Department of Education

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ........................................................................................................... 1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes.......................................................................... 5

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers ...............................................................................11

Summary of Changes ...............................................................................................................12

Authorizing Legislation..............................................................................................................13

Appropriations History...............................................................................................................14

Significant Items in FY 2024 Appropriations Reports.................................................................16

Summary of Request ................................................................................................................17

Activities:

State grants: Grants to States .............................................................................................18

State grants: Preschool grants ............................................................................................35

State grants: Grants for infants and families........................................................................45

National activities: State personnel development ................................................................58

National activities: Technical assistance and dissemination ................................................64

National activities: Personnel preparation............................................................................72

National activities: Parent information centers.....................................................................81

National activities: Educational technology, media, and materials .......................................89

Special Olympics education programs ................................................................................96

Account Summary Table.........................................................................................................100

State Tables*

*State tables reflecting actual fiscal year 2023 allocations and fiscal years 2024 and 2025 

estimates are posted on the Department’s webpage at: 

https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html
SPECIAL EDUCATION

1 

Appropriations Language

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

Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, $15,673,264,000, of which $6,080,321,000 

shall become available on July 1, 2025, and shall remain available through 

September 30, 2026, and of which $9,283,383,000 shall become available on October 1, 2025, 

and shall remain available through September 30, 2026, for academic year 2025–2026:1

Provided, That the amount for section 611(b)(2) of the IDEA shall be equal to the lesser of the 

amount available for that activity during fiscal year 2024, increased by the amount of inflation as 

specified in section 619(d)(2)(B) of the IDEA, or the percent change in the funds appropriated 

under section 611(i) of the IDEA, but not less than the amount for that activity during fiscal 

year 2024:2 Provided further, That the Secretary shall, without regard to section 611(d) of the 

IDEA, distribute to all other States (as that term is defined in section 611(g)(2)), subject to the 

third proviso, any amount by which a State's allocation under section 611, from funds 

appropriated under this heading, is reduced under section 612(a)(18)(B), according to the 

following: 85 percent on the basis of the States' relative populations of children aged 3 

through 21 who are of the same age as children with disabilities for whom the State ensures the 

availability of a free appropriate public education under this part, and 15 percent to States on 

the basis of the States' relative populations of those children who are living in poverty:3 Provided 

further, That the Secretary may not distribute any funds under the previous proviso to any State 

whose reduction in allocation from funds appropriated under this heading made funds available 

for such a distribution:4 Provided further, That the States shall allocate such funds distributed 

under the second proviso to local educational agencies in accordance with section 611(f):5

Provided further, That the amount by which a State's allocation under section 611(d) of the 

IDEA is reduced under section 612(a)(18)(B) and the amounts distributed to States under the 

previous provisos in fiscal year 2012 or any subsequent year shall not be considered in 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Appropriations Language—continued 

2 

calculating the awards under section 611(d) for fiscal year 2013 or for any subsequent fiscal 

years:6 Provided further, That, notwithstanding the provision in section 612(a)(18)(B) regarding 

the fiscal year in which a State's allocation under section 611(d) is reduced for failure to comply 

with the requirement of section 612(a)(18)(A), the Secretary may apply the reduction specified 

in section 612(a)(18)(B) over a period of consecutive fiscal years, not to exceed 5, until the 

entire reduction is applied:7 Provided further, That the Secretary may, in any fiscal year in which 

a State's allocation under section 611 is reduced in accordance with section 612(a)(18)(B), 

reduce the amount a State may reserve under section 611(e)(1) by an amount that bears the 

same relation to the maximum amount described in that paragraph as the reduction under 

section 612(a)(18)(B) bears to the total allocation the State would have received in that fiscal 

year under section 611(d) in the absence of the reduction:8 Provided further, That the Secretary 

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

fiscal year for which the State fails to comply with the requirement of section 612(a)(18)(A) as 

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

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

under 611(c) of the IDEA may be used to provide technical assistance to States to improve the 

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

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

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

use funds made available for the State Personnel Development Grants program under part D, 

subpart 1 of IDEA to evaluate program performance under such subpart:11 Provided further, 

That States may use funds reserved for other State-level activities under sections 611(e)(2) 

and 619(f) of the IDEA to make subgrants to early intervention service providers to carry out 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Appropriations Language—continued 

3 

activities authorized by those sections:12 Provided further, That, notwithstanding section 

643(e)(2)(A) of the IDEA, if 5 or fewer States apply for grants pursuant to section 643(e) of such 

Act, the Secretary shall provide a grant to each State in an amount equal to the maximum 

amount described in section 643(e)(2)(B) of such Act:13 Provided further, That if more than 5 

States apply for grants pursuant to section 643(e) of the IDEA, the Secretary shall award funds 

to those States on the basis of the States' relative populations of infants and toddlers except 

that no such State shall receive a grant in excess of the amount described in section 

643(e)(2)(B) of such Act:14 Provided further, That States may use funds allotted under section 

643(c) of the IDEA to make subgrants to early intervention service providers to carry out 

activities authorized by section 638 of IDEA:15 Provided further, That, notwithstanding section 

632(4)(B) of the IDEA, a State receiving a grant under section 633 of the IDEA may establish a 

system of payments but may not include in that system family fees or out-of-pocket costs to 

families for early intervention services:16 Provided further, That any State seeking to amend its 

eligibility criteria under section 635(a)(1) of the IDEA in such a way that would have the effect of 

reducing the number of infants and families who are eligible under Part C must conduct the 

public participation under section 637(a)(8) of the IDEA at least 24 months prior to implementing 

such a change:17 Provided further, That, notwithstanding section 638 of the IDEA, a State may 

use funds it receives under section 633 of the IDEA to offer continued early intervention 

services, with parental consent, to a child eligible under section 632(5) and who previously 

received services under part C of the IDEA from age 3 until the beginning of the school year 

following the child's third birthday (regardless of whether or not the child has been deemed 

eligible for services under section 619 of IDEA) without regard to the policies and procedures in 

section 635(c) of the IDEA:18 Provided further, That, notwithstanding section 638 of the IDEA, a 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Appropriations Language—continued 

4 

State may use funds appropriated under Part C of the IDEA to conduct child find, public 

awareness, and referral activities for an individual who is expected to become a parent of an 

infant with a disability (as that term is defined in section 632(5)), as established by medical or 

other records:19 Provided further, That any State electing to use funds under the preceding 

proviso shall ensure that, as soon as possible but not later than 45 days after the child's birth, it 

completes the referral and eligibility process under this part for that child:20 Provided further, 

That, notwithstanding section 611 of the IDEA, the Secretary may reserve up to $5,000,000 to 

study issues related to the creation and implementation of a comprehensive system of services 

and supports for children with disabilities from birth through age five:21 Provided further, That, 

notwithstanding sections 637 and 638 of the IDEA, any State receiving a grant under section 

633 of the IDEA must submit as part of its State application to the Secretary a separate plan for 

ensuring equitable access to and participation in Part C services in the State, particularly for 

populations that have been traditionally underrepresented in the program, and specifying the 

minimum amount of grant funding it proposes to reserve for such purposes.22

NOTES 

A full-year 2024 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the Budget was prepared; therefore, 

the Budget assumes this account is operating under the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions 

Act (Division A of Public Law 118-15, as amended). The amounts included for 2024 reflect the annualized level 

provided by the continuing resolution.

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

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

5 

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 ... $15,673,264,000, of which 

$6,080,321,000 shall become available on 

July 1, 2025, and shall remain available 

through September 30, 2026, and of which 

$9,283,383,000 shall become available on 

October 1, 2025, and shall remain available 

through September 30, 2026, for academic 

year 2025–2026:

This language provides for funds to be 

appropriated on a forward-funded basis for a 

portion of the Grants to States program, and 

all of the Preschool Grants and Grants for 

Infants and Families programs. The language 

also provides that a portion of the Grants to 

States funds are for an advance 

appropriation that becomes available for 

obligation on October 1 of the fiscal year 

following the year of the appropriation.

2 Provided, That the amount for 

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

to the lesser of the amount available for that 

activity during fiscal year 2024, increased by 

the amount of inflation as specified in 

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

percent change in the funds appropriated 

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

than the amount for that activity during fiscal 

year 2024:

This language limits the amount of funds 

required to be transferred to the Department 

of the Interior under the Grants to States 

program to the lesser of an amount equal to 

the amount transferred to the Department of 

the Interior in 2024 plus inflation or the 

percent change in the appropriation for the 

Grants to States program. This language also 

clarifies that in the event of a decrease or no 

change in the appropriation for the Grants to 

States program, the amount of funds required 

to be transferred to the Department of the 

Interior remains level with the amount they 

received under the fiscal year 2024 

appropriation.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes—continued 

6 

3 Provided further, That the Secretary shall, 

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

distribute to all other States (as that term is 

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

third proviso, any amount by which a State's 

allocation under section 611, from funds 

appropriated under this heading, is reduced 

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

following: 85 percent on the basis of the 

States' relative populations of children aged 3 

through 21 who are of the same age as 

children with disabilities for whom the State 

ensures the availability of a free appropriate 

public education under this part, and 15 

percent to States on the basis of the States' 

relative populations of those children who are 

living in poverty:

This language authorizes the Department to 

reallocate funds that are reduced from a 

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

the maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA and 

requires that those funds be distributed to 

other States on the basis of their relative 

populations of children in the age ranges for 

which a State ensures a free appropriate 

public education and those children living in 

poverty.

4 Provided further, That the Secretary may 

not distribute any funds under the previous 

proviso to any State whose reduction in 

allocation from funds appropriated under this 

heading made funds available for such a 

distribution:

This language ensures that any State 

receiving a reduction in their section 611 

allocation as a result of not meeting the 

maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA does 

not receive funds redistributed as a result of 

another State’s failure to meet those same 

requirements.

5 Provided further, That the States shall 

allocate such funds distributed under the 

second proviso to local educational agencies 

in accordance with section 611(f):

This language requires States to distribute 

the funds received under the second proviso 

to local educational agencies without 

reserving a portion of those funds for Statelevel activities.

6 Provided further, That the amount by which 

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

the IDEA is reduced under 

section 612(a)(18)(B) and the amounts 

distributed to States under the previous 

provisos in fiscal year 2012 or any 

subsequent year shall not be considered in 

calculating the awards under section 611(d) 

for fiscal year 2013 or for any subsequent 

fiscal years:

This language allows the Department to 

calculate a State’s allocation under 

section 611(d) in future years without regard 

to reductions in awards made as a result of a 

failure to meet the maintenance of State 

financial support requirements in section 612. 

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

7 Provided further, That, notwithstanding the 

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

This language permits the Secretary to 

spread out a reduction from a State’s award 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes—continued 

7 

the fiscal year in which a State's allocation 

under section 611(d) is reduced for failure to 

comply with the requirement of 

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

apply the reduction specified in 

section 612(a)(18)(B) over a period of 

consecutive fiscal years, not to exceed 5, 

until the entire reduction is applied:

as a result of a failure to meet the 

maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 of the IDEA over 

a maximum of 5 years.

8 Provided further, That the Secretary may, in 

any fiscal year in which a State's allocation 

under section 611 is reduced in accordance 

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

amount a State may reserve under 

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

same relation to the maximum amount 

described in that paragraph as the reduction 

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

allocation the State would have received in 

that fiscal year under section 611(d) in the 

absence of the reduction:

This language permits the Secretary to 

reduce the maximum State set-aside for 

State administration by the same percentage 

as the reduction in the State’s overall IDEA 

section 611 grant.

