Department of Education

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ........................................................................................................V-1

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

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

Summary of Changes .............................................................................................................V-4

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................V-5

Appropriations History.............................................................................................................V-6

Significant Items in FY 2019 Appropriations Reports...............................................................V-7

Summary of Request ..............................................................................................................V-9

Activities

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

Statistics...........................................................................................................................V-19

Regional educational laboratories ....................................................................................V-29

Assessment......................................................................................................................V-35

Research in special education..........................................................................................V-43

Statewide longitudinal data systems.................................................................................V-48

Special education studies and evaluations .......................................................................V-52
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V-1

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, [$615,462,000] $521,563,000, which shall remain available through September 30, [2020]

20211[ : Provided, That funds available to carry out section 208 of the Educational Technical 

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

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

systems:2 Provided further, That up to $6,000,000 of the funds available to carry out section 208 

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

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

the local, State, and national levels]

3

. (Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2019.)

NOTE

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

Provisions and Changes document that follows the appropriations language.
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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 ..., [$615,462,000] $521,563,000, which shall 

remain available through September 30, 

[2020] 2021.

This language provides 2-year availability of 

funds for the account. This language is 

needed to facilitate the planning of long-term 

programs of research and to accommodate 

cyclical surveys and assessments.

2 [Provided, That funds available to carry out 

section 208 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act may be used to link Statewide 

elementary and secondary data systems with 

early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce 

data systems, or to further develop such 

systems:]

This language, which provides the authority to 

use funds to expand Statewide longitudinal 

data systems to include postsecondary and 

workforce information and information on early 

childhood, is not needed because the program 

is proposed for elimination

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

the funds available to carry out section 208 of 

the Educational Technical Assistance Act may 

be used for awards to public or private 

organizations or agencies to support activities 

to improve data coordination, quality, and use 

at the local, State, and national levels]

This language, which provides the authority to 

make Statewide longitudinal data systems 

awards to agencies and organizations in order 

to further the purposes of the program, is not 

needed because the program is proposed for 

elimination. 
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Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2018 2019 2020

Discretionary:

Discretionar y: Appropriation ....................................................... $613,462 $615,462 $521,563

Total, discretionary appropriation................ $613,462 $615,462 $521,563
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Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2019 .............................................................................................................. $615,462

2020 .............................................................................................................. 521,563

Net change............................................................................ -93,899

Increases: 2019 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Increase funding for Statistics to support the Privacy Technical 

Assistance Center, which was previously funded under 

Statewide longitudinal data systems. $109,500 +$3,000

Subtotal, increases +3,000

Decreases: 2019 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Decrease funding for Research, development, and 

dissemination to reflect the need for fiscal prudence. 192,695 -5,195

Decrease for Assessment to reflect need for fiscal prudence. 151,000 -2,000

Decrease for Research in special education to reflect need for 

fiscal prudence. 56,000 -2,000

Eliminate funding for the Regional educational laboratories to 

reflect changes in the strategy for providing technical 

assistance. 55,423 -55,423

Eliminate funding for the Statewide longitudinal data systems

because the program has fulfilled its initial mission. 32,281 -32,281

Subtotal, decreases -96,899

Net change -93,899
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V-5

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2019

Authorized

2019

Estimate

2020

Authorized

2020

Request

Research and Statistics:

esearch and Statistics: Research, development, and dissemination (ESRA, parts A, 

B, and D, except section 174) ........................................... 01,2 $192,695 01,2 $187,500

search and Statistics:Statistics (ESRA, part C)........................................................... 01,2109,500 0

2

112,500

Regional educational laboratories (ESRA, section 174) 0355,423 0

3

0

Assessment:

Assessment: National assessment (NAEPAA, section 303)........................ 02151,000 0

2

149,000

Assessment:National Assessment Governing Board (NAEPAA, 

section 302)..................................................................... 02 7,745 02 7,745

Research in special education (ESRA, part E) ............................. 0456,000 0

4

54,000

Statewide longitudinal data systems (ETAA, section 208)............ 0332,281 0

3

0

Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) ... 04 10,818 0

4

 10,818

Total appropriation.............................................................. 615,462 521,563

Portion of request not authorized........................................ 615,462 521,563

 

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 2020 under appropriations language. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009. No appropriations language or reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2020.

4 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. The Administration proposes to continue funding this program in FY 2020 under appropriations language.
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance

Senate 

Allowance Appropriation

2011 $738,756 $659,0061$722,7562$608,7863

2012 760,473 620,9034609,7884 593,664

2013 621,150 593,6645618,6615562,612

2014 671,073 N/A6652,9372576,935

2015 637,180 N/A6579,0217573,935

2016 675,883 409,9568562,9788618,015

2017 693,818 536,0499612,5259605,267

2018 616,839 605,26710 600,26710 613,46210

2019 521,563 613,46211 615,46211 615,46211

2020 521,563

 1 The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution. 2 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only.

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

(P.L. 112-10). 4 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill and the level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate 

Committee action only.

5 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. 6 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.

7 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate Subcommittee action only. 8 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2016 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and Senate Committee. 9 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 appropriations 

bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017.

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

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

Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141). 11 The levels for the House and Senate allowance reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2019 appropriations 

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

Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245).
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Significant Items in FY 2019 Appropriations Reports

Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Operating Plan

Senate: The Committee directs the Director to submit an operating plan within 90 days of 

enactment to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 

and the Senate detailing how IES plans to allocate funding available to the 

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

Response: The fiscal year 2020 Budget request includes detailed information on how fiscal 

year 2019 funds will be used. The Department will provide additional information

upon request.

Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Senate: The Committee continues to direct the Department to ensure that its employees, 

contractors, and grantees, including States that receive funds from Statewide 

Longitudinal Data System grants, adhere to the strictest and highest standards 

for protecting personally identifiable information.

Response: At the Department of Education, the Office of the Chief Information Officer 

(OCIO) is charged with coordination and alignment of the Department’s privacy 

and security practices, which include protecting personally identifiable 

information (PII). The Student Privacy Policy Office in the Office of Planning, 

Evaluation, and Policy Development leads Department efforts to protect student 

privacy by providing leadership, oversight, and coordination to ensure 

Department and field compliance with several Federal privacy laws and 

regulations. IES complies with all requirements to ensure that PII is protected 

and will comply with this directive; however, we note that the request includes no 

funding for the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend Assessment

Conference: The conferees direct the National Assessment Governing Board to brief the 

Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate 

within 60 days from the date of enactment of this Act on the resources required 

to administer a long-term trend assessment by 2021.

Response: The National Assessment Governing Board notified the Committees on 

November 26, 2018, that the same level of resources would be required in fiscal 

year 2020 as were received in fiscal year 2019 in order to conduct a paper-based 

long-term trend assessment in 2020.

NAEP Assessment Schedule

Senate: The Committee continues to support assessments for students in United States 

History, Civics, and Geography. The Committee directs NAGB to continue 

administering assessments in these three areas, at least every 4 years, in 

accordance with the current NAEP schedule. The most recent assessment was 

in 2018, and the next scheduled assessment is in 2022.
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Response: The NAGB assessment schedule, which is available at 

https://www.nagb.gov/about-naep/assessment-schedule.html, shows that the 

next scheduled assessments in United States History, Civics, and Geography are 

schedule for 2022.
V-9

V-9

Summary of R equ est

Click here for accessible version

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2020 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET

(in thousands of dollars)

Amount Percent

 1. Research and statistics:

(a) Research, development, and dissemination (ESRA I-A, B and D, except section 174) D 192,695 192,695 187,500 (5,195) -2.70%

(b) Statistics (ESRA I-C) D 109,500 109,500 112,500 3,000 2.74%

 2. Regional educational laboratories (ESRA section 174) D 55,423 55,423 0 (55,423) -100.00%

 3. Assessment (NAEPAA):

(a) National assessment (section 303) D 149,000 151,000 149,000 (2,000) -1.32%

(b) National Assessment Governing Board (section 302) D 7,745 7,745 7,745 0 0.00%

Subtotal 156,745 158,745 156,745 (2,000) -1.26%

 4. Research in special education (ESRA, Part E) D 56,000 56,000 54,000 (2,000) -3.57%

 5. Statewide longitudinal data systems (ETAA section 208) D 32,281 32,281 0 (32,281) -100.00%

 6. Special education studies and evaluations (IDEA, section 664) D 10,818 10,818 10,818 0 0.00%

D 613,462 615,462 521,563 (93,899) -15.26%

NOTES: D = discretionary program; M = mandatory program

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Institute of Education Sciences

Total

Cat 

Code

2018 

Appropriation 

2019 

Appropriation

2020 

President's 

Budget

2020 President's Budget Compared 

to 2019 Appropriation
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Summary of Request

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

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

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

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

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

$521.6 million for this account for fiscal year 2020, a decrease of $93.9 million from the fiscal 

year 2019 appropriation and the same as the fiscal year 2019 request.

