Department of Education

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language .......................................................................................................W-1

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

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

Summary of Changes ............................................................................................................W-4

Authorizing Legislation...........................................................................................................W-5

Appropriations History............................................................................................................W-6

Summary of Request .............................................................................................................W-7

Activities:

Research, development, and dissemination .................................................................... W-10

Statistics..........................................................................................................................W-24

Regional educational laboratories ................................................................................... W-39

Assessment.....................................................................................................................W-45

Research in special education.........................................................................................W-54

Statewide longitudinal data systems................................................................................ W-63

Special education studies and evaluations ...................................................................... W-71

Account

W-1
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Appropriations Language

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

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

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

Act, [$573,935,000] $675,883,000, which shall remain available through September 30, [2016] 

2017: 1 Provided, That funds available to carry out section 208 of the Educational Technical 

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

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

systems: 2 Provided further, That up to $6,000,000 of the funds available to carry out section 

208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 may be used for awards to public or 

private organizations or agencies to support activities to improve data coordination, quality, and 

use at the local, State, and national levels3 [: Provided further, That $137,235,000 shall be for 

carrying out activities authorized by the National Assessment of Educational Progress 

Authorization Act]. 4

 (Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2015.)

NOTE

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

Provisions and Changes document which follows the appropriation language.

W-1

W-1
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 

...[$573,935,000] $675,883,000, which shall 

remain available through September 30,

[2016] 2017:

This language provides 2-year availability of 

funds for the account. This language is 

needed to facilitate the planning of long-term 

programs of research and to accommodate 

cyclical surveys and assessments.

2 Provided, That funds available to carry out 

section 208 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act of 2002 may be used to link 

Statewide elementary and secondary data 

systems with early childhood, postsecondary, 

and workforce data systems, or to further 

develop such systems:

This language provides the authority to use 

funds to expand Statewide longitudinal data 

systems to include postsecondary and 

workforce information and information on 

early childhood.

3 Provided further, That up to $6,000,000 of 

the funds available to carry out section 208 of 

the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 

2002 may be used for awards to public or 

private organizations or agencies to support 

activities to improve data coordination, 

quality, and use at the local, State, and 

national levels.

This language provides the authority to make 

Statewide longitudinal data systems awards 

to agencies and organizations, in addition to 

State educational agencies, in order to 

further the purposes of the program.

4

 [: Provided further, That $137,235,000 shall 

be for carrying out activities authorized by the 

National Assessment of Educational 

Progress Authorization Act]

This language specifies the amount of 

funding available for the Assessment 

program. The language is not required in 

order to provide a specific level of funding for 

the program.

W-2
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Appropriation, Adjustments and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriations/Adjustments/Transfers 2014 2015 2016

Discretionary:

Discretionar y appropriati on Appropriation $576,935 $573,935 $675,883

W-3
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2015 .............................................................................................................. $573,935

2016 .............................................................................................................. 675,883

Net change............................................................................ +101,948

Increases: 2015 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Increase for Research, Development, and Dissemination to 

support expanded research and dissemination activities. $179,860 +$22,413

Increase for Statistics to support a wide range of activities, 

including collecting administrative National Postsecondary 

Student Aid Survey data every 2 years, re-initiating the Early 

Childhood Longitudinal Study Birth Cohort, and developing a 

study on college loan performance. 103,060 +21,684

Increase for National Assessment to support the current

schedule of assessments, which include transitioning the 4th and 

8th grade national and State assessments in reading and 

mathematics to a digital-based platform. 129,000 +20,616

Increase for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems to provide 

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

Increase for Special Education Studies and Evaluations to 

provide needed support for a new study of preschool special 

education practices. 10,818 +2,182

Subtotal, increases +102,356

Decreases

2015 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Decrease for National Assessment Governing Board to reflect 

need to focus on key activities. 8,235 -408

Subtotal, decreases -408

Net change +101,948

W-4
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2015

Authorized

 2015

Actual

 2016

Authorized

2016

Request

Research and Statistics

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

except section 174)

01, 2 $179,860 02 $202,273

Statistics (ESRA, part C) 01, 2 103,060 02 124,744

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

Assessment

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEPAA, section 303) 02 129,000 02 149,616

National Assessment Governing Board (NAEPAA, section 302) 02 8,235 02 7,827

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

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

Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) 03 10,818 03 13,000

Total definite authorization 0 0

Total appropriation 573,935 675,883

Portion of request not authorized 573,935 675,883

1

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

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

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

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2016 under appropriations 

language. 3

 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2016 under appropriations 

language.

W-5
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

W-6

Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFootnote

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

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

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

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

Recovery Act Supplemental

 (P.L. 111-5)  250,000  250,000

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

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

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

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

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

2015 637,180 N/A8 579,0219 573,935

2016 675,883 ___________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 (P.L. 112-10). 6

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

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

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

 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action. 9 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate Subcommittee action only.
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

W-7

Summary of Request

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2016 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET 

Click here for accessible version 

(in thousands of dollars) 2016

Category 2014 2015 President's 

Account, Program and Activity Code Appropriation Appropriation Budget Amount Percent

Institute of Education Sciences

1. Research and statistics:

(a) Research, development, and dissemination (ESRA I-A, B and D) D 179,860 179,860 202,273 22,413 12.461%

(b) Statistics (ESRA I-C) D 103,060 103,060 124,744 21,684 21.040%

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

3. Assessment (NAEPAA):

(a) National assessment (section 303) D 132,000 129,000 149,616 20,616 15.981%

(b) National Assessment Governing Board (section 302) D 8,235 8,235 7,827 (408) -4.954%

Subtotal 140,235 137,235 157,443 20,208 14.725%

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

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

6. Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) D 10,818 10,818 13,000 2,182 20.170%

Total D 576,935 573,935 675,883 101,948 17.763%

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

Accounts are shown under the administering office that has primary responsibility for most programs in that account; however, there may be some programs that are administered by another office.

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

2016 President's Budget 

Compared to 2015 Appropriation
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Summary of Request

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

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

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

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

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

$675.9 million for this account for fiscal year 2016, an increase of $101.9 million over the 

2015 appropriation.

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

increase of $22.4 million from the 2015 appropriation. This investment in research is critical 

because high quality information about effective practices is essential for improving education, 

providing valuable insight into how public dollars could be better used to improve student 

outcomes. The funding will provide support for building a high-quality evidence base for what 

works in education, as well as provide support for IES dissemination efforts to ensure that the 

evidence base informs practice both in the field and also in the Department. Included in the 

request is increased funding for research related to early childhood education and funds to 

enhance the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC).

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

related to education at all levels, the Administration requests $124.7 million, $21.7 million more 

than the 2015 appropriation. The request would allow the National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES) to support the collection, analysis, and dissemination of education-related 

statistics in response to both legislative requirements and to the particular needs of data 

providers, data users, and education researchers. The increase would provide $8.7 million to 

re-initiate the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, $2 million to support an 

international study of early childhood education, $4 million to collect administrative National 

Postsecondary Student Aid Survey data every 2 years, $2 million to support the School Survey 

on Crime and Safety and the School Crime Supplement, $4 million to support a study on 

student loan repayment and defaults, and $1 million to support statistical work on the My 

Brother’s Keeper initiative. 

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

program, the same as the 2015 level. The RELs serve as a necessary bridge between 

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

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

data systems for research and evaluation that address important issues of policy and practice.

A total of $157.4 million is requested for Assessment in 2016. Of this amount, $149.6 million 

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

$7.8 million would support the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). The requested 

funding for NAEP would allow for the 2017 4th and 8th grade national and State assessments in 

reading and math to transition to a digital-based platform, the expansion of the Trial Urban 

District Assessment, and the conduct of grades 8 and 12 assessments in U.S. history, civics, 

and geography assessments in 2018.

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

2015 level. The requested funds would support programs of research, including research 

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

W-8
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Summary of Request (continued)

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

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

disabilities to be college- and career-ready.

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

an increase of $35.5 million from the 2015 appropriation. The request would support new 

awards to States to allow them to improve data systems and ensure that data are available to 

answer key policy questions about financial and resource equity, teacher preparation, early 

learning, and college and career readiness. Funds also would support awards to public and 

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

national, State, and local levels.

The request includes $13.0 million for Special Education Studies and Evaluations, an increase 

of $2.2 million. IES supports a range of evaluations that are designed to provide information 

about which programs and practices are effective and ineffective and thereby provide concrete 

guidance for educators and parents. At the request level, four of these studies would receive 

funding from the 2016 appropriation: Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices, 

State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2016, Impact Evaluation of Multi-Tiered Systems of 

Support for Behavior, and Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities.

ies:

W-9
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01 2 3

Budget Authority:

_________________

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

FY 2016 under appropriations language.

2 The authorizing law provides that not more than the lesser of 2 percent of the amount appropriated to carry out 

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

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

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

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

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

disseminates research information, translating complex methodological and statistical details 

into information that can be more easily understood and applied to classroom instruction and 

policy decisions. IES also continues to work with the field to help States, districts, and schools 

access available evidence to make more informed decisions through traditional evaluations and 

more timely quick-turnaround evaluations.

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

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

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

(NCSER). The Director of IES is responsible for coordinating the activities of the centers, 

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

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

from the Research, Development, and Dissemination (RDD) appropriation, is composed of 

private sector leaders as well as researchers and educators. Its responsibilities include 

approving priorities and peer review procedures and providing guidance to IES. 

IES receives funding under seven programs in the IES account; one of those programs, RDD,

provides funding for NCER and NCEE. NCEE also receives funding from the Regional 

Educational Laboratory (REL) and Special Education Studies and Evaluation programs within 

the IES account, as well as evaluation funding from other programs within the Department.

2015 2016 Change

$179,860 $202,273 +$22,413

W-10
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

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

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

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

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

systems and policies. Since its authorization in 2002, IES has awarded over 800 grants and 

contracts to build a diverse NCER research portfolio that includes national research and 

development centers, field-initiated research projects, education research training projects, fieldinitiated evaluations of State and local programs and policies, and research on statistical and 

research methodology. Research activities help to improve education quality and improve 

student achievement, particularly for students at risk of academic failure. Many NCER projects 

help inform education decisions and are leading to better education practices across the 

country. For example:

• Studies to evaluate the effectiveness of curricula designed to teach math to preschool 

children found that the curricula strengthened children’s math skills and reduced the math 

achievement gap between lower- and middle-income children. The research contributed to 

the development of resource materials on math instruction for the Head Start Program’s 

Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/teaching/practice/curricula/MKandS.html) and to a What Works Clearinghouse 

(WWC) Practice Guide on Teaching Math to Young Children 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide.aspx?sid=18). In addition, WestEd, in 

partnership with the University of Oregon, Westat, and a consortium of LEAs in California, 

drew upon the research to write a successful 2012 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant 

application, and is using the funds to expand an early mathematics curriculum to 

38,000 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. 

• A study of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), an intervention for struggling adolescent 

readers that helps students develop metacognitive awareness and learn specific strategies 

associated with reading comprehension, showed that CSR yielded positive outcomes for 

many at-risk students, including English Learners and students with learning disabilities, as 

well as for average and high-achieving students. In response to these findings, Denver 

Public Schools is incorporating CSR into a middle school curriculum that will serve 

15,000 students (http://www.csrcolorado.org/en/).

• A 2006 research grant funded an evaluation of Early College High Schools, an initiative 

designed to increase the number of students who graduate from high school and are 

prepared for postsecondary education. The evaluation found significant positive effects on 

the number of high school students who completed rigorous college courses and were on 

track for high school graduation. In 2014, North Carolina New Schools received an i3 grant 

for a scale-up project to serve over 13,000 students 

(http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/2014/ncnewschools.pdf).

NCER also funds research training programs to help develop a steady supply of researchers 

dedicated to the pursuit of finding solutions to problems in education. The pre-doctoral training 

program has trained over 700 students and the postdoctoral program has trained 114 fellows 

since they were launched, and nearly all of the fellows who completed their training are leading 

or contributing to education research projects as employees of universities, research firms, or 

government agencies. NCER also funds programs to help early- and mid-career education 

W-11
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

researchers upgrade their skills and learn new methods. Recent training areas have included 

randomized control trials and quasi-experimental design as well as cost-benefit and costeffectiveness analyses.

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

evaluations of the implementation and impact of key Federal education programs, through both 

traditional and quick-turnaround studies, and serves as a standards and validation body for 

education evaluations. Funding for NCEE program evaluations comes from other programs and 

is not part of the request for RDD. NCEE is also responsible for translating research findings 

into information that is accessible to education practitioners and for enhancing the use of 

evidence by policymakers and practitioners through the WWC, the Education Resources 

Information Center (ERIC), the National Library of Education, and the Regional Educational 

Laboratories (RELs). Funding for the WWC, ERIC, and the NLE are part of the RDD request. 

Funding for the RELs program is requested elsewhere in this account. These programs work 

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

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

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

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

2015..................................................................................... 179,860

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $202.3 million, an increase of $22.4 million over the 

2015 appropriation, to support its investments in research, development, evaluation, and 

dissemination through an expansion of support for research and enhancement of WWC 

activities. These investments build a rich evidence base on what works in education and make 

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

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

effective for improving student learning and achievement from early childhood through 

postsecondary and adult education so that SEAs, LEAs, and schools are equipped with the 

information and tools needed to deliver a high-quality education to all children.

The Department’s request would enable IES to invest approximately $45 million in new research 

awards in fiscal year 2016. This investment in new research is critical because high quality 

information about effective practices is essential for improving education and providing valuable 

insight into how public dollars could be better used to improve student outcomes. The funding 

will provide support for building a high-quality evidence base on what works in education, as 

well as provide support to IES dissemination efforts to ensure that the evidence base informs 

practice both in the field and also in the Department.

W-12
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

At the request level, IES would fund $6 million in new early childhood research. The research 

would be supported through awards under the 2016 competitions, which would indicate that the 

Department was inviting proposals that address topics in early childhood education. The 

Department anticipates that much of the early childhood research would be conducted either 

through a focused research network or through a National Research and Development (R&D) 

Center. (Both of these competition types are discussed below.) Support for early learning has 

been a key Administration focus: Ensuring high-quality early learning opportunities for all 

children in America so that they enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life yields 

benefits that far outweigh the costs of the investment. To support States and communities in 

this work, the Administration is requesting targeted increases in early learning research and 

evaluation across the Government to yield crucial information on children’s early life 

experiences and help determine which models and practices are most effective at improving 

child outcomes. In addition, the Administration’s 2016 request for the Department of Education 

includes an increase of $500 million for Preschool Development Grants in the School Readiness 

account to help States develop and expand high-quality preschool programs in targeted 

communities. An increase in the RDD program would allow IES to support new research on 

early learning that would help ensure that teachers and education leaders had sound, evidencebased information about effective practices.

Also included in the request is increased funding to enhance the WWC to better meet the needs 

of practitioners and policymakers and ensure that practice in both the field and the Department 

is evidence-based.

IES funds only highly qualified applicants and makes final decisions about the level of support 

for each research competition once it has completed peer review and identified which 

applications will be funded. For that reason, we are not providing estimates of the 2016 funding 

amounts for each research competition, but we do provide descriptive information on each of 

them below.

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

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

previous years.

National Center for Education Research (NCER) Programs of Research

NCER is now developing its plans for its 2016 research competitions. In recent years, NCER

has held five types of grant competitions: Education research grants, national research and 

development centers, research training grants, grants for statistical and research methodology 

in education, and partnerships and collaborations focused on problems of practice or policy. To 

determine funding priorities for future competitions, staff held Technical Working Group 

meetings with education researchers and practitioners from around the country and solicited 

public comments through the IES Web site. Staff also discussed priorities with the NBES and 

with officials within the Department of Education. Based on these discussions, IES plans to 

launch three new research competitions in 2016:

• Low-Cost, Quick-Turnaround Randomized Control Trials. Policymakers and practitioners 

increasingly rely on randomized control trials for evidence on the effectiveness of education 

programs, but they are sometimes frustrated by the expense of these trials and the long wait 

W-13
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

for results. While some studies require extended follow-up (e.g., to determine whether an 

intervention for 9th graders leads to more high school graduates), others may be completed 

in less time if the outcomes of interest can be captured within a semester or school year. 

