regarding State Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements, the technical assistance set-aside 

under section 616(i) of the IDEA, the allocation provided to the Department of the Interior, and 

providing States with greater flexibility to more efficiently distribute funds they reserve for Other 

State-level Activities.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019

footnote

2020

footnote

2021

footnote

Formula grants:

Formula grants to States $12,202,301 $12,610,773 $12,704,997

Formula grants to Outlying Areas $38,012 $38,012 $38,012

Grants to Freely Associated States $6,579 $6,579 $6,579

Department of the Interior $97,500 $99,028 $99,804

Subtotal, formula grants $12,344,392 $12,754,392 $12,849,392

Technical Assistance $20,0001

 $10,000 2 $15,000 3

Total program funding $12,364,392 $12,764,392 $12,864,392

Number of children with disabilities 

served ages 3 through 214 7,130,238 7,239,399 7,389,423

Average Federal share per child (whole 

dollars) 4 $1,731 $1,762 $1,739

Average per pupil expenditure (APPE) 

(whole dollars) 4 $12,989 $13,317 $13,525

Federal funding as a percentage of 

APPE 4 13% 13% 13%

1 The Department carried over $20,000 thousand of the remaining fiscal year 2019 multiyear appropriation into fiscal 

year 2020. 2 The Department plans to carry over $9,558 thousand of the remaining fiscal year 2020 multiyear appropriation into 

fiscal year 2021. 3 The Department plans to carry over $3,660 thousand of the remaining fiscal year 2021 multiyear appropriation into 

fiscal year 2022. 4 Estimate.
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Basis for Leaving Special Education for Youth with Disabilities Ages 14 and Older

Basis:

School 

Year

2015-2016

Percent

School 

Year

2015-2016

Number

School 

Year

2016-2017

Percent

School 

Year

2016-2017

Number

School 

Year

2017-2018

Percent

School 

Year

2017-2018

Number

Graduating with 

regular diploma 44.9% 269,246 45.7% 278,704 47.5% 300,447

Graduating through 

certification 7.1% 42,590 7.0% 42,682 6.4% 40,312

Transferred to 

regular education 9.3% 56,113 10.3% 62,465 9.5% 60,189

Dropped out, or 

moved but not 

known to have 

continued in 

education 11.2% 67,305 11.1% 67,753 10.4% 66,113

Moved, but known 

to have continued 

in education 26.5% 158,889 24.9% 151,589 25.2% 159,302

Reaching 

maximum age for 

services and 

other reasons 1.0% 6,284 1.0% 6,173 1.0% 6,383

Total 100.0% 600,427 100.0% 609,366 100.0% 632,746

Source: Annual data collection from States by OSERS and through the Education Data Exchange Network 

(EDEN)/EDFacts.

 

NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. 
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History of Children Served and Program Funding—FYs 1990 through 2021

Fiscal Year

Children Served 

(thousands)

Appropriation footnote (dollars in thousands)

Federal 

Share Per Child

(whole dollars)

Percentage 

of APPE

1990 4,419 1,542,610 349 8%

1991 4,567 1,854,186 406 9%

1992 4,727 1,976,095 418 8%

1993 4,896 2,052,728 419 8%

1994 5,101 2,149,686 421 8%

1995 5,467 2,322,915 425 8%

1996 5,629 2,323,837 413 7%

1997 5,806 3,107,522 535 9%

1998 5,978 3,807,700 636 11%

1999 6,133 4,310,700 701 11%

2000 6,274 4,989,685 793 12%

2001 6,381 6,339,685 991 14%

2002 6,483 7,528,533 1,159 15%

2003 6,611 8,874,398 1,340 17%

2004 6,723 10,068,106 1,495 18%

2005 6,820 10,589,746 1 1,558 18%

2006 6,814 10,582,961 1 1,551 18%

2007 6,796 10,782,961 1 1,584 17%

2008 6,718 10,947,511 1 1,609 17%

2009 6,599 22,805,211 1 3,453 33%

2010 6,614 11,505,211 1 1,736 16%

2011 6,558 11,465,960 1 1,745 16%

2012 6,543 11,577,855 1 1,766 16%

2013 6,574 10,974,866 1 1,674 15%

2014 6,593 11,472,848 1 1,743 16%

2015 6,697 11,497,848 1 1,715 15%

2016 6,814 11,812,848 1 1,745 15%

2017 6,808 12,002,848 1 1,760 15%

2018 6,904 12,277,848 1 1,775 14%

2019 7,130 12,364,392 1 1,731 13%

2020 7,239 2 12,764,392 1 1,762 2 13% 2

2021 7,389 2 12,864,392 1 1,739 2 13% 2

NOTE: The Federal share per child is calculated from IDEA Part B Grants to States funding, excluding amounts 

available for studies and evaluations or technical assistance, as applicable.

1 Includes $10,000 thousand for technical assistance activities in 2005, $15,000 thousand in 2006 through 2009 and 

2014, $25,000 thousand in 2010 through 2012, $23,693 thousand in 2013, $13,000 thousand in 2015, $20,000 

thousand in 2016, $21,400 thousand in 2017, $21,000 thousand in 2018, $20,000 thousand in 2019, $10,000 

thousand in 2020, and $15,000 thousand in 2021. 2 Estimate
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: Ensure all children with disabilities served under the IDEA have available to them 

a free appropriate public education to help them meet challenging standards and prepare 

them for independent living and postsecondary education and/or competitive 

employment by assisting State and local educational agencies and families. 

Objective: All children with disabilities will meet challenging standards as determined by 

national and State assessments with accommodations as appropriate.

National Assessment of Educational Progress Measures 

Measure: The percentage of fourth-grade students with disabilities scoring at or above Basic 

on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading.

Year Target Actual

2011 39% 32%

2013 40 31

2015 40 33

2017 40 32

2019 40 30

2021 40

Measure: The percentage of eighth-grade students with disabilities scoring at or above Basic 

on the NAEP in mathematics.

Year Target Actual

2011 37% 35%

2013 38 34

2015 38 32

2017 38 30

2019 38 32

2021 38

Additional information: As defined for purposes of NAEP, “students with disabilities” includes 

any student classified by a school as having a disability, including children who receive services 

under a Section 504 plan. 

Students with disabilities score well below other students on NAEP assessments. On the 2019 

fourth grade reading assessment, only 30 percent of students with disabilities scored at or 
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above Basic, while 72 percent of other students scored at or above Basic. On the 2019 math 

assessment, only 32 percent of eighth graders with disabilities scored at or above Basic, while 

75 percent of other eighth-grade students scored at or above Basic.

Elementary and Secondary Education Measures

Data on the following measures are collected annually through the Education Data Exchange 

Network (EDEN) and made available through EDFacts. Historical targets were based on a 

straight-line trajectory toward the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) goal to have 100 percent of 

students performing at proficient or advanced levels by 2014 (as reflected in the 2016 targets 

below). With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized ESEA, and 

the removal of the statutory requirement of 100 percent proficiency by 2014, the Department 

established new and ambitious targets beginning in 2020 based on actual performance reported 

by States. 

The first two measures focus on the achievement of students with disabilities on State reading 

and mathematics assessments. The next two measures focus on the achievement gaps 

between students with disabilities and other students based on those State assessments. The 

last measure focuses on graduation rates of students with IEPs. 

Measure: The percentage of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 scoring at the proficient or 

advanced levels on State reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2016 100% 21%

2017 Baseline 20

2018 Baseline

2019 Baseline

2020 35

2021 35

Measure: The percentage of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 scoring at the proficient or 

advanced levels on State mathematics assessments.

Year Target Actual

2016 100% 22%

2017 Baseline 20

2018 Baseline

2019 Baseline

2020 35

2021 35
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Measure: The difference between the percentage of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 

scoring at the proficient or advanced levels on State reading assessments and the percentage 

of all students in grades 3-8 scoring at the proficient or advanced levels on State reading 

assessments. 

Year Target Actual

2016 0 31

2017 Baseline 29

2018 Baseline

2019 Baseline

2020 20

2021 20

Measure: The difference between the percentage of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 

scoring at the proficient or advanced levels on State mathematics assessments and the 

percentage of all students in grades 3-8 scoring at the proficient or advanced levels on State 

mathematics assessments.

Year Target Actual

2016 0 28

2017 Baseline 27

2018 Baseline

2019 Baseline

2020 20

2021 20

Additional information: The performance of students with disabilities on State reading and 

mathematics assessments declined in the 2016-2017 academic year with only one in five such 

students scoring at the proficient or advanced levels. However, despite this decline in 

performance, the gap between students with disabilities and all students decreased year over 

year and was in line with historical trends on the measure. 

Measure: The percentage of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who 

graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma.

Year Target Actual

2016 66.0% 70.5%

2017 68.0 72.7

2018 70.0

2019 72.0

2020 72.0

2021 75.0

Additional information: Performance on this measure has improved consistently over the past 

10 years, with a total increase of 12.1 percentage points during that period. However, the 

graduation rate for students with IEPs still lags behind the 85 percent rate reported for all 

students in the 2016-2017 school year. 
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Postsecondary Outcomes

One of the purposes of the IDEA is to help prepare children with disabilities for further 

education, employment, and independent living. In 2011, the Department developed a measure 

on employment and postsecondary education. This measure tracks the median percentage of 

students who are no longer in secondary school who had individualized education programs 

(IEPs) in effect at the time they left school, and were: a) enrolled in higher education within 

1 year of leaving high school; b) enrolled in higher education or were competitively employed 

within 1 year of leaving high school; or, c) enrolled in higher education or in some other 

postsecondary education or training program, or were competitively employed or in some other 

form of employment within 1 year of leaving high school. Data for this measure is collected 

directly from the States on an annual basis. The Department believes that this is a critical 

measure for the program, since it is a reflection of the ultimate results of efforts to provide 

special education under the Grants to States program. 

Measure: The median percentage of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IEPs in 

effect at the time they left school, and were enrolled in higher education or in some other 

postsecondary education or training program; or competitively employed or in some other 

employment within 1 year of leaving high school.

Year Target Actual

2016 75.0% 77.6%

2017 76.0 77.2

2018 78.0

2019 80.0

2020 80.0

2021 80.0

Additional information: From 2016 to 2017, 34 States improved their performance on this 

measure.

Efficiency Measure

Measure: The average number of days between the completion of a site visit and the Office of 

Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) response to the State.

Year Target Actual

2016 Baseline 171

2017 Baseline 143

2018 Baseline 276

2019

2020

2021

Additional information: The Department did not conduct regular site visits to States from 

2011 through 2015. During that time, OSEP continued to meet its statutory monitoring 

responsibilities through the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) 

process, fiscal monitoring, and its work with State dispute resolution systems. In 2016, OSEP 
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began conducting site visits using a risk-based approach to monitoring. In 2018, OSEP 

conducted 11 site visits (7 Part B and 4 Part C). To date, OSEP has issued eight responses 

(5 Part B and 3 Part C) with an average response time of 276 days (337 days for Part B and 

175 days for Part C). The remaining three responses will be issued more than 90 days after the 

completion of the site visit. In that year, response times for all but one site visit exceeded the 

average from the prior year. Response times can vary depending on the complexity of issues 

identified in monitoring. In 2010, the average response time was 66 workdays. (Note that data 

reported for 2016 through 2018 reflect total days, not just workdays). The Department will 

establish targets for this measure after data for 2019 are available. 

Other Performance Information

IDEA National Assessment

Section 664 of the IDEA requires the Department to conduct a national assessment of activities 

carried out with Federal funds. To implement this requirement, funds requested for the Special 

Education Studies and Evaluation program in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) account 

were used to conduct an independent evaluation of the program. This evaluation addresses the 

extent to which States, districts, and schools are implementing the IDEA programs and services 

to promote a free appropriate public education for children with disabilities in the least restrictive 

environment possible and in partnership with parents. The National Assessment also 

addressed the effectiveness of the IDEA programs and services in promoting the developmental 

progress and academic achievement of children with disabilities. The National Assessment 

includes the following activities:

Analytic Support: A report published in January 2010, “Patterns in the Identification of and 

Outcomes for Children and Youth with Disabilities (Patterns)”1, provided a synthesis of existing 

evidence and new analyses of extant data sources to address research questions for the IDEA 

National Assessment, targeting three topic areas: (1) identification of children for early 

intervention and special education, (2) declassification of children for early intervention and 

special education services, and (3) developmental and academic outcomes for children with 

disabilities. 

From 1997 to 2005, the percent of children aged 6 to 17 served under IDEA increased from 

12.3 to 12.9. The percentage varies by race/ethnicity, with a low of 6.3 percent for Asian 

children served under IDEA up to a high of 16.7 percent for Black children. There is also 

variation by State, ranging from 9.9 percent up to 18.6 percent. From 1997 to 2005, the largest 

increases by disability type were in the areas of autism and developmental delay. Autism 

showed a 400 percent increase among children ages 10 to17 years, and developmental delay 

showed an almost 2,000 percent increase among children ages 3 to 9 years. The study cited 

research on declassification (Holt, McGrath, and Herring 2007) that showed almost 50 percent 

of children eligible in kindergarten were no longer eligible for services by third grade. Children 

with speech/language impairment are the most likely to be declassified within 2 years 

(34 percent). Declassified children had higher literacy and math outcomes than children who 

continued to receive services under IDEA.

The Patterns study found that children with disabilities were performing well on NAEP tests, but 

that they are still far behind their non-disabled peers. Children with disabilities also have a 

1 See http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104005/index.asp
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much larger range of performance on the NAEP exam than do children without disabilities. 

State assessment data point to a wide array of outcomes and standards for proficiency. In 

fourth grade math and reading, the percentage of children with disabilities who scored proficient 

or above on a State’s assessment ranged from just less than 10 percent up to 80 percent. 

Implementation Study: The final report for the IDEA National Assessment Implementation 

Study was published in July 2011. This study collected data from State agencies and school 

districts to address implementation questions for the IDEA National Assessment in four broad 

areas targeted for this study: (1) services to young children with disabilities; (2) identification of 

children and youth with disabilities; (3) efforts to promote positive developmental and 

educational outcomes for children and youth with disabilities; and (4) dispute resolution and 

mediation. 