9 Provided further, That the Secretary shall 

either reduce the allocation of funds under 

section 611 for any fiscal year following the 

fiscal year for which the State fails to comply 

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

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

seek to recover funds under section 452 of 

the General Education Provisions Act (20 

U.S.C. 1234a):

This language permits the Secretary to: 

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

in the amount of the State’s failure to meet 

the maintenance of State financial support 

requirements of section 612 under the 

recovery of funds provision in section 452 of 

the General Education Provisions Act, or 

(2) reduce the State’s IDEA section 611 

grant.

10 Provided further, That the funds reserved 

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

provide technical assistance to States to 

improve the capacity of the States to meet 

the data collection requirements of 

sections 616 and 618 and to administer and 

carry out other services and activities to 

improve data collection, coordination, quality, 

and use under parts B and C of the IDEA:

This language authorizes the Department to 

use funds available under section 611(c) to 

provide technical assistance and support to 

States on a broad range of issues, including 

compliance with applicable privacy laws and 

appropriate coordination and linking of 

information within and across Federal, State, 

and local data systems for the unique needs 

of students with disabilities and their families 

and the purposes of the IDEA programs and 

data collections.

11 Provided further, That the Secretary may 

use funds made available for the State 

Personnel Development Grants program 

This language permits the Secretary to use 

funds appropriated for the State Personnel 

Development Grants program under Part D of 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes—continued 

8 

under part D, subpart 1 of IDEA to evaluate 

program performance under such subpart:

the IDEA to evaluate program performance.

12 Provided further, That States may use 

funds reserved for other State-level activities 

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

IDEA to make subgrants to early intervention 

service providers to carry out activities 

authorized by those sections:

This language permits States to subgrant 

funds that they reserve for “Other State-level 

activities” under the Grants to States and 

Preschool Grants to States programs.

13 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

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

States apply for grants pursuant to 

section 643(e) of such Act, the Secretary 

shall provide a grant to each State in an 

amount equal to the maximum amount 

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

In years in which 5 or fewer States apply for 

funding under the State Incentive Grants 

program under Part C of the IDEA, this 

language would allow the Department to 

provide all States that apply 20 percent of the 

funds reserved for the program.

14 Provided further, That if more than 5 States 

apply for grants pursuant to section 643(e) of 

the IDEA, the Secretary shall award funds to 

those States on the basis of the States' 

relative populations of infants and toddlers 

except that no such State shall receive a 

grant in excess of the amount described in 

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

In years in which more than 5 States apply for 

funding under the State Incentive Grants 

program under Part C of the IDEA, this 

language would allow the Department to 

ensure that all funds are allocated to eligible 

States on the relative basis of the number of 

infants and toddlers in each State.

15 Provided further, That States may use 

funds allotted under section 643(c) of the 

IDEA to make subgrants to early intervention 

service providers to carry out activities 

authorized by section 638 of IDEA:

This language authorizes States to subgrant 

funds received under Part C of the IDEA to 

early intervention service providers.

16 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

section 632(4)(B) of the IDEA, a State 

receiving a grant under section 633 of the 

IDEA may establish a system of payments 

but may not include in that system family fees 

or out-of-pocket costs to families for early 

intervention services:

This language would prohibit any State 

receiving funds under Part C of the IDEA 

from charging family fees or requiring out-ofpocket costs for receipt of services under 

Part C of the IDEA.

17 Provided further, That any State seeking to 

amend its eligibility criteria under 

section 635(a)(1) of the IDEA in such a way 

that would have the effect of reducing the 

number of infants and families who are 

eligible under Part C must conduct the public 

This language requires any State seeking to 

limit eligibility under Part C to provide at 

least 2 years of advance notice to the public 

before implementing such changes.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes—continued 

9 

participation under section 637(a)(8) of the 

IDEA at least 24 months prior to 

implementing such a change:

18 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

section 638 of the IDEA, a State may use 

funds it receives under section 633 of the 

IDEA to offer continued early intervention 

services, with parental consent, to a child 

eligible under section 632(5) and who 

previously received services under part C of 

the IDEA from age 3 until the beginning of the 

school year following the child's third birthday 

(regardless of whether or not the child has 

been deemed eligible for services under 

section 619 of IDEA) without regard to the 

policies and procedures in section 635(c) of 

the IDEA:

This language would provide Part C State 

lead agencies greater flexibility in their use of 

IDEA Part C funds to avoid disruption in 

services by providing early intervention 

services to eligible children with disabilities

beyond age three. 

19 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

section 638 of the IDEA, a State may use 

funds appropriated under Part C of the IDEA 

to conduct child find, public awareness, and 

referral activities for an individual who is 

expected to become a parent of an infant with 

a disability (as that term is defined in section 

632(5)), as established by medical or other 

records:

This language would provide States with the 

flexibility to use funds under Part C of the 

IDEA to conduct certain activities with 

individuals expecting to become parents of 

infants or toddlers with disabilities.

20 Provided further, That any State electing to 

use funds under the preceding proviso shall 

ensure that, as soon as possible but not later 

than 45 days after the child's birth, it 

completes the referral and eligibility process 

under this part for that child:

This language requires any State exercising 

the flexibility in the preceding proviso to 

ensure that referral and eligibility processes 

are completed in a timely manner for all 

affected children.

21 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

section 611 of the IDEA, the Secretary may 

reserve up to $5,000,000 to study issues 

related to the creation and implementation of 

a comprehensive system of services and 

supports for children with disabilities from 

birth through age five:

This language allows the Secretary to reserve 

up to $5 million under the Grants to States 

program to study the implications of 

establishing a comprehensive system of 

services and supports for children with 

disabilities from birth through age five.

22 Provided further, That, notwithstanding 

sections 637 and 638 of the IDEA, any State 

This language requires all States to specify a 

minimum amount of their Part C funding to 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes—continued 

10

receiving a grant under section 633 of the 

IDEA must submit as part of its State 

application to the Secretary a separate plan 

for ensuring equitable access to and 

participation in Part C services in the State, 

particularly for populations that have been 

traditionally underrepresented in the program, 

and specifying the minimum amount of grant 

funding it proposes to reserve for such 

purposes.

implement a State equity plan to ensure 

equitable access to IDEA Part C services, 

which must be approved by the Secretary.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

11

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2023 2024 2025 

Discretionary:

DiscretionaryAppropriation $15,453,264 $15,453,264 $15,673,264

Total, discretionary appropriation 15,453,264 15,453,264 15,673,264

Advance:

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

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

Total, budget authority 15,453,264 15,453,264 15,673,264
SPECIAL EDUCATION

12

Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2024 $15,453,264

2025 15,673,264

Net change +220,000

Increases: 2024 base

Change 

from base

Program:

State grants: Grants to States $14,193,704 +$200,000

State grants: Preschool grants 420,000 +5,000

State grants: Grants for infants and families 540,000 +5,000

National activities: Personnel preparation 115,000 +10,000

Net change +220,000
SPECIAL EDUCATION

13

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2024

Authorized

Footnote

2024

Annualized CRfootnote

2025

Authorizedfootnote

2025

Request

footnote

State Grants:

State grants to States (IDEA-B-611) Indefinite 1 $14,193,7042 Indefinite1 $14,393,704 

2 

State grantsPreschool grants (IDEA-B-619) Indefinite 420,000 Indefinite 425,000

State grants for infants and families (IDEA-C) 0 3 540,000 TBD3 545,000

National activities:

National activiti es State personnel development (IDEA-D-1) 03 38,630 TBD3 38,630

National activiti es Technical assistance and dissemination

(IDEA-D-2-663)

03 45,345 TBD3 45,345

National activiti es Personnel preparation (IDEA-D-2-662) 03 115,000 TBD3 125,000

National activiti es Parent information centers (IDEA-D-3-671-673) 03 33,152 TBD3 33,152

National activiti es Educational technology, media, and materials

(IDEA-D-3-674)

03 31,433 TBD3 31,433

Special Olympics education programs (SOSEA 3(a)) Indefinite 36,000 Indefinite 36,000

Total definite authorization 0 TBD

Total annual appropriation 15,453,264 15,673,264

Portion of request subject to reauthorization 818,560

1 Funding for technical assistance on State data collection is limited to $25,000 thousand adjusted for inflation. This amount is estimated to be $41,545 thousand 

for fiscal year 2024 and $42,584 thousand for fiscal year 2025. 2 Includes $20,000 thousand and $30,000 thousand for technical assistance on State data collection in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, respectively. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations language.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

14

Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance

Senate 

Allowance Appropriation

20161 $12,822,358 $13,024,510 $12,636,817 $12,976,858

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

20172 13,066,858 13,406,517 13,066,858 13,001,315

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

20183 12,942,125 13,251,691 13,066,858 13,038,681

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

20194 13,051,776 13,422,651 13,493,684 13,468,728

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

20205 13,451,145 14,523,544 13,473,228 13,885,228

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

20216 13,985,228 14,092,995 14,012,728 14,070,743

2021 Mandatory supplemental,

ARP Act (P.L. 117-02)7 0 0 0 3,030,000

2021 Advance for 2022 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

20228 17,193,256 17,193,256 17,193,256 14,519,119

2022 Advance for 2023 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

20239 18,130,170 17,760,679 16,744,570 15,453,264

2023 Advance for 2024 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

202410 18,179,373 15,453,264 15,661,764 15,453,264

2024 Advance for 2025 (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383) (9,283,383)

2025 $15,673,264

1 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action; Senate allowance reflects 

Senate Subcommittee action only.

2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 

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

3 The level for the House allowance reflects floor action on the Omnibus appropriation 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). 4 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). 5 The Senate Allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects the Further Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94). 6 The level for the Senate Allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects Division H of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260). 7 The Appropriation reflects the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-02). 8 The House allowance reflects floor action; the Senate allowance reflects the Chair’s mark; and the Appropriation 

reflects Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103). 9 The House allowance reflects the regular annual FY 2023 appropriation, which was introduced on the floor; the 

Senate allowance reflects the Chair’s mark; and the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 

(P.L. 117-328). 10 The House allowance reflects Subcommittee action, and the Senate allowance reflects Committee action on the 

regular annual 2024 appropriations bill. The Appropriation reflects the annualized continuing resolution level.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Appropriations History—continued

15

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance

Senate 

Allowance Appropriation

2025 Advance for 2026 (9,283,383)
SPECIAL EDUCATION

16

Significant Items in FY 2024 Appropriations Reports

Grow Your Own Teacher Development

Senate: The Committee requests that the Department identify current opportunities to use 

funds available from the Department to support ‘‘Grow Your Own’’ programs. 

Response: The Department is drafting proposed priorities for the FY 2024 and future State 

Personnel Development grant competitions that will assist SEAs in developing 

and implementing or enhancing existing grow your own programs in an effort to

provide alternative pathways to becoming a special education teacher. 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

17

Summary of Request

The Administration is dedicated to ensuring that every child in America’s schools has the 

opportunity to be successful. Part of that commitment is ensuring that States, districts, and 

schools have the resources they need to effectively support the students and families they 

serve. The fiscal year 2025 President’s Request for Special Education of $15.7 billion 

represents a renewed commitment in meeting the diverse needs of children with disabilities 

nationwide, increasing regular annual funding for IDEA programs by $220 million over the prior 

year level, with additional investments in State formula grants and personnel preparation. The 

request also includes proposals to increase equity in IDEA programs and ensure continuity of 

services. 

The Administration requests $14.4 billion for the Grants to States program, an increase 

of $200 million from the fiscal year 2024 annualized CR, to assist States and schools in 

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

disabilities ages 3 through 21. The request would provide an average of $1,810 for each of 

the 7.9 million children with disabilities who are estimated to be served in 2025. Under this 

Request, the Federal contribution toward meeting the excess cost of special education and 

related services would be approximately 10.3 percent of the national average per pupil 

expenditures.