Advances in State and local education data systems also allow researchers to collect and 

analyze data more quickly and cheaply than in the past. This is a growing area of interest 

for policy-makers, researchers, and practitioners 

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/07/30/how-low-cost-randomized-controlled-trials-candrive-effective-social-spending). Under this new competition, IES will invite proposals for 

randomized control trials that can be completed within a short time frame (e.g., 18 months or 

less) and under $200,000. In the spirit of quick turnaround, IES will also develop an 

expedited review process for these proposals.

• Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Practice. Traditionally, 

NCER has awarded most of its grant funding to field-initiated studies, but recent feedback 

from researchers and practitioners who met with NCER to discuss future needs suggested 

that while such funding is important, identifying research priorities and encouraging 

cooperation among researchers tackling similar topics also is key. Areas identified included 

research on the pedagogical practices that are most effective in raising academic 

achievement among primary and secondary school students and the implementation and 

effectiveness of universal pre-K programs and the Next Generation Science Standards. 

Under this new competition, NCER will invite proposals from researchers who are committed 

to addressing topics identified in the competition announcement. For each major topic, a 

research “hub” will be established to support the exchange of ideas and coordination of 

newly launched projects. The ultimate objectives are to encourage efficiency, spark 

creativity, and build a body of evidence on critical education topics. At the request level, IES 

would fund $6 million in new early learning research; the research would be conducted 

largely through a research network or through a National Research and Development 

Center.

• Pathways to Education Research Training Program. Like many other professions, the 

education sciences have struggled to attract researchers who reflect the economic, ethnic, 

and cultural diversity of the Nation at-large. Under this new initiative, NCER will invite 

proposals for training activities that will build a more diverse pipeline of education research 

scientists. Possible strategies may include workshops designed to introduce students or 

faculty members from underrepresented groups to the education sciences and available 

fellowships; paid internships for undergraduate or master’s degree students to work on IESfunded research projects; or guided exploration of courses in the education sciences by 

qualified undergraduates, with supplementary advising from faculty or student mentors.

At the request level, NCER also plans to maintain its support for previously-awarded grants and 

invite new proposals for five existing competitions: Education Research Grants, Research 

Training Programs in the Education Sciences, Statistical and Research Methodology in 

Education, Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy, and 

Small Business Innovation Research. The level of funding and number of grants for each 

program is based on available funds and the quality of applications received as rated by panels 

of scientists. As noted above, IES is developing plans for supporting additional early childhood 

research; such work could largely be carried out through a research network or through a 

W-14
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

National R&D Center. Only proposals that receive outstanding or excellent ratings may receive 

funding.

• Education Research Grants. This program supports field-initiated research projects and 

accounts for over half of NCER’s grant-making. In fiscal year 2016, NCER will invite 

proposals on the following topics:

o Reading and writing;

o Mathematics and science education;

o Cognition and student learning;

o Effective teachers and effective teaching;

o Social and behavioral context for academic learning;

o Early learning programs and policies;

o English learners;

o Postsecondary and adult education;

o Education technology; and

o Improving education systems—organization, management, and policy,

Researchers may conduct a variety of projects based on their research goals:

o Exploratory research projects identify factors and conditions that are associated with 

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

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

that can improve student outcomes. 

o Development and innovation projects create potent and innovative interventions to 

address continuing problems that the nation has not yet solved (e.g., achievement gaps 

between lower- and higher-income students) and emerging problems and challenges 

(e.g., integrating new technologies into classrooms in ways that support student learning 

and achievement).

o Efficacy and replication projects examine whether fully developed interventions produce 

a beneficial impact on student outcomes when implemented in authentic education 

delivery systems like schools or classrooms. These projects often involve technical 

assistance and close monitoring by the research team to make sure the interventions 

are implemented with fidelity.

o Effectiveness studies determine whether fully developed interventions with prior 

evidence of efficacy produce beneficial education outcomes when implemented under 

routine conditions (e.g., if a district implemented an intervention on its own without 

special support from the developer or research team).

o Measurement projects support research to develop and validate surveys, tests, and 

other instruments used for screening, progress monitoring, and outcome assessments. 

W-15
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

• Research Training. Through its pre-doctoral and postdoctoral training programs, NCER 

supports grants to institutions of higher education to develop programs to train graduate 

students and researchers to conduct exploratory research, implement rigorous evaluation 

studies, develop and validate tests and measures, and contribute to the advancement of 

knowledge and theory in education. Five pre-doctoral training programs are currently in 

place, and up to five additional grants will be awarded following the fiscal year 2015 grants 

competition. For fiscal year 2016, NCER will invite new proposals for postdoctoral training, 

methods training for early- and mid-career researchers, and the Pathways to Education 

Research Training Program mentioned above.

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

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

research. This program supports the development of new statistical and methodological 

approaches to research, the extension and improvement of existing methods, and the 

creation of other tools that would enhance researchers’ ability to conduct high-quality 

research and evaluation projects, regardless of whether these projects are directly funded 

by the Federal government. Recent grants have supported efforts to improve value-added 

models for evaluating teacher performance, and to facilitate use of state longitudinal data 

systems by researchers through the development of better techniques for safeguarding 

individual student information. Support for the development of enhanced methodologies for 

conducting low-cost, quick-turnaround randomized control trials could be supported through 

this program.

• National Research and Development (R&D) Centers. R&D Centers are intended to 

contribute significantly to the solution of education problems in the U.S. by engaging in 

research, development, evaluation, and national leadership activities aimed at improving the 

education system and, ultimately, student achievement. Each R&D Center conducts a 

focused program of research in fields which are under-investigated and are of interest to 

education policymakers and practitioners. For example, recent grants have supported new 

research on strategies to improve college readiness among students entering community 

colleges and less-selective four-year institutions, and on the implementation and 

effectiveness of gifted and talented programs for children and youth. Ten R&D centers are 

currently active. IES anticipates launching a new Virtual Learning Laboratory in 2015 to 

take advantage of the opportunities that online and blended learning strategies provide in 

order to better understand and improve student outcomes. 

As noted above, at the request level, IES would use 2016 funds to fund a focused research 

network or a new R&D Center on early learning. 

• Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy. This 

program supports research partnerships between researchers and practitioners to address 

high-priority research questions of State and local education agencies. Education agencies 

are expected to work with researchers to design studies, gather data, and adopt and 

disseminate the results. Three funding opportunities are available to help partnerships plan 

and initiate new projects, conduct research focused on supporting continuous improvement, 

and perform rigorous evaluations of State and local education policies and programs.

W-16
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

• Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). This program awards contracts to qualified 

small businesses to conduct innovative research and development projects focused on 

education technology. Small businesses can receive Federal funding for two phases of 

research and development. Phase I awards are designed to determine the scientific or 

technical merit of ideas by testing the feasibility of a technological approach; Phase II 

awards are designed to expand on the results of Phase I projects and to further pursue their 

development. Phase II awards require a more comprehensive plan for research and 

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

technology. Small businesses may also submit applications for “Fast Track” awards that 

combine Phase I and Phase II activities.

NCEE Dissemination Activities

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

in 2002 to serve as a central and trusted source for scientific evidence on what works in 

education. To date, the WWC has reviewed more than 10,000 studies and published more than 

550 intervention reports that assess the rigor of research evidence on the effectiveness of 

interventions in topics such as reading, mathematics, dropout prevention, early childhood 

education, and students with learning disabilities. Other products and services provided by 

WWC include user-friendly practice guides that provide research-based recommendations to 

educators and practitioners to address instructional challenges within schools and classrooms. 

The WWC helps inform the work of the Department’s wide-ranging technical assistance network 

that includes the RELs, Comprehensive Centers, Equity Assistance Centers, and the Office of 

Special Education Program Technical Assistance Centers, which are organized by the 

Department to provide high quality support to SEAs, LEAs, and schools that is accessible, 

comprehensive, and relevant.

The WWC is seen as a leader in the systematic review of education research studies, and the 

WWC standards have been integrated into the Department’s work to implement more evidencebased grant competitions. The 2016 request includes an increase to enhance the WWC in 

order to expand dissemination efforts to better meet the needs of practitioners and policymakers as well as to accelerate study reviews to help ensure that SEAs, LEAs, schools, and 

practitioners have access to the most up-to-date evidence.

IES awarded new contracts for the WWC in 2013. With these contracts, IES is expanding the 

WWC to review studies in postsecondary education, enhance the WWC Web site, and improve 

communication and dissemination efforts so that research is accessible to a wide range of 

audiences while continuing to review individual studies, produce intervention reports, and 

update standards across the entire WWC. One example of a strategy for communicating the 

WWC’s work is through thematic information campaigns, which are publicized through email 

blasts and on Twitter, Facebook, and the WWC Web site. In 2014, the WWC undertook 

campaigns on College Access, Classroom Behavior, Early Childhood Instruction, What Works in 

Math, Literacy, and Back to School. The WWC also released practice guides in e-book formats 

and provided new supplementary materials, including short summaries of guides. To meet 

demand for more information on how to meet WWC standards, IES offered a webinar on 

Designing Strong Studies, in which 400 individuals participated. A link to a video of the webinar 

is available at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/news.aspx?sid=18.

W-17
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

Based on feedback it has received from WWC stakeholders and potential users, IES efforts to 

enhance the WWC are guided by the following:

• Audiences need to be clearly defined and specifically targeted with products and outreach. 

In some cases, this means developing informal partnerships with outside organizations, or 

offering webinars targeted to specific groups.

• The WWC needs to show audiences how to use its materials. One strategy is providing 

online videos to demonstrate instructional strategies 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide.aspx?sid=15); another is using webinars 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/event.aspx?sid=36) to showcase WWC resources that teachers 

and administrators can use to inform decisions and improve their craft.

• Products must be shorter and available in a variety of formats. IES now produces practice 

guide summaries and videos, and has developed a prototype one-page “evidence snapshot” 

that uses graphics to summarize WWC findings, including the contexts in which an

intervention was tested.

• Intermediary organizations are essential. The WWC relies heavily on the RELs to conduct 

workshops based on WWC materials. For example, REL Mid-Atlantic hosted a “WWC 

Practice Guide” series of webinars in 2013−2014; in November 2014, REL Southeast 

conducted a professional development day for teachers in Dade County, Florida, based on a 

practice guide; and REL Southwest is developing a professional development kit for schoolbased professional learning communities that will enable teachers to apply 

recommendations from the English Learners practice guide.

• Web sites need constant refreshing. The internet is changing rapidly, and users expect 

improvements to enhance usability.

• Content needs to be updated quickly. A new database will enable auto-updating of 

Intervention Reports as new studies become available.

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). The mission of the ERIC online system 

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

bibliographic and full-text database of education research and information. During 2014, ERIC 

revised its selection policy to strengthen its focus on education research, continued 

improvements to products and services, and realized cost savings, while increasing use of 

ERIC. ERIC has taken on an additional role in responding to the Presidential directive for 

agencies to provide open access to federally funded research. In 2014, IES and ERIC staff 

negotiated agreements with the publishers of the mostly frequently used peer-reviewed 

education research journals that will enable IES to offer full-text versions of publications 

resulting from federally funded education research at no cost to the public through the ERIC 

Web site within a year of publication. With more than 300,000 visitors daily, ERIC is already the 

most visited Web site operated by the Department. Through these and other enhancements, 

IES is continuing to improve the ERIC user experience through a simpler, more powerful search 

functionality and easier linkages to more full-text peer reviewed education research publications.

National Library of Education (NLE). The NLE serves as the Federal Government's primary 

education information resource to the public, education community, and other government 

W-18
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

agencies. Information services are critical to enable the Department to use data to make 

decisions and build evidence of program effectiveness. In 2014, IES continued its efforts to 

better align library resources with Department priorities and needs. IES implemented a new 

collection policy for the NLE, examining data on historical patterns of usage and consulting with 

stakeholders to procure new journal subscriptions. In addition, the new NLE staffing contract 

better aligns personnel to Department needs, while reducing contractor personnel costs by 

9 percent annually. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Research activities:

Education research grants

ducation r esearch: New grant awards $28,533 TBD TBD

ducation r esearch: Grant award continuations1 62,739 $65,000 $42,678

Education r esearch: Total 91,272 TBD TBD

National research and development centers

 development centers: New grant awards 3,035 TBD TBD

 development centers: Grant award continuations1 10,325 9,556 7,294

 development centers: Total 13,360 TBD TBD

Research training

esearch tr aini ng: New grant awards 2,435 TBD TBD

Research tr aini ng: Grant award continuations1 2,409 6,345 7,244

esearch tr aini ng: Total 4,844 TBD TBD

Statistical and research methodology in education

 ol og y in education: New grant awards 2,354 TBD TBD

 ol og y in education: Grant award continuations1 753 2,885 1,993

 methodol og y in education: Total 3,107 TBD TBD

Partnerships and collaborations focused on problems of 

practice or policy

Partnershi ps and collaborati ons: New grant awards 6,096 TBD TBD

Partnershi ps and collaborati ons:: Grant award continuations1 7,316 7,673 5,524

Partnershi ps and collaborati ons: Total 13,412 TBD TBD

W-19
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Research initiative on reading for understanding

Research ini tiati ve on reading for understanding Total grant award continuations $22,916 0 0

Low-cost, quick-turnaround randomized control trials

Low-cost, quick- tur nar ound randomized contr ol tri als New grant awards 0 0 TBD

Research networks focused on critical problems of 

education practice

 r ks focused on critical pr obl ems of education practice New grant awards 0 0 TBD

Subtotal, research grant activities $148,911 $150,689 $169,865

Small Business Innovation Research Contracts 7,481 7,500 7,500

Dissemination Activities

Educational Resources Information Center 3,676 4,137 3,300

What Works Clearinghouse 10,158 9,317 12,500

National Library of Education 2,089 2,100 2,100

Dissemination/Logistical/Technical Support 2,886 3,321 3,011

Total 19,777 17,874 20,911

Peer review 3,650 3,650 3,650

National Board for Education Sciences $41 $147 $347

Total 179,860 179,860 202,273

_________________

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

depend on the quality of applications received. 1 Includes only continuation costs for grants awarded to date. Actual 2016 continuation costs will be higher due 

to the continuation costs for new 2015 awards.

W-20
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures 

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

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

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

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

2016 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the 

program.

The Department established new measures for NCER in 2014.

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

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

and practices that will affect significant numbers of children.

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

Annual Measures

Measure: The percentage of projects that result in peer-reviewed publications.

Year Target Actual

2013 Baseline 69%

2014 72% 73

2015 75

2016 78

Additional information: Peer-reviewed publications are an expected product of all research 

projects. NCER has been funding research projects since 2002. Given the lag from time of 

award to completion of the study and publication, the denominator for each reporting year will 

be the cumulative number of research grants that had been funded through the end of the fiscal 

year 3 years prior to the reporting year. (Grants that would not be expected to result in peerreviewed publication, such as research training grants, summer training grants, and nonresearch study projects are not included.) Thus, for 2013, the total number of projects (the 

denominator) is 509, which is the total number of research projects funded across all NCER 

programs from fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2010. The number of these projects with peerreviewed publications was 353. NCER gathers information about peer-reviewed publications 

through the annual grantee reports and records the publications in the IES Catalog of Education 

Research (ICER) database. Reporting on this measure will be cumulative. Data for fiscal year 

2015 will be available in November 2015.

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

improving student outcomes.

W-21
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

Year Target Actual

2011 44 45

2012 53 56

2013 67 67

2014 75 73

2015 82

2016 82

Additional information: Student education outcomes include both student academic 

outcomes and social and behavioral competencies. Student academic outcomes include 

learning and achievement in core academic content areas (reading, writing, mathematics, and 

science) and outcomes that reflect students’ successful progression through the education 

system (e.g., course and grade completion). Social and behavioral competencies include social 

skills, attitudes, and behaviors that may be important to students’ academic and post-academic 

success. This measure replaces two prior measures that looked at reading and writing and at 

mathematics and science. Those two measures mapped directly onto research programs 

competed from 2002 through 2004. Over the past decade, NCER has expanded the number of 

topic areas in which research is supported, so the new measure more accurately captures 

information on the breadth of topics supported.