The Administration requests $187.5 million for Research, Development, and Dissemination, a 

decrease of $5.2 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation. While the investment in 

research is important because high-quality information about effective practices can help 

improve education and provide valuable insight into how public dollars could be better used to 

improve student outcomes, the request is sufficient to maintain the current portfolio of on-going 

work and fund new grant awards in fiscal year 2020. 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 

in the Department.

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

related to education at all levels, the Administration requests $112.5 million, an increase of 

$3 million over the fiscal year 2019 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 $3 million increase would 

provide funding to support the Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which serves 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 privacy, security, and confidentiality of student records.

A total of $156.7 million is requested for Assessment in fiscal year 2020. Of this amount, 

$149.0 million would provide support for the National Assessment of Educational Progress 

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

requested funding for Assessment would support NAGB in formulating policy guidelines for 

NAEP, as well as the costs associated with the sampling and data collection; pilot testing; item 

development; and scoring, analysis, and reporting of NAEP assessments.

The Administration requests $54.0 million for Research in Special Education, a decrease of 

$2 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation. The requested funds would support programs 

of research, including research intended to improve the developmental outcomes and school 

readiness of infants, toddlers, and young children with disabilities; improve education outcomes 

in core subject areas for children with disabilities; improve social and behavioral outcomes; and 

help adolescents with disabilities attain college- and career-readiness.
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Summary of Request – continued

The request includes $10.8 million for Special Education Studies and Evaluations, level with 

the fiscal year 2019 appropriation. 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, five activities

would receive funding from the fiscal year 2020 appropriation: an impact evaluation of training in 

transition supports for students with disabilities, a study on State and local implementation of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, an evaluation of training in multi-tiered systems of 

support, Phase 2 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012; and reports on special 

education interventions.

No funds are requested for the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) and the Statewide 

Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) programs. The RELs support dissemination and technical 

assistance activities that are duplicative of existing investments in the areas of training, 

technical assistance, and professional development to build State capacity to provide highquality education. The SLDS program has fulfilled its original purpose of enabling States to 

design, develop, and implement longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately collect, 

manage, and analyze individual student data, with all but three States receiving grants to date to 

develop and implement longitudinal data systems.
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Research, development, and dissemination

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Parts A, B, and D, except section 174)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01, 2

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$192,695 $187,500 -$5,195

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

FY 2020 through appropriations language. 2 The Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) provides that not more than the lesser of 2 percent of the amount 

appropriated to carry out Act (excluding appropriations for the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs)) or 

$1.0 million shall be made available for the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES).

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Research, Development, and Dissemination (RDD) program funds core activities of the 

Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which is authorized by the Education Sciences Reform 

Act (ESRA). IES provides national leadership to expand knowledge and understanding of 

education from early childhood through postsecondary study, in order to provide parents, 

educators, students, researchers, policymakers, and the public with reliable information about 

the condition and progress of education, educational practices that support learning and 

improve academic achievement, and the effectiveness of Federal and other education 

programs.

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 RDD program funds NCER and NCEE, as well as the National Board for 

Education Sciences (NBES), which is composed of private sector leaders as well as 

researchers and educators who are charged with approving priorities and peer review 

procedures and generally providing guidance to IES.

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 research topic areas, such as reading and writing, early learning, 

mathematics and science education, teacher effectiveness and pedagogy, and education 

systems and policies. Since its authorization in 2002, IES has built a diverse NCER research 

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

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

programs and policies, and advancements in statistical and research methodology. NCER also 

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

finding solutions to problems in education.
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NCEE supports a wide range of activities in the areas of 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. A portion of funding used to 

support NCEE program evaluations comes from other programs (e.g., the Comprehensive 

Centers and Special Education Studies and Evaluation programs) and is not part of this 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 What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), the Education Resources 

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

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

Funding for the WWC, ERIC, and NLE is part of the RDD request.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

2016...........................................................................................195,000

2017...........................................................................................187,500

2018...........................................................................................192,695

2019...........................................................................................192,695

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $187.5 million for the RDD program in fiscal year 2020, a decrease 

of $5.2 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation and the same as the fiscal year 

2019 request. The RDD program identifies effective strategies for improving student learning in 

early childhood, K−12, postsecondary, and adult education, and it disseminates this information 

to policymakers and practitioners. RDD funds support key activities in IES, including those

administered by NCER and NCEE.

The request includes an estimated $36 million for new research grant awards aimed at building 

the base of evidence available for use in the field and by the Department. Key activities include 

the following:

National Center for Education Research (NCER) Research Grants

The request includes approximately $157 million for NCER grants designed to support research 

that will help improve the quality of education for all students from early childhood through 

postsecondary and adult education. NCER determines funding priorities for its research 

competitions by holding Technical Working Group meetings with education researchers and 

practitioners from around the country and soliciting public comments through the IES website. 

Staff members also discuss priorities with the NBES and with officials within the Department. 

Competitions for new fiscal year 2019 grants were announced in the Federal Register on May

21, 2018; awards will be made by July 1, 2019. For fiscal year 2020 awards, IES anticipates 

publishing the Requests for Applications (RFA) on its website in the spring of 2019.
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The NCER research grant program includes the following competitions:

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

accounts for the largest share of NCER grants

(https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/researchMethods.asp). For each competition, IES invites 

applications on specific, but wide-ranging, topic areas. Applicants may propose to conduct 

exploratory research projects, development and innovation projects, efficacy and replication 

projects, effectiveness studies, or measurement projects.

• National Research and Development (R&D) Centers: The R&D Centers program 

(https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/randdCenters.asp) supports research, development, 

evaluation, and national leadership activities aimed at improving the education system and, 

ultimately, student achievement. In particular, each R&D Center conducts a focused 

program of research in under-investigated topics that are of interest to education 

policymakers and practitioners.

• 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. 

The Statistical and Research Methodology in Education program supports the development 

of products that will help education researchers at all levels improve their study designs, 

perform complex data analyses, and rigorously interpret findings.

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

supports research that is carried out by research institutions and State or local educational

agencies working collaboratively on problems or issues that are a high priority for the 

education agencies (https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/collaborations.asp). The research is 

intended to improve education outcomes for all students, including students at risk of failure 

or students with or at risk for disabilities.

• Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluations of Education Interventions: This program supports 

rigorous evaluations of education interventions that State and local educational agencies

believe will produce meaningful improvements in student outcomes within a short period of 

time, such as within a single semester or academic year. The evaluations are low cost

because they focus on outcomes that can be easily measured using administrative records

or other sources of secondary data to provide information on student outcomes.

• Research Training: Through its pre- and post-doctoral training programs, NCER supports 

grants to institutions of higher education to develop training programs that help prepare

graduate students and research professionals to conduct rigorous research that helps

States and local school districts improve student outcomes and contributes to the 

advancement of theory and practice (https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/researchTraining.asp).

• Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Policy or Practice: This program 

focuses on high-priority education problems or issues and helps researchers working on 

these problems or issues to share ideas, build knowledge, and strengthen their research 

and dissemination capacity (https://ies.ed.gov/ncer/research/researchNetworks.asp).
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IES also makes a small number of unsolicited grant awards for projects that are not eligible for 

funding under current grant competitions or that address time-sensitive questions. Additional 

information is available at https://ies.ed.gov/funding/unsolicited.asp.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

The SBIR program (https://ies.ed.gov/sbir/) 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, while Phase II awards support further development or 

expansion of Phase I projects. 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

The 2020 request includes $16.9 million for NCEE dissemination activities designed to ensure 

that practitioners and policymakers have access to high-quality research information in usable 

forms. These activities provide tools to help practitioners and policymakers easily locate current 

information on the effectiveness of various strategies and interventions, thereby amplifying the 

impact of the Department’s investments in rigorous research and evaluation. Examples of such 

tools include the WWC thematic information campaigns publicized through email blasts and on 

Twitter, Facebook, and the WWC website.