The request of $425 million for Preschool Grants, an increase of $5 million from the fiscal 

year 2024 annualized CR, would assist States and schools in providing special education 

services to children ages 3 through 5.

The request of $545 million for Grants for Infants and Families, an increase of $5 million from 

the fiscal year 2024 annualized CR, would provide assistance to States to help them implement 

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

The $273.6 million request for National Activities programs would provide level support for the 

State Personnel Development, Technical Assistance and Dissemination, Parent 

Information Centers, and Educational Technology, Media, and Materials programs and a 

targeted increase of $10 million in the Personnel Preparation program, an investment 

designed to bolster the educator pipeline. Under the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination and Educational Technology, Media, and Materials programs, the Request 

includes $1.6 and $2.7 million, respectively, in targeted support to help ensure that both militaryconnected children and other highly-mobile populations with disabilities receive the free 

appropriate public education to which they are entitled under the IDEA and do not experience 

unnecessary delays in service delivery as a result of changing schools or moving to a new 

LEA.1

The Administration’s request would maintain support for the Special Olympics Education 

Programs at the fiscal year 2024 annualized CR level.

1 See Technical Assistance and Dissemination and Educational Technology, Media, and Materials. 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

18

State grants: Grants to States 

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: Indefinite1,2

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

Annual appropriation $4,910,321 $5,110,321 +$200,000

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

Total 14,193,704 14,393,704 +200,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

in meeting this mandate. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

which the States guarantee FAPE to children with disabilities.

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

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

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

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

authorized for fiscal year 2025 would be $42,584 thousand. 2 Section 611(b)(2) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that from the funds appropriated for 

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

amount authorized for fiscal year 2025 would be $176,467 thousand.
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single State’s allocation may increase from one year to the next is capped at the amount the 

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

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

amount that any State may receive in any single fiscal year is calculated by multiplying the 

number of children with disabilities ages of 3 through 21 served during the 2004-2005 academic 

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

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

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

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

State.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and 15 percent poverty.

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

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

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

Consumers. 

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

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

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

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

high-cost children.1 If a State opts to use State-level funds for a risk pool, it must use 10 percent 

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

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

high-cost children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

percentage is 9 percent.

1 Specifically, children for whom the costs of services exceed 300% of the State’s average per pupil expenditure.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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

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

requirement is commonly referred to as the State maintenance of effort, or MOE. However, the 

IDEA allows any State that provided 100 percent of the non-Federal costs of special education 

services in the 2003-2004 school year, or any subsequent year, to reduce its level of 

expenditures by up to 50 percent of any increase in its allocation under the Grants to States 

program over the prior year. The Department may prohibit a State from exercising this authority 

if it is determined that a State is not adequately carrying out its responsibilities under the IDEA.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

reducing its level of support.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

amounts that they received from the fiscal year 2003 appropriation.

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

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

collection requirements necessary for the implementation of the program.

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

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

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

schools for Indian children operated or funded by that Department. The maximum amount 

authorized for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be approximately $176 million.

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

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

appropriated and remain available for 15 months. The remaining funds become available for 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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Federal obligation on October 1 of the following fiscal year and remain available for 12 months, 

expiring at the same time as the forward-funded portion. For fiscal year 2025, school districts 

will use both the forward- and advance-funded amounts primarily during the 2025-2026 school 

year.

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

for an additional year. Hence, States and LEAs will have until September 30, 2027, to obligate 

their fiscal year 2025 awards.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $12,764,392

2021 12,937,392

2021 Mandatory ARP Act 2,580,000

2022 13,343,704

2023 14,193,704

2024 Annualized CR 14,193,704

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $14.4 billion for Grants to States, $200 million

more than a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The 

request would represent the highest level of funding ever provided under the Grants to States 

program1 and would support States and LEAs in providing special education and related 

services to an estimated 7.9 million students with disabilities nationwide in 2025. 

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

education provided to children with disabilities so that they can participate in and succeed in the 

general education curriculum. This includes helping to ensure that eligible children have access 

to challenging grade-level academic content; meet the same rigorous standards that have been 

established for all children to help prepare them for college or careers; and are prepared to lead 

productive, independent adult lives to the maximum extent possible.

The request reflects the Administration’s commitment to providing schools with the resources 

they need to close persistent achievement gaps between students with disabilities and their 

peers. For example, in school year 2019-20, 71% of students with disabilities graduated high 

school in four years compared to 87% of all high school students.2 The 2022 National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results continue to show significant gaps between 

students with disabilities and their peers in reading and math as well.3 The request would 

provide an average of $1,810 per child with a disability.4

Number of Children Served – From 1975, when the IDEA was enacted, through 2005, the rate 

of growth in the number of children with disabilities served outpaced the rate of growth in the 

general population aged 3 through 21. In the 2004-2005 school year, the number of children 

1 Excludes funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

2 https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/ACGR_RE_and_characteristics_2019-20.asp 3 https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

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

continue to increase through 2025 to approximately 7.9 million.
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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reached 6.8 million before beginning a decline through the 2011-2012 school year to a low of 

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

generally increased, reaching an all-time high of 7.6 million children being served in the 2022-

2023 school year. In estimating future trends in the number of children served under the IDEA, 

the Department uses a rolling three-year average growth rate. Using this methodology, the 

Department estimates that approximately 7.9 million children with disabilities will be served in 

fiscal year 2025. The requested increase would therefore support States in meeting the needs 

of an increasing number of students with disabilities.1

In addition to the funds requested under this program, the Administration is dedicated to 

ensuring that school districts have access to all of the resources they need to provide the 

services to which children with disabilities are entitled, including funds provided under public 

insurance programs, like Medicaid. The Department is working closely with the Department of 

Health and Human Services and its school-based Medicaid Technical Assistance Center2 to

help States and school districts take full advantage of reimbursement and coverage of schoolbased services as a crucial funding stream to support students with and without disabilities and 

complement Federal, State, and local education funding. This has included issuance of new 

guidance and a revised billing guide for schools around Medicaid services,3 and establishing a 

technical assistance center to expand the capacity of State Medicaid agencies, SEAs, LEAs, 

and other school-based entities to support access to Medicaid-funded school-based services in 

accordance with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Department of Education continues 

to work closely with the Department of Health and human Services and its school-based 

Medicaid Technical Assistance Center to accelerate adoption of coverage of school-based 

services both for children with IEPs and those without, as a crucial additional support for 

schools and students. 

Meeting the Federal Funding Commitment

Upon its passage in 1975, section 611 of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act laid 

out a funding trajectory in which Federal grants would, by 1982, provide each State with an 

amount of funding equal to 40 percent of the average State per pupil expenditure for each child 

with a disability. Colloquially termed as “full funding,” the provision signaled an intent for a 

strong Federal and State partnership in meeting the needs of children with disabilities.4 Nearly 

50 years later, the Federal government has never provided more than 18.5 percent of the 

average per pupil expenditure.

The $31 billion gap between current funding levels and “full funding”5 has real effects on the 

services available to children with disabilities. The Department estimates that full funding in 

2025 would provide, on average, $5,832 per child with a disability – an increase of $4,022 over 

the fiscal year 2023 level. That funding gap alone could support more than 400,000 additional 

special education teachers and related services personnel nationwide. Consistent with the 

1 Additional data can be found at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/index.html. 2 https://www.medicaid.gov/resources-for-states/medicaid-state-technical-assistance/medicaid-and-school-basedservices/technical-assistance-center-tac/index.html 3 Delivering Services in School-Based Settings: A Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative 

Claiming can be found at: https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/sbs-guide-medicaid-servicesadministrative-claiming-ud.pdfc. 4 Currently, section 611 of the IDEA establishes a State’s maximum award under the Grants to States program as 40 

percent of the average per pupil expenditure multiplied by the number of children with disabilities served by a State in 

2005, cumulatively adjusted for annual changes in population and poverty.

5 In fiscal year 2025, “full funding” is estimated to be approximately $46,317 million. 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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Administration’s commitment to ensuring States, districts, and schools have the resources they 

need to serve all children, the Administration supports legislation that achieves full-funding over 

10 years such as the IDEA Full Funding Act.

Promoting Equity in IDEA

The Administration believes that all children, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender status, 

family income, national origin, or zip code, should receive the services to which they are entitled 

under the IDEA. However, research has shown that children of color often are identified at 

higher rates for special education and related services than their white peers in some disability 

categories, while also being under identified in other categories, including children with autism. 

IDEA requires States, on an annual basis, to determine whether there is significant 

disproportionality in race and ethnicity in the State or the LEAs of the State with respect to the 

identification (including identification of children with a particular disability), placement in 

particular education settings, and discipline of students with disabilities. Beginning in 2018, 

States were required to begin using a standard methodology to make these determinations and, 

in fiscal year 2020, the Department provided a $475,000 supplement to the IDEA Data Center to 

support States in implementing these requirements.

During the 2021-2022 reporting year, 905 LEAs nationwide were identified with significant 

disproportionality. Thirty-seven States and the District of Columbia identified at least one LEA in 

that year. Of all LEAs identified, 93 were identified on the basis of identification as a child with a 

disability, 582 on the basis of identification as a child with a particular disability, 37 on the basis 

of placement in particular educational settings, and 345 on the basis of discipline. In addition, a 

number of States were identified by the Department has having potential data quality issues.

However, much of the work done thus far has focused on effective collection and analysis of the 

data to make determinations rather than responding to any identified disproportionalities. Once 

an LEA is identified as having significant disproportionality, the LEA must conduct a root cause 

analysis and reserve 15 percent of its IDEA Part B allocation to provide comprehensive 

coordinated early intervening services (comprehensive CEIS) to students. Moving forward, the 

Department is committed to making this second phase of the significant disproportionality 

requirements a major focus in monitoring and technical assistance efforts.

In 2022, the Department began implementing updates to its monitoring protocols to ensure that 

States are meeting their monitoring and enforcement requirements relative to the significant 

disproportionality regulations and support future technical assistance efforts. Those updates 

have been included in Phase 2 of its Differentiated Monitoring and Supports (DMS 2.0) system. 

In 2023, the Department funded the Data Center for Addressing Significant Disproportionality, to 

support States in improving their collection, analysis, and use of data related to significant 

disproportionality on the basis of race and ethnicity in the identification, placement, and 

discipline of children with disabilities. The center also supports States in working with LEAs to 

conduct root cause analyses and identifying evidence-based practices for the use of funds for 

compressive coordinated early intervening services.

Keeping Our Students Safe

Data from the 2017-2018 school year show that 77 percent of all seclusions and 80 percent of 

all physical restraints were utilized with students with disabilities representing only about 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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13 percent of the total student population. The Department is deeply concerned that the use of 

such practices may violate students’ civil rights and deny them access to FAPE in the least 

restrictive environment, and may, in extreme circumstances, put children in physical danger or 

even cause death. The Administration supports the goals of the proposed Keeping All Students 

Safe Act and intends to issue updated guidance on the use of seclusion and restraint for 

children with disabilities. In addition, the Department is leveraging a wide range of investments 

under the Technical Assistance and Dissemination program to support efforts to limit the use of 

seclusion and physical restraint, reduce exclusionary discipline practices, and promote positive 

behavioral interventions and supports in schools.

Creating a Seamless Birth Through Five System

Rapid brain growth in the early childhood years sets the foundation for future learning and 

development and can greatly impact children’s functioning across multiple domains. Effectively 

serving children during this period can improve academic and developmental outcomes as well 

as reduce the need for more extensive services during elementary and secondary school.