Results of intervention evaluations typically are not available until the end of a grant award 

period. NCER submits the results (peer-reviewed publications and reports) to the What Works 

Clearinghouse (WWC) for review. WWC-certified reviewers determine whether the evaluation 

meets the WWC standards with or without reservations, and whether the evaluation found the 

intervention to produce a statistically significant or substantively important positive effect for 

students on at least one relevant education outcome. Thus, the reported data are the 

cumulative numbers of interventions since 2002 with evidence of meeting WWC standards and 

having positive effects on student outcomes as determined by the WWC reviewers. Data for 

fiscal year 2015 will be available in November 2015.

Measure: The number of newly developed or modified interventions with evidence of promise 

for improving student education outcomes.

Additional information: Student outcomes include school readiness; achievement in core 

academic content areas (reading, writing, mathematics, science); social and behavioral 

competencies that support academic learning and post-academic success; and outcomes that 

reflect students’ successful progression through the education system (e.g., course and grade 

completion; high school graduation and dropout; postsecondary enrollment, progress, and 

completion).

Since 2004, NCER has supported the development of new interventions and determined

whether these interventions have promise to produce beneficial impacts on student education 

outcomes. This measure will reflect the cumulative number of interventions NCER has funded 

since 2004 through Development and Innovation projects that show promise for improving 

student outcomes. NCER will review grantees’ final performance reports for completed 

research grants and determine the number of projects that have generated evidence of promise, 

using the Education Department General Education Regulations (EDGAR) standards for 

evidence of promise. To meet the standards, grantees must report pilot study evidence that the 

W-22
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research, development, and dissemination

intervention produced a statistically significant or substantively important positive association for 

at least one student outcome (0.25 standard deviation or larger).

The reported data will be the cumulative numbers of newly developed or modified interventions 

since 2004 with evidence of promise meeting EDGAR standards as determined by NCER,

based on grantee final performance reports. NCER will establish the baseline for this measure 

using 2013 data.

Efficiency Measures

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

employed in the National Center for Education Research.

Year Target Actual

2011 38 35

2012 40 34

2013 41 31

2014 41 31

2015 40

2016 40

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

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

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

or 1.3 per staff member. By 2007, 13 staff in the IES National Center for Education Research 

administered 417 active research grants with support from 4 staff in the IES Standards and 

Review and Grants Administration Staff offices. By 2011, staff monitored an average of 

35 grants per staff membera considerable increase from 2001.

In 2012 and 2013, NCER saw a slight decrease in the number of grants administered by 

program officers. In 2013, NCER had filled all open research staff positions for the first time, but 

was unable to fund as many new awards as it would have historically funded, due to budget 

cuts put in place by the sequester. At the same time, many of the awards made in fiscal year 

2009 were closing out, leading to additional reductions in the number of grants being monitored 

by staff.

IES believes that the current number of research grants per program officer represents an 

appropriate level of oversight and capacity and that future targets should maintain this level 

rather than add additional grants.

W-23
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01 2

Budget Authority:

_______________

1

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

program in FY 2016 under appropriations language. 2

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

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

$85,000 thousand.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is one of the 13 Federal statistical 

agencies and is the chief Federal entity engaged in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data 

related to education in the U.S. and, as such, makes a unique contribution to our understanding 

of the American educational system. NCES is one of four Centers in the Institute of Education 

Sciences (IES), which was established by the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) of 2002.

NCES is authorized to:

• collect, acquire, compile, and disseminate full and complete statistics on the condition 

and progress of education in the U. S.; 

• conduct and publish reports on the meaning and significance of such statistics; 

• collect, analyze, cross-tabulate, and report data, where feasible, by demographic 

characteristics, including gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, limited English 

proficiency, mobility, disability, and urbanicity; 

• help public and private educational agencies and organizations improve their statistical 

systems;

• acquire and disseminate data on U.S. education activities and student achievement 

compared with foreign nations; 

• conduct longitudinal and special data collections necessary to report on the condition 

and progress of education; and

2015 2016 Change

$103,060 $124,744 +$21,684

W-24
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

• help the IES Director prepare a biennial report describing the activities of IES. 

NCES may also establish a program to train employees of public and private educational 

agencies, organizations, and institutions in the use of statistical procedures and concepts and 

may establish a fellowship program to allow such employees to work as temporary fellows at 

NCES.

Statistical information collected by NCES contributes to the identification of needs in education,

the development of policy priorities, and the formulation, evaluation, and refinement of 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with other Federal agencies when carrying out surveys to ensure that the information collected 

is valuable across the Government. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human 

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

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

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

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

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

the Center.

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

• Cross-sectional Studies provide extensive staffing, school safety, adult education, and other 

issue-specific data from public and private schools, staff, and households. 

• Longitudinal Studies collect information on the same students over time. This information is 

a tool for understanding the processes through which individuals influence their education 

and education influences individuals, and can ultimately provide parents, educators, and 

policymakers with information to improve the quality of education.

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

U.S. by enabling comparisons with other countries. Interest in these studies has grown with 

the increasing concern about the Nation’s global competitiveness and the role education 

plays in ensuring economic growth.

• Administrative Data Collections and Support include basic descriptive data collections from 

public schools at the elementary and secondary levels and from public and private 

postsecondary institutions, as well as activities that improve data standards and provide 

technical assistance.

• Cross-cutting Activities include items in the Bureau of the Census Current Population 

Survey, as well as activities designed to enhance the quality and usefulness of statistical 

data collections, key publications, information technology, and printing across NCES.

W-25
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

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

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

2015...................................................................................103,060

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $124.7 million for Statistics, approximately $21.7 million more than 

the 2015 appropriation. The request includes funds for a broad range of surveys and activities 

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

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

The increase requested for 2016 would allow the Department to collect critical and more timely 

information on a wide range of high-priority policy issues, including postsecondary educational 

costs and student progress, school crime and safety, and early childhood education. More 

specifically, the increase would fund the following:

• The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort of 2018 (ECLS-B:18) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/) will provide nationally representative data about early childhood 

development that will allow direct analyses of early developmental processes. NCES last 

conducted a birth cohort study beginning in 2001. These data have often been used and 

cited in existing early childhood research, but by 2018, children from the first ECLS-B 

sample will be entering into adulthood, indicating a need for more current data for 

researchers and policymakers to improve early childhood education services and outcomes. 

Funding for a new round of the ECLS-B is an important tool in increasing early learning 

research and evaluation to support States as they expand high-quality preschool programs 

to their communities under Preschool Development Grants. Approximately $8.7 million of 

the requested funding would support sample design and questionnaire development in 

2016, as well as a large sample field test in 2017. 

• The Early Childhood Education Study (ECES) (http://eces.iea.nl/) is an international study of 

early childhood education and its role in preparing children to learn and function in school 

and the broader environment. The Administration will use approximately $2 million of the 

2016 increase to support ECES, which will provide an assessment of kindergarten children 

in the U.S. through surveys of parents, teachers, and school principals. The study is 

organized by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement 

(IEA), and data collection is being planned for 2017.

• The National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS)

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/) is a comprehensive study of undergraduate, graduate, 

and first-professional degree students that examines how students and their families pay for 

postsecondary education. While NPSAS provides data on student financial aid programs 

W-26
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

necessary to make policy decisions and inform research, the data are only collected every 

4 years, and as a result, the data do not always reflect the current student aid policy 

environment. The Administration is requesting $4 million of additional funding for NPSAS in 

2016 to allow for the collection of administrative data every 2 years, ultimately allowing the 

data to better reflect periods of rapid economic or social change. 

• The Student Loan Repayment and Default Study would help address the lack of information 

on student loan borrower choices and behavior, including better understanding why certain 

students and their parents default on education loan payments. Approximately $4 million of 

the Administration’s request would support a nationally representative study of students and 

parents who default on education loans and comparison groups of students in good 

standing. Funding in 2016 would support questionnaire development and sample design 

work for a field test. 

• The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime/) and 

the School Crime Supplement (SCS) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ssocs/) provide the 

Administration with many of the statistics used to provide context when crises and tragedies 

strike our Nation’s schools. SSOCS provides estimates of school crime, discipline, and 

disorder programs and policies from a nationally representative sample of approximately 

3,500 public elementary and secondary schools, while the SCS collects information about 

school-related victimization, crime, and safety in public and private schools as part of a 

national survey of students ages 12 through 18 conducted by the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics. The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools funded these data collections until 

2012, when the office was reorganized and funding was discontinued for SSOCS and SCS. 

The next SCS data collection is scheduled to begin in January 2015 and will be supported 

by limited funding from NCES. The 2016 SSOCS will not be funded by NCES but has 

received temporary support from the U.S. Department of Justice. Given the need to 

continue these data collections to ensure accurate information on school crime and safety is 

available, approximately $2 million of the requested increase would support item review and 

development for the 2017 SCS and the 2018 SSOCS.

• The My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) (http://mbk.ed.gov/) initiative was launched in 2014 to 

address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. MBK included 

an extensive set of statistical indicators related to environment and family structure, 

education, jobs and earnings, health, and crime to highlight where problems exist, as well as 

a set of clearinghouses to disseminate information about programmatic interventions shown 

to improve conditions for youth in this country. Federal statistical agencies worked within 

existing resources to support the development of the indicators and the provision of related 

data. Specifically, NCES has supported the development of a basic dissemination Web site. 

Approximately $1 million of the requested increase would support more extensive use of 

existing federal data on health, nutrition, poverty, education, and economic opportunity to 

provide better indicators for highlighting problems and tracking improvements over time.

This additional investment in data collections will help ensure that the Department’s policies on 

postsecondary education, school safety, and early childhood education are based on recent and 

relevant information. In addition, the requested funding would allow NCES to maintain its core 

activities, including: 

W-27
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

Cross Sectional Studies

• Cross Sectional Studies, which include a set of sample surveys that provide extensive data 

about public and private schools, staff, and households throughout the U.S., would receive 

approximately $22.5 million in 2016 for support of SSOCS, SCS, the Student Loan 

Repayment and Default Study, and the following surveys and activities:

• The Adult Training and Education Study (ATES) (http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013190.pdf),

piloted in 2010, has collected information on sub-baccalaureate education and training for 

adults. NCES traditionally has only collected data on postsecondary certificates and 

degrees awarded through credit-bearing instruction in institutions of higher education that 

participate in Title IV Federal student aid programs. These institutions comprise only a 

portion of sub-baccalaureate education and training. The ultimate goal of this study was to 

develop a methodology to collect valid information on all postsecondary certificates and 

training, not just on those that are offered by traditional institutions of higher education. In 

2015, ATES will be administered as part of the National Household Education Survey.

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

provide descriptive data on a wide range of education-related issues, including early 

childhood care and education, children’s readiness for school, parent perceptions of school 

safety and discipline, before- and after-school activities of school-age children, adult 

participation in education and training for work, parent involvement in education, school 

choice, homeschooling, and civic involvement. Funding in 2016 would be used to evaluate 

and support NHES data processing. NCES is also developing content for future NHES 

collections that focus more specifically on kindergarten readiness, after-school activities of

children through the 8th grade, and college planning of high school students.

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

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

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

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

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

elementary and secondary schools, elementary and secondary school teachers and 

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

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

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

school facilities, the report of which was released in March 2014.

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

provides information on the number of private schools, teachers, and students in the U.S. 

while providing a sampling frame for other NCES surveys. The survey, which includes all 

private schools, will next be conducted in 2015–2016.

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

conducted in 2011–2012, is an extensive sample survey that provides nationally 

representative information on K-12 public and private schools, principals, and teachers. The 

survey has been conducted every 4 years, but NCES is shifting SASS to a 2-year data 

collection cycle for the 2015–2016 school year administration in order to provide more timely 

W-28
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

teacher and principal data. NCES is exploring strategies for collecting much of the schoollevel information through administrative data sources.

• The Survey of Earned Doctorates in the United States

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

universe of doctoral recipients in the U.S. It is conducted by the National Center for Science 

and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), while 

being supported by NCES, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration.

Longitudinal Studies

Longitudinal Studies are designed to collect information on the same students over time. NCES 

supports a set of surveys that follow students over various age spans. The data from these 

surveys provide analysts with a tool for understanding how education leads individuals to 

develop their abilities, and can ultimately provide parents, educators, and policymakers with 

information to improve the quality of education. Under the 2016 request, funding for these

longitudinal surveys would be an estimated $47.0 million. In addition to ECLS-B:18 and 

NPSAS, key activities include:

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

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

examine child development, school readiness, and early school experiences. The children 

in the ECLS-K:11 comprise a nationally representative sample selected from both public and 

private schools attending both full-day and part-day kindergarten in 2010–2011. The 

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

in previous studies, which will enable researchers to study how a wide range of family, 

school, community, and individual factors are associated with school performance over time.

• The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/mgls/) will be the first 

longitudinal study to provide information on children’s development in grades 6 through 8 

and on factors associated with successful transition from elementary to secondary school. 

The study will include a nationally representative sample of 6th graders in the 2016–2017 

school year, including oversamples of students with disabilities, and will focus on topics 

associated with students’ high school readiness, inclusion, and math and literacy learning in 

the middle grades. The field test for the study will be conducted in early 2016, while 

baseline data will be collected in spring 2017 with annual follow-ups in spring 2018 and 

spring 2019.

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

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

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

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

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

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

plans and financing. The next round of data collection is scheduled for 2016. Subsequent 

waves of data collection will follow the sample members into college and beyond, providing 

W-29
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

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

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

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

postsecondary choices, and how these plans evolve over time. The study will also examine 

factors that are associated with students’ success, with a special focus on science, 

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

• The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Survey (BPS) 

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

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

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

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

fourth BPS is using the 2012 NPSAS as a base, with scheduled follow-ups in 2014 and 

2017. These follow-ups will include revised strata for institution sampling to reflect the 

recent growth in enrollment in for-profit 4-year institutions.

• The Baccalaureate and Beyond Survey (B&B) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/b&b/) follows 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

second follow-up is scheduled for 2018.

International Studies

International Studies (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/) provide insights into U.S. 

educational practices and outcomes by allowing comparisons with other countries. Interest in 

these studies has grown with increasing concern about the Nation’s global competitiveness and 

the role education plays in ensuring economic growth. International activities are a vital 

component of the Department's strategy for providing information to support education reform. 

Funding for the International Studies program is estimated at $18.2 million in 2016. Along with 

the ECES, surveys and activities include:

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

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

of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to develop an 

education indicator reporting system. The goal of INES is to improve the comparability of 

education data across the 34-member OECD countries and to develop, collect, and report 

on a key set of indicators measuring the condition of education in these countries. The set 

of indicators includes measures of student enrollment and achievement, labor force 

participation, school and school system features, and costs and resources. The primary 

vehicle for reporting on these indicators is an annual OECD report entitled Education at a 

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

participation in OECD working groups in formulating and reviewing indicators for the report.

W-30
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

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

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/), which is sponsored by the OECD, is a household study 

assessing the basic skills and the broad range of competencies of adults around the world. 

In the U.S., the study was conducted in 2011–2012 and focused on cognitive and workplace 

skills needed for successful participation in 21st-century society and the global economy. 

Specifically, PIAAC measures relationships between individuals’ educational backgrounds, 

uses of information and communications technology, and cognitive skills in the areas of 

literacy, numeracy, and problem solving. The PIACC assessment was conducted again in 

the U.S. from August 2013 through April 2014 to collect a supplemental sample of 

households, as well as a separate sample of adults in State, Federal, and private prisons.

• The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/), also sponsored by OECD, is designed to monitor, on a 

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

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

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

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

scientific literacy in 2006. This cycle has repeated since 2009. In 2015, PISA will also 

assess collaborative problem solving and financial literacy. An online International Data 

Explorer (IDE) is available that allows users to create their own tables and charts from 

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

• The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/), which is sponsored by the International Association for 

the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), assesses the reading literacy of 

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

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

conducted every 5 years thereafter. PIRLS will next be conducted in spring 2016, with an 

expected data release in December 2017. An IDE is also available for this survey 

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

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

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

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

in 2008, when 24 countries participated. The study is conducted every 5 years and, in 2013,

the U.S. joined 33 other countries in participating in TALIS. The next administration of 

TALIS will be in 2018 and will provide information to help countries identify policies that 

support effective teacher preparation, professional development, and instruction. 