The NCEE dissemination activities include the following: 

• Education Resources Information Center (ERIC): ERIC is an internet-based digital library of 

education research and information that provides access to bibliographic records of journal 

and non-journal literature from 1966 to the present. ERIC's mission is to provide a 

comprehensive, easy-to-use, searchable Internet-based bibliographic and full-text database 

of education research and information for educators, researchers, and the general public 

(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/eric.asp). Over half a million users search the ERIC website 

each week, with many more searching through ERIC data using vendor sites.

• What Works Clearinghouse (WWC): The WWC (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/) is a central 

and trusted source for scientific evidence on what works in education. The WWC reviews 

research to determine which studies meet rigorous, consistent, and transparent standards 

and produces single study reviews, intervention reports, and practice guides that present 

finding on what works in education. The WWC website provides reviews of over 10,000 

individual studies, as well as more than 580 intervention reports and 23 practice guides. The 

Find What Works tool (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/FWW) allows users to easily search for 

studies by topic area, such as math or science, to find studies where there is evidence of 

positive effects.
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• National Library of Education (NLE): Operating as a depository library under the Federal 

Depository Library Program (FDLP) of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), the 

NLE serves as the Federal government's primary education information resource to the 

public, education community, and other government agencies

(https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/projects/nle/). The NLE's current collection, in print and electronic 

formats, focuses on education and includes subject matter such as economics, law, 

psychology, and sociology, as they relate to education.

Dissemination activities funds also are used for logistical and technical support.

In addition, RDD funds support the costs for peer review of new grant proposals and the 

National Board of Education Sciences.

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

competitions, the Administration requests that RDD funding continue to be available for 2 years.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

NCER Grants

Education r esearch: Grant awards (new)1 $33,194 $47,705 $35,794

Education r esearch: Grant award (continuations) 131,973 115,361 120,931

Education r esearch: Total 165,167 163,066 156,725

Small Business Innovation Research Contracts1 7,980 9,400 9,400

Dissemination Activities

Disseminati on Acti vities: Educational Resources Information Center 3,981 4,000 4,000

Disseminati on Acti vities: What Works Clearinghouse 9,188 7,402 8,106

Disseminati on Acti vities: National Library of Education 1,841 2,159 2,159

Disseminati on Acti vities Logistical and technical support 1,813 2,173 2,615

Disseminati on Acti vities: Total 16,823 15,734 16,880

Peer review of new award applications 2,725 2,683 2,683

Other, to be determined 0 1,512 1,512

National Board for Education Sciences 0 300 300

Total 192,695 192,695 187,500

NOTES:

Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.

IES made 71 new grant awards and 271 continuation awards with fiscal year 2018 funds and anticipates making 

231 continuation awards with fiscal year 2019 funds. The number of 2019 and 2020 new awards and the number of 

2020 continuation awards will depend on the number of high quality proposals received in the 2019 and 2020 

competitions.

1 SBIR is supported by both Research in Special Education and the Research, Development, and Dissemination 

program; the total SBIR allocation in budget fiscal year 2018 was $8.4 million. SBIR funding in 2019 and 2020 will 

depend on the total amount of research funded by the Department in those years.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

2020 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.

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

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

Year Target Actual

2015 75% 75%

2016 78 82

2017 85 83

2018 87 82

2019 87

2020 89

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

projects (i.e., grants). 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 

peer-reviewed publication, such as research training grants, summer training grants, and nonresearch study projects are not included.) Thus, for 2018, the total number of projects (the 

denominator) is 874, which is the total number of research projects funded across all NCER 

programs from fiscal year 2002 to fiscal year 2014. The number of these projects with peerreviewed publications was 713. 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. 
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Measure: The minimum number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in 

improving student outcomes.

Year Target Actual

2015 82 84

2016 94 105

2017 104 110

2018 114 119

2019 130

2020 137

Additional information: IES-supported interventions include those developed or evaluated by 

IES. 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. 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 numbers of interventions 

since 2002 with evidence of meeting WWC standards and having positive effects on student 

outcomes as determined by the WWC reviewers.

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

2015 40 35

2016 40 38

2017 40 42

2018 40 41

2019 40

2020 40

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

research grants. In 2001, staff of the Department’s predecessor research organization 

monitored 1.3 research grants per staff member. As of 2018, the average staff monitoring load 

is 41 grants per program officer. 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.
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Statistics

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Title I, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01, 2

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$109,500 $112,500 +$3,000

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

FY 2020 through appropriations language. 2 The statute authorizes such sums as may be necessary for all of Title I, of which not less than the amount provided 

to the National Center for Education Statistics for 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 four Centers in the Institute of 

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

NCES is the chief Federal entity engaged in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to 

education in the U.S.

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; and

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

progress of education.

NCES is also authorized to establish a program to train employees of public and private 

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

and informs the development of policy priorities. 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 on a wide range of issues that are critical to understanding 

the U.S. education system, including such topics as preparation for higher education, college 

costs, student financial aid, school choice, homeschooling, 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 countries. NCES coordinates with other Federal agencies when 

carrying out surveys to maximize the value of the information collected and to minimize 

response burdens on stakeholders. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services contributes to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Kindergarten Class of 2010−11 

(ECLS-K:2011), the National Science Foundation participated in the High School Longitudinal 

Study (HSLS:2009), and NCES collaborates with the Bureau of Justice Statistics to administer

the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Most work is 

conducted through competitively awarded contracts.

ESRA also authorizes the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES) to advise the NCES 

Commissioner. NBES may establish a standing committee to advise NCES.

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

• 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.

• 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 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. These studies reflect the longstanding 

concern—dating back at least to the landmark 1983 report A Nation At Risk—over the role 

of education in maintaining the Nation’s global competitiveness and ensuring continued 

economic growth and prosperity.

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

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

• Cross-cutting Activities include initiatives to train the public on accessing and using NCES 

data; activities designed to enhance the usefulness of statistical data collections and 
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publications; and programs to review and improve the quality of NCES studies and to 

safeguard privacy and confidentiality.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

2016 .......................................................... ........................112,000

2017 .......................................................... ........................109,500

2018 .......................................................... ........................109,500

2019 .......................................................... ........................109,500

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $112.5 million for the Statistics program in fiscal year 2020, an 

increase of $3 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation and the same as the fiscal year 

2019 request. The additional $3 million would support the Privacy Technical Assistance Center 

(PTAC), which serves as a valuable resource on issues related to privacy, security, and 

confidentiality of student records to State and local educational agencies, the postsecondary 

community, and other parties engaged in building and using education data systems. PTAC 

previously was funded under Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, which is proposed for 

elimination elsewhere in this account.

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

information on education at all levels, including:

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 fiscal year 2020 request includes approximately 

$24 million for administrative data collections. 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 U.S., provides annual 

information on all school districts and public elementary and secondary schools (including 

public charter schools). Examples of such information include 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.

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

a comprehensive data collection system for postsecondary institutions, including all HEA 

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

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

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

financial aid, staff, graduation rates, outcome measures, and academic libraries.
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• 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.

• 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) and 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 Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE) program 

(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/edge/) uses data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau to 

create custom school district indicators of social and economic conditions for school-age 

children. Data generated by EDGE and many other NCES programs can be analyzed and 

viewed spatially using the MapEd tool (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/maped/).

Longitudinal Studies

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

fiscal year 2020 request includes nearly $38 million to support the following longitudinal studies:

• The Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS) (http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/) are a series of 

longitudinal studies that follow children from birth or from kindergarten entry to examine child 

development, school readiness, and early school experiences. The first study was the ECLS 

Kindergarten Class of 1998-99; the second was the ECLS Birth Cohort of 2001. The latest 

study in the series, the ECLS Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:11) concluded data 

collection in the spring of 2016 and has enabled researchers to study how a wide range of 

family, school, community, and individual factors are associated with school performance 

over time. The next study is scheduled to follow the kindergarten class of 2022-23.

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

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

factors associated with successful transition from elementary to secondary school. The 

study includes a nationally representative sample of 6th graders in the 2017-2018 school 

year and will focus on topics associated with students’ high school readiness, inclusion, and 

math and literacy learning in the middle grades.