There has been a longstanding, nationwide concern about effective coordination of services for 

children with disabilities birth through age five. Currently, these children are served by a host of 

local, State, and Federal programs, each with its own governance structures, funding streams, 

service delivery models, personnel, system requirements, eligibility requirements, and services, 

which can make it difficult to provide seamless services for young children with disabilities and 

their families.

Coordination and seamless transition between services under IDEA Part C and Part B can be 

challenging – which Congress recognized in providing States with the flexibility to continue Part 

C services for children for a period of time beyond age three.

Federal and State fragmentation creates significant challenges for families seeking to ensure 

access to and continuity of services for their children. During the first five years of their child’s 

life – already a challenging time for any parent – families must learn to navigate multiple service 

delivery systems, often with different entry points, service locations, and points of contact. 

Transitions between programs and services have the potential to cause gaps in service 

provision for young children and their families as they wait for new services to be established 

between systems. Additionally, children may lose services as they transition between programs 

due to varying eligibility requirements. A more seamless early childhood system could improve 

program administration and integration for States, school districts, and early intervention service 

providers while improving outcomes and access for children with disabilities. Therefore, the 

Administration seeks to solicit input and from a wide range of experts on the development and 

implementation of a cohesive birth through five system for children with disabilities which offers 

coordinated, efficient, and effective services. The 2025 request includes appropriations 

language which would allow the Secretary to reserve up to $5 million to support such an 

analysis.

Meeting Critical Personnel Needs

The most critical element to any student’s success, particularly students with disabilities, is 

access to highly effective teachers and service providers. For far too long, States, districts, 

schools, and classrooms have not had access to nearly enough special education teachers and 

related service providers, and those shortages only expanded as a result of the COVID-19 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

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pandemic, which accelerated retirements and limited onboarding understaff. That is why the 

Budget proposes increased funding under the Personnel Preparation program to support the 

training of new teachers and related service providers. New grants under that program would 

also provide renewed focus on early numeracy and literacy to ensure students receive the early 

supports they need to be successful while also continuing to ensure a strong pipeline of 

personnel with the knowledge and skills to provide effective related services to children who 

need them, like those with speech-language disabilities. 

Additional Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Appropriations Language

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

years regarding State Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements, the technical assistance setaside under section 616(i) of the IDEA, the allocation provided to the Department of the Interior, 

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

Other State-level Activities. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023

footnote

3

2024

footnote

2025

footnote

Formula grants:

Formula grants to States $14,019,796 $14,019,796 $14,207,844

Formula grants to Outlying Areas $40,952 $40,952 $41,530

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

Department of the Interior $106,376 $106,376 $107,751

Subtotal, formula grants $14,173,704 $14,173,704 $14,363,704

Technical Assistance $20,000 $20,000 $30,000

Total program funding $14,193,704 $14,193,704 $14,393,704

Number of children with disabilities 

served ages 3 through 211 7,630,435 7,752,910 7,941,548

Average Federal share per child (whole 

dollars) 32 $1,858 $1,828 $1,810

Average per pupil expenditure (APPE) 

(whole dollars)

32 $15,816 $17,041 $17,590

Federal funding as a percentage of 

APPE32 11.7% 10.7% 10.3%

1 Estimate.
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Basis for Leaving Special Education for Youth with Disabilities Ages 14 and Older1

Basis:

School 

Year

2019-2020

Percent

School 

Year

2019-2020

Number

School 

Year

2020-2021

Percent

School 

Year

2020-2021

Number

School 

Year

2021-2022

Percent

School 

Year

2021-2022

Number

Graduating with 

regular diploma 52.21% 325,051 53.06% 331,824 52.26% 348,075

Graduating through 

certification 6.82% 42,485 6.76% 42,298 6.68% 44,498

Transferred to 

regular education 8.09% 50,364 7.60% 47,527 8.25% 54,919

Dropped out, or 

moved but not 

known to have 

continued in 

education 8.65% 53,836 10.33% 64,614 11.04% 73,529

Moved, but known 

to have continued 

in education 23.41% 145,732 21.71% 135,749 21.27% 141,629

Reaching 

maximum age for 

services and 

other reasons 0.83% 5,172 0.54% 3,361 0.50% 3,341

Total 100.00% 622,640 100.00% 625,373 100.00% 665,991

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

(EDEN)/EDFacts. Percentages may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
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History of Children Served and Program Funding1

Fiscal Year2,3

Children Served

(thousands)

Appropriation footnote (dollars in thousands)

Federal 

Share Per Child

(whole dollars)

Percentage 

of APPE

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

1993 4,896 2,052,728 419 8

1994 5,101 2,149,686 421 8

1995 5,467 2,322,915 425 8

1996 5,629 2,323,837 413 7

1997 5,806 3,107,522 535 9

1998 5,978 3,807,700 636 11

1999 6,133 4,310,700 701 11

2000 6,274 4,989,685 793 12

2001 6,381 6,339,685 991 14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009 6,599 11,505,211 1,742 17

2009 ARRA 6,599 11,300,000 1,711 16

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2020 7,278 12,764,392 1,752 13

2021 7,214 12,937,457 1,7354 13

2021 ARP Act 7,214 2,580,000 347 2

2022 7,352 13,343,704 1,812 12

2023 7,630 14,193,704 1,858 11

2024 7,753 14,193,704 1,828 11

2025 7,942 14,393,704 1,810 10

1 The Federal share per child is calculated from IDEA Part B Grants to States funding, excluding amounts available for 

studies and evaluations or technical assistance, as applicable. 2 For 2006 through 2025, the Federal share per child is calculated from IDEA Part B Grants to States funding, excluding 

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

3 Appropriation includes $10,000 thousand for technical assistance activities in 2005, $15,000 thousand in 2006 through 

2009 and 2014, $25,000 thousand in 2010 through 2012, $23,693 thousand in 2013, $13,000 thousand in 2015, $20,000 

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

2020, $15,000 thousand in 2021, $20,000 thousand in 2022 through 2024, and $30,000 thousand in 2025. 4 Estimate.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

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

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

them for independent living and postsecondary education and/or competitive 

employment by assisting State and local educational agencies and families.

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

national and State assessments with accommodations as appropriate.

National Assessment of Educational Progress Measures

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

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

Year Target Actual

2013 40% 31%

2015 40 33

2017 40 32

2019 40 30

2022 40 27

2024 40 —

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

on the NAEP in mathematics.

Year Target Actual

2013 38% 34%

2015 38 32

2017 38 30

2019 38 32

2022 38 23

2024 38 —

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

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

under a Section 504 plan.

Students with disabilities score well below other students on NAEP assessments. On the 2022 

fourth grade reading assessment, only 27 percent of students with disabilities scored at or 

above Basic, while 68 percent of other students scored at or above Basic. On the 2022 math 
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assessment, only 23 percent of eighth graders with disabilities scored at or above Basic, while 

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

Elementary and Secondary Education Measures

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

Network (EDEN) and made available through EDFacts. The first two measures focus on the 

achievement of students with disabilities on State reading and mathematics assessments. The 

next two measures focus on the achievement gaps between students with disabilities and other 

students based on those State assessments. The last measure focuses on graduation rates of 

students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). 

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

advanced levels on State reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2020 35% Not available

2021 35 19%

2022 35 18

2023 35 —

2024 35 —

2025 35 —

Additional information: High-quality, representative data were not available for 2020. Due to 

the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ED waived the reporting of the 

statewide assessments in the 2019-2020 school year and encouraged states to consider 

flexibilities regarding the timing, length, and type of administration of assessments in the 2020-

2021 school year. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 

2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

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

advanced levels on State mathematics assessments.

Year Target Actual

2020 35% Not available

2021 35 16.95%

2022 35 15

2023 35 —

2024 35 —

2025 35 —

Additional information: High-quality, representative data were not available for 2020. Due to 

the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ED waived the reporting of the 

statewide assessments in the 2019-2020 school year and encouraged states to consider 

flexibilities regarding the timing, length, and type of administration of assessments in the 2020-

2021 school year. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 

2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification. 
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Measure: The difference between the percentage of students with disabilities in grades 3-8 

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

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

assessments. 

Year Target Actual

2020 20% Not available

2021 20 28%

2022 20 26

2023 20 —

2024 20 —

2025 20 —

Additional information: High-quality, representative data were not available for 2020. Due to 

the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ED waived the reporting of the 

statewide assessments in the 2019-2020 school year and encouraged states to consider 

flexibilities regarding the timing, length, and type of administration of assessments in the 2020-

2021 school year. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 

2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification. 

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

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

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

mathematics assessments. 

Year Target Actual

2020 20% Not available

2021 20 22%

2022 20 21

2023 20 —

2024 20 —

2025 20 —

Additional information: High-quality, representative data were not available for 2020. Due to 

the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ED waived the reporting of the 

statewide assessments in the 2019-2020 school year and encouraged states to consider 

flexibilities regarding the timing, length, and type of administration of assessments in the 2020-

2021 school year. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 

2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.
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Measure: The percentage of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) who 

graduate from high school with a regular high school diploma.

Year Target Actual

2020 72% Not available

2021 75 74%

2022 75 75

2023 75 —

2024 75 —

2025 75 —

Additional information: High-quality, representative data were not available for 2020. Due to 

the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ED waived the reporting of the 

statewide assessments in the 2019-2020 school year and encouraged states to consider 

flexibilities regarding the timing, length, and type of administration of assessments in the 2020-

2021 school year. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 

2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification. 

Postsecondary Outcomes

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

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

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

students who are no longer in secondary school who had IEPs in effect at the time they left 

school, and were: a) enrolled in higher education within 1 year of leaving high school; b) 

enrolled in higher education or were competitively employed within 1 year of leaving high 

school; or, c) enrolled in postsecondary education or training program, or were competitively 

employed or in some other form of employment within 1 year of leaving high school. Data for 

this measure is collected directly from the States on an annual basis. The Department believes 

that this is a critical measure for the program because it reflects the ultimate results of efforts to 

provide special education under the Grants to States program.

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

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

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

employment within 1 year of leaving high school.

Year Target Actual

2020 80% 74%

2021 80 77

2022 80 —

2023 80 —

2024 80 —

2025 80 —

Additional information: Performance on this measure was relatively consistent from 2015 

through 2019 before decreasing in 2020. Fiscal year 2022 and 2023 performance data is 

expected to be available in July 2024, and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional 

Justification.
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Efficiency Measure

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

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

Year Target Actual

2020 N/A 407

2021 N/A N/AS

2022 180 314

2023 180 —

2024 180 —

2025 180 —

Additional information: No site visits were conducted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 

pandemic. The timeline for the 180-day count begins on the first day of the month following the 

OSEP engagement month with the State. OSEP’s monitoring activities are conducted 

throughout the engagement month, which includes onsite and virtual monitoring, in addition to 

interviews and meetings with local level staff, parents and other interested parties. 2022 data 

has been updated to reflect three of four site visits that occurred during that time period. At this 

time, all seven 2023 site visit responses are in process and within timelines. 

2023 performance data is expected to be available in December 2024, and will be included in 

the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification. 

Other Performance Information

IDEA National Assessment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and academic achievement of children with disabilities. The National Assessment includes the 

following activities:

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

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

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

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

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

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

disabilities. 

1 See http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104005/index.asp. 
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From 1997 to 2005, the percent of children aged 6 to 17 served under IDEA increased from 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

continued to receive services under IDEA.

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

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

much larger range of performance on the NAEP exam than do children without disabilities. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

mediation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

districts reported using their own general funds.