The study specifically focused on implementation related to new or revised provisions from the 

2004 reauthorization of IDEA. One such provision, Coordinated Early Intervening Services 

(CEIS), allows districts to use up to 15 percent of their Part B funds to provide services to 

children not yet identified as in need of special education. Of the districts that implement CEIS, 

funds were used at the elementary school level in 93 percent of districts and focuses on literacy 

instruction in 84 percent of districts. The study found that the use of Response to Intervention 

(RtI) was also widespread and was being used in 71 percent of districts nationally. Similar to 

CEIS, RtI was most commonly used in elementary schools and in reading/language arts. 

However, only 41 percent of districts reported using IDEA funds for RtI, while 80 percent of 

districts reported using their own general funds.

The study looked at qualifications and distribution of “highly qualified” special education 

personnel. Almost 90 percent of special education teachers met their State’s definition of highly 

qualified, but States range from 56 percent to 100 percent. Districts reported difficultly finding 

qualified personnel for secondary schools, particularly those trained in math and working with 

students with emotional disturbances and with autism. The most common method districts used

to increase the qualifications of their staff, implemented by 64 percent of all districts and 

76 percent of districts facing routine shortages of quality applicants, was to provide professional 

development. No other approach was used by more than 25 percent of districts.

Finally, the study found that dispute resolution events were very infrequent, with 23 or fewer 

events for every 10,000 students served between 2004 and 2008. The number of due process 

hearing requests over that time was steady at about 21 requests per 10,000 students, but the 

frequency of due process hearings completed decreased from 3.36 hearings per 

10,000 students in 2004 to 1.61 hearings in 2008.

Impact Evaluation of Response to Intervention Strategies: Response to Intervention (RtI) is a 

multi-step approach to providing early and more intensive intervention and monitoring within the 

general education setting. In principle, 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 interventions through a "multi-tiered" 

system, and they are frequently monitored to assess their progress and inform the choice of 

future interventions, including possibly special education for students determined to have a 

disability. The IDEA permits some Part B special education funds to be used for "early 
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intervening services" such as RtI and also permits districts to use RtI to inform decisions 

regarding a child's eligibility for special education.

The RtI evaluation employed a quasi-experimental design to examine the natural variations in 

elementary school reading instruction, intervention, and support in schools that may already be 

implementing RtI in 13 States. We note that concerns have been raised in the field regarding 

the strength of the research design of this study, particularly its focus on students just below 

reading proficiency, and not those with moderate or significant needs.

The final report found that, for the 2011-12 school year, schools implementing three or more 

years of RtI approaches in reading provided more support to students reading below grade-level 

standards than those reading at or above grade-level standards. For those students reading 

just below the grade-level standards (as measured by a school-determined eligibility cut point 

on a screening test) in grade 1, RtI reading interventions did not improve reading outcomes, but 

actually produced negative impacts (e.g., lower scores compared to the initial screening test) for 

such students. For grades 2 and 3, the estimated effects on reading outcomes were not 

statistically significant. Researchers stated that some plausible factors that may be related to 

negative impacts of assignment to intervention on some grade 1 students include: (1) false or 

incorrect identification of students for intervention, (2) mismatch between reading intervention 

and the instructional needs of students near the cut point, and (3) poor alignment between 

reading intervention and core reading instruction. Overall, the study found that the estimated 

impacts of reading interventions on reading outcomes vary significantly across schools. It is 

also worth noting that this study focused on a very specific population in one subject area and 

did not assess whether RtI may be effective in improving student outcomes in other subjects 

areas and grade levels, or whether RtI elementary literacy interventions may be effective for 

students performing well below grade-level standards.

Other Studies: The Department sponsored the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 

and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) to provide nationally representative 

information about secondary-school-age youth who were receiving special education services in 

1985 and 2000, respectively. Data collection consisted of telephone interviews or mail surveys 

with youth or the youth’s parents if the youth were not able to respond themselves. The 

National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), in a September 2010 report, 

“Comparisons Across Time of the Outcomes of Youth With Disabilities up to 4 Years After High 

School”, compared the changes in outcomes among youth in the NLTS and NLTS2 who had 

been out of high school for up to 4 years. The report focused on changes in rates of 

postsecondary education, employment, engagement in either postsecondary education or 

employment, household circumstances and community integration. Researchers also 

compared outcomes of youth with disabilities to the general population and across subgroups 

including disability category, gender, race/ethnicity, household income, high school completion 

status, and length of time since leaving high school.

According to the NCSER report, youth with disabilities were more likely to have enrolled in 

postsecondary education within 4 years of leaving high school in 2005 than in 1990. Almost half 

(46 percent) of all youth with disabilities had spent some time in postsecondary education in 

2005. The rate of youth with disabilities who were currently enrolled in postsecondary education 

and/or employed was 86 percent in 2005, a 21 percentage-point increase over 1990. This 

increase is likely attributable to an increase in youth who were concurrently enrolled in 

postsecondary education and employed, given that rates of engagement in only one of these 
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activities did not change significantly over that period of time. The report also illustrated the 

connection between high school completion and postsecondary outcomes, as high school 

completers had significant and positive changes between 1990 and 2005 in a greater number of 

outcome measures than non-completers. Youth with disabilities from low-income households 

increased their postsecondary enrollment rate by 16 percentage points to 35 percent in 2005, 

but a significant enrollment gap remains between the highest and lowest income households. 

Similarly, in 2005, youth with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education at a rate well 

below the general population, specifically, 46 percent compared to 63 percent.

The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) is the third in a series examining 

the characteristics and school experiences of a nationally representative sample of youth with 

disabilities. NLTS 2012 focuses on students ages 13 to 21 (in December 2011) but also 

includes a small sample of students without disabilities and those on 504 plans to enable direct 

comparisons of students with and without individualized education programs (IEPs). The study 

collected baseline data in the spring of 2012 through the summer of 2013 on a nationwide 

sample of youth. The study is addressing such questions as:

• What are the personal, family, and school characteristics of youth with disabilities in public 

schools across the country? 

• What regular education, special education, transition planning, and other relevant services 

and accommodations do youth with disabilities receive? 

• How do the services and accommodations differ from those of youth not served under IDEA, 

including those identified for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act? 

• How do the services and accommodations for youth with disabilities vary with the 

characteristics of youth? 

• How much have the services and accommodations of youth with disabilities changed over 

time? 

Post-High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities: Helping students, particularly those with 

disabilities, to complete high school prepared to pursue postsecondary education or begin 

productive jobs is a national priority. IDEA emphasizes transition services focused on improving 

the academic and functional achievement of students with disabilities to facilitate their transition 

from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education and employment. The 

study, awarded in 2015, will address such questions as:

• To what extent do youth with disabilities who receive special education services under IDEA 

make progress through high school compared with other youth, including those identified for 

services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act? For students with disabilities, has high 

school course taking and completion rates changed over the past few decades?

• Are youth with disabilities achieving the post-high school outcomes envisioned by IDEA, and 

how do their college, training, and employment rates compare with those of other youth?

• How do these high school and postsecondary experiences and outcomes vary by student 

characteristics, including their disability category, age, sex, race/ethnicity, English Learner 
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status, income status, and type of high school attended (including regular public school, 

charter school, career/technical school, special education school, or other State or 

Federally-operated institution)?

This new study will utilize administrative records data to follow a sample of youth with disabilities 

beyond high school. The sample for this study will focus on the youth who participated in the 

baseline study of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012). The NLTS 

2012 sample included a group of over 12,000 students ages 13 to 21 (in December 2011), 

including a small sample of students without disabilities.

Study of School Accountability for Students with Disabilities: As part of the IDEA National 

Assessment, IES studied changes in student outcomes after schools adopted programs focused 

on improving academic outcomes for students with disabilities. The focus of the study was on 

comparing outcomes for students with disabilities in elementary and middle schools identified 

for improvement with corresponding outcomes in schools not identified for improvement but still 

accountable for the performance of students with disabilities (SWD).

An interim report was released in May 2012; an update with information through the 

2009−10 school year was released in October 2013; and a third report that provided the results 

of analysis of 2011 survey data on school practices in 12 States was released in February 2015 

and is available at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20154006/. The study found that, when surveyed 

in 2011, elementary schools accountable for the SWD subgroup were 15.8 percentage-points 

more likely than never-accountable elementary schools to report moving students with 

disabilities from self-contained settings to regular classrooms over the previous 5 years. Middle 

schools accountable for the SWD subgroup were 16.7 percentage-points more likely than 

never-accountable middle schools to report moving students with disabilities from self-contained 

settings to regular classrooms over the previous 5 years.
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State grants: Preschool grants

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Section 619)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$394,120 $394,120 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Preschool Grants program provides formula grants to States, the District of Columbia, and 

Puerto Rico for the provision of special education and related services for children with 

disabilities aged 3 through 5. In order to be eligible for these grants, States must serve all 

eligible children with disabilities aged 3 through 5 and have an approved application under 

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A State that does not make a 

free appropriate public education (FAPE) available to all children with disabilities aged 3

through 5 cannot receive funds under this program or funds attributable to this age range under 

the Grants to States program. Currently, all States have provided assurances to the 

Department that they are making FAPE available to all children aged 3 through 5 with 

disabilities.

At their discretion, States may include preschool-aged children who are experiencing 

developmental delays (as defined by the State and as measured by appropriate diagnostic 

instruments and procedures) and need special education and related services. If consistent 

with State policy, State and local educational agencies also may use funds received under this 

program to provide FAPE to 2-year olds with disabilities who will turn 3 during the school year.

IDEA requires that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated 

with children who are not disabled. Removal of children with disabilities from the regular 

educational environment is only warranted when the nature or severity of the disability of a child 

is such that education in regular classes, even with the use of supplementary aids and services, 

is not possible. However, States are not required to provide public preschool programs for the 

general population. For this reason, preschool-aged children with disabilities are served in a 

variety of settings, including public or private preschool programs, regular kindergarten, Head 

Start programs, and child care facilities.

Funding Formula

Funds are distributed to eligible entities through a formula based on general population and 

poverty. Each State is first allocated an amount equal to its fiscal year 1997 allocation. For any 

year in which the appropriation is greater than the prior year level, 85 percent of the funds 

above the fiscal year 1997 level are distributed based on each State’s relative percentage of the 

total number of children aged 3 through 5 in the general population. The other 15 percent are 
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distributed based on the relative percentage of children aged 3 through 5 in each State who are 

living in poverty. The formula provides several floors and ceilings regarding the amount a State 

can receive in any year. When appropriations increase, no State can receive less than it 

received in the prior year. In addition, every State must receive an increase equal to the higher 

of either: (1) the percent the appropriation grew above the prior year, minus 1.5 percent, or, 

(2) 90 percent of the percentage increase above the prior year. The formula also provides for a 

minimum increase in State allocations of one-third of 1 percent of the increase in the 

appropriation over the base year and places a ceiling on how much the allocation to a State 

may increase. Specifically, no State may be allocated an increase above the prior year greater 

than the percent of growth in the appropriation from the prior year plus 1.5 percent.

These provisions help ensure that every State receives a part of any increase, and that there 

are no radical shifts in resources among the States. States must distribute the bulk of their 

grant awards to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs).

This is a forward-funded program. Funds become available for obligation on July 1 of the fiscal 

year in which they are appropriated and remain available for 15 months, through September 30 

of the following year.

State-Level Activities

States may retain a portion of funds allocated to them in any given year for State-level activities. 

More specifically, the amount that may be used for State-level activities is capped at an amount 

equal to 25 percent of the amount they received under the program for fiscal year 1997 under 

the Preschool Grants program, adjusted upward by the lesser of the rate of increase in the 

State’s allocation or the rate of inflation. Likewise, the amount that may be used for 

administration is limited to 20 percent of the funds available to a State for State-level activities. 

These funds may also be used for the administration of the Grants for Infants and Families 

program (Part C).

State-level activities include: (1) support services, such as establishing and implementing a 

mediation process, which may benefit children with disabilities younger than 3 or older than 5, 

as long as those services also benefit children with disabilities aged 3 through 5; (2) direct 

services for children eligible under this program; (3) activities at the State and local level to meet 

the goals established by the State for the performance of children with disabilities in the State; 

and (4) a supplement for the development and implementation of a statewide coordinated 

services system designed to improve results for children and families, including children with 

disabilities and their families. This supplement cannot exceed 1 percent of the amount received 

by the State under this program for a fiscal year. The State may also use its set-aside funds to 

provide early intervention services. These services must include an educational component that 

promotes school readiness and incorporates pre-literacy, language, and numeracy skills. In 

addition, such services must be provided, in accordance with the Grants for Infants and Families 

program, to children who are eligible for services under the Preschool Grants program and who 

previously received services under Part C until such children enter or are eligible to enter 

kindergarten and, at a State’s discretion, may include continued service coordination or case 

management for families who received such services under Part C.
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Numbers of Children Served

The number of children served under this program increased from 773,595 in fall 2017 to 

815,010 in fall 2018. The increase is consistent with trends since 2009. The variations in the 

total number of children served make it difficult to forecast the number of children being served 

in future fiscal years. Therefore, the Department assumes that the number of children with 

disabilities aged 3 through 5 will remain at the 2018 level for fiscal years 2019 through 2021. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016.............................................................................. 368,238

2017.............................................................................. 368,238

2018.............................................................................. 381,120

2019.............................................................................. 391,120

2020.............................................................................. 394,120

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $394.1 million for the Preschool Grants 

program, the same as the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. The request would provide an 

average of $484 per eligible child, based on the assumption that the number of children ages 

3 through 5 who will be served will remain constant at the 2018 level of 815,010. These funds 

supplement funding available under the Grants to States program under IDEA, Part B for which 

the Department is requesting $12.9 billion in fiscal year 2021 to help States and local 

educational agencies serve children with disabilities ages 3 through 21.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Range in size of awards:

Smallest award $251 $257 $257

Average award $7,522 $7,579 $7,579

Largest award $39,238 $39,509 $39,509

Number of Children Served 815,010 815,010 815,010

Share per child (whole dollars) $480 $484 $484

NOTES: 

States may, at their discretion, provide free appropriate public education to 2-year olds who will turn 3 during the 

school year. However, the figures for the number of children served do not include children served by the States who 

are 2 years old at the time of the count, but will turn 3 during the school year.