• The High School Longitudinal Studies (HSLS) collect data on a cohort of students from 

9th grade through their postsecondary years. The first study began in 1972; the fifth study, 

the HSLS:09 (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hsls09/), collected data in the fall of 2009 from a 

sample of students in the 9th grade; follow-ups were conducted in 2012, 2013, and 2016.

Subsequent waves of data collection will follow the sample members through college and 

beyond, providing information on transitions from high school to postsecondary education or 

work. Planning for the 2020 high school cohort study is underway.
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• The National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) 

(http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/) is a comprehensive cross-sectional study of 

undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree students that examines how 

students and their families pay for postsecondary education. NPSAS serves as the baseyear sample for two longitudinal studies, the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) 

longitudinal study and the Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) longitudinal study. NPSAS is 

conducted every 2 years, with a student interview included every 4 years (e.g. NPSAS:20 

and NPSAS:24) and an administrative data collection, which uses only administrative data 

from the Department’s data systems and institutional student records, in the other years 

(e.g., NPSAS:22 and NPSAS:26).

• The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Survey (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/) 

surveys first-time, beginning postsecondary students at three points in time: at the end of 

their first year, and then 3 and 6 years after they start their postsecondary education. The 

survey provides data on a variety of topics, including student demographics, school and 

work experiences, persistence, transfer, and degree attainment. The current cohort began 

their postsecondary education in 2012; follow-up data collection occurred in 2014 and 2017.

The next cohort would follow students in NPSAS:20.

• The Baccalaureate and Beyond Survey (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 fist B&B cohort was drawn 

from the 1993 NPSAS sample; the latest B&B cohort was drawn from the 2016 NPSAS and 

will be followed for 10 years.

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. Funding for 

the International Studies program is estimated at $20 million in fiscal year 2020 and supports 

the following activities:

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

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

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

education indicator reporting system. The primary vehicle for reporting on these indicators is 

an annual OECD report entitled Education at a Glance (http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/).

• The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), organized by the 

International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement

(https://www.iea.nl/icils), is an international comparative study to evaluate students’ 

computer and information literacy (i.e., their ability to use computers to investigate, create, 

and communicate in order to participate effectively at home, at school, in the workplace, and 

in the community).
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• The International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) 

(http://www.oecd.org/edu/school/international-early-learning-and-child-well-being-study.htm), 

organized by the OECD, will collect international comparative data that will allow 

policymakers to better understand what outcomes are possible for children in early 

childhood education and will enable insights on the relative effectiveness, equity, and 

efficiency of early childhood education systems across the world.

• 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.

The next data collection in the U.S. is scheduled for 2021.

• 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. 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 have at home and school in learning to read.

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

(http://nces.ed.gov/TIMSS/), also sponsored by the IEA, is a study conducted every 4 years 

of 4th and 8th graders’ mathematics and science achievement in the U.S. and other 

participating nations. The TIMSS IDE allows users to create their own tables and charts 

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

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 

nearly $17 million in fiscal year 2020 for the following surveys and activities:

• The National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/) is the 

Department’s primary source of information on teacher and principal preparation, classes 

taught in public schools, and demographics of the teacher and principal labor force. Topics 

include professional development, working conditions, and teacher and principal evaluation, 

and the survey supports trend analyses in areas such as the average salary of a beginning 

principal, the average student-teacher ratio in the U.S., and teachers’ views of their 

autonomy in the classroom.

• The Private School Survey (PSS) (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 
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includes private schools in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, was last conducted in 

2017-2018.

• 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 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 school safety 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 two studies 

follow each other on a 2-year cycle.

• 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.

• The National Household Education Surveys (NHES) ( https://nces.ed.gov/nhes/) is a suite of 

data collections designed to provide descriptive data on a wide range of education-related 

issues, including early childhood care and education, children’s readiness for school, beforeand after-school activities of school-age children, adult participation in education and 

training for work, parent involvement in education, school choice, and homeschooling.

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

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

national level, drawing from a universe that is appropriate for each study. To ensure minimal 

burden on respondents, the surveys are generally limited to three pages of questions and 

sample sizes are relatively small.

Cross-cutting Activities

The Cross-cutting Activities would receive approximately $14 million in fiscal year 2020 to 

support the following:

• The Privacy Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) provides technical assistance to State and 

local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education related to the privacy, 

security, and confidentiality of student records. The PTAC was previously funded under 

SLDS; the $3 million increase for Statistics in fiscal year 2020 would allow continued funding 

for the PTAC.

• 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” (https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018019). NCES 

also produces short-format statistical briefs on emerging issues in education.
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• 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; coordinating revisions to the NCES Statistical Standards; 

funding the National Forum on Education Statistics (https://nces.ed.gov/forum/); and 

improving the ED Data Inventory (http://datainventory.ed.gov/).

In order to provide the flexibility IES needs to support program activities, the Administration

requests that funding continues to be available for 2 years.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

Administrative Data Collections and Support $23,631 $23,631 $23,631

Longitudinal Studies 43,946 37,833 37,833

International Studies 18,723 20,073 20,073

Cross-Sectional Studies 11,788 16,551 16,551

Cross-Cutting Activities 11,412 11,412 14,412

Total 109,500 109,500 112,500

NOTE: Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.

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 fiscal 

year 2020 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

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

the United States and to provide comparative international statistics.

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

improvement.

Measure: The extent to which customers would recommend NCES to others and would rely on 

NCES in the future as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Year Target Actual

2016 74% 72%

2018 74 73

2020 74

Additional information: NCES collects customer satisfaction information through the ACSI 

(http://www.theacsi.org/), which provides satisfaction scores based on samples of customers. 

The baseline for this measure, 74 percent, was established using 2008 data. 

Measure: The percent of data collections in which the response rate was below 85 percent.

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%

2015 10 37 6 16%

2016 10 22 3 14

2017 20 49 16 33

2018 12 29 6 21

2019

2020

Additional information: One way in which NCES attempts to ensure the quality of its work is 

by maintaining high survey response rates. High response rates help ensure that survey data 

are representative of the target populations. 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 

2018 either had an 85 percent response rate or higher or had nonresponse bias analyses 

conducted and weight adjustments made, as needed.

Efficiency Measures

NCES adopted an efficiency measure in 2016 that tracks survey data release timeliness by 

measuring if the reports for certain periodic data collections are released by a predetermined 

date. The efficiency measure addresses customers’ concerns about data timeliness and helps 

assess whether NCES completes work in a timely manner.
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Measure: The percentage of reports for certain periodic data collections meeting their annual or 

biennial release dates.

IPEDS Data Collection

Year Number of Reports Target Actual

2016 3 100% 33%

2017 3 100 100

2018 3 100 100

2019 3 100

2020 100

CCD Data Collection

Year Number of Reports Target Actual

2016 3 100% 0

2017 3 100 100%

2018 3 100 67

2019 3 100

2020 100

PSS Data Collection

Year Number of Reports Target Actual

2017 1 100% 0

2019 1 100

Condition of Education Data Collection

Year Number of Reports Target Actual

2016 1 100% 100%

2017 1 100 100

2018 1 100 100

2019 1 100

2020 100

Additional information: NCES’ goal is to release reports for certain periodic data collections to 

the public by a predetermined release date, ensuring that the public can expect NCES reports 

for annual or biennial data collections at an anticipated date during a reporting year. Specifically, 

the data collections that are tracked for this measure are IPEDS (annual), CCD (annual), PSS

(biennial), and the Condition of Education (annual). 
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Regional educational laboratories

(Education Sciences Reform Act, section 174)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$55,423 0 -$55,423

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Administered by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance within 

the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) 

program (https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/) supports a network of 10 laboratories that work in 

partnership with State educational agencies (SEAs), school districts, and other entities to use 

data and research to improve academic outcomes for students. Each of the RELs serves a 

specific region of the country, with the fundamental mission of providing support for a more 

evidence-based education system. A map displaying the regions served by each REL is 

displayed on the following page.

RELs are intended to support activities to enhance State and local use of research and 

evidence, including: conducting applied research and evaluations; developing and 

disseminating products and processes based on the best available research findings; and 

providing training, coaching, and technical support to SEAs, local educational agencies (LEAs), 

school boards, and State boards of education. Through these activities, the RELs build local 

and State capacity to use data and evidence; access high-quality research to inform decisions; 

identify opportunities to conduct original research; and track progress over time using highquality data and methods.