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

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

qualified, but States range from 56 percent to 100 percent.1 Districts reported difficultly finding 

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

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

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

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

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

1 State definitions of highly qualified special education teacher varied, meaning differences in percentage of teachers 

meeting the definition may be driven by differences in definitions rather than variations in teacher preparation.
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Finally, the study found that dispute resolution events were very infrequent, with 23 or fewer 

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

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

frequency of due process hearings completed decreased from 3.36 hearings per 

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

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

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

the general education setting. In principle, RtI begins with research-based instruction and 

behavioral support provided to students in the general education classroom, followed by 

screening of all students to identify those who may need systematic progress monitoring, 

intervention, or support. Students who are not responding to the general education curriculum 

and instruction are provided with increasingly intense interventions through a “multi-tiered” 

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

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

disability. The IDEA permits some Part B special education funds to be used for “early 

intervening services” such as RtI and also permits districts to use RtI to inform decisions 

regarding a child's eligibility for special education.

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

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

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

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

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

The final report found that, for the 2011-2012 school year, schools implementing three or more 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

worth noting that this study focused on a very specific population in one subject area and did not 

assess whether RtI may be effective in improving student outcomes in other subject areas and 

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

performing well below grade-level standards.
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State grants: Preschool grants

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

Preschool grants

Preschool Grants

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$420,000 $425,000 +$5,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

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

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

children with disabilities aged 3 through 5 and have an approved application under Part B of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Currently, all States have provided 

assurances to the Department that they are making a free appropriate public education (FAPE) 

available to all children aged 3 through 5 with disabilities.

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

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

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

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

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

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

with children who do not have disabilities. Removal of children with disabilities from the regular 

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

is such that education in classes with students without disabilities, even with the use of 

supplementary aids and services, is not possible. Since States are not required to provide public 

preschool programs for the general population, preschool-aged children with disabilities are 

served in a variety of settings, including public or private preschool programs, inclusive

kindergarten, Head Start programs, and childcare facilities. The Preschool Grants program 

expands inclusive and accessible options to preschool for children with disabilities and provides 

specific services.

Funding Formula

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

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

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

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

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations 

action.
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total number of children aged 3 through 5 in the general population. The other 15 percent are 

distributed based on the relative percentage of children aged 3 through 5 in each State who are 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

grant awards to local educational agencies (LEAs). In fiscal year 2024, approximately 

$313.1 million (75 percent) of the available appropriation will be distributed to LEAs. 

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

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

of the following year.

State-Level Activities

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

with the amount of this reservation capped at 25 percent of each State’s fiscal year 1997 

allocation, adjusted upward by the lesser of the rate of increase in the State’s allocation or the 

rate of inflation. Likewise, the amount that may be used for administration is limited to 

20 percent of the funds available to a State for State-level activities. These funds may also be 

used for the administration of the Grants for Infants and Families program (Part C).

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

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

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

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

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

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

services system designed to improve results for all children and families or caregivers, including 

children with disabilities and their families or caregivers. This supplement cannot exceed 

1 percent of the amount received by the State under this program for a fiscal year. The State 

may also use its set-aside funds to provide early intervention services. These services must 

include an educational component that promotes school readiness and incorporates preliteracy, language, and numeracy skills. In addition, such services must be provided, in 

accordance with the Grants for Infants and Families program, to children who are eligible for 

services under the Preschool Grants program and who previously received services under 

Part C until such children enter or are eligible to enter kindergarten and, at a State’s discretion, 

may include continued service coordination or case management for families who received such 

services under Part C.
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Numbers of Children Served

The number of children ages 3 through 5 served under the IDEA in fall 2022 was 535,392. This 

is the most recent year of data available to the Department and therefore the figure used to 

estimate the number of children with disabilities ages 3 through 5 served in fiscal years 2023 

through 2025. However, given the COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions, the Department 

expects that the actual number of students served could be higher in these fiscal years when 

updated enrollment data become available.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) 

2020 $394,120

2021 397,620

2021 Mandatory ARP Act 200,000

2022 409,549

2023 420,000

2024 Annualized CR 420,000

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $425 million for the Preschool Grants program, 

$5 million more than a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. 

Promoting Equity in IDEA

The Administration believes that all children, regardless of their race, ethnicity, family income, 

national origin, zip code, or any other such characteristic, should receive the services to which 

they are entitled under the IDEA. However, research has shown that children of color often are 

identified at higher rates for special education and related services, placed in more restrictive 

environments, and subjected to exclusionary discipline at higher rates than their white peers. 

IDEA requires each State, on an annual basis, to determine whether there is significant 

disproportionality based on race and ethnicity in the State, or the LEAs of the State, with respect 

to the identification, placement, and discipline of students with disabilities. To help States meet 

this requirement, a Department funded TA Center is developing an Equity Audit that will allow 

States to complete a self-assessment of their governance, personnel, funding, and data to 

better determine if their systems are adequately providing equitable access to IDEA services for 

pre-school aged children from underserved communities.

In addition to the supports and technical assistance described under the Grants to States 

program, the Department updated its monitoring protocols to provide greater emphasis on State 

implementation of the significant disproportionality requirements with regard to children ages 3 

through 5 to ensure compliance and support future technical assistance efforts.
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Providing Safe and Inclusive Classrooms 

The Administration believes that all students deserve equal and equitable access to the learning 

environment and is particularly concerned about the harms that arise when preschool children 

face exclusionary discipline (including in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and 

expulsions). Research shows that exclusionary discipline is both ineffective and 

disproportionately affects children with disabilities and children of color. During the 2017-2018 

school year, preschoolers with disabilities represented almost one in four out-of-school 

suspensions among preschoolers, and, among those receiving suspensions, were more likely to 

receive multiple out-of-school suspensions than their peers without disabilities. Research shows 

that these disparities can often be the result of perceptions of student behavior rather than 

actual behavior by the student.1 In an effort to reduce exclusionary discipline practices 

nationwide and replace such practices with research-based approaches, the Department issued 

a Dear Colleague Letter and guidance (July 2022) addressing the needs of children with 

disabilities.2

To support LEAs and schools in keeping students in the classroom and identifying and 

implementing effective and evidence-based ways to ensure a safe learning environment for all 

students, the Department will continue to leverage a wide range of investments under the 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination program (described elsewhere in this account) on 

activities designed to limit the use of seclusion, physical restraint, and other exclusionary 

discipline practices by investing in both the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive 

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes for Students with Disabilities and the National 

Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. These 

investments also will promote positive behavioral interventions and supports in schools. The 

Department believes that these targeted investments and updated guidance can support more 

effective discipline practices and their equitable application and ensure that all students have 

equitable access to classroom activities and instruction. The Department also updated its 

monitoring protocols to ensure that States are meeting their monitoring and enforcement 

requirements relative to early childhood discipline practices.

Improving Child Find Practices

In addition to the steps noted above, the Department is revising its monitoring protocols to 

include resources to assist in strengthening the examination of child find systems to ensure that 

all potentially eligible children are identified and evaluated, particularly those in underserved 

populations and those with less access to or interaction with traditional referral sources, such as 

doctors and childcare providers.

1 Gilliam, W., Maupin, A., Reyes, C., Accavitti, M., & Shic, F. (2016). Do early educators’ implicit biases regarding sex 

and race relate to behavior expectations and recommendations of preschool expulsions and suspensions? New 

Haven, CT: Yale University Child Study Center, 1-18. 2 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/dcl-implementation-of-idea-discipline-provisions/
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Range in size of awards:

Smallest award $270 $270 $278

Average award $8,077 $8,077 $8,173

Largest award $42,175 $42,175 $42,627

Number of Children Served 535,392 535,392 535,392

Share per child (whole dollars) $784 $784 $794

NOTES: 

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

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

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

The numbers of children served are estimates based on fall 2022. 
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History of Children Served and Program Funding

Fiscal Year

Children Served

(thousands)

Appropriation

(dollars in thousands)

Federal

Share per Child

(whole dollars)

1990 352 $251,510 $715

19911 367 292,766 798

1992 398 320,000 804

1993 441 325,773 739

1994 479 339,257 709

1995 522 360,265 689

1996 549 360,409 656

1997 562 360,409 642

1998 572 373,985 654

1999 575 373,985 651

2000 589 390,000 662

2001 599 390,000 652

2002 617 390,000 632

2003 647 387,465 599

2004 680 387,699 571

2005 702 384,597 548

2006 704 380,751 546

2007 714 380,751 533

2008 710 374,099 527

2009 709 374,099 528

2009 ARRA 709 400,000 564

2010 732 374,099 511

20112 738 373,351 508

2012 745 372,646 500

2013 749 353,238 472

2014 745 353,238 474

2015 753 353,238 469

2016 763 368,238 483

2017 774 368,238 476

2018 815 381,120 467

2019 806 391,120 480

20203 716 394,120 550

20214 502 397,620 792

2021 ARP Act 471 200,000 424

2022 471 409,549 869

2023 535 420,000 784

2024 535 420,000 784

2025 535 425,000 794

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

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

States program.

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

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

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

awards.

3 School year 2019-20 (fiscal year 2020) was the transition year for reporting 5-year-olds in Kindergarten in “FS002 – 

Children with Disabilities (IDEA) School Age”. States had the option to report children that are 5 years old in the 

reporting categories “Age 5 (School Age)” and “Age 5 (Early Childhood)”. 4 All 5-year-olds in kindergarten were removed from the preschool educational environments data for the first time in 

fall 2020 (fiscal year 2021). Prior fiscal years included these students in the number of children served. This 
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

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

assisting States in providing special education and related services.

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

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

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

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

rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2020 85% 78%

2021 85 79

2022 85 Intentionally left blank

2023 85 Intentionally left blank

2024 85 Intentionally left blank

2025 85 Intentionally left blank

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

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

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

Year Target Actual

2020 85% 79%

2021 85 79

2022 85 Intentionally left blank

2023 85 Intentionally left blank

2024 85 Intentionally left blank

2025 85 Intentionally left blank

modification results in a significant drop in the number of reported children served and corresponding increase in the 

Federal Share per Child between fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
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Measure: The percentage of children who entered the program below age expectations in the 

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

growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2020 84% 79%

2021 85 79

2022 85 Intentionally left blank

2023 85 Intentionally left blank

2024 85 Intentionally left blank

2025 85 Intentionally left blank

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

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

through the Preschool Grants program. Data for 2022 and beyond are not currently available.

States will complete submission of the FY 2022 APRs in April 2024. 

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

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

services in the regular early childhood program.

Year Target Actual

2020 50% 40%

2021 50 41

2022 50 42

2023 50 Intentionally left blank

2024 50 Intentionally left blank

2025 50 Intentionally left blank

Additional information: All 5-year-olds in kindergarten were removed from the preschool 

educational environments data for the first time in 2020 (SY 2020-21). Additionally, SY 2020-21 

represent counts taken during the pandemic. Data for 2023 (SY 2023-24) are not currently 

available. States will submit Part B Child Count and Educational Environments data to the 

Department in June 2024. Final publication of the data after data quality and privacy protection 

reviews are completed is anticipated in early 2025. 

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

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

teaching.

Year Target Actual

2020 47 41

2021 47 46

2022 47 43

2023 47 Intentionally left blank

2024 47 Intentionally left blank

2025 47 Intentionally left blank
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Additional information: This measure includes the 50 States, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Outlying 

Areas, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Data for 2023 (SY 2022-23) are not currently 

available. States will submit Part B Personnel data to the Department in May 2024. Final 

publication of the data after data quality and privacy protection reviews are completed is 

anticipated in early 2025. 