The numbers of children served are estimates based on fall 2018. 
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History of Children Served and Program Funding

Fiscal Year

Children Served

(thousands)

Appropriation

(dollars in thousands)

Federal

Share per Child

(whole dollars)

1988 288 $201,054 $698

1989 322 247,000 767

1990 352 251,510 715

1991 367 292,766 7981

1992 398 320,000 804

1993 441 325,773 739

1994 479 339,257 709

1995 522 360,265 689

1996 549 360,409 656

1997 562 360,409 642

1998 572 373,985 654

1999 575 373,985 651

2000 589 390,000 662

2001 599 390,000 652

2002 617 390,000 632

2003 647 387,465 599

2004 680 387,699 571

2005 702 384,597 548

2006 704 380,751 546

2007 714 380,751 533

2008 710 374,099 527

2009 709 774,0992 1,092

2010 732 374,099 511

2011 738 3 373,351 508

2012 745 3 372,646 500

2013 749 3 353,238 472

2014 745 3 353,238 474

2015 753 3 353,238 469

2016 763 3 368,238 483

2017 760 3 368,238 485

2018 815 3 381,120 467

2019 815 3, 4 391,120 480

2020 815 3, 4 394,120 484

2021 815 3, 4 394,120 484

1 Beginning in fiscal year 1991, the IDEA required that services be made available to all eligible children with 

disabilities aged 3 through 5 as a condition for receiving funding for children in this age range under the Grants to 

States program.

2 These figures include funds provided under the Recovery Act in fiscal year 2009.

3 Beginning in fiscal year 2011, this table reports the number of children served by the 50 States, District of Columbia, 

and Puerto Rico. Prior fiscal years also include the number of children served in the Outlying Areas, Freely 

Associated States, and the Bureau of Indian Education, which are no longer eligible to receive Preschool Grant 

awards.

4 Estimate based on number of children served in fall 2018. 
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To help preschool children with disabilities enter school ready to succeed by 

assisting States in providing special education and related services.

Objective: Preschool children with disabilities will receive special education and related 

services that result in increased skills that enable them to succeed in school.

Measure: The percentage of children who entered the program below age expectations in 

positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships) who substantially increased their 

rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2016 84% 81%

2017 84 81

2018 84

2019 84

2020 85

2021 85

Measure: The percentage of children who entered the program below age expectations in 

acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early language/communication and early 

literacy) who substantially increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2016 84% 81%

2017 84 81

2018 84

2019 84

2020 85

2021 85

Measure: The percentage of children who entered the program below age expectations in the 

use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs who substantially increased their rate of 

growth by the time they exited the program.
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Year Target Actual

2016 84% 80%

2017 84 81

2018 84

2019 84

2020 84

2021 85

Additional information: Through their Annual Performance Reports (APRs), States report on 

the cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral development of children with disabilities served 

through the Preschool Grants program.

In 2017, States maintained or improved performance across all three domains: positive 

social/emotional skills, acquisition and use of knowledge, and the use of appropriate behavior. 

While performance on these metrics did not meet established targets in 2017, the Department 

believes that continued work on the part of States to improve service delivery for young children 

with disabilities, combined with improved data collection, analysis, and use, will lead to 

continued improvement over time.

Measure: The percentage of children with disabilities (ages 3 through 5) attending a regular 

early childhood program and receiving the majority of hours of special education and related 

services in the regular early childhood program.

Year Target Actual

2016 46% 51%

2017 46 51

2018 46

2019 50

2020 50

2021 50

Additional information: Overall performance on this measure has been stable for the past 

5 years.

Measure: The number of States with at least 90 percent of special education teachers of 

children with disabilities ages 3 to 5 who are fully certified in the areas in which they are 

teaching.

Year Target Actual

2016 47 41

2017 47 42

2018 47

2019 47

2020 47

2021 47

Additional information: Performance eon this measure has remained relatively stable over the 

past several years. This measure includes the 50 States, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Outlying Areas 

and the Bureau of Indian Education.
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Efficiency Measure

Measure: The average number of days between the completion of a site visit and the Office of 

Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) response to the State.

Year Target Actual

2016 Baseline 171

2017 Baseline 143

2018 276

2019

2020

Additional information: The Department did not conduct regular site visits to States from 

2011 through 2015. During that time, OSEP continued to meet its statutory monitoring 

responsibilities through the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) 

process, fiscal monitoring, and its work with State dispute resolution systems. In 2016, OSEP 

began conducting site visits using a risk-based approach to monitoring. In 2018, OSEP 

conducted 11 site visits (7 Part B and 4 Part C). To date, OSEP has issued 8 responses (5 Part 

B and 3 Part C) with an average response time of 276 days (337 days for Part B and 175 days 

for Part C). The remaining three responses will be issued more than 90 days after the 

completion of the site visit. In that year, response times for all but one site visit exceeded the 

average from the prior year. Response times can vary depending on the complexity of issues 

identified in monitoring. In 2010, the average response time was 66 workdays. (Note that data 

reported for 2016 through 2018 reflects total days, not just workdays). The Department will 

establish targets for this measure after data for 2019 are available, which is expected in spring 

2020.

Other Performance Information

Pre-Elementary Longitudinal Study (PEELS) (http://www.peels.org) 

In October 2010, the National Center for Special Education Research released the report, 

“Access to Educational and Community Activities for Young Children with Disabilities.” As 

reported in parent interviews, participation in community activities such as sports, organized 

clubs, art, and music varied significantly by type of disability and by household income. 

Children from households with annual incomes greater than $40,000 participated in sports with 

greater frequency than children from households with lower incomes. Children of parents who 

perceived their neighborhood to be unsafe or who reported that their transportation did not meet 

their families’ needs were significantly less likely to participate in extracurricular activities. 

Parents also reported on educational settings, and 69 percent said they sent their children to full 

day kindergarten. Children from high-wealth districts and those from suburban settings were 

less likely to attend full-day kindergarten than their peers.

In a survey of kindergarten teachers, 73 percent of teachers reported that the regular education 

classroom was the main setting for children receiving special education services. This inclusion 

rate was significantly higher in very large districts (91 percent) than districts of other sizes, and 

significantly higher in rural districts (86 percent) than in suburban or urban districts. Children in 

very low wealth districts were less likely to have regular classrooms as their main setting 
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(59 percent) compared to all other districts. On average, children spent 17.1 hours per week in 

regular classrooms and 7.1 hours in special education settings.

Teachers also reported on modifications and accommodations provided to children with 

disabilities. Overall, teachers reported using unmodified grade-level materials in 44 percent of 

cases, while 14 percent of children received specialized materials or curricula. There was no 

significant variation in these data across district size or wealth. The study also found that 

children who received special education services in a regular classroom were in classrooms in 

which, on average, 82 percent of students were nondisabled.

In August 2011, the latest report from this study was released, “A Longitudinal View of the

Receptive Vocabulary and Math Achievement of Young Children with Disabilities.” This report 

found that children who received preschool special education services showed growth each 

year in vocabulary and mathematics; however, growth slowed in both math and vocabulary as 

they got older. Children’s performance varied across assessments and across subgroups 

defined by disability. At age 3, children with a speech or language impairment had higher 

average scores than those with developmental delays. At age 10, the gap between these 

subgroups persisted, and there were no statistically significant differences in growth rates 

between subgroups.

Other Studies

The Department also is investing in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study program through the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (https://nces.ed.gov/ecls). This program 

involves two complementary cohort studies, a Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) and a Kindergarten Cohort 

(ECLS-K), that focus on children’s early school experiences. The ECLS-K has followed the 

kindergarten class of 1998-99 through eighth grade. The ECLS-K provides descriptive 

information on children’s status at entry to school and their transition into school, and their 

progression through middle school. The ECLS-B is designed to follow children from 9 months 

through kindergarten. It focuses on health, development, early care, and education during the 

formative years of children born in 2001. These studies also are providing data on outcomes 

experienced by children with disabilities participating in preschool programs and baseline data 

on outcomes experienced by nondisabled children.

OSEP, and subsequently the National Center on Special Education Research, have sponsored 

a special education questionnaire for teachers in the ECLS-K Study and the collection of more 

extensive data on children with disabilities and their programs, including the identification of, 

receipt of services for, and use of special equipment for a number of disabling conditions that 

may interfere with a sampled child’s ability to learn. 

Data from ECLS-K on demographic and school characteristics indicate that for the cohort of 

students beginning kindergarten in 1998, specific learning disabilities and speech or language 

impairments were the most prevalent primary disabilities. The percentage of the student cohort 

receiving special education grew from 4.1 percent in kindergarten to 11.9 percent of students in 

fifth grade. The results also indicate that higher percentages of boys than girls, and of poor 

students than non-poor students, received special education. About 12 percent of students 

receive special education in at least one of the grades: kindergarten, first, and third grade, 

including 16 percent of boys, 8 percent of girls, 18 percent of poor children, and 10 percent of 

non-poor children. One in three students who receive special education in early grades, first 
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receive special education in kindergarten. Half of those who begin special education in 

kindergarten are no longer receiving special education by third grade. In addition to students’ 

gender and poverty status, results are presented separately for other student and school 

characteristics, including race/ethnicity, school, urbanicity, region, and poverty concentration.
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State grants: Grants for infants and families 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$477,000 $477,000 0 

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021 

through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Grants for Infants and Families program (Part C) awards formula grants to the 50 States, 

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of the Interior, and Outlying Areas to 

assist them in implementing statewide systems of coordinated, comprehensive, 

multidisciplinary, interagency programs ensuring that appropriate early intervention services are 

made available to all eligible birth-through-2-year-olds with disabilities and their families, 

including Indian children and families who reside on reservations geographically located within a 

State. Infants and toddlers with disabilities are defined as children who: (1) are experiencing 

developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in 

one or more of the following five areas: cognitive development, physical development, 

communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; or (2) 

have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in 

developmental delay. Within statutory limits, States define “developmental delay” and have the 

discretion to provide services to infants and toddlers who are at risk of having substantial 

developmental delays if they do not receive appropriate early intervention services. 

Funds can be used to: (1) implement and maintain the statewide system described above; 

(2) fund direct early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their 

families that are not otherwise provided by other public or private sources; (3) expand and 

improve existing services; (4) provide a free appropriate public education, in accordance with 

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to children with disabilities from 

their third birthday to the beginning of the following school year; (5) continue to provide early 

intervention services to children with disabilities from their third birthday until such children enter 

or are eligible to enter kindergarten or elementary school; and (6) initiate, expand, or improve 

collaborative efforts related to identifying, evaluating, referring, and following up on at-risk 

infants and toddlers in States that do not provide direct services for these children.

The IDEA requires that early intervention services be provided, to the maximum extent 

appropriate, in natural environments. The natural environment includes the home and 

community settings where children would be participating if they did not have a disability. These 
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services can be provided in another setting only when early intervention cannot be achieved 

satisfactorily for the infant or toddler in a natural environment. Each child’s individualized family 

service plan (IFSP) must contain a statement of the natural environments in which early 

intervention services will be provided, including a justification of the extent, if any, to which the 

services will not be provided in a natural environment.

The statewide system also must comply with additional statutory requirements, including 

designating a lead agency responsibility for the coordination and administration of funds, and 

developing and maintaining a State Interagency Coordinating Council to advise and assist the 

lead agency. One of the purposes of the Part C program is to assist States in coordinating

payment for early intervention services from Federal, State, local, and private sources, including 

public and private insurance coverage. These sources include Medicaid, the State Children’s 

Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Security Income, and Early Head Start.

The IDEA gives States the discretion to extend eligibility for Part C services to children with 

disabilities who are eligible for services under section 619 and who previously received services 

under Part C, until such children enter or are eligible under State law to enter kindergarten or 

elementary school, as appropriate. The Act further stipulates that any Part C programs serving 

children aged 3 or older must provide both: (1) an educational component that promotes school 

readiness and incorporates pre-literacy, language, and numeracy skills; and (2) a written 

notification to parents of their rights regarding the continuation of services under Part C and 

eligibility for services under section 619.

Funding Formula

Allocations are based on the number of children in the general population aged birth through 

2 years in each State. The Department of Education (Department) uses data provided by the 

United States Census Bureau in making this calculation. No State can receive less than 

0.5 percent of the funds available to all States, or $500,000, whichever is greater. The Outlying 

Areas may receive not more than 1 percent of the funds appropriated. The Department of the 

Interior, Bureau of Indian Education, receives 1.25 percent of the aggregate of the amount

available to all States. Interior must pass through all the funds it receives to Indian tribes, tribal 

organizations, or consortia for the coordination of early intervention services on reservations 

with Interior schools. Tribes and tribal organizations can use the funds they receive to provide 

(1) help to States in identifying Indian infants and toddlers with disabilities, (2) parent training, 

and (3) early intervention services.

This is a forward-funded program. Funds become available for obligation on July 1 of the fiscal 

year in which they are appropriated and remain available for 15 months, through September 30 

of the following year.

State Incentive Grants

In any fiscal year in which the appropriation for Part C exceeds $460 million, the statute includes 

authority for the Department to reserve 15 percent of the amount above $460 million for a State 

Incentive Grants program. The purpose of this program is to provide funding to assist States 

that have elected to extend eligibility for Part C services to children with disabilities aged 3 years 

until entrance into kindergarten or elementary school, or for a portion of this period. No State 

can receive more than 20 percent of the amount available for State Incentive Grants in a fiscal 
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year. In fiscal years 2018 through 2020, the total of funds appropriated for Part C exceeded the 

$460 million level. For fiscal year 2019, the two States that opted to extend their provision of 

Part C services beyond age 3 received additional funds through this program and have until 

September 30, 2021 to expend these funds. The Department anticipates that at least two States 

will opt to extend the provision of Part C services in fiscal year 2021. 

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

Fiscal year (dollars in thousands)

2016.....................................................................................$458,556

2017.......................................................................................458,556

2018.......................................................................................470,000

2019.......................................................................................470,000

2020.......................................................................................477,000

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $477.0 million for the Grants for Infants and 

Families (Part C) program, the same as the fiscal year 2020 level. These funds would continue 

to support early intervention programs that provide services to infants and toddlers with 

disabilities. Such programs are also generally designed to mitigate the need for more extensive 

services in the future and ensure that infants and toddlers with disabilities receive the supports 

and services they need to prepare them to enter formal education.

These funds would also help States address the growing population of infants and toddlers that 

is likely to require early intervention services due to the rise in opioid addiction. A 2016 report 

from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 1999 to 2013, the number 

of babies born addicted to opioids increased by almost 300 percent in the 28 States included in 

the study, putting them at a higher risk for developmental delays or disabilities that affect 

educational outcomes and life opportunities

(https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/pdfs/mm6531a2.pdf). 