The RELs are part of a larger technical assistance and dissemination network that includes the 

Comprehensive Centers, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), Equity Assistance Centers, 

and Technical Assistance Centers supported under Part D of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act. This network is organized by the Department to provide accessible, 

comprehensive, and relevant support to SEAs, LEAs, and schools as these entities rise to the 

challenge of ensuring a high-quality education for all students.
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Allocation of resources among the RELs is based on several variables, including the number of 

LEAs, the number of school-age children, and the cost of providing services within the 

geographic area encompassed by the region. RELs are funded through 5-year contracts with 

research organizations and institutions of higher education.

The current REL contracts were awarded in fiscal year 2017 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. Although the research partners in the regions are the primary

stakeholders of each REL, the Department also requires that RELs develop materials for 

national distribution through the IES website. In addition to reports and studies, these materials

include tools (e.g., rubrics or data organizers) and technical assistance documents (e.g., 

PowerPoint presentations, workshop activities, and facilitators’ guides) that can be used by 

others who are not directly involved in the RELs’ work.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year ear (dollars in thousands)

2015 ................................................................................... $54,423

2016 ..................................................................................... 54,423

2017 ..................................................................................... 54,423

2018 ..................................................................................... 55,423

2019 ..................................................................................... 55,423

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration is not requesting funds for the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) 

program in fiscal year 2020. The RELs support dissemination and technical assistance activities 

that are duplicative of existing investments in areas of training, technical assistance, and 

professional development to build State capacity to provide high-quality education. The 

assistance provided by the RELs can be paid for directly by States and school districts through 

State and local set-asides provided under programs such as Title I Grants to LEAs, including 

Title I funds reserved for school improvement. For example, States may reserve more than 

$200 million in regular and school improvement funds under Title I that may be used to obtain 

needed technical assistance, and LEAs are not limited in the amount of Title I funds that may be 

used for reasonable and necessary technical assistance services related to the effective 

implementation of Title I program requirements.

In addition, LEAs may use Title I and other ESEA formula grant funds for a wide variety of 

locally determined activities to enhance teachers’ and school leaders’ ability to improve student 

learning. This approach is more consistent with the spirit of local control emphasized in the 

latest reauthorization of the ESEA (the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA) than seeking 

regionally determined services from a provider assigned by the Department.

In addition, past surveys and evaluations suggest that the technical assistance currently 

provided through the RELs may be underutilized or not relevant to State and district needs. In 

the most recent REL independent evaluation (released April 2015), only 29 percent of State 

administrators and 26 percent of district administrators reported that their research and 

technical assistance needs were met “very well” (as opposed to “moderately well” or “not well”). 

The evaluation also indicated that less than half of State administrators and only 18 percent of 

district administrators relied on the REL program “to a great extent” or “to a moderate extent” for 

education research and/or technical assistance, as opposed to a “small extent” or not at all. In 

contrast, 87 percent of State administrators relied on professional associations, and 82 percent 

of district administrators relied on their counterparts in other districts “to a great extent” or “to a 

moderate extent.”

Data from an April 2016 report from the IES-funded National Center for Research in Policy and 

Practice (NCRPP) align with these findings. In a nationally representative survey of principals 

and district leaders in the Nation’s mid-sized and large school districts, NCRPP found that 

leaders were more likely to access research through their professional associations, staff in 

other school districts, SEAs, and social media than through the RELs. Specifically, 60 percent of 

leaders reported that they “never” or “rarely” accessed research through the RELs (compared to 
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12 percent who reported that they “often” or “all the time” accessed research through the RELs). 

Findings from the report suggest that State and local leaders prefer to choose their own 

technical assistance providers.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

Regional educational laboratory contracts $55,423 $53,423 0

Independent review of REL plans and products 0 2,000 0

Total 55,423 55,423 0

NOTE: Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

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 as well as the resources and 

efforts invested by those served by the program. No targets are included for 2020 because the 

Administration is not requesting funding for the program.

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 

continue to reflect those standards. In 2014, the Department established two performance 

measures for the RELs. IES is examining whether these measures are appropriate for the new 

RELs (the 2017 cohort) as performance surveys are developed.

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.1

 1 The 2012−2017 REL program required the use of researcher-practitioner partnerships known as research alliances. 

Research alliances were defined in the Performance Work Statement as groups of practitioners, policymakers, and 

researchers who worked together over time to use data and research to better understand and address a particular 

education concern.
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Measure: Annual rating of impact of REL research alliance participation on agency use of data 

and research.

Year Target Actual

2015 3.2 3.0

2016 3.2 3.2

2017 3.2

2018 3.2

2019 3.2

Additional information: The 2012-2017 RELs were 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 averages the RA members’ responses to four survey questions to create a single 

score. These items are:

• Participation in this research alliance has:

o increased my ability to use my agency’s or organization’s available data.

o increased my ability to conduct high-quality research and evaluation.

o provided information that informed my agency’s selection of programs and/or strategies 

related to this topic area.

o 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 2015

were collected from January through December of 2014. During the course of the REL 

contracts, as research alliances matured and more research and technical assistance was 

conducted, the score on these items increased. The baseline for this measure was set in 2014 

and was 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

2015 3.5 3.4

2016 3.5 3.5

2017 3.5

2018 3.5

2019 3.5

Additional information: The 2012-2017 RELs were also contractually required to survey 

participants in each dissemination activity and report the data to IES. This measure averages 
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participant responses to five survey items to create a single score for quality and relevance of 

dissemination activities; these items are:

• 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 was a rating of 3.4 on a scale where 1 equates to “Strongly Disagree” and 4 equates to 

“Strongly Agree.” 

Other Performance Information

The Department began an independent evaluation of the REL program in 2009. The evaluation 

included each REL funded between fiscal years 2006 and 2011 and the REL program as a 

whole. Due to changes in the REL contracts, findings are not necessarily applicable to the 

current contractors.

The final report was issued in April 2015 and addressed the relevance and usefulness of impact 

study reports and technical assistance products. At the time of the study, seven RELs had 

completed eight impact studies. In order to include all RELs in the study, reviewers also 

collected one initial proposal for each of the three RELs that did not have a completed study but 

that did have one close to completion. All of the studies reviewed used randomized controlled 

trials. The expert panel members rated the reports for the eight completed impact studies as, on 

average, between “strong” and “very strong” in quality (4.1 on a 5 point scale). They rated the 

11 impact study proposals as, on average, between “adequate” in relevance and “relevant” 

(3.61 on a 5 point scale).

SEA administrators identified teacher and staff evaluation as the area in which they had the 

most need for education research or technical assistance (53 percent); for district 

administrators, the area of greatest need was content standards, curriculum, or instruction in 

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (37 percent). Only 29 percent of the State 

administrators and 26 percent of district administrators thought their needs were met “very well” 

and both groups were more likely to look to other sources than the RELs for assistance. State 

administrators tended to obtain information from professional associations (87 percent, 

compared to 49 percent for the RELs); district administrators tended to look to colleagues in 

other districts or the State agency (82 percent versus 18 percent for the RELs).
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Assessment

(National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

National Assessment of Educational Progress $151,000 $149,000 -$2,000

National Assessment Governing Board 7,745 7,745 0

Total 158,745 156,745 -2,000

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

FY 2020 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report 

Card,” is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s 

students know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP is designed to measure and provide 

objective information on the status of and trends in student learning over time in a wide range of 

subject areas. By making this 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, U.S. history, geography, civics, 

economics, foreign languages, and arts; 12th grade State reading and mathematics 

assessments; and long-term trend assessments of academic achievement at ages 9, 13, and 

17 in reading and mathematics. Whenever feasible, information must be collected and reported 

by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and limited-English proficiency. The
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NAEP schedule is publicly available at https://www.nagb.org/about-naep/assessmentschedule.html.

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 

(IES) serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Board. Using a national consensus 

approach, NAGB develops appropriate assessment objectives and achievement levels for each 

grade in each subject area to be assessed.

The Assessment budget supports the following major program components:

• National NAEP: The main NAEP assessments report results for the Nation and are 

designed to follow the curriculum frameworks developed by NAGB. They periodically 

measure student achievement in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, 

geography, and other subjects.

• 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 27 districts participating in 

2017.