Efficiency Measure

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

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

Year Target Actual

2020 — 407

2021 — —

2022 180 314

2023 180 —

2024 180 —

2025 180 —

Additional information: No site visits were conducted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 

pandemic. The timeline for the 180-day count begins on the first day of the month following the 

OSEP engagement month with the State. OSEP’s monitoring activities are conducted 

throughout the engagement month, which includes onsite and virtual monitoring, in addition to 

interviews and meetings with local level staff, parents, and other interested parties. The 2022 

data has been updated to reflect three of four site visits that occurred during that time period. At 

this time, all seven 2023 site visit responses are in process and within timelines. 

Other Performance Information

Pre-Elementary Longitudinal Study (PEELS) (http://www.peels.org) 

In August 2011, the latest report from this study was released, “A Longitudinal View of the 

Receptive Vocabulary and Math Achievement of Young Children with Disabilities.” This report 

found that children who received preschool special education services showed growth each 

year in vocabulary and mathematics; however, growth slowed in both math and vocabulary as 

they got older. Children’s performance varied across assessments and across subgroups 

defined by disability. At age 3, children with a speech or language impairment had higher 

average scores than those with developmental delays. At age 10, the gap between these 

subgroups persisted, and there were no statistically significant differences in growth rates 

between subgroups.

Other Studies

The Department also is investing in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study program through the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (https://nces.ed.gov/ecls). This program 

involves two complementary cohort studies, a Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) and a Kindergarten Cohort 

(ECLS-K), that focus on children’s early school experiences. The ECLS-K has followed the 

kindergarten class of 1998-99 through eighth grade. The ECLS-K provides descriptive 

information on children’s status at entry to school and their transition into school, and their 

progression through middle school. The ECLS-B is designed to follow children from 9 months 
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through kindergarten. It focuses on health, development, early care, and education during the 

formative years of children born in 2001. These studies also are providing data on outcomes 

experienced by children with disabilities participating in preschool programs and baseline data 

on outcomes experienced by nondisabled children.

OSEP, and subsequently the National Center on Special Education Research, have sponsored 

a special education questionnaire for teachers in the ECLS-K Study and the collection of more 

extensive data on children with disabilities and their programs, including the identification of, 

receipt of services for, and use of special equipment for a number of disabling conditions that 

may interfere with a sampled child’s opportunity to learn.

Data from ECLS-K on demographic and school characteristics indicate that for the cohort of 

students beginning kindergarten in 1998, specific learning disabilities and speech or language 

impairments were the most prevalent primary disabilities. The percentage of the student cohort 

receiving special education grew from 4.1 percent in kindergarten to 11.9 percent of students in 

fifth grade. The results also indicate that higher percentages of boys than girls, and of students 

from low-income backgrounds than students from higher-income backgrounds, received special 

education. About 12 percent of students receive special education in at least one of the grades: 

kindergarten, first, and third grade, including 16 percent of boys, 8 percent of girls, 18 percent of 

children from low-income backgrounds, and 10 percent of children from higher-income 

backgrounds. One in three students who receive special education in early grades first receive

special education in kindergarten. Half of those who begin special education in kindergarten are 

no longer receiving special education by third grade. In addition to students’ gender and poverty 

status, results are presented separately for other student and school characteristics, including 

race/ethnicity, school, urbanicity, region, and poverty concentration.
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State grants: Grants for infants and families 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$540,000 $545,000 +$5,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Grants for Infants and Families program (Part C) awards formula grants to the 50 States, 

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of the Interior, and Outlying Areas to 

assist them in implementing statewide systems of coordinated, comprehensive, 

multidisciplinary, interagency programs ensuring that appropriate early intervention services are 

made available to all eligible birth-through-2-year-olds with disabilities and their families, 

including Indian children and families who reside on reservations geographically located within a 

State. Infants and toddlers with disabilities are defined as children who: (1) are experiencing 

developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in 

one or more of the following five areas: cognitive development, physical development, 

communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; or 

(2) have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in 

developmental delay. Within statutory limits, States define “developmental delay” and have the 

discretion to provide services to infants and toddlers who are at risk of having substantial 

developmental delays if they do not receive appropriate early intervention services.

Funds can be used to: (1) implement and maintain the statewide system described above; 

(2) fund direct early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their 

families that are not otherwise provided by other public or private sources; (3) expand and 

improve existing services; (4) provide a free appropriate public education, in accordance with 

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to children with disabilities from 

their third birthday to the beginning of the following school year; (5) continue to provide early 

intervention services to children with disabilities from their third birthday until such children enter 

or are eligible to enter kindergarten or elementary school; and (6) initiate, expand, or improve 

collaborative efforts related to identifying, evaluating, referring, and following up on at-risk 

infants and toddlers in States that do not provide direct services for these children.

The IDEA requires that early intervention services be provided, to the maximum extent 

appropriate, in natural environments. The natural environment includes the home and 

community settings where children would be participating if they did not have a disability. These 

services can be provided in another setting only when early intervention cannot be achieved 

satisfactorily for the infant or toddler in a natural environment. Each child’s individualized family 

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations 

action.
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service plan (IFSP) must contain a statement of the natural environments in which early 

intervention services will be provided, including a justification of the extent, if any, to which the 

services will not be provided in a natural environment.

The statewide system also must comply with additional statutory requirements, including 

designating a lead agency responsibility for the coordination and administration of funds, and 

developing and maintaining a State Interagency Coordinating Council to advise and assist the 

lead agency. One of the purposes of the Part C program is to assist States in coordinating 

payment for early intervention services from Federal, State, local, and private sources, including 

public and private insurance coverage (e.g., Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance 

Program), Supplemental Security Income, and Early Head Start.

The IDEA gives States the discretion to extend eligibility for Part C services to children with 

disabilities who are eligible for services under section 619 Preschool Grants and who previously 

received services under Part C, until such children enter or are eligible under State law to enter 

kindergarten or elementary school, as appropriate. The Act further stipulates that any Part C 

programs serving children aged 3 or older must provide both: (1) an educational component that 

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

(2) a written notification to parents of their rights regarding the continuation of services under 

Part C and eligibility for services under section 619.

Funding Formula

Allocations are based on the number of children in the general population aged birth through 

2 years in each State. The Department uses data provided by the United States Census Bureau 

in making this calculation. No State can receive less than 0.5 percent of the funds available to 

all States, or $500,000, whichever is greater. The Outlying Areas may receive not more than 

1 percent of the funds appropriated. The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Education 

(BIE), receives 1.25 percent of the aggregate of the amount available to all States. Interior must 

pass through all the funds it receives to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or consortia for the 

coordination of early intervention services on reservations with BIE schools. Tribes and tribal 

organizations can use the funds they receive to provide (1) help to States in identifying Indian 

infants and toddlers with disabilities, (2) parent training, and (3) early intervention services.

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

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

of the following year.

State Incentive Grants

In any fiscal year in which the appropriation for Part C exceeds $460 million, the statute includes 

authority for the Department to reserve 15 percent of the amount above $460 million for a State 

Incentive Grants (SIG) program. The purpose of this program is to provide funding to assist 

States that have elected to extend eligibility for Part C services to children with disabilities aged 

3 years until entrance into kindergarten or elementary school, or for a portion of this period. No 

State can receive more than 20 percent of the amount available for SIGs in a fiscal year. In 

fiscal years 2018 through 2023, the total of funds appropriated for Part C exceeded the 

$460 million level. For fiscal year 2023, the seven States that opted to extend their provision of 

Part C services beyond age 3 received additional funds through this program and have until 

September 30, 2025, to expend these funds.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $477,000

2021 481,850

2021 Mandatory ARP Act 250,000

2022 496,306

2023 540,000

2024 Annualized CR 540,000

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $545.0 million for the Grants for Infants and 

Families (Part C) program, $5 million more than fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the 

fiscal year 2023 appropriation. The proposed increase and reforms described in greater detail 

below would support an expansion of early intervention programs that provide services to 

infants and toddlers with disabilities, particularly for historically underserved children such as 

children of color and children from low-income backgrounds. 

Part C early intervention programs are designed to improve children’s long-term outcomes and 

mitigate the need for more extensive services in the future. Evidence shows that Part C services 

can have a significant impact on a young child’s cognitive, physical, communicative, and social 

and emotional development.1 The Part C program also helps ensure that infants and toddlers 

with disabilities receive the supports and services they need to prepare them to successfully 

enter and transition into elementary school. A national longitudinal study found that over 

40 percent of children receiving early intervention services did not need special education 

services in kindergarten.2

In addition to improved outcomes for individual children and their families, investments in early 

intervention programs can be particularly cost effective. Indeed, providing effective early 

childhood interventions can generate net savings over time by reducing future service utilization. 

For example, in one study, the costs of an early intervention program for children with Autism 

were offset in two years and led to longer-term savings of approximately $19,000 per year per 

child as improved developmental gains reduced future need for services (e.g., speech therapy) 

that are typically paid by the government (e.g., through Medicaid), private health insurance, or 

families.3 Another study of an early intervention program in North Carolina found participation 

reduced special education placement by 10 percent, resulting in an average inflation adjusted 

net savings of $630 per child.4 Furthermore, a study of an early intervention program found 

significant health benefits for participating children who, for example, made 33 percent fewer 

trips to the emergency room visits through age 4.5 Longitudinal studies have also demonstrated 

that another reason why early intervention programs produce a high return on investment is 

because such programs increase earnings in adulthood.

1 Gillispie, C. (2021). Our youngest learners: Increasing equity in early intervention. The Education Trust. 2 https://www.sri.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/neils_finalreport_200702.pdf 3 https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2017/august/study-finds-early-intervention-for-children-withautism-quickly-results-in-costs-savings 4 https://caldercenter.org/sites/default/files/WP%20121.pdf

5 https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG341.html
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Despite these well-established benefits, several studies have found a high percentage of 

children who qualify for early intervention services do not receive them. For example, one study 

found that just 19 percent of children eligible for Part C services were referred to such services, 

and only 5 percent received them.1 The COVID-19 pandemic likely exacerbated this access 

problem. During the 2020-2021 program year, States served 365,715 infants and toddlers with 

disabilities – a 15 percent decline from the previous year and the lowest number served since 

2015. As pandemic-related restrictions eased, the number of children served increased by 

12 percent during the 2021-2022 program year, with States serving 407,807 infants and 

toddlers with disabilities. In the 2022-2023 program year the number of children served 

increased by an additional 9 percent, with States serving 443,266 infants and toddlers with 

disabilities. The Department anticipates increases in the number of children served under this 

program through 2024 and 2025 as pandemic-related barriers to identification and participation

continue to decrease. 

Limited Federal funding for Part C has contributed to fiscal constraints at the State level that 

hampered access to services. For example, some States have restricted program eligibility 

criteria due to budget constraints, which research has shown significantly reduces receipt of 

early intervention services, particularly for children with significant disabilities.2 In a 2022 survey 

by the Infants and Toddlers Coordinators Association, more than 70 percent of respondents 

indicated that a lack of providers to meet service needs was one of the most stressful factors of 

their position, and 54 percent indicated that insufficient funding was a major concern, up from 

41 percent in 2021.3 The requested funding increase for this program would help address State 

needs for adequate and qualified staffing and funding to serve infants and toddlers with 

disabilities.

The Department also recognizes that increased funding alone cannot ensure access to services 

for underserved children, such as children of color and children from low-income backgrounds. 

For example, one study found that at 24 months of age, eligible Black children were five times 

less likely to receive services than White children.4 Part C program data has also revealed 

service gaps for Native American children compared to White children.5 And research has 

shown children from low-income backgrounds are 10 to 14 percent less likely to receive early 

intervention services than their wealthier peers.6 These gaps are driven by a variety of factors, 

including disparities in access to pediatric care, societal biases, and constrained resources that 

limit robust informational and outreach activities for underserved communities.