• The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

(http://nces.ed.gov/TIMSS/), also sponsored by the IEA, is a study of 4th and 8th graders’ 

mathematics and science achievement in the U.S. and other participating nations. The 

study is conducted every 4 years, with the next data collection scheduled to begin in March

2015. The 2015 TIMSS will include an assessment of secondary students’ achievement in 

advanced mathematics and physics. The study has gained the attention of educators, 

policymakers, and the public, spurring interest in improving middle school mathematics and 

W-31
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

science learning and achievement. The TIMSS IDE allows users to create their own tables 

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

Administrative Data Collections and Support

The Administrative Data Collections and Support category includes basic descriptive data

collections from public schools at the elementary and secondary levels and from public and 

private postsecondary institutions, as well as activities that support improvement of data 

standards and technical assistance. The universe data also serve as the sample frames for 

sample surveys. Under the 2016 request, funding for administrative data collections would be 

an estimated $23.5 million. Key activities include:

• The Common Core of Data (CCD) (http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/), the Department’s primary 

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

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

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

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

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

and expenditures. CCD data are available at the NCES Web site where users can construct

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

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

which States use to report non-fiscal CCD data.

• The Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) (https://ceds.ed.gov/) project is a national 

collaborative effort to develop voluntary, common data standards for a key set of education 

data elements to streamline the exchange, comparison, and understanding of data within 

and across P-20W (Preschool, Grade 20 or Higher Education, Workforce) institutions and 

sectors. Funding for CEDS is also provided by the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems 

(SLDS) program.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the media, use information from IPEDS to follow institutional trends related to postsecondary 

costs, enrollment and graduation rates, and financial aid. IPEDS retention and graduation 

rate data are also used for performance measurement in a number of the Department’s 

postsecondary education programs, and its data on tuition trends and net price provide 

important information to key policymakers to shape discussions on student aid and access 

to higher education. IPEDS is conducted annually, although not all data are collected every 

year.

W-32
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

• The Library Statistics Program (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/) includes the Academic 

Libraries Survey and the School Library Media Center Survey. NCES collects information 

on library collections, expenditures, services, and staffing on a biennial basis from 

approximately 3,700 degree-granting postsecondary institutions. The most recent Academic 

Libraries Report was released in February 2014.

• The School District Demographics System (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sdds/) is a Webbased resource that allows public access to school district demographic and related 

geographic data. The program also provides support for the Census Mapping project, which 

uses school district geographic boundaries to map census blocks to school districts, and for

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

Census data for public school districts across the Nation.

• Technical assistance to Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/) helps propel the successful design, development, 

implementation, and expansion of K-12 and P-20W longitudinal data systems. These 

systems are intended to enhance the ability of States to efficiently and accurately manage, 

analyze, and use education data, including individual student records. Statistics funding 

provides support to SLDS grantees through the CEDS and the Educational Data Technical 

Assistance Program (EDTAP).

Cross-cutting Activities

The Cross-cutting Activities category would receive approximately $13.5 million in 2016. 

Activities receiving funding would include support for MBK, as well as:

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

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

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

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

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

• The Current Population Survey (CPS) (http://www.census.gov/cps/) is a monthly household 

survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census. Since the late 1960s, NCES has provided 

funding for a supplement that gathers data on enrollment in elementary, secondary, and 

postsecondary education and on educational attainment. NCES funds additional items on 

education-related topics such as language proficiency, disabilities, computer use and 

access, student mobility, and private school tuition.

• Funding for Data Development and Statistical Standards provides methodological and 

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

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

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

the review of NCES products; and coordinating revisions to the NCES Statistical Standards.

• Information technology funding includes support for NCES Web servers and related 

activities, such as NCES Licensing and Inspection, NCES Logistics Support, NCES Web 

Support, and EDUCATE.

W-33
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

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

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

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

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

NCES, other Department offices, and State and local educational agencies from the 

50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the 

Department of Defense Dependents Schools. The program also includes funding for two 

National Postsecondary Education Cooperatives (NPECs) (http://nces.ed.gov/npec/): one 

focused on IPEDS and one on the postsecondary longitudinal and sample surveys. The 

NPECs bring together a wide range of representatives from the postsecondary community 

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

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

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

and dissemination, as well as quality control procedures for NCES products. In addition, 

funding supports technical training for researchers who use NCES data along with nontechnical information sessions for other users; obtaining expert assistance; interagency 

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

Methodology and FedStats; and printing and publications.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Cross-Sectional Studies $16,551 $16,551 $22,551

Longitudinal Studies 36,294 36,294 46,994

International Studies 15,800 15,800 18,184

Administrative Data Collections and Support 22,503 22,503 23,503

Cross-Cutting Activities 11,912 11,912 13,512

Total 103,060 103,060 124,744

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

2015 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the 

program.

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

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

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

W-34
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

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

that they are satisfied or very satisfied.

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

collecting baseline data for a number of new measures to be implemented in fiscal year 2015.

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

the United States and to provide comparative international statistics.

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

improvement.

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

aspects of NCES data files.

Year

Ease of 

Understanding 

Target

Ease of 

Understanding 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Relevance 

Target

Relevance 

Actual

2011 90% 91% 90% 89% 90% 94%

2012 90 90 90 87 90 93

2013 90 90 90 88 90 92

2014 90 88 90 87 90 91

2015 90 90 90

2016 90 90 90

Additional information: The 2014 NCES customer survey showed most users (88 percent) 

were satisfied with the ease of understanding of NCES data files. The survey also showed that 

a clear majority of users (87 percent), although slightly less than the target figure of 90 percent, 

were satisfied with the timeliness of NCES data files. NCES strategies for improving the 

timeliness of data and publications include online data collections that provide respondents with 

immediate feedback about out-of-range or questionable items, thus reducing the amount of time 

needed to edit the data and making them available sooner for analysis and reporting. NCES is

also releasing products, including data files, on the Internet, which makes it easier for most 

NCES customers to obtain needed information quickly. In addition, IES has established 

timeliness goals for the release of data from NCES surveys.

The percentage of customers (91 percent) satisfied with the relevance of NCES data files 

exceeded the target (90 percent). NCES has devoted considerable effort to working with 

researchers, educators, and policymakers to ensure that data meet their needs.

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

aspects of NCES publications.

W-35
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

Year

Ease of 

Understanding 

Target

Ease of 

Understanding 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Relevance 

Target

Relevance 

Actual

2011 90% 94% 90% 91% 90% 93%

2012 90 91 90 89 90 93

2013 90 91 90 89 90 93

2014 90 91 90 88 90 91

2015 90 90 90

2016 90 90 90

Additional information: NCES exceeded its targets for the percentage of customers who were 

satisfied with the ease of understanding or the relevance of the publications, but the percentage 

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

feedback from users to ensure that materials meet their needs, and it has established an 

efficiency indicator, discussed below, to track the timeliness of the release of information from 

its surveys.

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

aspects of NCES services.

Year

Courtesy of 

NCES staff 

providing 

services 

Target

Courtesy of 

NCES staff 

providing 

services 

Actual

Timeliness 

Target

Timeliness 

Actual

Ease of finding 

information on 

nces.ed.gov 

Target

Ease of finding 

information on 

nces.ed.gov 

Actual

2011 90% 93% 90% 93% 90% 87%

2012 90 94 90 92 90 84

2013 90 93 90 91 90 85

2014 90 92 90 90 90 83

2015 90 90 90

2016 90 90 90

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

providing services (92 percent) and the timeliness of NCES services (90 percent), but only 

83 percent of respondents found it easy to find information on the NCES Web site.

A key component of NCES’s mission is disseminating statistical information to its constituents. 

In 2007, NCES added three measures that help assess how well it is fulfilling this part of its 

mission. These measures—the average number of visits to the NCES Web site each month, 

the average monthly number of users of the NCES Data Analysis System (an online tool for 

analyzing NCES data sets), and the average monthly number of downloads of NCES reports—

allow the Department to track use of NCES information. 

Number of Web site visits: NCES recorded 1,445,053 Web site visits, on average, per month in 

2014, an increase from 1,328,395 Web site visits in 2013. In 2012, NCES began using different 

software for counting the number of visits and the numbers are not comparable to those 

reported for earlier years. Use of the new software decreases costs and analysis time and 

excludes users from within the Department from the counts. The 2013 figure was used to 

establish the target (1,475,000) for 2014, which was not met. 

W-36
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

Number of Downloads of NCES Reports: NCES established a new target of 186,000 average 

monthly downloads for 2014 (an increase from the old target of 185,000). NCES exceeded the 

target in 2014, with an average of 357,023 monthly downloads.

One way in which NCES is attempting to ensure the accuracy of its work is by maintaining high 

survey response rates. High response rates help ensure that survey data are representative of 

the target populations, and NCES has set specific benchmarks for different types of studies 

(e.g., universe surveys, cross-sectional surveys, and longitudinal studies). When a survey 

response rate is lower than 85 percent, the NCES statistical standards require that NCES 

conduct bias analyses to help determine the effect of the low rate on the survey results. All 

NCES surveys in 2009 through 2014 either had an 85 percent response rate or higher or had 

nonresponse bias analyses conducted and weight adjustments, as needed.

NCES has also provided information on the number of the data collections for which the 

response rate was below 85 percent. In 2014, NCES released 13 reports that included 

45 survey components. The response rates for 73 percent of survey components were 

85 percent or above and the remaining 27 percent had nonresponse bias analyses conducted 

because their response rates were below 85 percent. This is substantially lower than in 2013, 

but the figures will vary each year depending on the surveys included. The nonresponse bias 

analyses, which were conducted for all surveys with a response rate of less than 85 percent, 

informed the nonresponse weight adjustments to help ensure published results accurately 

reflected the target population values.

Year

Number of 

Reports

Number of 

Survey 

Components

Number of Survey 

Components with Response 

Rates Below 85%

Percent of Survey 

Components with 

Response Rates Below 85%

2011 14 29 9% 31%

2012 9 18 2 11

2013 14 31 16 52

2014 13 45 12 27

2015

2016

NCES collects additional customer satisfaction information through the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (http://www.theacsi.org/), which provides satisfaction scores based on 

samples of customers. The measure examines the extent to which respondents would 

recommend NCES to others and would rely on NCES in the future. The baseline for this 

measure, 74 percent, was established using 2008 data, and the 2010 value was 76 percent. 

Efficiency Measures

NCES has adopted two efficiency measures. One of the measures looks at timeliness; the 

other examines cost per completed case (e.g., respondent).

The first NCES efficiency measure tracks the time it takes to release survey information. The 

efficiency measure addresses customers’ concerns about the data timeliness and helps assess 

how efficiently NCES completes work in a timely manner. The goal is to release reports to the 

public within 12 months. However, for collections where the release date is determined by an 

W-37
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statistics

entity other than NCES (e.g., OECD for certain international studies), the release date will be 

the date the report is released to the other entity. In 2011 and 2012, all initial NCES releases 

were made within a 12-month time frame. In 2013, 88 percent of all initial releases met the 

target (14 out of 16 reports). In 2014, 92 percent of all initial releases met the target (12 out of 

13 reports). The average time to release of the 13 reports in 2014 was 9 months, as compared 

to 10 months in 2013.

The second efficiency measure is the average cost per completed case (response unit) for 

selected surveys.

Measure: The average cost per completed case, adjusted for inflation.

Year

Fast 

Response 

Survey 

System 

Target

Fast 

Response 

Survey 

System 

Actual

National 

Postsecondary 

Student Aid 

Study Target

National 

Postsecondary 

Student Aid 

Study Actual

Trends in 

Mathematics 

and Science 

Study Target

Trends in 

Mathematics 

and Science 

Study Actual

2008 $159.09 $158.68 $174.12 $166.98 NA

2009 $159.09 $121.69 NA NA

2010 $159.09 $196.63 NA NA

2011 $159.09 $131.90 NA $177.77 $132.59

2012 $159.09 $134.50 $174.12 $141.10 NA

2013 $159.09 $142.50 NA NA

2014 $159.09 $256.00 NA NA

2015 $159.09 NA $177.77

2016 $159.09 $174.12 NA

Additional information: Data are available for three surveys: the FRSS, NPSAS, and TIMSS. 

The three collections being monitored were selected because they have alternative modes of 

operation: the FRSS is a school-based mail survey, NPSAS is administered via the Internet

with a computer-assisted telephone interview follow-up, and TIMSS is administered in schools. 

NCES calculates the average cost per completed case by dividing the total survey costs for data 

collection and processing by the final number of completed cases. The target is no increase 

from the baseline, which, in 2006 dollars, was $159.09 per case for the FRSS generic survey 

(spring 2006), $174.12 for the NPSAS Student Component (academic year 2003-04), and 

$177.77 for TIMSS (spring 2003). Data will not be available every year for NPSAS and TIMSS 

because they are on a 4-year cycle. The FRSS met its targets except in 2010 and 2014. In 

2010, all but one of the surveys completed were arts surveys, which required significantly more 

nonresponse follow-ups and data clarification work than other surveys, which increased the 

costs. NPSAS met its 2008 and 2012 targets, and TIMSS met its 2011 target.

W-38
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Regional educational laboratories

(Education Sciences Reform Act, section 174)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2015 2016 Change

$54,423 $54,423 0

_________________

1

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

FY 2016 under appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) program supports a network of 10 laboratories 

that work in partnership with State education agencies (SEAs), school districts, and other

entities on using data and research to improve academic outcomes for students. Each of the 

RELs serves a specific region of the country (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edLabs/regions/), with the 

fundamental mission of providing support for a more evidence-reliant education system. 

RELs conduct applied research and evaluations, develop and disseminate products and 

processes based on the best available research findings, and provide training and technical 

assistance to SEAs, local educational agencies (LEAs), school boards, and State boards of 

education. These activities help build local and State capacity to use data and evidence to 

inform decisions, with the goal of improving education outcomes. The RELs are part of the

Department’s wide-ranging technical assistance network that includes the Comprehensive 

Centers, What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), Equity Assistance Centers, and Office of Special 

Education Programs Technical Assistance Centers, organized by the Department to provide 

high quality support to SEAs, LEAs, and schools that is accessible, comprehensive, and 

relevant as they rise to the challenge of ensuring a high-quality education for all students.

Allocation of resources amongst the RELs is based on the number of LEAs and the number of 

school-age children, as well as the cost of providing services within the geographic area 

encompassed by the region. RELs are funded via 5-year contracts with research organizations, 

institutions of higher education, or partnerships among such entities. The program is 

administered by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

To build State and local capacity to use evidence, the RELs work with SEAs and LEAs on using

data to understand the nature and scope of their specific educational challenges, accessing

high-quality research to inform decisions, identify opportunities to conduct original research, and

tracking progress over time using high-quality data and methods. 

W-39
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

REL technical assistance takes a variety of forms, but the focus is always on using data and

research to systematically understand and address real-world problems, and the RELs tailor

technical assistance to the level of experience of the SEAs and LEAs with which they work. For

example, RELs provide assistance to build capacity among State and district personnel to

access their data; identify opportunities to use data to improve student achievement; conduct a

wide range of types of research studies; and present research findings in clear, understandable

formats.

The current REL contracts were awarded in fiscal year 2012 and include an explicit focus on 

supporting sustained, ongoing partnerships with stakeholders at the State and district levels. 

Under the direction of their regional governing boards, RELs identify priority topic areas on which 

to focus their activities. Much of the work is conducted through collaborative research 

alliances, which bring together educators, researchers, policymakers, and others to address 

each regional’s high priority education needs. Each research alliance focuses on a particular

challenge that has an actionable component such as college access and readiness so that the

research and technical assistance are closely linked to a clear goal. There are currently 

72 research alliances operating across the 10 RELs. Of these alliances, 32 include State and 

district representatives from a single State and 40 include members from multiple States.

Although the research alliances and regions are the primary partners of each REL, the 

Department also requires that RELs develop materials for national distribution through the IES

Web site. In addition to reports and studies, these materials include tools (such as rubrics or

data organizers) and technical assistance documents (such as PowerPoint presentations,

workshop activities, and facilitators’ guides) that can be used by others who are not directly

involved in the RELs’ work. Examples of products include the REL Northwest report on school 

discipline patterns in six Oregon districts 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/REL_2014028.pdf) and related video 

(http://relnw.educationnorthwest.org/oln-alliance) and webinar resources 

(https://www.relmidatlantic.org/content/identifying-and-addressing-discipline-disparities). These 

tools enable educators across the country to learn about school discipline and how they might 

use data to inform their efforts to address racial/ethnic disparities in disciplinary procedures and 

reduce overall discipline referrals.