At the requested level, the median State award would be just under $6.3 million, with a 

minimum award of approximately $2.33 million and a maximum award of $55.5 million. These 

funds will help States maintain their systems for identifying infants and toddlers with disabilities, 

determining appropriate services, and facilitating coordination with other programs serving 

young children. The request also includes appropriations language first provided in fiscal year 

2020 that allowed the Department to maximize the amount of funds distributed for State 

Incentive Grants. Specifically, if five or fewer States apply for funding, the appropriations 

language would allow the Department to provide each State that applies 20 percent of the funds 

reserved for SIG grants.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Range in size of awards to States:1

Rang e in size of awar ds to States: Smallest State regular Part C award 2 $2,302 $2,333 $2,333

Rang e in size of awar ds to States: Average State regular Part C award $8,973 $9,116 $9,116

Rang e in size of awar ds to States: Largest State regular Part C award $54,983 $55,524 $55,524

Children served3 410,395 410,395 410,395

1 The calculations exclude funds for the Outlying Areas and the Department of the Interior.

2 IDEA, section 643(c)(2) provides for a minimum allocation to States of the greater of $500,000 or 1⁄2 of 1 percent of 

the amount available to States after the reservations for the Outlying Areas and the Bureau of Indian Education are 

excluded.

3 Estimates based on the FY 2018 child count. The most recent year of data available.

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 Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To enhance the development of infants and toddlers (birth to three) with disabilities 

and support families in meeting the special needs of their child.

Objective: The functional development of infants and toddlers will be enhanced by early 

intervention services.

Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships) who substantially 

increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2016 70% 65%

2017 70 66

2018 70 66

2019 70

2020 70

2021 70
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Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early 

language/communication and early literacy) who substantially increased their rate of growth by 

the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2016 76 71

2017 76 72

2018 76 71

2019 76

2020 76

2021 76

Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in the use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs who substantially 

increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2016 77 72

2017 77 74

2018 77 74

2019 77

2020 77

2021 77

Additional information: Data are from the States’ Annual Performance Reports (APRs).Two 

States have current approval from the Department to collect data for a representative sample of 

the children they serve through the Part C program; all other States report data on all children 

served. Success on these outcomes is based on a Likert scale that examines functional 

progress of children with disabilities.

Objective: All infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families will receive early 

intervention services in natural environments that meet their individual needs.

Measure: The number of States that serve at least 1 percent of infants in the general population 

under age 1 through Part C.

Year Target Actual

2016 32 34

2017 32 37

2018 34 34

2019 36

2020 37

2021 37

Additional information: For a number of years, only 24 or 25 States served at least 1 percent 

of infants in the general population under the age of 1. The program made progress from 2012 

through 2017, exceeding its targets. The 1 percent threshold for this measure is based on data 

collected by the U.S. Census bureau on prevalence rates for 5 conditions: 0.4 percent - severe 
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mental retardation1

; 0.2 percent - hearing impairment; 0.1 percent - visual impairment; 

0.2 percent - physical conditions (spina bifida, cerebral palsy, etc.); and 0.1 percent - autism. 

State lead agencies responsible for the implementation of these programs report data annually 

to the Department through their APRs on the numbers of infants and toddlers with disabilities 

served under the Grants for Infants and Families program. Through its monitoring and technical 

assistance efforts, the Department is working with States to ensure that they are appropriately 

identifying and serving all eligible infants with disabilities and expects the number of States to 

increase further as a result.

Measure: The number of States that serve at least 2 percent of infants and toddlers in the 

general population, birth through age 2, through Part C.

Year Target Actual

2016 46 47

2017 46 48

2018 47 48

2019 47

2020 48

2021 49

Additional information: Data are from the APRs. 

Measure: The percentage of children receiving age-appropriate early intervention services in 

the home or in programs designed for typically developing peers.

Year Target Actual

2016 95% 97%

2017 95 97

2018 95 97

2019 95

2020 95

2021 95

Additional information: State lead agencies report annually to the Department on the settings 

in which children receive services provided under the Part C program. Current performance 

represents a significant improvement since 2001, when States reported that only 76 percent of 

children receiving early intervention services through the Part C program were served in the 

home or in programs designed for typically developing peers.

1 Consistent with P.L. 111-256, the Department uses the term “intellectual disabilities” instead of “mental retardation,” 

but we have retained the term here to permit verification of the data that were used to set the threshold.
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Efficiency Measures

Measure: The average number of days between the completion of a site visit and the Office of 

Special Education Programs’ (OSEP) response to the State. 

Year Target Actual

2016 Baseline 171

2017 Baseline 143

2018 Baseline 276

2019 Baseline

2020 Baseline

2021 Baseline

Additional information: The Department did not conduct regular site visits to States from 

2011 through 2015. During that time, OSEP continued to meet its statutory monitoring 

responsibilities through the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) 

process, fiscal monitoring, and its work with State dispute resolution systems. In 2016, OSEP 

began conducting site visits using a risk-based approach to monitoring. In 2018, OSEP 

conducted 11 site visits (7 Part B and 4 Part C). To date, OSEP has issued eight responses (5 

Part B and 3 Part C) with an average response time of 276 days (337 days for Part B and 175 

days for Part C). The remaining three responses will be issued more than 90 days after the 

completion of the site visit. In that year, response times for all but one site visit exceeded the 

average from the prior year. Response times can vary depending on the complexity of issues 

identified in monitoring. In 2010, the average response time was 66 workdays. (Note that data 

reported for 2016 through 2018 reflects total days, not just workdays). The Department will 

establish targets for this measure after data for 2019 are available, which is expected in spring 

2020.

Other Performance Information

Through the “Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort” (ECLS-B), the National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) collected longitudinal data on a nationally representative sample 

of 14,000 children from their birth in 2001 through their entry into kindergarten. Approximately 

75 percent of the sample entered kindergarten in fall 2006, with the remaining 25 percent 

entering in the following year. The ECLS-B provides data on the early development of these 

children, their preparation for school, and key transitions experienced by these children during 

the early childhood years. The study includes detailed data on the physical, cognitive, social, 

and emotional development of these children. More information is available on the NCES Web 

site at: http://nces.ed.gov/ECLS/birth.asp. 

In July 2011, IES published the final report for the “IDEA National Assessment Implementation 

Study.” This congressionally mandated study provides a national picture of State agency 

implementation of early intervention programs for infants and toddlers under Part C of IDEA, as 

well as both State and school district implementation of special education programs for 

preschool- and school-age children under Part B of IDEA.

The study was based on surveys of State agency directors and a nationally representative 

sample of district special education directors conducted in 2009. Key findings relating to the Part 

C program include:
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• Referral and identification—The most common outreach activity reported by States was the 

development and/or dissemination of written materials for pediatricians and other health 

care providers, followed by Web-based dissemination and outreach to childcare providers. 

States reported family members and primary healthcare providers as the most frequent 

sources of referral to the Part C program.

• Coordination and transition between IDEA programs—At the time the surveys were 

conducted, States reported supporting the transition of young children with disabilities from 

the Part C program to preschool services under section 619 of Part B, but no States 

reported expanding Part C services to serve eligible children with disabilities until they enter 

kindergarten. Forty-six States reported having different coordinators for the Part C and 

Preschool programs, but 67 percent of Part C coordinators reported meeting at least 

monthly with the coordinator for the Preschool program.

• Financing—For the 37 States that provided this information, the average percentage of early 

intervention services funding that came from the Part C program in fiscal year 2009 was 

21 percent. Twenty-three States indicated that State early intervention services funding 

represented the largest source of funding for early intervention services for infants and 

toddlers with disabilities. The largest sources of funding in other States were: Part C 

(8 States), Medicaid/Title XIX (8 States), local municipality or county funds (4 States), and 

Part B (1 State).

The final report for the “IDEA National Assessment Implementation Study” is available on the 

IES website at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114026/index.asp.
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National activities: State personnel development

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 1) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$38,630 $38,630 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021 

through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The State Personnel Development (SPD) program makes competitive awards to help State 

educational agencies (SEAs) reform and improve their systems for personnel preparation and 

professional development of individuals providing early intervention, educational, and transition 

services to improve results for children with disabilities.

The SPD program focuses on professional development needs and each State grantee must 

spend at least 90 percent of its funds on professional development activities, including the

recruitment and retention of qualified special education teachers. The remaining 10 percent of 

the State’s funds is available for State-level activities, such as reforming special education and 

regular education teacher certification (including recertification) or licensing requirements and 

carrying out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes for State certification 

of special education teachers.

Awards are based on State personnel development plans that identify and address State and 

local needs for the preparation and professional development of personnel who serve infants, 

toddlers, preschoolers, or children with disabilities, as well as individuals who provide direct 

supplementary aids and services to children with disabilities. Plans must be designed to enable 

the State to meet the personnel requirements in Parts B and C (section 612(a)(14)) and 

section 635(a)(8) and (9)) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These plans 

must also be integrated and aligned, to the maximum extent possible, with State plans and 

activities under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Awards are made for periods of 1 to 5 years with minimum awards to States of not less than 

$500,000 and not less than $80,000 for Outlying Areas. The maximum award that can be made 

to States is $4 million per fiscal year. Factors used to determine the amount of each 

competitive award are: the amount of funds available; the relative population of the State or 

Outlying Area; the types of activities proposed; alignment of proposed activities with the State’s 

personnel standards; alignment of proposed activities with the State’s consolidated ESEA Title I 

and Title II plans; and as appropriate, the use of evidence-based programs and research. 
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National activities: State personnel development

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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016.............................................................. ..................41,630

2017.............................................................. ..................38,630

2018.............................................................. ..................38,630

2019.............................................................. ..................38,630

2020.............................................................. ..................38,630

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $38.6 million for the State Personnel 

Development (SPD) grants program, the same as the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. This 

request would support approximately $6.6 million in new awards and $32 million in continuation 

awards. The request includes appropriations language that would provide authority to use SPD 

funds under section 655 of IDEA to carry out evaluation activities, including support for 

improved grantee evaluations. SPD is the only program within Part D of IDEA that does not 

have statutory authority to use funds to evaluate program performance. 

Personnel shortages and inadequately trained teachers in special education are among the 

most pressing and chronic problems facing the field.1 SPD projects assist in addressing critical 

State and local needs to improve personnel preparation, induction to the local educational 

agency (LEA), and ongoing professional development identified in the State’s Personnel 

Development Plan. Projects provide personnel with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs 

and improve the performance and achievement of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children 

with disabilities and to meet the State’s performance goals established in accordance with 

section 612(a)(15) of the IDEA. Support for special education personnel preparation activities is 

also provided through the Personnel Preparation program, under which the Department makes 

competitive awards—primarily to institutions of higher education—to help States train and 

employ adequate numbers of fully certified personnel to serve children with disabilities. 

SPD activities are intended to support statewide strategies to prepare, recruit, and retain 

teachers who are qualified under IDEA. Qualified teachers generally: (1) meet the applicable 

State certification and licensure requirements (including any requirements for certification 

obtained through alternative routes); (2) are prepared to deliver instruction supported by 

evidence; and (3) are effective in improving outcomes for children with disabilities. States must 

collaborate and seek the input of teachers, principals, parents, administrators, 

paraprofessionals, and other school personnel when developing SPD activities.

Research shows that effective teaching is integral to improving the academic achievement of 

students who are at greatest risk of not meeting high academic standards; for this reason, SPD 

funds are used to provide training in effective interventions. Examples include positive 

behavioral interventions and supports to improve student behavior in the classroom, evidence

based reading instruction, early and appropriate interventions to identify and help children with 

disabilities, effective instruction for children with low incidence disabilities, and strategies for 

1 Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 

August 2016: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf
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successful transitioning to postsecondary opportunities. Funds also assist States in utilizing 

classroom-based techniques to assist children prior to referral for special education.

Personnel Recruitment and Retention

In addition to effective interventions, the SPD program supports States in developing and 

implementing effective strategies for the recruitment and retention of qualified special education 

teachers, such as teacher mentoring provided by exemplary special education teachers, 

principals, or superintendents; induction and support for special education teachers during their 

first 3 years of employment as teachers; and providing incentives, including financial incentives, 

to retain special education teachers who have a track record of success in helping students with 

disabilities. 

The following examples illustrate how SPD funds are improving the knowledge and skills of 

teachers serving children with disabilities: 

• The Alabama SPD’s efforts to support academics and behavior led to a decrease in the gap 

between students with disabilities and students without disabilities. SPD schools reduced 

the gap from 42 percent to 29 percent for reading proficiency and from 44 percent to 22

percent in math proficiency.

• Iowa teachers receiving SPD professional development improved their use of specially 

designed instruction (SDI), which in turn produced significant improvements in literacy 

outcomes for students with disabilities. SPD-supported schools saw an 8-point gain in the 

percentage of students meeting benchmarks in reading over the 3-year period (from 18

percent to 26 percent) and a corresponding 11-point decline in the percentage of students 

who were at significant risk (62 percent to 53 percent).

• The Kansas SPD supported the e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS) program, which 

provides ongoing, online mentoring to teachers beginning careers in special education. This 

project represents a partnership between the Kansas State Department of Education and 

the Kansas Education Employment Board at the Southeast Kansas Education Service 

Center. Mentors, who are experienced educators in Kansas and nationwide, undergo a 

rigorous training process to ensure mentees receive quality mentorship. Ninety-five percent 

of the SPD mentees from 2012-2017 are still working as teachers. Seventy-six percent of 

that 95% are still working as special educators.

• The Minnesota SPD supports implementation of Check and Connect, a model to promote 

student engagement in school, reduce dropout rates and increase school completion. The 

schools implementing Check and Connect increased the graduation rates of African 

American and Native American high school students by 21 percent in one year, from 

55 percent in 2018 to 76 percent in 2019.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019

footnotes

2020te2021

tnote

Project funding:

New 0 $11,728 $6,858

Continuation SPD awards $38,5771 $38,577 $31,987

Performance evaluation $53 $53 $53

Peer review of new award 

applications

 0 $5 $5

Total funding $38,630 $38,630 $38,630

Average award $1,171 $1,102 $1,102

Number of awards:

New 0 11 6

Continuation 33 24 29 

Total awards 33 35 35

1 The fiscal year 2019 continuation awards total includes approximately $2,816 thousand in fiscal year 2019 funds for 

support of fiscal year 2020 continuation costs.

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 Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To assist State educational agencies in reforming and improving their systems for 

providing educational, early intervention, and transitional services, including their 

systems of professional development, technical assistance, and dissemination of 

knowledge about best practices, to improve results for children with disabilities. 

Objective 1: Provide personnel with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of, and 

improve the performance and achievement of, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children with 

disabilities. 