The Department is committed to closing these gaps and ensuring all children who need these 

vital services receive them in a timely manner. Doing so would improve outcomes for 

underserved children as evidence shows that early intervention services reduce the likelihood of 

special education placement later in a student’s life. Therefore, the request proposes a range of 

proposals to increase equity and access to Part C services as described below.

1 McManus et al. (2020). Child characteristics and early intervention referral and receipt of services: A retrospective 

cohort study. BMC Pediatrics. 20. 10.1186/s12887-020-1965-x. 2 McManus et al. (2013) Restricting state Part C eligibility policy is associated with lower early intervention utilization. 

Maternal and Child Health Journal. 18:1031-1037. 3 2022 Tipping Points Survey, Infants and Toddlers Coordinating Association, 

https://www.ideainfanttoddler.org/pdf/2022-Tipping-Points-Survey.pdf. 4 Feinberg et al. The impact of race on participation in part C early intervention services. Journal of Developmental 

and Behavioral Pediatrics. 2011;32(4):284–291. 5 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/43rd-arc-for-idea.pdf 6 McManus et al. (2020). Child characteristics and early intervention referral and receipt of services: A retrospective 

cohort study. BMC Pediatrics. 20. 10.1186/s12887-020-1965-x.
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Promoting Equitable Access to Part C Services

The Department believes that the first step to meaningfully address the gaps in service 

provision for infants and toddlers is to ensure that all States identify those gaps, develop plans 

for addressing them, and reserve sufficient funding to implement their plans. Such plans, 

submitted in addition to State Performance Plan (SPP), would include (1) identified subgroups 

and regions the State determines have limited access to Part C services, based on service rate 

data; (2) a comprehensive set of evidence-based practices the State intends to implement to 

engage underserved subgroups and meet the needs of those populations; and (3) a proposed 

budget for executing its plan. States would provide the Department with annual updates and 

data on subgroup service rates demonstrating the extent to which gaps are being closed. 

Examples of practices to close equity gaps include:

• providing additional support to providers who serve underrepresented populations;

• making revisions to State Medicaid plans to ensure that a child’s Individualized Family 

Service Plan is sufficient documentation for Medicaid billing;

• translating outreach materials into additional languages, including indigenous languages 

and languages of immigrant communities;

• updating service delivery models to more effectively reach infants and families in remote 

areas;

• improving outreach to home childcare providers and other trusted community care providers 

about the signs of developmental delay;

• increasing support and technical assistance for local health departments to ensure effective 

screening practices are in place for families who receive primary care from those agencies; 

and

• streamlining evaluation procedures to reduce barriers to participation in the program.

In addition to supporting these activities, the proposed equity plans would ensure States engage 

in a comprehensive planning process to strategically deploy resources to increase enrollment of 

underserved children. Furthermore, the related data submitted as part of the plans would 

provide Congress, the Department, and the public greater transparency on rates of services 

across demographics and how States are allocating resources to address identified gaps.

The Department will conduct monitoring and oversight of these equity plans to ensure State 

compliance and effective provision of services to the underserved populations they have 

identified. In addition, the Department intends to prioritize fiscal year 2025 funding under the 

Part D State Personnel Development Grants program for projects aligned with States’ Part C 

equity plans. For example, if a State’s equity plan aims to address gaps in services for nonEnglish speaking children, a project could support the training and retention of bilingual early 

intervention providers. States would also specify a minimum amount of Part C funds they intend 

to use to implement their plans. 

Further, the Department recognizes that a State’s system of payments under Part C can itself 

be a barrier to equitable access to program services. For example, some States charge families 
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$25 to $100 per month for services. Other States charge a fee for each service provided. 

Particularly for families that may not qualify for Medicaid in their State or for children whose 

required services are not covered by Medicaid or private insurance, family fees and out-ofpocket expenses can be the difference between children receiving critical services or being left 

behind. In fact, research has demonstrated that relatively small fees of $1 to $5 can lead to 

reduced service utilization.1 Furthermore, according to a survey of Part C coordinators, several 

respondents indicated they are concerned that fees can deter participation among low-income 

families and can be difficult to administer and thus lead to inappropriate billing of families.2

The Department is proposing to ensure fees to not deter enrollment in Part C through 

appropriations language that would prohibit States from charging family fees or out-of-pocket 

expenses. Additionally, the Department is working with stakeholders and technical assistance 

centers to identify States interested in removing fees and other administrative burdens from 

families, and supporting those States in eliminating family fees through guidance, targeted 

technical assistance, including by leveraging other sources of revenue, such as Medicaid, to 

offset any losses of revenue from phasing out family fees, and other activities such as 

communities of practice. 

To support States in their efforts to increase equitable access to services, starting in 2021, the 

Department has led an interagency working group including representatives from multiple 

Federal agencies to develop technical assistance guides for IDEA Part C coordinators, State 

and local early childhood program administrators, early childhood and health providers, families, 

policymakers and individuals or organizations committed to improving outcomes for infants and 

toddlers with disabilities. The workgroup has met with a wide range of stakeholders, including 

experts in child development, researchers, families, disability rights advocates, and State Part C 

coordinators to solicit feedback on best practices to support equitable access to Part C services. 

These resources provide guiding principles, identify specific strategies, and highlight resources 

and best practices for increasing families’ access to IDEA Part C services, particularly those 

who have been historically underserved by IDEA Part C, including infants and toddlers of color, 

and those from low-income backgrounds, rural communities, and whose first language is not 

English. The Administration published the first two guides in December 2022.3 The Technical 

Assistance Implementation Guide on Outreach and Engagement with Families contains 

strategies or best practices for outreach and engagement with families to implement a 

comprehensive system that identifies, locates, and evaluates infants and toddlers. The guide 

contains examples from States and local programs that show how these strategies are being 

implemented to support Part C systems in connecting with families typically underrepresented in 

Part C. The Technical Assistance Implementation Guide on Developmental Monitoring, 

Screening, and Referral contains strategies or best practices for supporting referral of infants 

and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities to the IDEA Part C system. The guide 

contains examples from States and local programs that show how these strategies are being 

implemented to support primary referral sources in screening and referring infants and toddlers 

typically underrepresented in Part C. The Administration published two additional guides in 

December of 2023. The Technical Assistance Implementation Guide on Evaluation and 

Assessment4 includes a case study on increasing evaluation completion rates, as well as a 

variety of strategies for promoting comprehensive, multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment 

1 https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-effects-of-premiums-and-cost-sharing-on-low-income-populationsupdated-review-of-research-findings/ 2 https://www.ideainfanttoddler.org/pdf/ITCAFCPSurveySum_A.pdf 3 https://osepideasthatwork.org/technical-assistance-resources-part-c-eligibility 4 https://osepideasthatwork.org/sites/default/files/2023-12/IDEA-PrtC-EvalAssess-508_2.pdf 
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practices. Those strategies include the use of evaluations for social and emotional development 

and mental health, and promoting the use of culturally and linguistically responsive evaluation 

and assessment tools. The Technical Assistance Implementation Guide on Eligibility Criteria1

contains a case study on a State’s eligibility policy directed at expanding access to children with 

autism. The guide also includes strategies for streamlining the eligibility process, ensuring that 

referral sources understand eligibility criteria, and improving the continuity of eligibility between 

IDEA Part C and Part B systems.

Easing Entry into the Part C Program for New Parents

For all new parents, the first weeks and months of a child’s life can be taxing, and even more so 

if a new child has a disability. The unique physical, nutritional, and developmental needs of 

infants with disabilities can occupy a great deal of a new parent’s focus and attention. 

Postpartum can therefore be a particularly challenging time for families to navigate the process 

of establishing Part C eligibility and developing an IFSP. In such instances, entry into the Part C 

system and the provision of services can be delayed by weeks or even months during critical 

times in a child and family’s life. The Department believes States should be given the flexibility 

to use Part C funds to design and implement systems that make initial entry into the Part C 

system as transparent and seamless as possible for families.

For this reason, the request includes appropriations language to provide flexibility to States to

use their Part C funds to conduct child find, public awareness, and referral activities for 

individuals who are expected to become parents of an infant or toddler with a disability. For 

example, if an expectant mother learns through genetic testing that her child will be born with 

Down Syndrome and will therefore be eligible for Part C services in her State upon birth, a State 

choosing to use this flexibility could work with her to ensure she understands how the Part C 

system operates, connect her with vital resources, refer her for services, and, within 45 days of 

the child’s birth, ensure that an IFSP is established to support the infant and her family with 

early intervention services. This proposal would not create any new requirements but would give 

States new flexibility to dramatically streamline the Part C referral, evaluation, and determination 

process for countless families nationwide each year.

Ensuring Continuity of Services

Part C services represent a critical investment in our children and their future. Effective and 

timely delivery of early intervention services can dramatically improve long-term outcomes for 

children, and families of infants and toddlers with disabilities need to know that early intervention 

services will be there for them when they need them. Particularly for underserved communities, 

complicated, inconsistent, and constantly changing eligibility criteria can increase distrust of the 

system and make families less likely to seek out or utilize program services.

Parents should not live in fear of suddenly and inexplicably losing eligibility. Parents also should 

not be forced to choose between a job in a different State or retaining services for their infant or 

toddler that are critical for their child’s development. Currently, States establish eligibility criteria 

under Part C within certain parameters, but they can change those criteria over time, often with 

the intent of reducing the number of children eligible to be served under Part C to meet budget 

constraints. When States do narrow eligibility criteria, research has shown fewer children 

1 https://osepideasthatwork.org/sites/default/files/2023-12/IDEA-PrtC-EligbltyCrit-508_0.pdf 
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receive services, particularly children with significant disabilities.1 Consequently, a family that 

was eligible for services last year may no longer be eligible this year, creating confusion on the 

part of families and disruptions in vital services for children. Further, data shows that States with 

more restrictive eligibility guidelines also have larger racial disparities in service provision.

The Administration proposes to address such uncertainties and disparities in the provision of 

services through appropriations language that would require States to provide families at least 

24 months’ advance notice of any changes to eligibility requirements under the Part C program. 

Requiring such advance notice would remove short-term incentives to cut costs by restricting

eligibility and ensures that infants and families will be able to receive their full range of services 

without interruption. This proposal also aims to amplify the voices and concerns of families, 

providers, and other stakeholders by requiring States to conduct public participation procedures 

prior to a State narrowing criteria.

Additional Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Appropriations Language

The request also proposes to continue appropriations language initially provided in prior years 

which would (1) allow States to subgrant funds they receive under this program, (2) allow the 

Department to maximize the amount of funds distributed for State Incentive Grants, and 

(3) allow States to offer summer bridge services through Part C to children prior to the beginning 

of the preschool year after their third birthday. Note that the request includes revised 

appropriations language to clarify that subgrants can only be made to early intervention services 

providers.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Formula grants:

Formula grants to States $517,545 $517,545 $521,733

Formula grants to Outlying Areas2 3,789 3,789 3,789

Department of the Interior 6,667 6,667 6,728

Subtotal, formula grants 528,000 528,000 532,250

State Incentive Grants 12,000 12,000 12,750

Total program funding 540,000 540,000 545,000

Children served3

443,266 443,266 443,266

1 McManus et al. (2013) Restricting state Part C eligibility policy is associated with lower early intervention utilization. 

Maternal and Child Health Journal. 18:1031-1037. 2 In fiscal year 2023, the Department increased the total allocation to outlying areas in proportion to the increase in 

the total appropriation from FY 2022 to FY 2023, which is 8.8%.