The program statute also required that IES establish a system for technical and peer review to 

ensure that applied research activities, research-based reports, and products of the RELs are 

consistent with the rigorous standards applied to all other research grants and contracts 

administered by IES. Information on the process and standards IES uses to ensure REL 

products meet IES standards can be found at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/peerreview/index.asp. Using IES standards ensures that primary 

users of REL research products, policymakers and practitioners, can be assured that REL 

research has met high standards for scientific quality, ensuring that the information is valid and 

reliable. 

IES awarded a contract to evaluate the REL program in 2009. The evaluation is examining 

(1) how well the RELs respond to the needs of their regions by providing short- and long-term 

research assistance and evidence-based technical assistance and (2) the effectiveness of the 

W-40
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Regional educational laboratories

program’s coordination activities across the RELs. The evaluation is discussed further in the 

Program Performance Information section of this request.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2013......................................................................................54,423

2014......................................................................................54,423

2015......................................................................................54,423

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $54.4 million in fiscal year 2016, the same as the 

2015 appropriation, for the REL program. The RELs serves as a necessary bridge between the 

research community and State and local education agencies by providing expertise, including 

training and technical assistance, to bring the latest high-quality research and proven practices 

into school improvement efforts. The RELs are part of the Department’s coordinated program of 

technical assistance to support SEAs, LEAs, and schools in their efforts to ensure a high-quality 

education for all children. The requested funds would support the final year of activities under 

the 5-year contracts the Department awarded in December 2011.

The requested funds would support applied research, assistance, and training on the application 

of data and other evidence to address education problems, and the dissemination of the most 

current and credible research findings. Across the RELs, the requested funds would support 

ongoing work to help States and districts address critical issues such as dropout prevention; 

college and career readiness; teacher evaluation; and science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM) education. Funds requested would also support an independent peer 

review of REL products and publications, which ensures they are technically sound, readable, 

usable, and relevant to the needs of education practitioners and stakeholders before they are 

disseminated. RELs also collaborate with other Federal technical assistance entities through 

efforts such as the State Support Initiative with the Comprehensive Centers. 

One of the primary challenges facing SEAs today is the shift from a focus on compliance to 

building State capacity to lead education reform initiatives and support school districts and 

schools in delivering a high-quality education. Over the past 12 years, SEAs stepped up to the 

challenge by taking on stronger leadership and policy development roles and in response the 

Department has created a new Office of State Support designed to improve State-centered 

support across related Department programs. As part of that effort, the Department will 

enhance work to coordinate the activities of its major technical assistance programs, including 

the RELs and the Comprehensive Centers, as well as related activities such as the What Works 

Clearinghouse. The role of RELs in providing relevant and coordinated technical assistance is to 

assist SEAs, LEAs, and other educational entities with the use of evidence, including analyzing 

data to identify patterns, providing information on evidence-based strategies, and evaluating the 

effectiveness of various strategies, including use of quick- turnaround evaluations.

W-41
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Regional educational laboratories

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Annual support for each REL:1

Northeastern Region $5,145 $4,884 $4,884 

Mid-Atlantic Region 4,648 4,412 4,412 

Southeastern Region 4,860 4,588 4,588 

Appalachian Region 4,468 4,171 4,171 

Midwestern Region 7,476 7,147 7,147 

Central Region 5,177 4,964 4,964 

Southwestern Region 9,448 9,160 9,160 

Western Region 5,937 5,635 5,635 

Northwestern Region 3,952 3,744 3,744 

Pacific Region 3,463 3,287 3,287 

Subtotal, Regional educational laboratories 54,573 51,994 51,994 

Program activities:2

Regional educational laboratory contracts 52,137 52,343 52,597 

Independent review of REL plans and products 2,286 2,080 1,826 

Total 54,423 54,423 54,423 ___________________________

1

 Funding reflects estimated amounts obligated in the fiscal year, not the annual appropriation, and includes 

prior year carryover. 2

 The amounts show the estimated funding for each activity by year of the appropriation. Funds may be carried 

over into the next year.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 established standards for the REL program. IES 

awarded the first contracts subject to these requirements in 2006, and the new contracts 

awarded in fiscal year 2012 continued to reflect those standards. The Department identified 

common performance indicators for its technical assistance programs that assess their quality,

relevance, and usefulness. In 2014, the Department established two performance measures for 

the RELs:

Goal: Increase effective use of data and research, and capacity for use, among State and 

local education agencies.

Objective: Increase the use of data and research, and capacity for use, among members of 

REL research alliances.

W-42
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Regional educational laboratories

Measure: Annual rating of impact of REL research alliance participation on agency use of data 

and research.

Year Target Actual

2014 3.1

2015 3.2

2016 3.2

RELs are required by their contracts to survey research alliance (RA) members each spring and 

report the results to IES, using a common set of customer satisfaction survey questions 

approved by the Office of Management and Budget. This measure will average the RA 

members’ responses to four survey questions to create a single score. These items are:

• Participation in this research alliance has increased my ability to use my agency’s or 

organization’s available data.

• Participation in this research alliance has increased my ability to conduct high quality 

research and evaluation.

• Participation in this research alliance has provided information that informed my agency’s 

selection of programs and/or strategies related to this topic area.

• Participation in this research alliance has led my agency to design and conduct an 

evaluation study.

Performance data are analyzed by calendar year and are reported under the fiscal year 

corresponding to the last quarter of the calendar year; e.g., data reported for fiscal year 2014 

were collected from January through December of 2013. During the course of the REL 

contracts, as research alliances mature and more research and technical assistance is 

conducted, the score on these items should increase. The baseline for this measure was set in 

2014 and is a rating of 3.1 on a scale where 1 equates to “Strongly Disagree” and 4 equates to 

“Strongly Agree.”

Objective: Disseminate research findings and methods, showing the relevance of the content 

for education policy and/or practice.

Measure: Annual participant rating of the quality and relevance of REL dissemination events, 

including online events.

Year Target Actual

2014 3.4

2015 3.5

2016 3.5

RELs also are contractually required to survey participants in each dissemination activity and 

report the data to IES. This measure averages participant responses to five survey items to 

create a single score for quality and relevance of dissemination activities; these items are:

W-43
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Regional educational laboratories

• The workshop/training was relevant to an issue currently facing my organization.

• The workshop/training provided opportunities to consider how to use research or effectively 

incorporate data into decision making within my agency or organization.

• I expect to apply information from the workshop/training in my work.

• I am satisfied with the overall quality of this workshop/training.

• The benefits of attending this workshop/training were worth the time I invested.

The baseline for this measure was set in 2014 using data collected during calendar year 2013 

and is a rating of 3.4 on a scale where 1 equates to “Strongly Disagree” and 4 equates to 

“Strongly Agree.” We expect that the quality of dissemination activities will increase in future 

years.

Other Performance Information

The Department began an independent evaluation of the REL program in 2009. The evaluation 

is addressing the following evaluation questions for each REL funded between fiscal years 

2006 and 2011 and for the REL program as a whole:

• What activities did the RELs undertake to fulfill their missions?

• What were the technical quality and relevance of REL proposals and reports?

• How relevant and useful were the REL technical assistance products to the needs of the 

States, localities, and policymakers in their regions? 

This descriptive study is relying on a combination of extant data, fiscal year 2010 interviews with 

REL directors, and fiscal year 2012 surveys of potential REL customers from State and local 

educational agencies. Panels of experts met during fiscal years 2010 and 2012 and rated the 

quality and relevance of REL Fast Response Project proposals and final reports and REL 

impact study proposals and final reports.

An interim report was released in September 2013 that provides information on the activities 

undertaken by the RELs and the quality and relevance of fast response projects conducted by 

the RELs (http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20134014/pdf/20134014.pdf). Preliminary findings show 

that these short-term research and technical assistance projects address education needs and 

inform policy and practice. Independent expert reviewers rated the project proposals and 

reports for quality and relevance, and both received a mean rating between “adequate” and 

“strong” for quality and between “adequate” and “relevant” for relevance. The final report, which 

the Department expects to release in early 2015, will provide information on the technical quality 

and relevance of impact study proposals and report.

W-44
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

(National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

Program area 2015

2016

Request Change

National Assessment of Educational Progress $129,000 $149,616 +$20,616

National Assessment Governing Board 8,235 7,827 -408 

Total 137,235 157,443 +20,208

_______________

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

program in FY 2016 under appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report 

Card”, measures and reports on the status of and trends in student learning over time and by 

subject. By making objective information on student performance available to policymakers, 

educators, parents, and others, NAEP has become an integral part of the Nation’s 

measurement of educational progress.

Assessment frequency is specified in the authorizing statute. The Commissioner for Education 

Statistics must conduct:

• National reading and mathematics assessments in public and private schools at 

grades 4 and 8 at least once every 2 years;

• National grade 12 reading and mathematics assessments in public and private schools on a 

regular schedule; and

• Biennial State assessments of student achievement in reading and mathematics in 

grades 4 and 8.

If time and resources allow, the Commissioner may conduct additional national and State 

assessments in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades in public and private schools at regularly scheduled 

intervals in additional subjects, including writing, science, history, geography, civics, economics, 

foreign languages, and arts; may conduct 12th grade State reading and mathematics 

assessments; and may conduct long-term trend assessments of academic achievement at ages 

9, 13, and 17 in reading and mathematics. Whenever feasible, information must be collected 

W-45
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

and reported by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and limited-English 

proficiency. The NAEP schedule is publicly available at http://www.nagb.org/.

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is responsible for formulating policy for 

NAEP. NAGB is composed of 25 voting members including Governors, State legislators, chief 

State school officers, a superintendent, State and local board of education members, testing 

and measurement experts, a representative of business or industry, curriculum specialists, 

principals, classroom teachers, and parents. The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences 

serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Board. Using a national consensus approach, 

NAGB develops appropriate assessment objectives and achievement levels for each grade in

each subject area to be assessed. The Assessment budget has supported the following major 

program components:

• National NAEP: The main NAEP assessments report results for the Nation and are 

designed to follow the curriculum frameworks developed by NAGB. They periodically 

measure student achievement in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, 

geography, and other subjects.

• State NAEP: State assessments address the needs of State-level policymakers for reliable 

data concerning student achievement in their States in reading, mathematics, science, and 

writing.

• The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA): Begun in 2002, the TUDA provides 

information on 4th and 8th grade student achievement in reading and mathematics in a small 

number of urban school districts. Although participation is voluntary, demand from districts 

to be included in TUDA has significantly increased in recent years, with 21 districts 

participating in 2013. 

• Long-term trend NAEP: In its long-term trend program, NAEP administers identical 

instruments from one assessment year to the next, measuring student achievement in 

reading and mathematics. These assessments do not evolve based on changes in 

curricular or educational practices.

• Evaluation and validation studies: Congress mandates that the Secretary provide for 

continuing review of the national and State assessments and student performance levels by 

one or more nationally recognized evaluation organizations. NAEP funds also support 

studies to examine critical validity issues involving NAEP design, interpretation, and 

operations.

In order to inform the American public about the performance of the Nation's students, NAEP 

produces a series of public audience and technical reports. All NAEP reports are available 

through the Internet (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/). In addition, an online data tool 

(http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/) allows users to create their own data tables 

with national and State data.

The statute requires biennial State assessments in reading and mathematics in grades 4 and 8 

and requires reporting of NAEP results, where feasible, by disability and limited-English 

proficiency as well as by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. The Federal 

Government is specifically prohibited from using NAEP to influence standards, assessments, 

W-46
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

curriculum, or instructional practices at the State and local levels, or from using NAEP to 

evaluate individual students or teachers or provide rewards or sanctions for individual students, 

teachers, schools, or school districts. In addition, the statute specifies that nothing in the law 

shall be construed to prescribe the use of NAEP for student promotion or graduation purposes, 

and that NAEP should not affect home schools. Maintenance of a system of records containing 

personally identifiable information on students is prohibited, and assessments must not evaluate 

or assess personal or family beliefs and attitudes.

The statute also ensures the Department’s ability to maintain test integrity by allowing the NCES 

Commissioner to decline to release cognitive test items that will be used in future assessments 

for 10 years (and longer if important to protect long-term trend data) while continuing to provide 

for public access to assessment materials in secure settings. The statute requires that the 

public be notified about such access; requires that access be provided within 45 days in a 

mutually convenient setting; and establishes procedures for receiving, reviewing, and reporting 

complaints. The law provides criminal penalties for unauthorized release of assessment 

instruments.

The statute also mandates that participation is voluntary for students and schools, as well as for 

local educational agencies. Each participating State must give permission for the release of the 

results of its State assessment. However, under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act (ESEA), each State participating in the Title I program had to develop a State 

plan (ESEA, Title I, Part A, Section 1111) in which it agreed to participate in the biennial 

grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics NAEP assessments beginning in the 2002–2003 

school year, provided that the Secretary of Education pays for the costs of participation. Any 

State with an approved plan under section 1111 is deemed to have authorized the release of its 

grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics NAEP data.

Funding levels for both NAEP and NAGB for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2013....................................................................................131,070

2014....................................................................................140,235

2015....................................................................................137,235

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $157.4 million for Assessment in 2016, an increase of $20.2 million 

from the 2015 appropriation. Of this amount, $149.6 million would provide support for the 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and $7.8 million would support the 

National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). NAGB is responsible for formulating policy for 

NAEP and develops assessment objectives and achievement levels for each grade in each 

subject area to be assessed. The NAEP State-level assessments are held every other year, 

meaning that costs are considerably higher in some years and lower in others. The 

Administration requests that these funds remain available for 2 years, as they have been in 

W-47
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

recent years. Extending the availability of funds for an additional year allows the Administration

the flexibility it needs to administer these assessments and spread out costs over time. In 

particular, the requested increase is not only essential for funding activities in 2016 but also for 

supporting necessary work in 2017.

The requested funding for NAGB would allow it to carry out its responsibilities for NAEP, 

including selecting subject areas to be assessed; developing student achievement levels for 

each grade and subject tested; taking appropriate actions to improve the form, content, use, and 

reporting of NAEP; developing test objectives and specifications for assessments in each 

subject; handling the initial public release of NAEP reports; and developing and implementing 

procedures for the review of NAEP methodology, content, frameworks, reporting, and 

dissemination. NAGB’s most recent activity involves studying the potential use of NAEP 

assessment data as indicators of whether students are academically prepared for education and 

job training opportunities after high school. In May 2014, NAGB released a culmination of these 

findings through the Nation’s Report Card (http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/), detailing how the 

12th grade NAEP reading and mathematics assessments can be used as an indicator of 

students’ academic preparedness for college. More recently, in October 2014, NAGB

contracted an academic preparedness research study to explore how the 8th grade NAEP 

reading and mathematics assessments can be used in evaluating students’ progress towards 

college and career readiness. Additional activities NAGB has planned include special-focused 

reports that use NAEP results together with the contextual information NAEP collects on school 

policies and practices to inform discussions about improving achievement, and outreach 

activities to provide information on the Technology and Engineering Literacy assessment that 

was first administered in 2014. 

NAEP funding for a particular fiscal year provides support for the analysis and reporting of 

assessments conducted in prior fiscal years, the administration of current year assessments, 

preparation for future assessments, and support for special studies. The current NAGB 

schedule of assessments includes:

• 2015 assessments: 4th, 8th, and 12th grade assessments in reading, mathematics, and 

science. The 4th and 8th grade assessments are conducted at the national and State levels, 

while the 12th grade assessment is conducted at the national level. State participation in 

12th grade NAEP is voluntary; 13 States participated in 2013.

• 2016 assessment: 8th grade arts at the national level.

• 2017 assessments: 4th, 8th, and 12th grade national and State assessments in reading and 

mathematics. The writing assessment will only be conducted at the national level.