Objective 2: Improve the quality of professional development available to meet the needs of 

personnel serving infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Objective 3: Implement strategies that are effective in meeting the requirements of section 

612(a)(14) of IDEA to take measurable steps to retain highly qualified personnel in areas of 

greatest need to provide special education and related services.
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Measure: The percentage of SPD-funded initiatives that meet the benchmarks for use of 

evidence-based professional development practices over time. 

Year Target Actual

2016 70% 75

2017 70 92

2018 77 86

2019 82 68.7

2020 85

2021 85

Additional information: In 2019, 41 initiatives were subject to the benchmarks defined by the 

program office. An outside contractor used a random sampling process to select one 

professional development (PD) initiative for review from each of 32 randomly selected SPD 

grants. Of the 32 SPD grants reviewed, a total of 22, or 68.7 percent, were determined to “meet 

their respective benchmarks for use of evidence-based PD practices.” The Department is 

providing additional technical assistance to grantees to address declining performance on this 

measure and to improve the detail provided in the Annual Performance Report (APR) to 

accurately assess progress. 

Measure: The percentage of SPD-funded initiatives that meet the benchmark for improvement 

in implementation over time.

Year Target Actual

2016 60% 74%

2017 60 72

2018 65 55

2019 70 48

2020 70

2021 70

Additional information: Of the 25 PD initiatives in their third year of implementation in 2018, a 

total of 12, or 48 percent, were deemed to “meet the benchmark for improvement of evidencebased PD practices.” The Department is providing additional technical assistance to grantees to 

address declining performance on this measure and to improve the detail provided in the APR 

to accurately assess progress.
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Measure: The percentage of initiatives that meet targets for their use of funds to sustain SPDsupported practices.

Year Target Actual

2016 85% 78%

2017 85 83

2018 85 90

2019 85 100

2020 85

2021 85

Additional information: Grantee-submitted data describing the cost of the fidelity activities 

designed to sustain individual initiatives is used to support this measure. Targets for each 

initiative are set in conjunction with the grantee. Expert panels review the data to determine 

whether the grantee has met the target for spending on that initiative within 5 percent of the 

target. In 2019, this measure applied to all SPD grants in their second through final years of 

funding.

Measure: The percentage of SPD grant-funded projects that meet targets for retention of 

special education teachers. 

Additional information: Beginning in the 2016 report, the information for this measure has 

been provided qualitatively. 

Some SPD grantees have special education teacher retention as a goal and are required to 

report the number of qualified special education teachers who remain as special education 

teachers two or more years following their initial participation in grant activities and the total 

number of teachers who participated in grant activities designed for teacher retention at least 

two years prior to the annual performance reporting period (APR). 

In 2018, this measure applied to three SPD grants. An outside contractor commissioned two 

reviewers with expertise in special education, PD, and program evaluation to assess the extent 

to which each grantee had met their respective target for retaining special education teachers. 

The program office used a standardized rubric to determine whether or not each grantee met 

their benchmark for retaining special education teachers after their participation in grant 

activities. Reviewers extracted data from the APR to complete the rubric and then discussed 

their individual assessments until reaching consensus on each grantee’s response to each 

question

In 2018, of the five SPG grants listing teacher retention as a goal, two met their target for 

teacher retention.
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National activities: Technical assistance and dissemination

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 2, Section 663)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$44,345 $44,345 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021

through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) program is the Department’s primary 

vehicle under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for identifying, providing, and 

disseminating information on effective practices to educators, policymakers, service providers, 

and families of children with disabilities. The program makes competitive awards to provide 

technical assistance, support model demonstration projects, disseminate useful information, and 

implement activities that are supported by scientific research. These awards are intended to 

improve services provided under IDEA, promote academic achievement, and improve results for 

children with disabilities.

The majority of TA&D program investments support national and regional technical assistance 

centers that are intended to support the field in implementing Parts B and C of IDEA by

expanding the use of evidence-based and promising practices. Centers focus on a variety of 

critical topics, such as behavior, assessment, inclusive practices, secondary transition, literacy, 

and early childhood education. Most centers use a service model that provides three levels of 

technical assistance: (1) intensive, sustained; (2) targeted, specific; and (3) general, universal. 

At the intensive, sustained level, a small number of States receive on-site, ongoing planned 

assistance designed to reach an outcome desired by the recipient. Through targeted, specific 

services, centers support activities based on the topical or technical needs common to multiple 

recipients. Targeted, specific services can include one-time or short-term events, such as 

consultation services or presentations at conferences. The centers also provide general, 

universal technical assistance services that are intended to help broader audiences access 

information and services through presentations, newsletters, or research syntheses that are 

made available on center websites. Activities supported through this program are designed to 

address the needs of a variety of audiences, including teachers, related service personnel, early 

intervention personnel, administrators, parents, and individuals with disabilities. 

The TA&D program also funds model demonstration projects that evaluate the implementation 

of research findings in typical settings. Models that are found to be effective can then be 

promoted by the network of TA&D centers. In recent years, the program also has sought to 

leverage existing resources through improved collaboration and coordination with other related 
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federally funded technical assistance and dissemination activities. TA&D activities promote the 

application of knowledge to improve practice by: determining areas where technical assistance 

and information are needed, ensuring that materials are prepared in formats that are 

appropriate for a wide variety of audiences, making technical assistance and information 

accessible to consumers, and promoting communication links among consumers. 

Eligible entities under this program include, but are not limited to, public entities or agencies 

(such as State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher 

education), private non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations. The duration of awards 

varies with the award's purpose, though most individual awards are made for a period of 

5 years.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were: 

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) footnote

2016..................................................................................... $44,3451

2017....................................................................................... 44,3451

2018....................................................................................... 44,3451

2019....................................................................................... 44,3451

2020....................................................................................... 44,3451

1 Excludes funding for the Special Olympics program, which is discussed elsewhere in this account.

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $44.3 million for the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination (TA&D) program level with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. Of the funds 

requested, approximately $6.1 million (including peer review costs) would be used for new 

projects, and $38.2 million would support the continuation of grants made in prior years. 

TA&D activities support the application of knowledge to improve practices among professionals 

and others involved in providing services that promote academic achievement and improve 

results for children with disabilities. Through TA&D, the Department focuses on identifying and 

disseminating evidence-based practices and building capacity at the State and local levels to 

implement, sustain, and scale-up such practices, thereby improving results for children with 

disabilities. These activities have successfully facilitated the expanded use of evidence-based 

practices such as positive behavioral interventions and supports, which have been implemented 

in nearly 26,000 schools nationwide, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which have 

been implemented and widely used throughout the country as a framework for delivering 

differentiated instruction.

Model Demonstration Projects

As States refine their systems for administering and providing special education and related 

services and use data to identify areas for improvement in their State Systemic Improvement 

Plans (SSIPs), which are a required component of the Department’s Results Driven 
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Accountability (RDA) framework, there is growing demand for evidence-based interventions that 

can be implemented in schools to help meet the specific needs of children with disabilities. 

While TA&D has made significant contributions to this effort over the years, there continues to 

be a critical need for interventions that have demonstrated success in a variety of school 

settings, particularly in non-traditional public school settings (e.g., charters, magnets, virtual 

schools) and in private schools, where research is more limited and the unique structures of the 

schools may pose unique barriers to effective implementation. 

Just as important, the growing field of implementation science suggests that fidelity of

implementation—including an understanding of how to accommodate variations inherent in the 

different educational settings in which programs are implemented—can be as critical as 

identifying evidence-based practices in the first place. Few schools or programs can 

successfully implement evidence-based practices effectively without detailed implementation 

strategies. Research studies, however, do not often address what it takes to implement and 

sustain a practice in typical early intervention, preschool, classroom, and school settings. 

Model demonstrations are an effective and efficient way to bridge the gap between existing 

research and the implementation of interventions in areas of critical need. The focus areas for 

model demonstrations are selected based on emerging areas of research, needs identified by 

the Department, and input from the special education field. The fiscal year 2021 request will 

provide $1.7 million for new model demonstration awards and $2.5 million for nine continuation

awards that help address areas such as early identification of students with dyslexia in 

elementary school. Cohorts also will identify and address the implementation challenges across 

a variety of choice environments throughout the country. For more information on model 

demonstration project continuations, see below.

Additional Technical Assistance Activities

The Department’s technical assistance investments focus on meeting the needs of States and 

local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve children with disabilities and include support in 

priority areas such as early learning, post-secondary transition, and low incidence disabilities 

like deaf-blindness. In addition, the Department is exploring how investments under this 

program can support States and local educational agencies in better understanding issues of 

special education finance and how to effectively and efficiently support the delivery of highquality services to children with disabilities. The Department takes a number of factors into 

consideration when funding technical assistance centers including: meeting statutory 

requirements; addressing the needs of the field, including States, LEAs, parents and families, 

and other disability stakeholders); and avoiding duplication across programs. Projects and 

centers funded under this program are required to coordinate with other relevant technical 

assistance investments funded by the Department. 

Approximately $34.4 million in the fiscal year 2021 request will support continuation awards for 

a variety of technical assistance and dissemination projects under this program, including: 

• Postsecondary Education Center for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing—

supports postsecondary education through its work with institutions, State educational 

agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), State vocational rehabilitation (VR) 

agencies, VR service providers, and other relevant organizations and public agencies, to 

more effectively address the postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, and adult 

education (postsecondary education and training) needs of individuals who are deaf or 
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hard of hearing, including those who have co-occurring disabilities, such as learning and 

emotional disabilities, and those who are English learners. The Center will foster 

collaboration among postsecondary institutions, SEAs, LEAs, State VR agencies, VR 

service providers, and other relevant organizations and public agencies to support 

improved outcomes for deaf or hard of hearing transition-aged youth.

• Early Childhood Systems Technical Assistance Center—supports States to maintain 

high-quality systems with implementation supports to implement IDEA consistent with its 

requirements and to provide high-quality IDEA services for young children with 

disabilities and their families.

• National Center on Intensive Interventions—builds the capacity of state and local 

education agencies, universities, practitioners, and other stakeholders to support 

implementation of intensive intervention in literacy, mathematics, and behavior for 

students with severe and persistent learning and/or behavioral needs, often in the 

context of their multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) or special education services. 

NCII’s approach to intensive intervention is data-based individualization (DBI), a 

research-based process that integrates the systematic use of assessment data, 

validated interventions, and intensification strategies.

For more information on the OSEP TA&D investments, visit: www.OSEPideasthatwork.org. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Program Funding:

Model demonstration centers:

Model dem onstration centers: New $1,038 $1,200 $1,200

Model dem onstration centers: Continuations 3,098 4,139 2,524

Model dem onstration centers: Subtotal 4,136 5,339 3,724

School climate and behavior:

 New 0 0 2,000

Regional/Feder al Resource Centers: Continuations 3,682 5,050 2,950

Regional/Feder al Resource Centers: Subtotal 3,682 5,050 4,950

Early childhood:

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 3,700 6,364 4,436

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 3,700 6,364 4,436

Building systems of support:

Early childhood technical assistance: New 6,250 0 1,539

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 4,150 9,850 8,300

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 10,400 9,850 9,839

Effective instruction:

Early childhood technical assistance: New 2,000 1,500 0

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 2,000 3,999 5,499

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 4,000 5,499 5,499
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Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Secondary transition:

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: New 0 2,100 0

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: Continuations 0 0 2,100

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: Subtotal 0 2,100 2,100

Technical assistance for children who are 

both deaf and blind:

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: New 0 0 $1,300

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: Continuations $16,054 $8,745 11,100

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: Subtotal 16,054 8,745 12,400

National Activities

 New 580 0 0

 Continuations 750 1,304 1,307

 Subtotal 1,330 1,306 1,158

Lapsed funding:1 951 0 0

Total program funding:

New 9,868 4,800 6,064

Continuations 33,434 39,451 38,216

Lapsed funding 951 0 0

Peer review 92 94 65

Total 44,345 44,345 44,345

1 In fiscal year 2019, the Department lapsed approximately $951 thousand in the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination program due to an administrative error.

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 Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To assist States and their partners in systems improvement through the 

integration of scientifically-based practices. 

Objective 1: States and other recipients of Special Education Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination program services will implement scientifically or evidence-based practices for 

infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Objective 2: Improve the quality of Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

projects.
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Objective 3: The Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination program will 

identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based models to improve outcomes for infants, 

toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Five performance measures were developed for the Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

program. Three of these measures are annual measures, and two are long-term.

Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the quality, relevance, and usefulness of products and 

services funded by the program. These measures were developed as part of an effort to make 

measures relating to technical assistance and dissemination activities more consistent 

Department-wide but have been adapted to reflect the unique purposes of the TA&D program. 

The actual data and targets for these measures reflect the performance in the year that the 

activity took place; in this case, the year the product or service was developed or delivered. 

For each of the three annual performance measures, expert panels review a sample of products 

and services developed by grantees against a listing of evidence-based practices in areas the 

Department has identified as critical. The sample of grantees included in this measure for each 

year consists of TA&D centers in their second year or later and 10 State Deaf-Blind programs. 

The expert panels review and score all products and services based on an OSEP-designed 

rubric that is specific to each performance measure, rating the products and services on the 

extent to which they meet the measure’s performance indicators. Scores are weighted by the 

size of the investment in each program area reviewed.

Measure: The percentage of Technical Assistance and Dissemination products and services 

deemed to be of high quality by an independent review panel of experts qualified to review the 

substantive content of the products and services.

Year Target Actual

2016 90% 75%

2017 90 72

2018 90 91

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Additional information: Expert panels review all products and services and score them based 

on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of these materials is: evidence-based, 

valid, complete, and up-to-date. 

Based on the most recent data available for products and services developed with fiscal 

year 2018 funds, the program met the target with 32 out of 35 products and services meeting 

the standard for high quality (i.e., 91 percent) – a marked improvement over prior years. The 

Department has provided substantial support to grantees to improve the quality of the products 

and services reviewed by the expert panel.
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Measure: The percentage of Technical Assistance and Dissemination products and services 

deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be of high relevance to 

educational and early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2016 90% 100%

2017 90 97

2018 90 97

2019 93

2020 93

2021 95

Additional information: Expert panels review the products and services and score them 

based on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of materials is responsive to 

priority issues, including challenges confronting the target groups. 

Overall performance under this measure has been strong in every year for which data have 

been collected. Thirty four of the 35 products and services in the sample from fiscal year 2018 

met the standard for high relevance. 