• 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 

online (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/). In addition, a data tool 

(http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/) allows users to create their own data tables 

with national and State data.
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The NAEP legislation requires biennial State assessments in reading and mathematics in 

grades 4 and 8, and reporting of NAEP results, where feasible, by disability status and 

limited-English proficiency, as well as by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. The 

Federal Government is specifically prohibited from using NAEP to influence standards, 

assessments, curriculum, or instructional practices at the State and local levels, or from using 

NAEP to evaluate individual students or teachers or provide rewards or sanctions for individual 

students, teachers, schools, or school districts. In addition, the use of NAEP data for student 

promotion or graduation purposes is prohibited, and NAEP should not affect home schools. 

Maintenance of a system of records containing personally identifiable information on students is 

also barred, and assessments must not evaluate or assess personal or family beliefs and 

attitudes.

Test integrity is further ensured by the Commissioner for Education Statistics’ ability 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 NAEP statute requires that the public be notified 

about such access; requires that access be provided within 45 days in a mutually convenient 

setting; establishes procedures for receiving, reviewing, and reporting complaints; and provides 

criminal penalties for unauthorized release of assessment instruments.

Finally, the NAEP law mandates that participation be 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:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2015.......................................................... .......................$137,235

2016.......................................................... .........................157,235

2017.......................................................... .........................156,745

2018.......................................................... .........................156,745

2019.......................................................... .........................158,745

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $156.7 million for the Assessment program in fiscal year 2020, a 

decrease of $2.0 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation and the same as the fiscal year 

2019 request. The request includes $149.0 million for the National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP) and $7.7 million for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). 

NAEP is the largest continuing and nationally representative source of data on what the Nation’s 

students know and can do in various subject areas and plays a critical role in helping to 
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benchmark national education progress because it is the only assessment of student 

achievement that provides comparable data across States and school districts.

National Assessment of Educational Progress

Per authorizing statute, the Commissioner of 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 in reading and mathematics at 

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 in additional subjects 

(e.g., U.S. history, civics, and science) and conduct long-term trend assessments of academic 

achievement at ages 9, 13, and 17. The schedule of assessments on the NAGB website

(https://www.nagb.org/about-naep/assessment-schedule.html) as of January 2, 2019, includes:

Year Subject

National

Grades 

Assessed

State

Grades 

Assessed

Urban District

Grades 

Assessed

2019 Reading 4, 8, 12 4, 8 4, 8

2019 Mathematics 4, 8, 12 4, 8 4, 8

2019 Science 4, 8, 12

2019 High School Transcript Study

2021 Reading 4, 8 4, 8 4, 8

2021 Mathematics 4, 8 4, 8 4, 8

2021 Writing 4, 8, 12 8

2022 U.S. History 8, 12

2022 Civics 8, 12

2022 Geography 8, 12

2022 Economics 12

2022 Technology and Engineering Literacy 8, 12

2023 Reading 4, 8, 12 4, 8 4, 8

2023 Mathematics 4, 8, 12 4, 8 4, 8

2023 Science 4, 8, 12 4, 8 4, 8

2023 High School Transcript Study

2024 Arts 8

2024 Foreign Language 12

In addition, the 2019 appropriations act directed NAGB to provide information to the Committees 

on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the resources required to 

administer a long-term trend assessment by 2021, and NAGB provided information on a 

strategy for conducting the assessment in 2020 in a November 26, 2018 letter.

The costs for any given assessment are spread out over 4 years and vary depending on a 

variety of factors, such as scope, subject, grade levels, and whether the assessment is 

conducted alone or in combination with another assessment. Based on current plans, the fiscal 

year 2020 request for NAEP would be used primarily for the following activities:
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• Analysis and reporting of the 2019 assessments and high school transcript study;

• Preparation for the 2021 and 2022 national, State, and urban district assessments;

• Conducting the 2021 national, State, and urban district assessments; and

• Continuing the transition to digitally-based assessments (DBAs).

Since 2017, all operational assessments have been administered to students through digitalbased assessments (DBAs), which allows inclusion of 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 DBAs support technology costs, as well as bridge 

studies to compare results using paper-and-pencil assessments to results using DBAs. The 

2020 LTT assessment would be conducted as a paper-based assessment.

National Assessment Governing Board

The $7.7 million request for NAGB, an independent, bipartisan organization that formulates 

policy guidelines for NAEP, would be used for the salaries, expenses, and operations of NAGB 

staff, which supports the development of achievement levels and frameworks required for the 

administration and scoring of assessments, outreach for initial public release efforts, and the 

dissemination of assessment results.

NAEP State-level assessments are held every other year, meaning that costs are considerably 

higher in some years and lower in others. Due to this cycle, the Administration requests that 

these funds remain available for 2 years, as they have been in recent years, in order to provide 

flexibility to administer these assessments and spread out costs over time.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

NAEP $149,000 $151,000 $149,000

NAGB $7,745 $7,745 $7,745

Total $156,745 $158,745 $156,745

Number of full-time equivalent permanent 

personnel associated with NAGB 13 14 14

NOTE: Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

year 2020 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

this program.

Measure: The number of website page views: NAEP page views, excluding views of the NAEP 

Data Explorer (NDE).

Year Target Actual

2016 1,028,662

2017 1,057,546

2018 1,050,000 775,988

2019 1,050,000

2020 750,000

Additional information: The NAEP page view measure provides an indication of the number of 

sessions during which a page in the entire NAEP website (at nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/,

excluding visits to NDE) was viewed at least once. It includes information from all of the Report 

Cards, special reports, and data dashboards. NCES is committed to making data more 

accessible to an increasing audience and these data provide a quantitative measure for the 

program to use when considering enhancements for future reporting cycles. The number of 

views may have decreased in 2018 due to the fact that the NDE and other results-oriented tools 

were moved to the nationsreportcard.gov web site. NCES proposed reducing the target for 2020 

to reflect the decrease.

Measure: The number of website page views: Nation’s Report Card page views (all Nation’s 

Report Card web site data)

Year Target Actual

2016 470,859

2017 440,904

2018 470,000 653,545

2019 550,000

2020 600,000

Additional information: The Nation’s Report Card measure provides an indication of the 

number of sessions during which a page in the entire Nation’s Report Card site was viewed at 

least once, which includes information from all the of the Report Cards, special reports, and 

data dashboards. The Nation’s Report Card Website saw an increase in traffic in 2018 due to 
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the 2017 reading and mathematics release and also because it became the location for the 

State Profiles, District Profiles, and the NAEP Data Explorer (as opposed to the NCES website).

Measure: The number of website page views: NDE page views (to 

/nationsreportcard/naepdata/)

Year Target Actual

2018 87,009

2019 82,750

2020 83,000

Additional information: The NDE measure provides an indication of the number of sessions 

during which a page in the Data Explorer was viewed at least once. A new version of the Data 

Explorer was implemented in February 2018 and the comparability of page views between the 

old data explorer and the new data explorer may not be appropriate due to the architecture 

differences between the two applications. For that reason, data prior to 2018 are not included, 

and the target for 2019 is based on the 2018 actual, and differs from the target reported in past 

years.

Efficiency Measures

NCES measures efficiency by reporting on the time to release of NAEP reports. These 

measures examine the actual time from the end of data collection to release to NAGB and are 

an indication of how efficiently the Department analyzes and reports 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-toyear, since different percentages of assessments may have new frameworks each year.

Measure: The percentage of NAEP reports on state-level 4th grade and 8th grade (and 12th 

grade if implemented) reading and mathematics assessments ready for release by the National 

Assessment Governing Board within 6 months of the end of data collection.

Year Target Actual

2015 100% 100%

2017 NA NA

2019 100

Additional information: In 2017, due to the transition from a paper-based assessment to a 

digitally-based assessment, the state results were released more than 12 months after the end 

of data collection. The assessments are conducted every other year so data are reported for 

odd numbered years only.

Measure: The percentage of NAEP initial releases (excluding the National and State reading 

and mathematics assessments reported as separate measures) that are ready for release by 
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the National Assessment Governing board within 12 months of the end of data collection, 

except for years that have new subject frameworks or changes to assessment conditions.

NCES has committed to releasing results of other assessments to NAGB within 12 months, 

except in years with new frameworks or new administration conditions. In 2007, 80 percent of 

other initial releases that did not have new frameworks were released within the 12-month time 

frame, and since then NCES has reported that all such assessments have met that time 

schedule.