The requested funding for NAEP will allow NAGB to maintain its current schedule of 

assessments while implementing the following initiatives:

• Transitioning to Digital-Based Assessments (DBA): For the 2017 4th and 8th grade 

assessments in reading and mathematics, NAEP will be administered to students through 

digital-based technology. This innovation follows a trend in assessment delivery across the 

Nation as States transition to digital assessments. DBA has a number of advantages, 

including providing more fast-turnaround data on students’ testing-taking strategies and 

W-48
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

allowing students to demonstrate important skills in problem solving and analytical thinking 

through an enhanced platform and test items. For example, DBA is capable of including 

more interactive question types, such as simulations and graphing, allowing for the 

measurement of skills not as easily assessed by paper-and-pencil assessments. Funding 

for DBA supports technology costs, as well as two bridge studies to compare results using 

paper-and-pencil assessments to results using DBA. These studies are essential through 

the transition for maintaining the data trend of NAEP, which allows policymakers, 

researchers, and practitioners to compare student achievement in key subjects over time, 

one of the NAEP’s most prominent features. The technology and bridge studies for DBA will 

ensure uniform testing conditions across schools in order to maintain the validity and 

reliability necessary for NAEP data integrity.

• Expanding TUDA: Since 2002, TUDA has explored the use of NAEP to report on the 

performance of public school students at the district level. These data provide useful 

information about how well a district performs relative to other urban districts and the Nation. 

In 2013, 21 urban districts participated, but more districts have requested inclusion in TUDA 

given its usefulness. The requested funding would allow for NAGB to meet the increased 

demand by allowing for 10 additional urban districts to be included in the 2017 TUDA. 

• Conducting U.S. history, civics, and geography assessments in 2018: Given the higher 

costs of maintaining the current schedule of assessments, the Administration’s requested

increase would allow NAGB to conduct assessments in U.S. history, civics, and geography 

for grades 8 and 12 in 2018. In 2013, the year in which funds were sequestered, fiscal 

constraints led NAGB to postpone indefinitely the implementation of assessments for 4th and 

12th grade students in U.S. history, civics, and geography as these assessments are not 

required in statute. In its explanatory statement regarding the Consolidated and Further 

Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015, Congress stated that reducing the frequency of 

assessments in this area has limited its ability to track the progress of the American 

education system in addressing this significant area of need and advised NAGB to consider 

implementing these important assessments. The Administration also recognizes the need 

and importance for continuing assessments in these subjects to measure progress, 

particularly because previous assessments in U.S. history have indicated that fewer than 

one in four 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students are at or above proficient in history. The funding 

increase is necessary in order for NAGB to be able to maintain its current schedule of 

assessments, transition to DBA and expand TUDA in 2017, and conduct grades 8 and 12 

assessments in U.S. history, civics, and geography assessments in 2018. 

W-49
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

NAEP $132,000 $129,000 $149,616

NAGB____________ 8,235 8,235 7,827

Total, Assessment 140,235 137,235 157,443

Number of full-time equivalent permanent

 personnel associated with NAGB 14 14 14

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

year 2016 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

this program. The Department is developing new performance measures to be implemented for 

fiscal year 2016. The following section presents the most current performance measures in 

use.

Since 2006, NCES has used an online survey of a random sample of visitors to the NCES Web 

site to assess customer satisfaction with products and services. Data are reported for the 

Statistics and Assessment programs as a whole and are presented in the Statistics justification.

In addition to these customer satisfaction measures, NCES collects customer service 

information through the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (http://www.theacsi.org/), 

which provides satisfaction scores based on samples of customers. The ACSI measures the 

extent to which respondents would recommend the Nation’s Report Card to others and would 

rely on the Nation’s Report Card in the future. The baseline for this measure, which showed 

that 81 percent of respondents would recommend the Nation’s Report Card to others and would 

rely on it in the future, was established using data for 2008. ACSI data will be collected 

approximately every other year. The figure for 2010 was 79 percent. Data for 2014 will be 

available in May 2015.

NCES established three measures—the number of visits to the NAEP Web site, the number of 

users of the NAEP Data Explorer (an online tool for analyzing NAEP data sets), and the number 

of downloads of NAEP reports—to allow the Department to track use of NAEP information. The 

baselines, which were established in 2008, were used as the targets for future years. NCES 

exceeded the targets for these measures in each succeeding year. In 2012, NCES changed the 

software used to track Web site visits and users of the Assessment Explorer data tool, and the 

data are not comparable with data from the prior years.

W-50
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

Measure: Average month use.

Year

Web Visits 

Target

Web Visits 

Actual

Assessment 

Explorer Data Tool 

Users

Target

Assessment 

Explorer Data Tool 

Users

Actual

2012 Baseline 74,023 Baseline 7,612

2013 75,000 85,934 8,000 13,234

2014 76,000 82,000 8,000 51,000

2015 80,000 45,000

2016 84,000 53,000

The monthly averages for both measures exceeded the targets. In addition, there was an 

average of 34,000 downloads of electronic versions of NAEP reports each month in 2014, 

exceeding the target of 31,000 and an increase from 33,265 downloads in 2013.

Efficiency Measures

The following efficiency measures examine the actual time from the end of data collection to 

release of the initial national reading and mathematics assessments to NAGB. The goal is to 

ensure that NAEP results are available within 6 months of each reading and mathematics 

assessment, and the measure is an indication of how efficiently the Department is analyzing 

and reporting NAEP results. Because any year with new frameworks requires additional work to 

analyze the results (e.g., conducting trend studies and having achievement levels set by NAGB) 

and produce the final reports, NCES believes it is appropriate to exempt assessments with new 

frameworks from the efficiency measure calculations. This provides more comparable 

measurements from year to year, since different percentages of assessments may have new 

frameworks each year.

The measures are:

• The timeliness of National NAEP data for Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

• The percentage of NAEP reports on State-level reading and mathematics assessments 

ready for release by NAGB within 6 months of the end of data collection.

• The percentage of NAEP initial releases, excluding national and State reading and 

mathematics assessments, ready for release by NAGB within 12 months of the end of data 

collection.

Timeliness of National NAEP Data for Reading and Mathematics Assessments: NCES has 

committed to releasing National NAEP results for reading and mathematics to NAGB within 

6 months of the end of data collection in any year in which there are not new frameworks. It met 

this goal for 2009 (4th, 8th, and 12th grade mathematics) and 2011 (4th, 8th, and 12th grade 

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

results for the 4th, 8th, and 12th grade reading assessments were released to NAGB in 

12 months. NCES met the goal again in 2013, when 4th, 8th, and 12th grade assessments were 

conducted in reading and mathematics.

W-51
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

Timeliness of State-level Reading and Mathematics Assessments: NCES also has committed 

to releasing State-level reading and mathematics assessments to NAGB within 6 months, 

except when the assessments have new frameworks. NCES met the goal: In 2009, the 4th, 8th, 

and 12th grades mathematics results were released in 6 months, and in 2011, both reading 

(4th and 8th grades) and mathematics (4th and 8th grades) were released within 6 months. (There 

was no 12th grade assessment in 2011.) The 2009 State reading results, which had new 

frameworks, were released in 12 months. NCES met the goal in 2013, when State 

assessments were conducted in reading and mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 12.

Timeliness of Other Assessments: NCES has committed to releasing results of all other 

assessments to NAGB within 12 months, except in years with new frameworks. In 2007, 

80 percent of other initial releases that did not have new frameworks were released within that 

time period, and since then NCES has reported that all such assessments met that time 

schedule.

NCES is also examining the average cost per completed case (respondent) for the 

assessments conducted in odd years. The “odd year assessments” include the National, State, 

and urban district assessments in reading and mathematics, as well as selected other subjects, 

and represent a reasonably comparable set of assessments from one measurement year to the 

next.

Measure: After adjustment for inflation, the average cost per completed case for the 

assessments (in 2006 dollars).

Year Target Actual

2007 Baseline $79.68

2009 $79.68 81.79

2011 79.68 90.54

2013 79.68 91.00

2015 79.68

2016 79.68

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

targets at this level. The goal is to have each case cost no more than in the base year, after 

adjusting for inflation. NCES did not meet the target in subsequent years. NCES, along with 

other statistical agencies, is experiencing increased difficulty in obtaining acceptable response 

rates. Increasing the response rates is expensive, with agencies needing to conduct more 

follow-ups than in the past, and to increasingly rely on incentive payments.

Other Performance Information

The Department completed an evaluation of NAEP in 2009 

(http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=g915933415) that provides 

information on key aspects of the assessment. The study found that the assessment is well-run 

and of high quality, but it did identify possible areas for improvement. These recommendations 

included that the NAEP program should specify the intended uses of NAEP, identify unintended 

uses, and develop a validity research agenda around current and proposed uses. The study 

W-52
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Assessment

also recommended that technical documentation should be released at the same time as 

assessment results. In response to concerns regarding an organized program of validation 

research, NCES identified staff members who are focused on research and development and 

created a steering committee that is responsible for identifying emerging issues and making 

recommendations for a NAEP research and development agenda. In addition, NCES 

established a Technical Documentation Web site (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/) 

that provides access to documentation for the assessment.

W-53
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part E)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

_________________

1

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

FY 2016 under appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

improvements to special education and early intervention services, and outcomes for infants, 

toddlers, and children with disabilities. The National Center for Special Education Research 

(NCSER), established within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in 2005, conducts 

sustained programs of scientifically rigorous research that focus on developmental outcomes for 

infants and toddlers with disabilities; school readiness; achievement in core academic content 

areas (reading, writing, mathematics, science); behaviors that support learning in academic 

contexts for students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities; and functional skills that improve 

education outcomes and transitions to employment, independent living, and postsecondary 

education.

Investments in the special education research grants program have led to a number of 

important advances in knowledge and practice that have improved education outcomes for 

students with disabilities. Past studies include:

• Learning Experiences – An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Their Parents (LEAP). 

A 2006 NCSER-supported efficacy study of LEAP, a long-standing comprehensive 

intervention program for young children with autism, showed that participating preschool 

children with autism had improved cognitive, communication, and social skills (http://0-

files.eric.ed.gov.opac.msmc.edu/fulltext/ED546791.pdf). The study was the largest 

experimental trial of an intervention program focused on early childhood and autism, and a 

follow-up study, also funded by NCSER, has preliminary evidence indicating that the LEAP 

model produces gains that persist over time. Over 100 sites are using LEAP, and the 2011 

study was cited by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee as one of the 10 most 

significant autism studies of that year (http://iacc.hhs.gov/summaryadvances/2011/index.shtml). 

• Early Reading Intervention (ERI). A 2006 NCSER grant evaluated the efficacy of Early 

Reading Intervention, a widely-used commercial program designed for kindergarten children 

2015 2016 Change

$54,000 $54,000 0

W-54
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

at risk of reading difficulty. The study found that ERI had statistically significant effects on 

foundational alphabetic, phonemic, and decoding skills. A follow-up study compared the 

standard implementation of ERI to an enhanced version that adjusted instruction based on 

student performance data. The researchers found that frequently adjusting instruction 

based on students’ strengths and weaknesses led to reading gains that were maintained in 

later grades (http://ecx.sagepub.com/content/80/1/25.full.pdf).

• Improving Mathematics Outcomes for Students with Disabilities. A 2007 NCSER grant used 

data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort of 1998−99 to

examine mathematics performance over time and to identify practices that are potentially 

effective for preventing or remediating mathematics disabilities. The study found that use of 

more teacher-directed strategies, such as routine practice and drill, were significantly 

associated with gains in math achievement for students with math difficulties 

(http://epa.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/20/0162373714536608.full.pdf+html). The 

learning difficulties apparent in mathematics by the end of kindergarten reliably predict 

children’s mathematics growth over the next 5 years of schooling. These results indicate 

that early intervention is as critical for mathematics as it is for reading.

• Improving Outcomes through the Use of Technology. Ongoing NCSER-funded research is 

using technology to tackle pressing problems in special education. For example, the iSkills

program is a video repository of life skills tutorials for students with intellectual disabilities 

and autism. Designed to be delivered via handheld electronic devices, iSkills assists with 

direct instruction and self-instruction across several domains including independent living, 

employment, leisure, community involvement, and community navigation. Another 

intervention developed with NCSER funds, the Social Competence Intervention for 

Adolescents, is the school-based version of an effective clinic-based intervention designed 

to help students with autism spectrum disorders with recognition of facial expressions, 

sharing of ideas, conversational turn taking, recognition of emotions, and social problem 

solving. The study results indicated significant improvement on those targeted student 

outcomes (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-010-0959-1#0). This intervention 

was adapted by another research team to be delivered via networked, 3D-based virtual 

learning environments for youth with no or limited access to face-to-face programs (iSocial). 

Development work on the 3D version is ongoing. However, preliminary results suggest that 

the iSocial approach shows some promise for improving student social behavior and 

interactions.

• On the Way Home: A Family-Centered Academic Reintegration Intervention Model.

Adolescents with disabilities in residential or other out-of-home placements often receive 

services and supports for emotional, behavioral, and academic issues. These students 

make substantial progress but often face difficulties again when they transition from these 

placements. On the Way Home: A Family-Centered Academic Reintegration Intervention 

Model was developed to address this need. The research team reported improved transition 

outcomes and a reduction in the rate of returning to care for participating students 

(compared to non-participants) in a recent experimental study 

(http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.046).

W-55
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

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

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2013.................................................................................... 47,295

2014.................................................................................... 54,000 

2015.................................................................................... 54,000 

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $54 million for special education research in fiscal year 2016, the 

same as the 2015 appropriation. Funding supports a comprehensive program of special 

education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of infants, toddlers, 

and children with disabilities and answer questions about how children with disabilities develop 

and learn and how best to support their development through improved teaching and special 

education and related services. Continued investment in the long-term programs of research 

administered by NCSER is necessary to enhance the research base on what works and 

develop evidence-based practices and policies that will result in improved academic 

achievement, social and emotional well-being, behavior, and physical development for children 

with disabilities. 

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

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

previous years.

At the 2016 request level, IES would support approximately $35.5 million in continuation costs 

of grants awarded in 2015 and prior years and $16.7 million in new grant awards; an additional 

$1.8 million would support peer review, logistical support, and other activities. The actual 

amounts will depend on the results of the 2015 competitions. 

IES is holding two competitions for awards in 2015:

• Special Education Research Grants. The Special Education Research Grants program 

supports research on topics that are relevant to the needs of students with disabilities, their 

families, educators, and policymakers, spanning from the early intervention needs of infants 

and toddlers with disabilities to transition outcomes for students with disabilities leaving 

secondary education. 

The program uses a topic and goal structure to divide the research process into stages by 

field for both theoretical and practical purposes. Applicants must submit proposals for one 

topic area and one goal. The topic areas for the competition are:

o Autism Spectrum Disorders;

o Cognition and Student Learning in Special Education;

o Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education;

W-56
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

o Families of Children with Disabilities; 

o Mathematics and Science Education; 

o Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers; 

o Reading, Writing, and Language Development; 

o Social and Behavioral Outcomes to Support Learning; 

o Special Education Policy, Finance, and Systems; 

o Technology for Special Education; and 

o Transition Outcomes for Secondary Students with Disabilities. 

The goal areas are:

o Exploration, 

o Development and Innovation, 

o Efficacy and Replication, 

o Effectiveness, and 

o Measurement.

The award sizes and project lengths vary by the type of project; for example, the maximum 

award for an Exploration project solely involving secondary data is $700,000 over 2 years, 

while an Effectiveness project can receive up to $5 million over 5 years. Information on the 

competition is available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2015_84324A.pdf.

IES anticipates making approximately $24 million in new awards in 2015. At the request 

level, it would be able to make additional awards in 2016, as well as support continuation 

costs of grants awarded in 2015 and prior years.

• Research Training in Special Education: Early Career Development and Mentoring. 

The research training program in early career development and mentoring provides grants 

to institutions of higher education to develop research training programs that help new 

investigators obtain the methodological, content, and grant writing expertise needed to build 

a strong line of research. An important aspect of the program is the requirement that the 

research and training be guided closely by a scientist experienced in the study of infants, 

toddlers, children, or youth with or at risk for disabilities, and/or their families or teachers. 

Applicants must address specific topic areas (the same areas as in the Special Education 

Research Grants competition) and one of three goals (Exploration, Development, or 

Measurement). IES plans to award not more than 5 early career awards in 2015; the 

maximum award will be $400,000 over no more than 4 years. Additional information on the 

2015 competition is available at http://ies.ed.gov/funding/pdf/2015_84324B.pdf.