Measure: The percentage of all Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

products and services deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful 

to improve educational or early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2016 90% 86%

2017 90 91

2018 90 89

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Additional information: Expert panels review the products and services and score them 

based on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of materials can be easily and 

quickly adopted or adapted by the target group, and the likelihood that the product or service, if 

adopted, will produce the desired result. Based on the most recent data available on products 

and services from fiscal year 2018, t 31 out of 35 products and services met the standard for 

high usefulness. 

Long-term Performance Measures

The Department established two long-term measures for this program. Data for the long-term 

measures are collected every 2 years. 
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Measure: The percentage of effective evidence-based program models developed by model 

demonstration projects that are promoted to States and their partners through the TA&D 

Network. 

Year Target Actual

2014 Baseline 29%

2016 Baseline 29

2018 Baseline 25

2020

Additional information: This measure was developed in 2010 to provide the Department 

valuable data on how well model demonstration projects are disseminating effective practices, a 

key component of this program. In fiscal year 2018, five cohorts of grantees (15 grantees) were 

eligible for inclusion in this measure. Of those 15 grantees, the Department determined that 

eight grantees had effective evidence-based program models (four of six grantees in Cohorts 1 

and 2, all three grantees in Cohort 3, and one grantee in Cohort 5). Of those eight effective 

program models, two were confirmed as being promoted to States and their partners through 

the TA&D Network (25 percent). This represents approximately 13 percent of all models funded 

in those cohorts.

Measure: The percentage of school districts and service agencies receiving technical 

assistance and dissemination services regarding scientifically or evidence-based practices for 

infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities that implement those practices.

Year Target Actual

2011 86%

2013 86% 83

2015 86 100

2017 86 100

2019 83 100

2021 90

Additional information: Experts review data from States that have received intensive 

technical assistance from OSEP TA&D Centers in six focus areas. These areas include 

assessment, literacy, behavior, instructional strategies, early intervention, secondary transition, 

and inclusive practices. Performance has improved significantly since 2009, the first year data 

were collected for this measure, when 79 percent of districts and agencies sampled were 

implementing evidence-based practices for which they received technical assistance. 
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National activities: Personnel preparation 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 2, Section 662) 

 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$89,700 $89,700 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021

through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Personnel Preparation program helps meet State-identified needs for adequate numbers of 

fully certified personnel to serve children with disabilities by supporting competitive awards to:

• provide research-based training and professional development to prepare special education, 

related services, early intervention, and regular education personnel to work with children 

with disabilities;

• ensure that those personnel are fully qualified and possess the skills and knowledge that are 

needed to serve children with disabilities; and

• ensure that regular education teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide 

instruction to students with disabilities in regular education classrooms.

In addition, the Department is required by statute to make competitive grants that support 

training activities in a few high-priority areas, including personnel development, beginning 

special educators, personnel to serve children with low incidence disabilities, and leadership 

personnel. 

Personnel Development: This broad authority requires the Department to support at least one 

of the following activities:

 

• promoting partnerships and collaborative personnel preparation and training between 

institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies (LEAs);

• developing, evaluating, and disseminating innovative models for the recruitment, 

induction, retention, and assessment of teachers;

• providing continuous training and professional development to support special education 

and general education teachers and related services personnel;

• developing and improving programs for paraprofessionals to become special educators;
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• promoting instructional leadership and improved collaboration between general and 

special education;

• supporting IHEs with minority enrollments of not less than 25 percent; and 

• developing and improving programs to train special educators to develop expertise in 

autism spectrum disorders.

Beginning Special Educators: The Department is also required to make at least one award to: 

(a) enhance and restructure existing teacher education programs or develop teacher education 

programs that prepare special education teachers by incorporating an extended clinical learning 

opportunity, field experience, or supervised practicum (e.g., an additional 5th year), or (b) create 

and support teacher-faculty partnerships between LEAs and IHEs (e.g., professional 

development schools) that provide high-quality mentoring and induction opportunities with 

ongoing support for beginning special educators or in-service support and professional 

development opportunities.

Personnel to Serve Children with Low Incidence Disabilities: Awards to support personnel to 

serve children with low incidence disabilities are designed to help ensure the availability of highquality personnel by providing financial aid as an incentive for the pursuit of careers in special 

education, related services, and early intervention. Under this authority, the term “low incidence 

disabilities” refers to visual or hearing impairments, significant intellectual disabilities, and 

persistent and severe learning and behavioral problems that need the most intensive 

individualized supports. Activities include preparing personnel; providing personnel from 

various disciplines with interdisciplinary training that will contribute to improvements in early 

intervention and educational outcomes for children with low incidence disabilities; and preparing 

personnel in the innovative uses of technology to enhance educational outcomes for children 

with low incidence disabilities, and to improve communication with parents.

Leadership Personnel: These activities help ensure that leadership personnel in both regular 

and special education have the skills and training to help students with disabilities achieve to 

high standards. Under this authority, leadership personnel may include teacher preparation and 

related service faculty, administrators, researchers, supervisors, and principals. Authorized 

activities include preparing personnel at the graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels, and 

providing interdisciplinary training for various types of leadership personnel.

All Personnel Preparation competitions emphasize the value of incorporating best practices, as 

determined through research, evaluations, and experience. These include practices related to 

personnel training and professional development, as well as the provision of special education, 

related services, and early intervention services. Grants are typically 5 years in length.

While individuals and students are not eligible for awards under the Personnel Preparation 

program, many grantees are required to use at least 65 percent of their award(s) for student 

support (e.g. tuition, stipends, and payment of fees). Students who receive financial assistance 

from projects funded under the program are required to pay back such assistance, either by 

working for a period of time after they complete their training in the area(s) for which they 

received training or by making a cash repayment to the Federal Government. In recent years, 

approximately half of the total funding available under the program has been used to directly 

support student scholarships. 
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The Department also makes awards to centers under this program that focus on enhancing the 

quality of work in a particular topical area through such activities as professional development, 

technical assistance, partnerships, or the development and dissemination of materials and best 

practices. 

Additional support for personnel preparation activities is provided through the State Personnel 

Development Grants program, under which the Department makes competitive awards to help 

State educational agencies reform and improve in-service training and professional 

development activities for teachers, including the recruitment and retention of special education 

teachers. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016.............................................................. ................$83,700

2017.............................................................. ..................83,700

2018.............................................................. ..................83,700

2019.............................................................. ..................87,200

2020.............................................................. ..................89,700

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $89.7 million for the Personnel Preparation 

program, level with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. Of the funds requested, approximately 

$20.3 million (including peer review costs) would be used for new projects, and $69.4 million 

would support the continuation of grants made in prior years. 

The Department is exploring how funds available to support new activities under this program 

can be targeted to support human capital systems that prepare, recruit, support, evaluate, 

compensate, and retain effective educators. Administration priorities in this area include 

partnering with States, LEAs, and grantees under the program to ensure teachers enter the 

classroom with the necessary skills to be effective; address inequities in the distribution of 

effective teachers; and alleviate ongoing personnel shortages of teachers and principals who 

are prepared to provide evidence-based services for children with disabilities.

Since fiscal year 2017, the Department has required preparation programs supported under this 

program to plan and implement interdisciplinary programs that prepare scholars in two or more 

graduate programs in either (a) special education or early intervention and one or more related 

services; or (b) two or more related services, with a focus on shared coursework, group 

assignments, and coordinated field experiences. These requirements will be continued in new 

competitions in fiscal year 2021. 

The funds available through this program are primarily used to support on-going development of 

best practices, improvements in the quality of training offered, and the scholarship support for 

training additional special education, related services, and leadership personnel in high-priority 

areas, including low incidence disabilities.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Program Funding:

Low incidence disabilities grants:

New Low incidence disabilities grants $3,805 0 $1,700

Continuations Low incidence disabilities grants 976 $6,074 4,375

Subtotal Low incidence disabilities grants 4,781 6,074 6,075

Leadership training grants:

New Low incidence disabilities grants 10,038 1,600 4,250

Continuations Low incidence disabilities grants 13,547 21,683 19,216

Subtotal Low incidence disabilities grants 23,585 23,283 23,466

Training improvement grants:

Continuations Program improvement grants 5,450 5,450 5,450

Subtotal Program improvement grants 5,450 5,450 5,450

Early childhood grants:

Continuations Early childhood grants 2,299 2,899 2,899

Subtotal Early childhood grants 2,299 2,899 2,899

Pre-service training grants

New Other personnel development grants 12,586 0 12,470

Continuations Other personnel development grants 35,749 45,642 31,308

Subtotal Other personnel development grants 48,335 45,642 43,779

In-Service Support and Retention

New in-service support and retention 0 4,000 1,500

Continuations in-service support and retention 0 0 4,000

Subtotal in-service support and retention 0 4,000 5,500

National Activities:

New 1,305 0 0

Continuations national activities 1,093 2,106 2,131

Subtotal national activities 2,398 2,106 2,131

Total Program Funding:

New total program funding 27,734 5,600 19,920

Continuations total program funding 59,114 83,854 69,380

Peer review of new award 

applications 352 246 400

Total 83,700 89,700 89,700
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

the cumulative effect of the Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To prepare service providers and leadership personnel in areas of critical need 

who are highly qualified to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. 

Objective 1: Improve the curricula of IDEA training programs to ensure that personnel 

preparing to serve children with disabilities are knowledgeable and skilled in practices that 

reflect the current knowledge base. 

Objective 2: Increase the supply of teachers and service providers who are highly qualified for 

and serve in positions for which they are trained.

Objective 3: Enhance the efficiency of the expenditure of Federal dollars under the program.

Annual Performance Measures

The program has five annual performance measures designed to provide information on various 

aspects of program quality, including outcomes for scholars who receive funding through the 

program. These measures are:

Measure: Percentage of projects that incorporate scientifically- or evidence-based practices in 

their curricula.

Year Target Actual

2016 90% 95%

2017 90 88

2018 90

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Additional Information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor using a panel of five 

to seven experts, who review a randomly selected sample of grantee course syllabi submitted 

by funded applicants in the same cohort of grantees. 

In 2017, the Department began requiring grantees to operate interdisciplinary projects and, as a 

result, allowed grantees to use up to 12 months of their project periods for planning purposes. 

As a result, beginning with the 2017 cohort, syllabi review was delayed one year relative to prior 

cohorts.
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Measure: Percentage of scholars who exit training programs prior to completion due to poor 

academic performance.

Year Target Actual

2016 1.9% 1.0%

2017 1.9 1.4

2018 1.9

2019 1.9

2020 1.9

2021 1.9

Additional Information: Grantees submit data annually through the Department Personnel 

Preparation Data Report (PPD) Web-based data collection (see: http://www.oseppdp.ed.gov). 

No calculation is necessary. 

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are working in the area(s) for which 

they are trained upon program completion.

Year Target Actual

2016 85% 94%

2017 85 95

2018 85

2019 85

2020 87

2021 90

Additional Information: Data for 2017 do not include 655 scholars who have not yet entered 

employment records into the system. The Department is taking proactive steps to resolve the 

issues with missing data for this measure. The contractor is implementing procedures for 

following up with non-responsive program completers. 

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in high-need 

districts.

Year Target Actual

2016 85% 81%

2017 85 83

2018 85

2019 85

2020 85

2021 85

Additional information: In calculating this measure, the Department uses employment 

records submitted by scholars and matches that employment data to school districts in the 

Common Core of Data (CCD), which are then classified as high-need using free and reducedprice lunch data.
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In 2017, 1,555 scholars completed their programs, and 518 were employed in high need 

districts. As noted above, to date, 655 of those scholars have not yet entered data into the data 

collection system. Of the remainder, 266 scholars did not work in a school district, but worked 

in some other type of organization (e.g., a clinic, hospital, or State or Federal education 

agency). 

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are rated as effective by their 

employers.

Year Target Actual

2016 80% 82%

2017 80 82

2018 80

2019 80

2020 80

2021 80

Additional information: In 2017, 630 scholars were rated as effective by their employers. The 

denominator for this measure includes scholars who did not report employment after their 

program (8 scholars in 2017), scholars whose employment records had not been verified by 

their employers (126 scholars in 2017), scholars who had been deemed as “less than effective” 

or “ineffective” by their employer (5 scholar in 2017), and scholars who had been deemed 

“effective” by their employer (630 scholars in 2017). 

Long-Term Performance Measures

The program currently has one long-term measure that tracks the skills of scholars supported 

with program funds. The Department also is currently piloting a new long-term outcome 

measure – the percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in the field of 

special education for at least 2 years. The Department is currently reviewing baseline data and 

anticipates publishing targets and actual data in the 2022 President’s Budget Request.

Measure: Percentage of scholars completing Special Education Personnel Preparation funded 

training programs who are knowledgeable and skilled in evidence-based practices for children 

with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2016 90% 98%

2017 90 98

2018 90

2019 90

2020 90

2021 95

Additional Information: This measure reflects performance on independent exams, such as 

the Praxis II, that are designed to assess the knowledge and skills of special educators. 
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Efficiency Measures

Measure: The Federal cost per degree or certification program recipient working in the area(s) 

in which they were trained upon program completion.

Year Target Actual

2016 $30,000 $38,928

2017 32,500 43,149

2018 32,500 39,249

2019 32,500

2020 32,500

2021 32,500

Additional Information: Results on this measure decreased in 2018 for the first time in five 

years. From fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2018, average graduate tuition increased by 

approximately 12 percent, according to data from the National Center on Education Statistics.

1

During that same time period, the average Federal cost per degree or certification recipient 

increased by approximately 30 percent. Beginning in fiscal year 2018, the Department began to 

include matching requirements in some of its training competitions to address this increase. 

1 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:89-99); "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C:90-99); "Institutional 

Characteristics Survey" (IPEDS-IC:89-99); IPEDS Fall 2000 through Fall 2017, Institutional Characteristics 

component; and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2018, Fall Enrollment component.
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National activities: Parent information centers 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 3, Sections 671-673)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021 

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$27,411 $27,411 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021 

through appropriations language. 

 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Parent Information Centers program is one of the primary vehicles under the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for providing information and training to parents of 

children with disabilities. The program supports competitive awards to help ensure that:

• Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information designed to 

assist these children in meeting developmental and functional goals and challenging 

academic achievement goals, and in being prepared to lead productive independent adult 

lives;

• Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information on their rights, 

responsibilities, and protections under IDEA, in order to develop the skills necessary to 

participate effectively in planning and decision-making relating to early intervention, 

educational, and transitional services; and

• Parents receive coordinated and accessible technical assistance and information to assist 

them in improving early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for 

their children and families.