Other Performance Information

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine completed an evaluation of 

the NAEP achievement levels (Basic, Proficient, and Advanced) in 2016 

(https://www.nap.edu/read/23409/chapter/1#ix), concluding that the achievement levels are a 

meaningful and important part of NAEP reporting. The evaluation report provided 

recommendations to ensure that the achievement levels represent the knowledge and skills of 

students at each level. Recommendations included:

• Evaluate the alignment of achievement levels for grade 4 and grade 8 mathematics 

assessments and revise them as needed.

• Regularly review the achievement-level descriptors to ensure they reflect both the 

frameworks and the incorporation of those frameworks in NAEP assessments.

• Research the relationships between the NAEP achievement levels and concurrent or future 

performance on measures external to NAEP, such as being on track for a college-ready 

high school diploma for 8th grade students and readiness for middle school for 4th grade 

students.

NAGB has awarded a contract to address some of these recommendations, particularly the 

alignment of achievement level descriptors with the scale. Also in response to the 

recommendations, NCES has raised the prominence of the cautionary language in the NAEP 

Report Cards regarding the developmental status of the achievement levels.
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Research in special education

(Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, Part E)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$56,000 $54,000 -$2,000

1

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

in FY 2020 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Research in Special Education (RiSE) program, which is administered by the Institute of 

Education Science’s (IES) National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), supports

rigorous research that aims to improve a range of education outcomes for students with or at

risk for disabilities, including: 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 NCSER grants

have led to advances in knowledge and practice that have improved education outcomes for 

students with disabilities. Examples of projects supported with RiSE funding include:

• BEST in CLASS, an intervention that combines evidence-based behavioral strategies with a 

coaching model designed to optimize implementation by preschool teachers. For children, 

BEST in CLASS resulted in fewer problem behaviors, better social skills, and improved 

classroom engagement. Researchers are extending this line of work by developing a webbased version of the intervention, with the goal of increasing the accessibility, flexibility, 

usability, and scalability of the intervention for early childhood teachers working with young 

children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders.

• An evaluation of a kindergarten mathematics curriculum, ROOTS, which is designed to 

promote number sense and whole number concepts. Findings showed that students who 

received the ROOTS intervention demonstrated significant improvements in math outcomes 

compared to students who received typical services. ROOTS worked equally well with

students with a wide range of mathematics skill and English proficiency levels.

• An examination of school accountability models, which examined eight different models and 

found that school performance can look very different depending on the accountability 

model used. For example, models that do not consider multiple years of student 

performance can penalize schools with higher percentages of students who are 

economically disadvantaged, are ethnic minorities, or have disabilities.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2015............................................................ ........................ $54,000

2016............................................................ .......................... 54,000 

2017............................................................ .......................... 54,000 

2018............................................................ .......................... 56,000

2019............................................................ .......................... 56,000

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $54.0 million for the Research in Special Education (RiSE) 

program in fiscal year 2020, a decrease of $2.0 million from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation

and the same as the fiscal year 2019 request. RiSE funding supports a comprehensive program 

of special education research designed to expand the knowledge and understanding of the 

developmental and educational needs of infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. 

Continued investment in NCSER’s long-term programs of research is essential to build the 

research base for evidence-based practices and policies that will result in improved 

developmental outcomes and school readiness, academic achievement, and transition from 

high school to postsecondary education, employment, and independent living for students with 

disabilities.

At the fiscal year 2020 request level, IES would support approximately $7.3 million in new grant 

awards and $45.0 million in continuation costs. An additional $1.7 million would support peer 

review, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), logistical support, and other activities. The 

Department budgets for peer review costs each year; any funds not used for peer review are

used for grant awards.

NCSER research activities include the following programs:

• Special Education Research Grants: This program, which accounts for the largest share of 

NCSER grants, makes competitive research grants 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. Grants may last up to 5 years, with 

annual awards of approximately $100,000 to $750,000 per year. Additional information is 

available at https://ies.ed.gov/funding/ncser_progs.asp.

• Research Training Programs in Special Education Competition: These programs prepare

individuals to conduct rigorous and relevant special education and early intervention 

research that advances knowledge within the field and addresses issues that are critical to 

education policymakers and practitioners. For example, the Postdoctoral Training and Early 

Career competition seeks to build the next generation of researchers. Awards can last up to 

5 years and are funded at about $50,000 to $125,000 per year.

• Low-Cost, Short Duration Evaluation of Special Education Interventions: This program 

supports rigorous evaluations of education interventions that State educational agencies 
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(SEAs) or local educational agencies (LEAs) believe will produce meaningful improvements 

in student outcomes within a short period of time; for example, within a single semester or 

academic year. The evaluations are low cost—up to $250,000 over 2 years—and focus on 

outcomes that can be easily measured using administrative records. Grants are carried out 

by partnerships between research institutions and SEAs or LEAs.

• Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Policy and Practice in Special 

Education: Research Network awards focus on high-priority issues in special education and 

assist researchers who are working on these issues in sharing ideas, building new 

knowledge, and strengthening their research and dissemination capacity. Awards range 

from $300,000 to $1,000,000 per year for up to 5 years.

• Special Education Research and Development (R&D) Centers: Unlike special education 

research grants that support a single research study, R&D centers 

(http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/RandD/) support a focused program of research that may include 

several researchers working on separate studies that are designed to improve our 

understanding of a particular topic.

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

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

previous years.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

NCSER Research Grants

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Grant awards (new) $22,688 $23,831 $7,310

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Grant awards (continuations) 31,869 30,893 44,990

Special Education R esearch Gr ants: Subtotal 54,557 54,724 52,300

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)1 400 0 400

Logistical support and Other 35 331 355

Peer review of new award applications 1,008 945 945

Total 56,000 56,000 54,000

NOTES:

Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.

IES supported 41 new grant awards and 87 continuation awards with fiscal year 2018 funds and anticipates 

making 89 continuation awards with fiscal year 2019 funds. The number of 2019 and 2020 new awards will depend 

on the number of high quality proposals received in the 2019 and 2020 competitions.

1 SBIR is supported by both RiSE and the Research, Development, and Dissemination (RDD) program; the total SBIR 

allocation across both programs was $8.4 million in fiscal year 2018, of which $0.4 million was from RiSE. RiSE funds 

will be used for SBIR awards in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 if high-scoring SBIR applications are related to special 

education; if there are no such applications, the RiSE funding shown for SBIR in 2019 and 2020 will be used for new 

research grant awards.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

2020 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by the 

program. The Department established new measures for NCSER in fiscal year 2014.

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.

Year Target Actual

2015 80% 81%

2016 83 86

2017 88 91

2018 90 90

2019 91

2020 91

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

projects. NCSER has been funding research projects since 2006. Given the lag from time of 

award to completion of a study and the publication of results, the denominator for each reporting 

year is the cumulative number of grants that have been funded through the end of the fiscal 

year 3 years prior to the reporting year. The percentage for fiscal year 2018 reflects all projects 

funded from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2015 (the total of which is 298).

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

education outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2015 35 39

2016 43 43

2017 47 48

2018 51 54

2019 53

2020 55

Additional information: Since 2006, NCSER has supported efficacy evaluations of fully 

developed interventions to determine whether they produce a beneficial impact on student 
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education outcomes. This measure reflects the cumulative number of interventions NCSER has 

funded that have demonstrated efficacy in improving student outcomes. 

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.

Year Target Actual

2015 36 38

2016 43 45

2017 51 51

2018 60 60

2019 64

2020 66

Additional information: NCSER also examines whether new interventions have promise to 

produce beneficial impacts on student education outcomes. This measure reflects the 

cumulative number of interventions NCSER has funded through Development and Innovation 

projects that show promise for improving student outcomes, which is defined as showing a 

statistically significant or substantively important positive association (0.25 standard deviation or 

larger) for at least one student outcome.

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

since 2006 with evidence of promise meeting EDGAR standards as determined by NCSER 

based on grantee final performance reports and peer-reviewed publications, if available. 

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

2015 30 38

2016 37 37

2017 33 35

2018 30 47

2019 37

2020 40

Additional information: 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. The targets 

have been adjusted each year to account for the number of competitions and awards.
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Statewide longitudinal data systems

(Educational Technical Assistance Act, Section 208)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$32,281 0 -$32,281

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2009.