Both the Special Education Research Grants and Research Training programs were announced 

in April 2014, with applications due in August. Applicants will be notified by July 1, 2015.

The Research in Special Education program provides support for two additional grant areas: 

Special Education Research and Development Centers and a research initiative named 

“Accelerate the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities.”

W-57
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

• Special Education Research and Development Centers. Special education research and 

development centers are intended to contribute significantly to solutions of special education 

problems in the United States by engaging in research, development, evaluation, and 

national leadership activities. Each center conducts a focused program of research in a 

specific topic area. As needed, each research and development center conducts additional 

research and analyses within its topic area and provides national leadership in advancing 

evidence-based practices and policies within its topic area. Unlike special education 

research grants that support a single research study, the research and development center 

grants support a focused program of research that may include several researchers working 

on separate studies that are designed to contribute to our understanding of a particular 

topic.

• Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities 

Research Initiative. In 2012, IES invited applications for a new research initiative on

developing and evaluating interventions to accelerate the reading and mathematics 

achievement of 3rd through 8th grade students with or at risk for learning disabilities who 

demonstrate the most intractable learning problems. IES made one award under the A3 

Initiative in 2013; this grantee will receive continuation funding in 2016.

Program funds also pay for peer review of new grant awards and logistical support. The 

Department anticipates announcing the 2016 competition on the same schedule as the 

2015 competition; that is, the competition will be announced in the late spring of 2015, with 

applications due in late summer.

W-58
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Research Activities:

Special Education Research Grants

 cation R esearch Gr ants: New grant awards $151 TBD TBD

 ation R esearch Gr ants: Grant award continuations 42,623 $19,629 $28,962

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Total 42,774 43,777 46,053

Special Education Research and Development Centers

 D evelopment Centers: New grant awards 0 0 TBD

 D evelopment Centers: Grant award continuations 6,367 6,473 4,197

Special Education R esearch and D evelopment Centers: Total 6,367 6,473 4,197

Research Training

esearch Trai ning: New grant awards 0 TBD TBD

esearch Trai ning: Grant award continuations 1,514 0 319

Research Trai ning: Total 1,514 TBD TBD

Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students 

with Learning Disabilities Research Initiative

 ng Disabiliti es R esearch Initi ati ve Grant award continuations 2,000 2,000 2,000 

Other activities:

Logistics and Analytical Support/Other 95 500 500

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

Subtotal, Other activities 1,345 1,750 1,750 

Total, Research in special education $54,000 $54,000 $54,000 ___________________________

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

depend on the quality of applications received.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures 

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

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

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

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

2016 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the 

program.

W-59
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

The Department established new measures for NCSER in fiscal year 2014, which are discussed 

below.

Annual Measures

Goal: Transform education into an evidence-based field.

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

Measure. The percentage of projects that result in peer-reviewed publications.

Additional information: Peer-reviewed publications are an expected product of all research 

projects. NCSER has been funding research projects since 2006. As of 2013, 251 research 

projects have been funded. Given the lag from time of award to completion of a study and the 

publication of results, the denominator for each reporting year will be the cumulative number of 

grants that had been funded through the end of the fiscal year 3 years prior to the reporting 

year. Thus, the denominator for 2013 will reflect the total number of projects funded across all 

NCES programs from fiscal year 2006 through fiscal year 2010. For fiscal year 2014, the 

denominator reflects all projects funded from fiscal year 2007 through fiscal year 2011. Data 

will be collected through the annual grantee reports and entered into the Institute of Education 

Sciences Catalog of Education Research (ICER). Counts will be generated from ICER. The 

baseline will be established using 2013 data.

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

improving education outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.

Additional information: Since 2006, NCSER has supported efficacy evaluations of fullydeveloped interventions to determine whether they produce a beneficial impact on student 

education outcomes. This measure reflects the cumulative number of interventions NCSER has 

funded that have demonstrated efficacy in improving student outcomes. Student education 

outcomes include school readiness for young children, and both academic outcomes and social 

and behavioral competencies for school-age students. School readiness outcomes include 

reading, pre-reading, pre-writing, early mathematics, early science, and social-emotional skills 

that prepare young children for school. Student academic outcomes include achievement in 

core academic content (reading, writing, mathematics, science), and behaviors that support 

learning for students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities from prekindergarten through high 

school. Additional education outcomes include developmental and functional outcomes that 

improve education results and transitions to employment, independent living, and 

postsecondary education for students with disabilities.

Results of intervention evaluations are typically not available until the end of a grant award 

period. Through grantees’ final performance reports, NCSER identifies peer-reviewed 

publications and reports produced with grant funding that provide evaluation results describing 

improved student outcomes. In addition, NCSER updates grantee publications annually in the 

ICER database. NCSER will also review those updates to ensure that all publications of 

completed studies which examine causal impact are considered for review under this measure. 

W-60
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

NCSER submits these peer-reviewed publications and reports to the What Works 

Clearinghouse (WWC) for review. WWC-certified reviewers determine whether the evaluation 

meets the WWC standards with or without reservations, and whether the evaluation found the 

intervention to produce a statistically significant or substantively important positive effect for 

students on at least one relevant education outcome.

Thus, the reported data will be the cumulative numbers of interventions since 2006 with 

evidence of meeting WWC standards and having positive effects on student outcomes as 

determined by WWC reviewers.

This measure replaces previous measures that reported findings separately for reading, writing, 

or language outcomes; school readiness outcomes; and behavior outcomes. Since 2006, 

NCSER has refined and expanded the number of topic areas in which research is supported, 

and the new measure more accurately captures the range of research now supported, including 

research areas such as mathematics and science that were not included in the old measures. 

The baseline will be established using 2013 data.

Measure: The number of newly developed or modified interventions with evidence of promise 

for improving education outcomes for students with or at-risk for disabilities.

Additional information. Since 2006, NCSER has supported the development of new 

interventions and determined whether these interventions have promise to produce beneficial 

impacts on student education outcomes. This measure will reflect the cumulative number of 

interventions NCSER has funded since 2006 through Development and Innovation projects that 

show promise for improving student outcomes. Student education outcomes include school 

readiness for young children, and both academic outcomes and social and behavioral 

competencies for school-age students. School readiness outcomes include reading, prereading, pre-writing, early mathematics, early science, and social-emotional skills that prepare 

young children for school. Student academic outcomes include achievement in core academic 

content (reading, writing, mathematics, science), and behaviors that support learning for 

students with disabilities or at risk for disabilities from prekindergarten through high school. 

Additional education outcomes include developmental and functional outcomes that improve 

education results and transitions to employment, independent living, and postsecondary 

education for students with disabilities.

NCSER will establish baseline numbers using 2013 data. The reported data will be the 

cumulative numbers of newly developed interventions since 2006 with evidence of promise

meeting Education Department General Education Regulations (EDGAR) standards as

determined by NCSER based on grantee final performance reports.

NCSER will review grantees’ final reports for completed research grants and determine the 

number of projects that have generated evidence of promise. Evidence of promise must meet 

the EDGAR standards for evidence of promise. To meet the standards, grantees must report 

pilot study evidence that the intervention produced a statistically significant or substantively 

important positive association for at least one student outcome (0.25 standard deviation or 

larger).

W-61
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Research in special education

Efficiency Measures

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

employed in the National Center for Special Education Research.

Year Target Actual

2011 25 37

2012 38 40

2013 40 38

2014 41

2015 31

2016 TBD

Assessment of progress: The principal efficiency measure for IES is the ratio of research 

staff to research grants. These data are collected from the official grant files for NCSER. 

Future targets have been decreased because of decreased grant awards in 2013 and 2014. 

Budget constraints led to a decrease in the number of grants IES was able to fund in 2013, and 

no research grant competitions in special education were held in 2014.

Although IES anticipates making new awards in fiscal year 2015, the 2015 target is lower than 

the 2014 target because the number of new grants funded in 2015 would have to be unusually 

high to account for the reduction in grants awarded in 2013 and lack of a grant competition in 

2014. In addition, older grants have continued to be closed out as scheduled. This has resulted 

in an anticipated overall reduced number of grants administered per program officer in 2015.

W-62
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

(Educational Technical Assistance Act, Section 208)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2015 2016 Change

$34,539 $70,000 +$35,461

__________________

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

program in FY 2016 under appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Section 208 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act (ETAA) authorizes the Secretary to 

make competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to design, 

develop, and implement Statewide longitudinal data systems (SLDS) to efficiently and 

accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student data, consistent with the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The goals of the program are to 

improve data quality, promote data linkages across States, encourage the accurate and timely 

generation of data for reporting and improving student achievement, and facilitate research to 

improve student achievement and close achievement gaps.

The grants are expected to help SEAs develop, expand, or improve data systems, and may 

support necessary training, technical assistance, and other activities to promote the effective 

use of data. Funds must supplement, not supplant, other State or local funds used for 

developing State data systems and may not be used to support ongoing implementation and 

maintenance of such systems. Grants are awarded competitively, based on the technical 

quality of the proposals.

IES has conducted five competitions to date. The first round of grants was awarded in 

November 2005 and the last round in 2012. To date, 47 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 

Rico, and the Virgin Islands have received awards.

The 2012 grants, which ranged in size from $2.6 million to $5.0 million for 3-year projects, were 

to support States' work in one of three priority areas:

• The design, development, and implementation of statewide longitudinal kindergarten 

through 12th grade (K-12) data systems; 

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

• The development and linking of postsecondary and/or workforce data with the States’ K-12 

data systems.

W-63
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

The 2012 awards included 9 grants to support K-12 data systems, 1 grant to support the 

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

postsecondary or workforce data with the K-12 systems. IES plans to hold the next SLDS 

competition in 2015.

Beginning in 2008, the Department of Education Appropriations Act authorized the program to 

use a portion of the appropriation for activities to improve data coordination and use. In 

addition, the 2009 Appropriations Act authorized the use of funds for SLDS that include 

postsecondary and workforce information and the 2010 Appropriations Act added inclusion of 

information on children of all ages as an authorized activity. Since 2012, the Department has 

had the authority to use funds to link Statewide elementary and secondary data systems with 

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

systems.

In every grant competition, the Department expects States to use funds to significantly improve 

the ability of data systems to provide appropriate, high-quality information, as governed by 

national and State privacy laws and regulations, needed to support education reform, improve 

instruction, and promote accountability. States should use funds to develop the necessary 

linkages with other agencies and States to provide information on high school completion, 

college completion, and workforce participation. Systems developed with support from the 

Department must also improve States’ ability to report required data to the Department and 

should include information that will help assess the effectiveness of Federal education 

programs, including those for which the State is not a grantee. Finally, funded data systems 

must improve the ability to provide regular feedback to teachers to enable them to use data to 

improve instruction, allow State and local educational agencies to devise methods for identifying 

effective teachers and teaching practices, and provide accurate information about student and 

school progress.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

 (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2013....................................................................................... 36,085

2014....................................................................................... 34,539 

2015....................................................................................... 34,539 

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $70 million for SLDS in fiscal year 2016, an increase of 

$35.5 million from the 2015 appropriation. The 2016 funds for this program would provide 

support for new grant awards in 2016, continuation costs of grants awarded in 2015, and 

national activities to improve data coordination, quality, and use.

At the 2016 request level, the following activities would be supported:

W-64
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

• Approximately $27 million would support continuation costs of grants awarded in 2015. With 

States having made much progress in using SLDS funds to develop their data systems, the 

Department anticipates structuring the 2015 competition to require States to address a small 

number of high-priority, data-use policy issues. Framing grants around one or two of the 

following use cases will ensure that States are not only continuing to build their data 

systems as needed, but also leveraging the data in their SLDS to strategically drive 

educational improvement for all students, particularly those that are high-need. For any use 

case, States must identify what data linkages needs they have, what reporting tools they will 

use to share information, and what resources, including professional development, they 

need to support data use by intended stakeholders. Fiscal year 2015 awards will be for 

4 years, with States receiving, on average, $4.5 million in total. 

o Fiscal Equity and Return on Investment (ROI). Grants addressing this data use case will 

use school-level financial data to examine how funds are distributed across schools and 

how school-level investments relate to student outcomes.

o Educator Talent Management. This data use case would allow States to develop 

comprehensive educator human capital data systems to help them understand the 

impact of various educator preparation programs and to provide personalized 

professional development to increase teacher effectiveness. Educator data would 

include preparation, performance, professional development, pay, and placement 

information and would be linked to student data. 

o Early Learning. States needing to better understand the availability and characteristics 

of early learning services provided in the State would apply to this data use case. States 

can apply for SLDS funds to link disparate early learning data to understand which 

children and families have access to early learning services and how these services 

impact later student outcomes. 

o College and Career. States applying under this data-use case would use grant funds to 

link K-12 data to postsecondary and workforce data, providing information from data 

linkages to students and parents in order to inform their postsecondary decisions and to 

administrators on the success of their graduates in college and careers to better align 

curriculum. 

o Evaluation and Research. Grants for the evaluation and research data-use case would 

build the capacity of States and districts to use SLDS for research and program 

evaluation in order to generate timely and meaningful information for improving

accountability, assessment, and school support systems. Grants would fund research 

partnerships and/or increase the use of quick-turnaround evaluations to produce 

information in shorter cycles.

o Instructional Support. This data use case would enable States to use data to create 

real-time instructional improvement systems that give educators the information they 

need on student learning in order to improve and personalize college- and careeraligned instruction and outcomes for students, particularly high needs students.

• Approximately $36 million would support new grant awards in 2016. States that receive 

awards in 2015 would be ineligible to apply for the 2016 competition. Depending on the 

W-65
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

quality of applicants to the 2015 competition, the Department may choose to fund down the 

slate or to fund new applicants that come in under the use cases of highest priority, such as 

Fiscal Equity and ROI, Educator Talent Management, and/or Evaluation and Research. If 

the Department funds a grant competition in 2016, it will provide technical assistance to 

eligible States that applied for but did not receive funding in 2015.

• Approximately $1.1 million would support continuation costs for two State awards made in 

2012.

• Approximately $6.0 million would support activities to improve data quality, coordination, and 

use. The SLDS program and its partners offer a wide and growing range of support to help 

State educational agencies design, develop, and use longitudinal data systems. Three 

ongoing activities would be supported:

o The Education Data Technical Assistance Program (EDTAP) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/index.asp.) would continue to provide assistance to 

State educational agencies in the planning, development, expansion, and 

implementation of their longitudinal data systems. The program provides a broad range

of support, including a public domain clearinghouse that provides a platform for States to 

share non-proprietary products developed for their statewide longitudinal data systems; 

best practice briefs; “collaboration communities,” where staff from small groups of States 

work together to identify challenges, brainstorm solutions, and share best practices; 

webinars; listservs; and State-specific technical assistance. The Department anticipates 

that the 2015 grant priority areas will require an increase in technical assistance to 

address challenges in carrying out the projects.

o The Common Education Data Standards project would support continued development 

of voluntary common data standards that help ensure the interoperability of data 

systems both within and across States for all levels of education, from early learning 

through postsecondary education and into the work force. This work is aligned with the 

grant priorities, including work around common fiscal accounting standards

(https://ceds.ed.gov/) for school expenditure data systems.

o The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) would continue to serve as a valuable 

resource center to State and local educational agencies, the postsecondary community, 

and other parties engaged in building and using education data systems on issues 

related to the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student records. Additional 

information on the PTAC and resource materials is available on the website 

(http://www.ed.gov/ptac).

The Administration requests that funding for fiscal year 2016 be available for 2 years, as it has 

been in prior years. The Administration also requests the same language included in the 

2014 appropriations act to allow awards to support activities to improve data coordination, 

quality, and use at the local, State, and National levels, as well as language that permits the use 

of funds for building links to early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce information.

The longitudinal data systems can serve as a vital source of information for educators and 

policymakersand for parents and the publicon the performance of schools and students, 

W-66
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

and on the effectiveness of State and local education policies and practice. Longitudinal data 

are also key to helping educators examine student progress and outcomes over time. In 

particular, SLDS funds have been used to develop products and analyses that help drive 

educational change and innovation in States. For example, Minnesota’s SLDS creates a high 

school feedback loop with postsecondary schools by providing information on the number of 

students attending, taking remedial courses, and graduating from postsecondary institutions. 