The IDEA authorizes three types of competitive projects: parent training and information 

centers, community parent resource centers, and technical assistance for parent centers. The 

award period for these projects is typically 5 years.

Parent training and information centers must serve parents of children of all ages (birth to 26) 

and all types of disabilities. The training and information provided by the centers must meet the 

needs of parents of children with disabilities living in areas served by the centers, particularly 

underserved parents and parents of children who may be inappropriately identified. At least one 

award for a parent training and information center must be made in each State, subject to the 

receipt of acceptable applications. Large and heavily populated States typically have multiple 

centers that serve designated counties.
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The centers also play an important role in dispute resolution by sharing information on the 

benefits of alternative methods of dispute resolution, such as mediation, which States are 

required to make available under IDEA and which can help avoid costly litigation. Parent center 

staff attend or facilitate over 1,700 alternative dispute resolution sessions every year. As part of 

that role, parent centers are required to meet with parents to explain the IDEA-mandated 

mediation process. In States where parent centers provide this service, they typically do so 

through contracts with State educational agencies.

The Department allocates funds to parent centers through a formula based on three weighted 

indicators of need: State population of ages 0 to 26 (85 percent), child poverty (10 percent), and 

rural school enrollment (5 percent), with most centers receiving a minimum of $200,000. No 

center will receive a reduction of more than 20 percent below the amount of the fiscal year 2014

grant. When the appropriation for the program increases, this formula ensures that centers in 

States with the greatest need and the lowest per capita funding receive more funds.

Community parent resource centers are parent training and information centers in smaller,

geographically defined areas and operated by local parent organizations that help ensure 

underserved parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of 

children who are English learners, and parents with disabilities, have the training and 

information they need to enable them to participate effectively in helping their children. 

Community parent resource centers are required to establish cooperative partnerships with the 

parent training and information centers in their States.

Parent technical assistance centers support parent training and information centers and 

community parent resource centers in areas such as coordinating parent training efforts, 

disseminating evidence-based research and information, and ensuring the effective use of 

technology. The parent technical assistance center network maintains a website with a wide 

variety of information and materials for parents and professionals, as well as a directory of the 

parent centers (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/). Two technical assistance centers focus on 

improving services to military families and Native American families, respectively.

An applicant for a parent center grant must be a parent organization that has a board of 

directors, the majority of which must consist of parents of children with disabilities under the age 

of 26. The board must also include individuals with disabilities and individuals working in the 

fields of special education, related services, or early intervention. The parent and professional 

members of the board must be broadly representative of the population to be served, including 

low-income parents and parents of English learners.

In addition to providing direct resources for parents and families, parent centers also act as 

referral points to other resources such as those available under the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination program, which coordinates its activities with Parent Information Centers to 

ensure that parents participating in parent training projects, as well as other parents, have 

access to valid information that is designed to address their needs.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016........................................................................................ $27,411

2017..........................................................................................27,411

2018..........................................................................................27,411

2019..........................................................................................27,411

2020..........................................................................................27,411

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $27.4 million for the Parent Information 

Centers program, level with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. This request will support a total 

of 99 Centers, including 65 continuing Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs), 29 new 

Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), and 5 continuing Technical Assistance Centers.

Together, the PTIs, CPRCs and Technical Assistance Centers provide training and information 

to over one million parents and professionals each year. Family involvement in children’s 

learning is critical to ensuring the provision of high quality education and related services that 

promote positive educational and life outcomes. Decades of research show that positive schoolfamily partnerships can effectively involve families in their children’s learning and improve 

student achievement.

1 Studies show that all families can take concrete steps that significantly 

help their children succeed in school, regardless of their income, education, disability status, or 

knowledge of the English language.2

 

The training and information provided by the PTIs help ensure that parents and families have 

the knowledge and skills to help their children with disabilities succeed. In addition to helping 

parents and families to better understand the nature of their children’s disabilities and their 

educational and developmental needs, the centers provide training and information on how 

parents and families can work with professionals serving their children. For parents of schoolaged children, this includes participating with administrators and teachers in the development of 

their child’s individualized education programs (IEPs), as required by the IDEA. For parents of 

infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services, this means participating with a 

multidisciplinary team in the development of individualized family service plans (IFSPs). 

Parent centers use a variety of mechanisms to share information with parents and families, and 

professionals, including websites, one-on-one support, telephone call-in numbers, training 

workshops, and dissemination of written materials. In recent years, the Department’s Office of 

Special Education Programs has worked with the Parent Centers to improve their websites and 

make their resources available in languages other than English, particularly Spanish (for 

1 Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family and community 

connections on student learning. Austin, TX: Southwest Education Development Laboratory

(https://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf). 2 See Lisa Boonk, Hieronymus J.M. Gijselaers, Henk Ritzen, Saskia Brand-Gruwel (2018). A review of the 

relationship between parental involvement indicators and academic achievement. Educational Research Review 24, 

10–30 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X18301027); S. Wilder (2014). Effects of parental 

involvement on academic achievement: a meta-synthesis. Educational Review 66:3, 377-397

(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2013.780009?src=recsys). 
SPECIAL EDUCATION 

National activities: Parent information centers

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examples, see http://parentcenterhub.org/osep-spanish-glossary/ and 

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/resourcelibrary/). According to data collected by the Parent 

Centers, families receiving services report a high degree of satisfaction with the services they 

receive and an increase in their capacity to effectively support their children.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands) 

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Program Funding:

Parent Training & Information 

Centers:

New: Parent Training & Info Centers 0 $21,223 0

Continuations: Par ent Tr aini ng & Info Centers $20,483 0 $21,223

Subtotal: Par ent Trai ning & Info C enters 20,483 21,223 21,223

Community Parent Resource 

Centers:

New: Community Parent Resource Centers 0 0 3,000

Continuations: Community Par ent R esource C enters 2,900 2,900 0

Subtotal: Community Parent Resource Centers 2,900 2,900 3,000

Technical Assistance Centers:

New: Technical Assistance 0 0 0

Continuations: Technical Assistance 2,800 2,800 2,800

Subtotal: Technical Assistance 2,800 2,800 2,800

Total Program Funding:

New: Total 0 21,223 3,000

Continuations: Total 26,183 5,700 24,023

Other (contracts, 

supplements): Total 1,228 382 328

Peer Review of new award 

applications: Total

 0 106 60

Total 27,411 27,411 27,411
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Number of Projects:

Parent Training & Information 

Centers:

New: Parent Training & Info Centers 0 65 0

Continuations: Parent Training & Info 63 0 65

Community Parent Resource 

Centers:

New: Community Parent Resource Centers 0 0 29

Continuations: Community Parent Resource Centers 29 29 0

 Technical Assistance Centers:

New: Technical Assistance 0 0 0

Continuations: Technical 

Assistance

5 5 5

Total number of projects:

New: Total 0 65 29

Continuations: Total 97 34 70

Total 97 99 99

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

goals, objectives, measures, 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 Federal resources provided for this program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by this program. 

Goal: To provide training and information to parents of children with disabilities.

Objective 1: Improve the quality of parent training and information projects.

Objective 2: Parents served by Special Education Parent Information Centers will be 

knowledgeable about their IDEA rights and responsibilities.

Objective 3: Parents served by Special Education Parent Information Centers will be able to 

advocate for scientifically or evidence-based practices for their child.

Six performance measures have been developed for the Parent Information Centers program. 

There are three annual measures, two long-term measures, and one efficiency measure.
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Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the quality, relevance, and usefulness of products and 

services provided by the program. These measures were developed as part of a crossdepartmental effort to make measures relating to technical assistance and dissemination 

activities more consistent Department-wide. However, the measures were adapted to reflect the 

unique purposes of the Parent Information Centers program. Targets were established based 

on performance data from 2007 to 2017. The measures are:

Measure: The percentage of materials disseminated by Parent Training and Information Center 

Program projects deemed to be of high quality by an independent review panel of experts 

qualified to review the substantive content of the products or services.

Year Target Actual

2016 97% 93%

2017 93 100

2018 93 86

2019 93 94

2020 93

2021 93

Additional Information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using expert panels 

of reviewers who assess grant implementation by reviewing a randomly selected sample of 

materials disseminated by centers for the purpose of training and informing parents.

Measure: The percentage of Parent Training and Information Center Program products and 

services deemed to be of high relevance to educational and early intervention policy or practice 

by an independent review panel of qualified experts with appropriate expertise to review the 

substantive content of the products or services.

Year Target Actual

2016 97% 93%

2017 93 100

2018 93 97

2019 93 84

2020 93

2021 93

Additional Information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using panels of 

special education parent stakeholders to review a randomly selected sample of materials 

disseminated by centers for the purpose of training and informing parents. 

In fiscal year 2019, the parent panel consisted of five members; typical panels in the past have 

consisted of six to eight members. Additionally, inter-rater reliability was lower than in past years 

due to one rater scoring the products and services noticeably lower than their peers.
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Measure: The percentage of all Parent Training and Information Center Program products and 

services deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful to improve 

educational or early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2016 97% 93%

2017 93 100

2018 93 93

2019 93 77

2020 93

2021 93

Additional Information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using panels of 

special education parent stakeholders to review a randomly selected sample of materials. 

In fiscal year 2019, the parent panel consisted of five members; typical panels in the past have 

consisted of six to eight members. Additionally, inter-rater reliability was lower than in past years 

due to one rater scoring the products and services noticeably lower than their peers. The 

Department is working to improve the review process and directly with grantees whose products 

were deemed not to be of high quality to improve performance. 

Long-Term Performance Measures

Two new long-term measures have been developed for the program. Data are collected every 

2 years through a survey of parents who received services from the parent centers. Baseline 

data were collected in fiscal years 2017 and 2019 and targets for 2021 were established in late 

2019. 

Measure: The percentage of parents receiving Special Education Parent Information Centers 

services who report having enhanced capacity to work with schools and service providers 

effectively in meeting the needs of their children.

Year Target Actual

2017 Baseline 90%

2019 Baseline 87 

2021 90

Additional Information: Data for the measure are collected by the parent centers every two 

years by mail, on-line survey, or telephone interview from 1 percent of the parents served by 

each center.
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Measure: The percentage of parents receiving Special Education Parent Information Centers 

services who report enhanced knowledge of IDEA rights and responsibilities.

Year Target Actual

2017 Baseline 94%

2019 Baseline 94

2021 95

Additional Information: Data for the measure are collected by the parent centers every two 

years by mail, on-line survey, or telephone interview from 1 percent of the parents served by 

each center.

Efficiency Measure

The calculation of the efficiency measure has been modified for the program. The target for 

2021 will be informed by baseline data from fiscal years 2019 and 2020.

Measure: An index of the Federal cost per unit of output provided by the Special Education 

Parent Training and Information Centers.

Year Target Actual

2016 1.1 0.8

2017 1.1 0.8

2018 1.1 0.5

2019 Baseline 23 

2020

2021

Additional Information: The efficiency measure for the PTIs program is “the index of Federal 

cost per unit of output.” The calculation of the Federal index of cost per unit of technical 

assistance is the total Federal cost of PTI grant funding for a given fiscal year divided by the 

sum of the numbers of parents and professionals receiving technical assistance during that 

fiscal year. The Department notes that it is difficult to attribute increases or decreases under this 

measure to the Federal share of funds due to the variability in other sources of funding. The 

result is expressed as an index of cost rather than a cost in dollars.

Prior to fiscal year 2019, the “numbers of parents and professionals receiving technical 

assistance” included four main types of technical assistance: trainings; individual assistance; 

meetings; and outreach. In fiscal year 2019, technical assistance was more narrowly defined to 

exclude outreach. This modification eliminated the overwhelming proportion of outputs 

attributable to outreach (i.e., website hits, social media hits, and newsletter dissemination) and 

gives the Department a more accurate understanding of program impact.
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National activities: Educational technology, media, and materials 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 3, Section 674)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$29,547 $29,547 0

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011; continued funding is proposed for this program in FY 2021 

through appropriations language. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program is the primary source of support for 

accessible technology and media-related activities under the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA). The program supports two broad categories of activities: (1) accessible 

technology and (2) educational media and materials. 

Technology activities are generally designed to promote the development, demonstration, and 

use of accessible technology. The technology component of the program also supports 

research on using technology to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, and technical 

assistance and dissemination activities to enhance the use of technology by students, parents, 

and teachers. Media and materials activities focus on closed captioning, video description, 

timely provision of books and other educational materials in accessible formats, and other 

activities to improve access to education for students with disabilities.

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 expanded the range of 

media that must be closed captioned and updated accessibility standards to include emerging 

Internet and mobile technologies. However, significant gaps in captioning coverage remain. 

The Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program helps ensure educational media 

that are not otherwise required to be made accessible are available to students with disabilities. 

For example, mandatory captioning only applies to broadcast television, not to video broadcast 

solely over the Internet or video produced for classroom viewing. Funding for this program helps 

increase the accessibility of learning content and materials by supporting the captioning and 

nationwide distribution of thousands of titles of educational media each year.

Video description is used to make video and other media with visual content accessible for 

people who are blind or visually impaired. Audio-narrated descriptions of key visual elements in 

a video or television program are inserted into natural pauses in the spoken dialogue, 

supplementing the regular audio track of the program by providing additional context. Federal 

law requires television broadcast stations affiliated with the top four commercial broadcasting 

corporations (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) and licensed to the top 60 Designated Market Areas 

(i.e., unique, county-based geographic areas designated by The Nielsen Company, a television 

audience measurement service based on television viewership) and the five most watched non-
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broadcast networks to provide 50 hours of video description per calendar quarter. The video

description must be of prime time or children's television programming. Educational Media and 

Materials funds support video description for other video programming, including educational 

materials intended for use in the classroom and increasingly popular Internet media, that are not 

subject to description requirements. The IDEA requires that description and captioning funds be 

used only for programs that are suitable for use in classroom settings, and program funds may 

not be used to describe or caption news programs, even when they are suitable for use in 

classrooms. 

Educational materials activities include the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient 

conversion into specialized accessible formats. The educational materials provided by this

program are intended to support students’ access to the general curriculum and participation in 

statewide assessments. The single largest grant in this program provides funding for the 

production and distribution of textbooks and other educational materials in accessible formats to 

students with visual impairments and other print disabilities. Due to recent advances in digital 

technologies, these activities can be accomplished more efficiently than ever before. 