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, 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. Administered by the National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), SLDS grants are awarded 

competitively, based on the technical quality of the proposals.

IES has conducted six competitions to date. The first round of grants was awarded in November 

2005 and the last round in 2015. The focus of the competitions has changed over time: early 

competitions focused on the infrastructure required for SEAs to develop their SLDS and to link 

K-12 data to early childhood, postsecondary, and workforce data, while the most recent 

competition focused on States using their SLDS data to address high-priority policy issues.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2015.......................................................... .......................... $34,539

2016.......................................................... ............................ 34,539

2017.......................................................... ............................ 32,281

2018.......................................................... ............................ 32,281

2019.......................................................... ............................ 32,281
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FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration is not requesting funding for the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems 

(SLDS) program in fiscal year 2020, a savings of $32.3 million from the fiscal year 2019 level.

The Department’s investment in the SLDS program has helped build State capacity to answer 

key questions about education, such as whether students are ready for kindergarten, whether 

students are adequately prepared for college, and whether students can earn a living after 

completing their degrees. To date, 47 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin 

Islands, and American Samoa have received awards to develop and implement longitudinal 

data systems. The only three States that have not received an SLDS award over five

competition cycles are Alabama, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Consequently, the Administration

believes that this program has fulfilled its original purpose of enabling States to design, develop, 

and implement longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately collect, manage, and 

analyze individual student data. If further development of such systems is a priority for States, 

they many use funds reserved for State-level activities under ESEA Title I Grants to LEAs or 

other ESEA formula grant programs to help maintain, enhance, or expand their longitudinal data 

systems.

The 16 most recent SLDS grants, which were awarded in 2015 and focused on improving the 

capacity of States to use their data to inform decision-making, received their last year of funding 

from the fiscal year 2018 appropriation. In 2019, the Department will hold a competition for new

awards using funds from the fiscal year 2019 appropriation.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

Statewide longitudinal data systems grant awards

New Statewi de longitudinal data systems grant awar ds Statewide l ongitudi nal data system awar ds 0 $26,132 0

Continuations of Statewide l ongitudi nal data systems grant awards $26,281 0 0

Subtotal for Statewi de longitudinal data systems grant awar ds 26,281 26,132 0

Awards to improve data coordination, quality, and use 6,000 6,000 0

Peer review of new award applications 0 149 0

Total for Statewide l ongitudi nal data systems 32,281 32,281 0

NOTE: Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years as well as the resources and 

efforts invested by those served by the program. No targets are included for 2020 because the 

Administration is not requesting funding for the program.

The Department established three performance measures that 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.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 with early childhood data.

Year Target Actual

2015 27 32

2016 29 35

2017 31 35

2018 33

2019 37

Additional information: 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 include 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.

Measure: Number of States linking K-12 with postsecondary data.

Year Target Actual

2015 34 39

2016 36 44

2017 37 45

2018 45

2019 46

Additional information: States are determined to have met this measure if they have the ability 

to link State K-12 student data to State data from public 2- and 4-year institutions of higher 

education. 
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Measure: Number of States linking K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data.

Year Target Actual

2015 22 24

2016 25 28

2017 27 28

2018 29

2019 31

Additional information: 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.
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Special education studies and evaluations

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 664)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2020 Authorization: 01

Budget Authority:

2019 2020 Change

$10,818 $10,818 0

1

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

in FY 2020 through appropriations language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Special Education Studies and Evaluations 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 an annual report to Congress summarizing the 

studies and evaluations conducted under this authority; the research conducted under part E of 

the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (which authorizes research on special education); 

and the data on children with disabilities required by section 618 of the IDEA.

The IDEA requires the Secretary to delegate responsibility for most studies and evaluations in 

special education to the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2015....................................................................................$10,818

2016......................................................................................10,818

2017......................................................................................10,818

2018......................................................................................10,818

2019......................................................................................10,818

FY 2020 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration requests $10.8 million to support studies, evaluations, and assessments 

related to the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in fiscal 

year 2020, the same as the fiscal year 2019 appropriation. The Institute of Education Sciences 

(IES) supports a range of evaluations that are designed to provide information about which 

programs and practices are effective for improving outcomes for children and youth with 

disabilities and thereby provide concrete guidance to educators and parents. Within IES, the 

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) has primary 

responsibility for managing the studies and evaluations under Section 664 of IDEA, although the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has primary responsibility for carrying out 

longitudinal studies with special education components, such as the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study. NCEE consults with staff from the other IES research centers, including the 

National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), the Office of Special Education 

Programs, and other policymakers in the Department to identify needs for new studies and the 

research questions that those studies would address. In some cases, NCEE has funded 

separate design contracts to identify options for new studies in particular areas.

At the Administration’s request level, the following activities would receive fiscal year

2020 funding:

• Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading (MTSS-R) in 

Early Elementary School: This 6-year study, which began in 2018, will examine the impact of 

training school staff in the implementation of MTSS-R in grades 1 and 2 on school staff 

practice and student literacy outcomes. Although policy and implementation support for 

MTSS-R is prevalent, fidelity of implementation remains a common challenge, and the study 

will measure the effectiveness of training in the implementation of a comprehensive MTSS-R 

model. The first study report is expected in 2024.

• National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012): NLTS 2012, which is part of the 

congressionally mandated National Assessment of the IDEA, is the third longitudinal study 

in a series examining the characteristics, experiences, and post-high school outcomes 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, for the first time, direct comparisons of students with and without 

individualized education programs (IEPs). The study is scheduled to end in 

September 2022. Initial findings are that high school youth with an IEP are more 

socioeconomically disadvantaged and less likely to have experiences and expectations 
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associated with success after high school, and that youth with intellectual disability, autism, 

deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities, and orthopedic impairments were found to be most at

risk for not transitioning successfully beyond high school.

• Study of State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2019: In 2017, the Department awarded a

contract to update a 2009 study on state and district implementation of IDEA through data 

collected in 2019 from SEAs and a nationally representative sample of LEAs. The study also 

will describe policies and supports provided at the school level. The first report from the 

study is expected in 2021.

• Impact Evaluation of Training in Transition Supports for Students with Disabilities: Funds will 

be used to design options for an impact study that will focus on the effectiveness of a 

promising strategy to support the transition of students with disabilities beyond high school, 

which is a national priority emphasized by the IDEA.

In addition to the studies above, IES is supporting two additional on-going evaluations that are 

slated to receive fiscal year 2019 funds; depending on the timing of awards, it is possible that 

these studies could receive fiscal year 2020 funds:

• 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. Limited information is available on these

special education services and the supports that young children are receiving, including the 

preschool practices and interventions being used in programs across States. A report 

expected in 2019 will provide descriptive information on preschool programs and practices 

supporting children age 3 through 5 with disabilities. An efficacy study will assess the 

feasibility of a large-scale impact study of an intervention program integrating targeted 

instructional supports for children with disabilities with an evidence-based curriculum in 

inclusive preschool classrooms. The study is expected to end in November 2021.

• Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies (ECLS): Administered by NCES, ECLS 

(http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/) are a series of longitudinal studies that examine child 

development, school readiness, and early school experiences, including special education 

experiences. Funds from the Special Education Studies and Evaluation program enable 

NCES to collect disability-related data as part of the planning and administration of ECLS.

• What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Reports: The WWC reviews existing research on 

different programs, products, practices, and policies in education to provide educators with 

the information they need to make evidence-based decisions. Data on website use shows 

that there is a demand for WWC products focused on students with disabilities. For 

example, the most popular WWC practice guide in terms of page views between October 

2016 and June 2018 was the guide “Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: 

Response to Intervention for Elementary and Middle Schools.”
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2018 2019 2020

Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of 

Support for Reading in Early Elementary School $7,708 $3,958 $4,467

What Works Clearinghouse Special Education Reports 1,954 1,000 0

Evaluation of Preschool Special Education Practices 783 3,014 0

Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 350 0 0

National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012, Phase 2 23 1,801 1,142

Study of State and Local Implementation of IDEA 2019 0 0 2,706

Impact Evaluation of Training in Transition Supports 0 1,045 2,503

 Total 10,818 10,818 10,818

NOTE: Funds from any single fiscal year’s appropriation may be used for 2 years. The table provides estimates of the 

amounts from each year’s appropriation that will be used for each area, not the amount obligated in each of those 

years.