Georgia’s SLDS allows educators and district staff to seamlessly access State-level assessment 

data and curriculum-related materials so information to help improve instruction is in one place. 

Both North Carolina and Mississippi have used SLDS grants to develop early warning systems 

that provide real-time information to teachers, principals, and counselors to ensure that at-risk 

students get the resources they need to succeed.

Grants funded in 2016 would continue to support data systems that help States meet reporting 

requirements (including data elements required for the U.S. Department of Education’s EDFacts

and the Consolidated State Performance Report); support decisionmaking at the State, district, 

school, and classroom levels; facilitate research needed to eliminate achievement gaps and 

improve student learning and educational productivity; and provide critical information on 

education to parents and the public. The improvements to data systems supported by 2015 and 

2016 grant awards will also ensure that data are available to answer key policy questions about 

financial and resource equity, teacher preparation and support, early learning, and college and 

career readiness.

W-67
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

 ems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $29,184 $1,552 $1,085

 ems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 0 26,987 26,987

 ems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2016 0 0 35,828

 Subtotal 29,184 28,539 63,900

Awards to improve data coordination, quality, and use 5,303 6,000 6,000

Peer review of new award applications 51 0 100

Total 34,539 34,539 70,000

Number of Grant Awards

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 24 24 2

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 0 25 25

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2016 0 0 25

Range of Awards (Entire Grant Period) Low High

Statewide longitudinal data systems development awards

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2012 $3,034 $4,997

 ystems development awar ds: Grants awarded in FY 2015 750 2,000

 stems devel opment awards: Grants awarded in FY 2016 750 2,000

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

The Department of Education has identified priority performance goals that will help measure 

the success of the Department’s cradle-to-career education strategy, one of which is “make 

informed decisions and improve instruction through the use of data.” One strategy for ensuring 

that data are available to inform educational decisions is supporting States’ development and 

implementation of Statewide longitudinal data systems, and the Department has established 

three performance measures to assess progress. These measures assess progress of all 

States, not just the States with grants in the measurement years. The Department believes that 

assessing the progress of all States is appropriate, because the goal of the program is to ensure 

that critical information needed to improve student outcomes is available across the Nation. 

New grant competitions take into consideration areas where States are having difficulty making 

progress and establish competition priorities that help direct resources to areas where additional 

resources are necessary.

W-68
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 with early childhood data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 8

2013 12 19

2014 23 26

2015 27

2016 29

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to track all public pre-K 

students into public kindergarten using the State longitudinal data system and by the inclusion 

of at least one additional source of early childhood data (e.g., Head Start or private pre-K) in the 

State data system. In 2012, 8 States had data systems that met the criteria, and by the end of 

2014, 26 had met the criteria, exceeding the target.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 with postsecondary data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 9

2013 21 25

2014 28 33

2015 34

2016 36

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to link State K12 student data to State data from public 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education. As of 

the end of 2014, 33 States had met the target for this measure, exceeding the goal for the year.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data.

Year Target Actual

2012 Baseline 5

2013 10 12

2014 14 20

2015 22

2016 25

States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability to track all public 2- and 

4-year postsecondary students to, at a minimum, State employment records (e.g., State 

unemployment insurance systems.) In 2012, the baseline year, 5 States were able to link their 

K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data, and in 2014, 20 States were able to do so, 

exceeding the target of 14.

Key barriers and challenges to meeting these measures include States’ and districts’ limited 

resources, State procurement practices, difficulties with cross-agency governance and data 

sharing, privacy issues, and concerns about the long-term sustainability of data systems without 

long-term Federal funding. Linkages to workforce data have presented challenges for States 

W-69
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Statewide longitudinal data systems

due to the lack of a common identifier, the need to comply with multiple privacy laws, and the 

challenges of multi-agency coordination. To help overcome these challenges, the Department 

of Education has increased coordination with the Department of Labor and their Workforce Data 

Quality Initiative (WDQI), which provides support to allow States to develop or improve their 

longitudinal workforce data systems and create linkages to education data.

Many States appear not ready to link early childhood data to their K-12 systems, as evidenced 

by the low number of applications in 2012 for the early childhood priority. To aid States, the 

Department is creating a series of best practice materials and held a privacy workshop for 

States on sharing early childhood data.

Specific activities to be undertaken by the Department over the next year include providing 

ongoing technical assistance to both grantees and non-grantees as they develop their State 

data systems; coordinating monitoring and technical assistance to States with both SLDS and 

WDQI grants through cross-program monitoring calls, joint site visits, technical assistance 

resource sharing, and conference presentations; and providing support for common education 

data standards to improve the utility of data for research and evaluation.

W-70
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 664)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2016 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2015 2016 Change

$10,818 $13,000 +$2,182

__________________

1

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

FY 2016 under appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Special Education Studies and Evaluation program awards competitive grants, contracts, 

and cooperative agreements to assess the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA) and the effectiveness of State and local efforts to provide special 

education and early intervention programs and services to infants, toddlers, and children with 

disabilities.

The statute authorizes the Department to support studies, evaluations, and assessments that:

• Analyze the results achieved by State and local educational agencies to improve services 

for children with disabilities;

• Analyze State and local needs for professional development, parent training, and other 

activities that can reduce the need for disciplinary actions involving children with disabilities;

• Measure educational and transitional services and outcomes for children with disabilities, 

including those from minority backgrounds; and

• Identify and report on the placement of children with disabilities by disability category.

In addition, the Department is required to submit to Congress an annual report that summarizes 

the studies and evaluations conducted under this authority; summarizes the research conducted 

under part E of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, which authorizes research on 

special education; and analyzes and summarizes the data on children with disabilities that is 

required by section 618 of the IDEA.

The IDEA requires the Secretary to delegate responsibility for the administration of most studies 

and evaluations in special education to the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.

W-71
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2013......................................................................................10,818

2014......................................................................................10,818

2015......................................................................................10,818

_________________

FY 2016 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $13.0 million, a $2.2 million increase over the 2015 appropriation, 

to support studies, evaluations, and assessments related to the implementation of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IES supports a range of evaluations that are 

designed to provide information about which programs and practices are effective and 

ineffective for improving outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and thereby provide 

concrete guidance for educators and parents.

At the request level, four of these studies, which are discussed in more detail below along with 

other ongoing studies, would receive funding from the 2016 appropriation. The studies and 

estimated 2016 amounts are:

• Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices, $7.0 million;

• State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2016, $2.5 million;

• Impact Evaluation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior, $2.0 million; and

• Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities, $1.5 million.

Additional information on these studies, as well as recent and ongoing studies that will not 

receive funding from the 2016 appropriation, is provided below. Additional information is 

available at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/evaluation/disabilities.asp.

W-72
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

Recently Completed and On-Going Studies

Study Cost Duration

Evaluation of the IDEA Personnel 

Development Program

$2,729,875 over 

6 years

September 2007 to 

September 2013

Study of School Accountability for Students 

with Disabilities 1

$3,626,218 over 

7 years

February 2008 to 

February 2015

Evaluation of Response to Intervention 

Practices for Elementary School Reading 2

$14,204,339 over 

7 years

March 2008 to March 

2015

National Evaluation of the IDEA Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Program 3

$2,995,352 over 

7 years 

September 2009 to 

August 2016

Study of Early Intervention and Special 

Education Services and Personnel 4

$1,149,233 over 5 

years

September 2010 to 

September 2015

Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities, Phase I

$24,093,418 over 

5 years 

September 2010 to 

September 2015

Evaluation of Preschool Special Education 

Practices, Phase I

$9,506,843 over 

50 months

November 2013 to 

January 2018

Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered 

Systems of Support for Behavior

$18,894,244 over 

5 years

November 2013 to

November 2018

Post High School Outcomes for Youth with 

Disabilities

$5 million from the 

2014 and 2015 

appropriations

Estimated award date: 

August 2015

State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2016 $500,000 for the 

base contract, with 

$2,500,000 for a data 

collection option that 

could be exercised in 

2016

Estimated award date: 

July 2015

1

 The timeline has been revised. Last year we reported the study would end in February 2014. 2

 The timeline has been revised. Last year we reported the study would end in March 2014. 3

 The timeline has been revised. Last year we reported the study would end in September 2014. 4

 The funding and timeline have been revised. Last year we reported $985,601 over 3 years (September 2010 to 

September 2013).

_________________

Evaluation of the IDEA Personnel Development Program. The Evaluation of the IDEA 

Personnel Development Program (PDP) was a descriptive study of the PDP national technical 

assistance centers and training grants. The study relied on a combination of extant data and 

new data collection from grantees and applicants between the fall of 2008 and the summer of 

2010. Panels of experts rated the quality and usefulness of products and services from 

12 national centers and the course-of-study components developed or significantly modified by 

training grant recipients. The final report, which was released in January 2014 and is available 

at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20144007/pdf/20144007.pdf, provides information on the types of 

products developed and services provided by the national centers and expert ratings of the 

usefulness of selected products and services. A majority of these products and services were 

W-73
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

rated as being of “high” or “very high” quality and usefulness. The study also provides detailed 

descriptive information on the training grants.

Study of School Accountability for Students with Disabilities. The Study of School Accountability 

for Students with Disabilities (SWD) is using descriptive statistics to study patterns of school 

accountability across States and over time and to examine how school practices vary with 

respect to school accountability for the SWD subgroup. Data sources for the evaluation include 

extant data from the Department of Education's EDFacts database and 2011 surveys of 

principals and special education designees from elementary and middle schools in 12 states. 

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

2009−10 school year was released in October 2013 and is available at 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20134017/pdf/20134017.pdf. The report provides information on the 

percentage of schools that were accountable for the performance of the SWD subgroup and the 

percentage of schools that missed making adequate yearly progress because of the SWD 

subgroup. A third report will be released in the winter of 2015.

Evaluation of Response to Intervention (RtI) Practices for Elementary School Reading. This 

study is relying on a combination of descriptive data collected from school staff and regression 

discontinuity methods to address three key research questions:

• What are the effects on Grade 1−3 reading achievement of providing intensive interventions 

to children who have been identified as at risk for reading difficulties? 

• How do RtI practices for early grade reading vary across schools? 

• How do schools experienced with RtI vary the intensity of reading instruction to children 

based on student benchmark reading performance? 

The study is currently scheduled to end in March 2015.

National Evaluation of the IDEA Technical Assistance and Dissemination Program. The IDEA 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) Program is the Department’s primary vehicle 

under IDEA for providing educators, policymakers, other service providers, and parents of 

children with disabilities with information on effective practices for meeting the needs of children 

with disabilities and their families. The national evaluation is designed to describe the products 

and services provided by program grantees, State and local needs for technical assistance, and 

the role the program plays in meeting these needs and supporting implementation of the IDEA. 

An interim report was released in October 2013 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20144000/pdf/20144000.pdf); key findings include that TA&D 

centers most commonly reported providing technical assistance on the topics of “parent and 

family involvement” and “data systems and use of data for improvement” and that State staff 

rated the majority of experiences they had with the TA&D centers as “very satisfactory.” In 

addition, this analysis found some potential duplication of services provided by technical 

assistance providers; however, this analysis was unable to establish whether such cases were 

indicators of inefficiency or of complementary and coordinated services. A final report is 

expected to be released in October 2016.

W-74
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

Study of Early Intervention and Special Education Services and Personnel. The Study of Early 

Intervention and Special Education Services and Personnel is analyzing extant data on early 

intervention and special education service delivery and the personnel providing services. Key 

research questions include:

• How does early intervention service delivery vary across States? 

• How do special education and related services received by children and youth vary over 

time, across States, and by school characteristics? 

• How does the distribution of personnel providing special education services vary over time, 

across States, and by school characteristics? 

The study is scheduled to end in September 2015.

Study of Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities. This study, which is also referred to as 

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 to enable direct comparisons of students 

with and without individualized education programs (IEPs). It is part of the congressionallymandated National Assessment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 

of 2004. 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? 

Two reports are scheduled for completion in summer 2015.

Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices. IDEA provides funding to States to 

support special education and related services for children and youth with disabilities, including 

young children ages 3- to 5-years old, but limited information is available on the special 

education services and supports that young children are receiving and the preschool practices 

and interventions being used in programs across states. The objectives of the first phase of the 

evaluation are threefold: (1) to assess the feasibility of conducting an impact study of curricula 

or interventions promoting the literacy, language, and/or social-emotional skills of preschool-age 

children with disabilities; (2) to identify feasible study design options for an impact study; and 

W-75
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

(3) to prepare for the impact study, if deemed feasible to conduct. The feasibility work includes 

gathering descriptive data on current special education programs, services, and practices; these 

data are needed to identify interventions and practices to target in an impact study and to inform 

sampling. If IES identifies feasible options for conducting a study to examine the relationship 

between service receipt and outcomes for children receiving services under the IDEA Grants for 

Infants and Families program (Part C) and/or the IDEA Preschool Grants program (Part B

Section 619), then it plans to award a contract for a 5-year impact evaluation in fiscal year 2017.

Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior. This evaluation, 

which was formerly known as the Evaluation of School-wide Positive Behavior Support, will 

examine the effectiveness of strategies for training school staff to effectively address 

problematic behaviors. Training school staff in supporting student behavior is becoming 

increasingly attractive to districts and schools as a vehicle for school improvement. 

Implementation of multi-tiered systems of support for behavior (MTSS-B) is an approach to 

improving school and classroom climate as well as student outcomes. MTSS-B is a multi-tiered, 

systematic framework for teaching and reinforcing behavior for all students as well as for 

providing additional support to those who need it, and over a third of U.S. districts report 

implementing multi-tiered systems of behavior support at the elementary school level. Although 

previous evaluations of the MTSS-B framework have found positive outcomes, such as 

reductions in the number of disciplinary referrals, these evaluations have been conducted on a 

relatively small scale. The study will address the following questions:

• What is the impact on school climate, school staff practice, and student outcomes of 

providing training in MTSS-B that includes universal supports (Tier I)? 

• What is the impact on school climate, school staff practice, and student outcomes of 

providing training in MTSS-B that includes universal supports (Tier I) plus targeted 

interventions for at-risk students (Tier II)? 

• What is the impact of additional training in targeted interventions for at-risk students (Tier II) 

for schools already trained in MTSS-B that includes universal supports (Tier I)? 

• What are the impacts for relevant subgroups including students with at-risk behavior, 

students with disabilities, and teachers with less experience? 

• Which strategies are correlated with improvement in student outcomes?

The randomized trial evaluation will be conducted in approximately 120 elementary schools 

located in a purposive sample of 12 geographically diverse school districts. The study will 

randomly assign schools to one of two promising MTSS-B strategies or to a business-as-usual 

control group. Data collection and analyses scheduled for the 2015−2016 and 2016−2017 

school years will include information about fidelity of implementation; implementation 

challenges; and impacts on student behavior, achievement, and identification for special 

education.

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

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

productive jobs is a national priority. IDEA places emphasis on transition services focused on 

improving the academic and functional achievement of students with disabilities in order to 

W-76
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Special education studies and evaluations

facilitate their transition from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education 

and employment. The study, which is planned for award in the summer of 2015, would address 

such questions as:

• What high school courses do youth with disabilities take as compared with other youth, 

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

• How does course-taking vary with youth characteristics, including disability category, age, 

sex, race/ethnicity, English Learner status, income status, and school type (including regular 

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

State or federally-operated institution)? 

• To what extent do youth with and without disabilities complete high school, enroll and persist 

in postsecondary education, and find employment? 

• How do these outcomes vary across characteristics of these youth?

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

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

State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2016. The Department plans to make an award in July 

2015 to develop plans to collect descriptive information on the implementation of early 

intervention and special education programs at the State and school district levels. The contract 

will support the development of plans for a new data collection and descriptive analysis to 

inform research questions for an evaluation of the program. The Department anticipates that 

contract options to be awarded with 2016 funds would support data collection in 2016−2017 and 

2018−2019 as well as report preparation.

IES also uses funds to collect additional information on students with disabilities through 

existing National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data collections.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2014 2015 2016

Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of 

Support for Behavior. $7,318 $8,718 $2,000

Post High School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities 3,500 1,500 1,500

Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices 0 7,000

State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2016 0 500 2,500

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten 0 100 0

 Total, Special education studies and evaluations 10,818 10,818 13,000

W-77