The Department makes competitive awards for projects throughout the fiscal year. The duration 

of awards typically varies from 3 to 5 years. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016...................................................................................... 30,047

2017...................................................................................... 28,047

2018...................................................................................... 28,047

2019...................................................................................... 28,047

2020...................................................................................... 29,547

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2021, the Administration requests $29.5 million for the Educational Technology, 

Media, and Materials program, the same as the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. This request 

would provide approximately $6.8 million for 8 new awards and approximately $22.6 million for 

21 continuation projects. The remaining funding would support program evaluation and peer 

review activities. 

Projects funded under the program support improved access to and participation in the general 

education curriculum, developmentally appropriate activities for preschool children, and 

statewide assessments. By supporting research on and dissemination of accessible 

instructional materials and technology, this program helps ensure students with disabilities 

receive a free appropriate public education, consistent with the requirements of the IDEA. The 

program also funds innovations in accessible technologies and broadens the understanding of 

how technology can be used effectively to increase academic achievement. The Department

believes increased access and participation supported by this program results in higher 

expectations and improved outcomes for children with disabilities. 
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National activities: Educational Technology, media, and materials

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Educational Technology

The request includes $13.2 million for Technology activities, which promote the development, 

demonstration, and use of accessible technology. In fiscal year 2021, at least $1.5 million will 

support three new Stepping Up Technology Implementation awards, and $7.5 million will 

support 15 continuing Stepping Up projects. These model demonstration grants validate and 

scale up promising technology-based products or interventions, such as curriculum materials, 

accessible products, and instructional methodologies. 

The request would also provide $1 million for a new award to address the needs of 

postsecondary institutions related to recruiting, enrolling, retaining, and instructing students who 

are deaf, while also addressing the varying communication and technology needs of and 

methods used by individuals who are deaf. This project will be jointly funded with the Personnel 

Preparation and Technical Assistance and Dissemination programs, consistent with the 

requirement in section 682(d)(1)(B) of the IDEA that the Department use at least $4 million of 

the funds provided for programs authorized under subparts 2 and 3 of Part D of IDEA “to 

address the postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, and adult education needs of 

individuals with deafness.” The remaining $3.1 million would be used for continuation awards in 

the areas of technical assistance and dissemination.

Educational Media and Materials

Media and materials investments include a variety of activities designed to provide educational 

content, such as textbooks, in accessible formats for individuals with disabilities, particularly 

deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals and blind or other visually impaired individuals. In fiscal year 

2021, $15.8 million would be allocated to these activities. 

The request for educational media and materials includes approximately $3.7 million to support 

new awards for projects to provide access—through video description and captioning—to 

television programs appropriate for use in classroom settings that are not otherwise required to 

be captioned by the Federal Communications Commission. These projects fill in the gaps for an 

increasingly large amount of content that is not currently covered under Federal accessibility 

policies, and help ensure that as much educational programming as possible is accessible to 

students with visual or hearing impairments. 

Additionally, the IDEA requires the Department to support the National Instructional Materials 

Access Center (NIMAC), which is awarded noncompetitively to the American Printing House for 

the Blind. The NIMAC (http://www.nimac.us/) is a national electronic file repository that makes 

electronic files that comply with the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard

available for the production of print instructional materials in specialized formats. NIMAC 

receives source files from textbook publishers and provides these files to State and local 

educational agencies for use in producing materials in accessible media, such as braille, audio, 

and digital text. The request includes $650,000 for a new award for this project in fiscal year 

2021.

The remaining $11.4 million will be used to support continuation awards with the vast majority 

supporting the Department’s investment in Bookshare to support the development, production, 

and distribution of educational materials in accessible formats to students with visual 

impairments and other print disabilities. Consistent with Congressional directives, Bookshare 
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National activities: Educational Technology, media, and materials

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will continue its focus on expanding this investments’ reach to K-12 students in underserved 

areas. Additional projects include continued support for a center dedicated to conducting a 

comprehensive review of industry accessibility standards, ensuring that new and emerging 

technologies are fully accessible to students with disabilities. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2019 Footnote2020 Footnote2021footnote

Program Funding:

Technology:

Technology: Research:

Newtechnol ogy research $1,998 $2,000 $1,500 

Continuations technol ogy research 5,953 6,991 7,487

Subtotal technology: research 7,951 8,991 8,987

TechnologyTechnical assistance and dissemination:

Newtechnology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 0 0 0

Continuationstechnology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 3,149 3,149 3,149

Subtotal technology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 3,149 3,149 3,149

TechnologyProjects to address the postsecondary, 

vocational, technical, and adult 

education needs of individuals with 

deafness:

NewTechnology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocational, technical, and adult educati on needs of i ndivi duals wi th deafness: 0 0 1,000

Continuations Technology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocati onal, technical , and adult educati on needs of i ndivi duals wi th deafness: 1,000 1,000 0

Subtotal Technology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocational, technical, and adult educati on needs of indivi duals with deafness: 1,000 1,000 1,000

Subtotal, Technology:

New program funding subtotal , technology 1,998 2,000 2,500

Continuations program funding subtotal , technology 10,102 11,140 10,636

Subtotal program fundi ng subtotal, technology 12,100 13,140 13,136

Media and Materials:

Medi a and m aterials Captioned and described accessible 

media:

New media and materials: captioned & described accessibl e m edi a 0 0 3,739

Continuations media and m aterials: captioned & described accessi ble media 3,494 3,960 0

Subtotal media and materials: captioned & described accessibl e m edi a 3,494 3,960 3,739

Medi a and m aterials: Books and other instructional materials 

in accessible formats:

New medi a and m aterials: books and other instructi onal m aterials in accessi ble formats 1,200 1,000 0

Continuations media and m aterials: books and other instructional materials in accessibl e formats 9,700 10,200 11,400

Subtotal media and materials: books and other i nstr ucti onal m aterials i n accessibl e formats 10,900 11,200 11,400
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National activities: Educational Technology, media, and materials

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Output Measures 2019 Footnote2020 Footnote2021footnote

Medi a and m aterials: National Instructional Materials Access 

Center (NIMAC) – Statutory earmark:

New Medi a and m aterials: National Instructional Materials Access C enter (NIM AC) – Statutory earmark 0 0 650

Continuations Media and m aterials: nati onal i nstr ucti onal m aterials access center statutory earm ark 650 650 0

Subtotal Media and m aterials: nati onal i nstructional materi als access center statutory earm ark 650 650 650

Subtotal, Media and Materials:

New program funding subtotal, Media and materials $1,200 $1,000 $4,389 

Continuations program funding subtotal, Media and materials 13,844 14,810 11,400

Subtotal program funding subtotal, Media and materials 15,044 15,810 15,789

Other (e.g. program evaluation contracts):

New other 312 0 0

Continuations other 228 526 528

Subtotal, Other, other 540 526 528

Peer review of new award applications: 49 71 94

Total Program Funding:

New total program funding 3,510 3,000 6,889

Continuations total program funding 24,174 26,476 22,564

Undistributed 314 0 0

Peer review 49 71 94

Total program funding 28,047 29,547 29,547

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 Federal resources provided for the program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the relevance, quality, and usefulness of products and 

services provided by the program.

For each of the three annual performance measures that follow, a contractor collects and 

analyzes data based on input from two panels of subject matter experts who review a sample of 

products and services developed by grantees against a listing of evidence-based practices in 

key target areas the Department has identified as critical. The sample of grantees included in 

this measure for each year consists of projects from across all areas of this program. Products 

and services are divided into the categories of policy and practice.
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National activities: Educational Technology, media, and materials

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Goal: To promote the development, demonstration, and use of accessible technology 

and media services to improve results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with 

disabilities.

Objective: Improve the quality of products produced by projects in the Special Education 

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program. 

Measure: The percentage of Educational Technology, Media, and Materials projects judged to 

be of high relevance to improving outcomes of infants, toddlers, children and youth with 

disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2016 94 100%

2017 94 100

2018 94 100

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Measure: The percentage of Educational Technology, Media, and Materials projects judged to 

be of high quality.

Year Target Actual

2016 94 100%

2017 94 79

2018 94 87.5

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Additional Information: The percentage of products judged to be of high quality increased in 

fiscal year 2018 but did not meet the target. Of the 16 products and services reviewed in the 

sample, 14 were reported to be of high quality. The Department is working directly with grantees 

whose products were deemed not to be of high quality to improve performance. 
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Measure: The percentage of Special Education Educational Technology, Media, and Materials 

projects and services judged by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful in 

improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2016 94 100%

2017 94 93

2018 94 100

2019 90

2020 90

2021 90

Additional information: In fiscal year 2018, 16 of 16 products and services reviewed were 

found to be highly useful. 

Long-Term Performance Measures

The Department discontinued two long-term performance measures that were related to 

Steppingstone projects the Department last funded in 2011, and we are no longer reporting 

those measures. The Department is considering new measures that fit the current investments 

for the program. 

Efficiency Measures

The Administration established two efficiency measures for the Educational Technology, Media, 

and Materials program that provide data on accessible book distribution and on video captioning 

and description projects, respectively. 

Measure: The Federal cost per download from the accessible educational materials production 

and distribution project funded by the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program. 

Year Target Actual

2016 $5.0 $5.4

2017 5.0 4.9

2018 4.0 5.0

2019 4.0

2020 4.0

2021 4.7

Additional Information: In fiscal year 2017, there were 1,696,251 accessible materials product 

downloads while the total funding for the grantee (Bookshare, Inc.) was $8,500,000, for an 

average of $5.01 per download.
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Measure: The Federal cost per hour of video description funded by the Educational 

Technology, Media, and Materials program.

Year Target Actual

2016 $1,669 $2,151

2017 2,000 2,306

2018 2,000 2,529

2019 2,000

2020 2,000

2021 2,200

Additional information: The cost of an hour of media description increased in fiscal year 2018. 

The Department is planning on restructuring the related investments in 2021 in order to improve 

the quality and efficiency of the video description projects.
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Special Olympics education programs 

(Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, Section 3(a))

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority:

2020

Appropriation

2021

Request

Change from

2020 to 2021

$20,083 $20,083 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 authorizes the Department of 

Education to make discretionary grant awards to the Special Olympics to support activities in a 

number of areas related to the Special Olympics. The Department of Education is authorized to 

make awards for:

1. activities to promote the expansion of Special Olympics, including activities to increase 

the participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities within the United States; and

2. the design and implementation of Special Olympics education programs, including 

character education and volunteer programs that support the purposes of the Special 

Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, that can be integrated into classroom 

instruction and are consistent with academic content standards.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2016.............................................................. ................$10,083

2017.............................................................. ..................12,583

2018.............................................................. ..................15,083

2019.............................................................. ..................17,583

2020.............................................................. ..................20,083

FY 2021 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests nearly $20.1 million for Special Olympics education programs, level 

with the fiscal year 2020 appropriation. The Administration’s request would support efforts to 

promote the expansion of Special Olympics and the design and implementation of Special 

Olympics education programs.

The Special Olympics National Youth Activation Demonstration (Unified Champion Schools, 

previously referred to as Project UNIFY), a national youth sports demonstration and education 

program, is the major activity funded by this direct appropriation. In addition to sports and 
SPECIAL EDUCATION 

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I-89

physical education in integrated settings, this program also provides opportunities for youth to 

participate in leadership development, service learning, and structured interpersonal 

communication and socialization activities. In general, Special Olympics program activities 

assist individuals with intellectual disabilities in becoming productive members of their 

communities by dispelling negative stereotypes and promoting positive and inclusive learning 

environments.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

Output Measures 2019 2020 2021

Unified Champion Schools

Project UN IFY Number of funded State 

programs

49 49 49

Project UN IFY Number of schools 

participating

7,623 7,858 7,858

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

goals, objectives, measures, 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 Federal resources provided for this program as well as the resources 

and efforts invested by those served by this program. 

Goal: To increase the inclusion and awareness of students with intellectual disabilities.

Objective: The Special Olympics will improve awareness about students with intellectual 

disabilities.

Measure: The percent of school liaisons who report that Unified Champion Schools helps raise 

awareness about students with intellectual disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2016 67% 71%

2017 67 72

2018 70 76

2019 70 77

2020 70

2021 75

Additional information: Data are collected by external evaluators who survey school liaisons 

at the end of each program year. School liaisons are volunteers, typically teachers, who 

administer Special Olympics programming at the school level. Special Olympics includes those 

survey responses that indicate the program “made a big difference” (scores of 4 or 5 on the 

survey’s Likert scale) in the numerator used to calculate the actual performance. 
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Special Olympics education programs

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Measure: The percent of school liaisons who report that Unified Champion Schools increases 

opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to be involved in school activities.

Year Target Actual

2016 61% 65%

2017 61 67

2018 61 76

2019 61 79

2020 65

2021 65

Additional information: Data are collected by external evaluators who survey school liaisons 

at the end of each program year. School liaisons are volunteers, typically teachers, who 

administer Special Olympics programming at the school level. Special Olympics includes those 

survey responses that indicate the program “made a big difference” (scores of 4 or 5 on the 

survey’s Likert scale) in the numerator used to calculate actual performance data. 

Objective: The Special Olympics will increase opportunities for K-12 students with intellectual 

disabilities to participate in inclusive school activities.

Measure: The number of schools participating in Unified Champion Schools.

Year Target Actual

2016 4,000 4,451

2017 4,500 5,453

2018 5,000 6,493

2019 6,800 7,623

2020 7,000

2021 7,000

Measure: The number of schools participating in a Unified Champion Schools High Activation 

Program.

Year Target Actual

2016 1,725 3,005

2017 1,765 3,748

2018 3,500 4,998

2019 4,500 4,744

2020 5,000

2021 5,000

Additional information: High Activation schools feature a higher intensity and variety of 

activities, and, therefore, are likely to have a larger impact on participating students. Building 

Bridges schools offer fewer activities and generally include schools that are new to the program.
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Efficiency Measures

Objective: The Special Olympics will develop efficient programs at the national, State, and 

school level.

Measure: The average total Federal cost per school.

Year Target Actual

2016 $3,033 $1,703

2017 3,033 1,849

2018 2,500 1,938

2019 2,500 1,979

2020 2,500

2021 2,000

Measure: The percent of Federal funds spent on administration.

Year Target Actual

2016 20% 20%

2017 20 19

2018 20 19

2019 20

2020 20

2021 20

Additional information: The Department hopes that lower targets will slow cost growth for the 

program in future years. Data for the percent of Federal funds spent on administration in 2019 

will be available in March 2020.