3 Estimates based on 2022 actuals and an assumed 4 percent annual increase in the number of infants and toddlers, 

birth through age 5, who receive services under the program, including an assumption that COVID-related effects on 

the number of children served will be resolved by 2023.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To enhance the development of infants and toddlers (birth to three) with disabilities 

and support families in meeting the special needs of their child.

Objective: The functional development of infants and toddlers will be enhanced by early 

intervention services.

Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in positive social-emotional skills (including social relationships) who substantially 

increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2020 70 64

2021 70 66

2022 70 —

2023 70 —

2024 70 —

2025 70 —

Additional information: Data are from the States’ Annual Performance Reports (APRs). States 

will complete submission of the FFY 2022 SPP/APR in late April 2024. Data for this measure 

are expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the FY 2026 

Congressional Justification. Two States have current approval from the Department to collect 

data for a representative sample of the children they serve through the Part C program; all other 

States report data on all children served. Success on these outcomes is based on a Likert scale 

that examines functional progress of children with disabilities.

Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in acquisition and use of knowledge and skills (including early 

language/communication and early literacy) who substantially increased their rate of growth by 

the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2020 76 69

2021 76 71

2022 78 —

2023 78 —

2024 78 —

2025 78 —

Additional information: Data are from the States’ Annual Performance Reports (APRs). States 

will complete submission of the FFY 2022 SPP/APR in late April 2024. Data for this measure 
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are expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the FY 2026 

Congressional Justification. Two States have current approval from the Department to collect 

data for a representative sample of the children they serve through the Part C program; all other 

States report data on all children served. Success on these outcomes is based on a Likert scale 

that examines functional progress of children with disabilities.

Measure: The percentage of infants and toddlers who entered the program below age 

expectations in the use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs who substantially 

increased their rate of growth by the time they exited the program.

Year Target Actual

2020 77 71

2021 77 70

2022 78 —

2023 78 —

2024 78 —

2025 78 —

Additional information: Data are from the States’ Annual Performance Reports (APRs). States 

will complete submission of the FFY 2022 SPP/APR in late April 2024. Data for this measure 

are expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the FY 2026 

Congressional Justification. Two States have current approval from the Department to collect 

data for a representative sample of the children they serve through the Part C program; all other 

States report data on all children served. Success on these outcomes is based on a Likert scale 

that examines functional progress of children with disabilities. 

Objective: All infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families will receive early 

intervention services in natural environments that meet their individual needs.

Measure: The number of States that serve at least 1 percent of infants in the general population 

under age 1 through Part C.

Year Target Actual

2020 37 27

2021 37 31

2022 37 36

2023 37 —

2024 37 —

2025 37 —

Additional information: For a number of years, only 24 or 25 States served at least 1 percent 

of infants in the general population under the age of 1. The program made progress from 2012 

through 2017, exceeding its targets, though performance fell dramatically in 2020 as a result of 

the COVID-19 pandemic. The 1 percent threshold for this measure is based on data collected 

by the U.S. Census bureau on prevalence rates for 5 conditions: severe intellectual disability 

(0.4 percent)1

; hearing impairment (0.2 percent); visual impairment (0.1 percent); physical 

conditions (spina bifida, cerebral palsy, etc.) (0.2 percent); and autism (0.1 percent). State lead 

agencies responsible for the implementation of these programs report data annually to the 

1 Consistent with P.L. 111-256, the Department uses the term “intellectual disabilities” instead of “mental retardation,” 

but note that the latter term was used in the source data used to set the threshold.
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Department through their APRs on the numbers of infants and toddlers with disabilities served 

under the Grants for Infants and Families program. Through its monitoring and technical 

assistance efforts, the Department is working with States to ensure that they are appropriately 

identifying and serving all eligible infants with disabilities and expects the number of States to 

increase further as a result. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in 

December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Measure: The number of States that serve at least 2 percent of infants and toddlers in the 

general population, birth through age 2, through Part C.

Year Target Actual

2020 48 46

2021 49 49

2022 50 49

2023 50 —

2024 50 —

2025 50 —

Additional information: Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in 

December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Measure: The percentage of children receiving age-appropriate early intervention services in 

the home or in programs designed for typically developing peers.

Year Target Actual

2020 95 97

2021 95 96

2022 95 96

2023 95 —

2024 95 —

2025 95 —

Additional information: State lead agencies report annually to the Department on the settings 

in which children receive services provided under the Part C program. Current performance 

represents a significant improvement since 2001, when States reported that only 76 percent of 

children receiving early intervention services through the Part C program were served in the 

home or in programs designed for typically developing peers. Fiscal year 2023 performance 

data is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 

Congressional Justification.
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Efficiency Measure

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

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

Year Target Actual

2020 — 407

2021 — NA

2022 180 219

2023 180 —

2024 — —

2025 — —

Additional information: No site visits were conducted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The timeline for the 180-day count begins on the first day of the month following the OSEP 

engagement month with the State. OSEP’s monitoring activities are conducted throughout the 

engagement month, which includes onsite and virtual monitoring, in addition to interviews and 

meetings with local level staff, parents and other interested parties. 2022 data has been 

updated to reflect three of the four site visits that occurred during that time period. Note: Four of 

five 2023 site visit responses are in process and within timelines. The fifth is in process and 

beyond the 180-day timeline. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in 

December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Other Performance Information

Through the “Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort” (ECLS-B), the National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) collected longitudinal data on a nationally representative sample 

of 14,000 children from their birth in 2001 through their entry into kindergarten. Approximately 

75 percent of the sample entered kindergarten in fall 2006, with the remaining 25 percent 

entering in the following year. The ECLS-B provides data on the early development of these 

children, their preparation for school, and key transitions experienced by these children during 

the early childhood years. The study includes detailed data on the physical, cognitive, social, 

and emotional development of these children. More information is available on the NCES Web 

site at: http://nces.ed.gov/ECLS/birth.asp. 

In July 2011, IES published the final report for the “IDEA National Assessment Implementation 

Study.” This congressionally mandated study provides a national picture of State agency 

implementation of early intervention programs for infants and toddlers under Part C of IDEA, as 

well as both State and school district implementation of special education programs for 

preschool- and school-age children under Part B of IDEA.

The study was based on surveys of State agency directors and a nationally representative 

sample of district special education directors conducted in 2009. Key findings relating to the 

Part C program include:

• Referral and identification—The most common outreach activity reported by States was the 

development and/or dissemination of written materials for pediatricians and other health 

care providers, followed by Web-based dissemination and outreach to childcare providers. 

States reported family members and primary healthcare providers as the most frequent 

sources of referral to the Part C program.
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• Coordination and transition between IDEA programs—At the time the surveys were 

conducted, States reported supporting the transition of young children with disabilities from 

the Part C program to preschool services under section 619 of Part B, but no States 

reported expanding Part C services to serve eligible children with disabilities until they enter 

kindergarten. Forty-six States reported having different coordinators for the Part C and 

Preschool programs, but 67 percent of Part C coordinators reported meeting at least 

monthly with the coordinator for the Preschool program.

• Financing—For the 37 States that provided this information, the average percentage of early 

intervention services funding that came from the Part C program in fiscal year 2009 was 

21 percent. Twenty-three States indicated that State early intervention services funding 

represented the largest source of funding for early intervention services for infants and 

toddlers with disabilities. The largest sources of funding in other States were Part C 

(8 States), Medicaid/Title XIX (8 States), local municipality or county funds (4 States), and 

Part B (1 State).

The final report for the “IDEA National Assessment Implementation Study” is available on the 

IES website at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114026/index.asp. 

The newest ECLS program study, the ECLS-K:2024, will follow the kindergarten class of 2023-

2024 through the fifth grade. The ECLS-K:2024 will be broad in scope and coverage of child 

development, early learning, and school progress, drawing together information from multiple 

sources to provide data about the population of children in the United States who will be in 

kindergarten in the 2023-24 school year. Like previous ECLS kindergarten cohort studies, the 

ECLS-K:2024 will provide comprehensive and reliable data about children’s early learning and 

development, transition into kindergarten and beyond, and progress through elementary grades, 

as well as data relevant to emerging policy-related issues. The data collected over the course of 

the study will allow researchers, policymakers, and educators to examine how child, home, 

classroom, school, and community factors at various points in the child’s life may relate to and 

impact development. The study is intended to provide comprehensive and reliable data that can 

be used to inform public discussion and policies related to early and elementary education.
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National activities: State personnel development

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 1)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

State personnel development

State Personnel Devel opm ent

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$38,630 $38,630 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The State Personnel Development (SPD) program makes competitive awards to help State 

educational agencies (SEAs) reform and improve their systems for personnel preparation and 

professional development of individuals providing early intervention, educational, and transition 

services to improve results for children with disabilities.

The SPD program focuses on professional development needs and each State grantee must 

spend at least 90 percent of its funds on professional development activities, including the 

recruitment and retention of qualified special education teachers. The remaining 10 percent of 

funds is available for State-level activities, such as reforming special education and regular 

education teacher certification (including recertification) or licensing requirements and carrying 

out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes for State certification of 

special education teachers.

Awards are based on State personnel development plans that identify and address State and 

local needs for the preparation and professional development of personnel who serve infants, 

toddlers, preschoolers, or children with disabilities, as well as individuals who provide direct 

supplementary aids and services to children with disabilities. States may work with relevant 

personnel to develop personalized development projects to carry out their State plans under 

section 653 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and implement professional 

development activities that are consistent with the use of funds provisions in section 654 of 

IDEA. Plans must be designed to enable the State to meet the personnel requirements in 

Parts B and C (section 612(a)(14) of the IDEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act 

(ESSA), as well as section 635(a)(8) and (9)) of the IDEA. These plans must also be integrated 

and aligned, to the maximum extent possible, with State plans and activities under the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA); the Rehabilitation Act 

of 1973, as amended; and the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

SPD activities are intended to support statewide strategies to prepare, recruit, and retain 

teachers who are qualified under IDEA. Qualified teachers generally: (1) fully meet the 

applicable State certification and licensure requirements (including any requirements for 

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations 

action.
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certification obtained through alternative routes); (2) are prepared to deliver instruction 

supported by evidence; and (3) are effective in improving outcomes for children with disabilities. 

States must collaborate and seek the input of teachers, principals, parents, administrators, 

paraprofessionals, and other school personnel when developing SPD activities.

Research shows that effective teaching is integral to improving the academic achievement of 

students who are at greatest risk of not meeting State academic standards; for this reason, SPD 

funds are used to provide training in effective interventions. Examples include positive 

behavioral interventions and supports to improve student behavior in the classroom, evidencebased reading instruction, early and appropriate interventions to identify and help children with 

disabilities, effective instruction for children with low incidence disabilities, and strategies for 

successful transitioning to postsecondary educational opportunities. Funds also assist States in 

utilizing classroom-based techniques to assist children prior to referral for special education.

In addition to effective interventions, the SPD program supports States in developing and 

implementing effective strategies for the recruitment and retention of qualified special education 

teachers, such as teacher mentoring provided by exemplary special education teachers, 

principals, or superintendents; induction and support for special education teachers during their 

first 3 years of employment as teachers; and providing incentives, including financial incentives, 

supports, and leadership opportunities to retain special education teachers who have a track 

record of success in helping students with disabilities.

Awards are made for periods of 1 to 5 years, with minimum awards to States of not less than 

$500,000 and not less than $80,000 for Outlying Areas. Factors used to determine the amount 

of each competitive award are: the amount of funds available; the relative population of the 

State or Outlying Area; the types of activities proposed; alignment of proposed activities with 

section 612(a)(14) of IDEA, as amended by the ESSA; alignment of proposed activities with the 

State’s personnel standards; alignment of proposed activities with the State’s consolidated 

ESEA Title I and Title II plans; and, as appropriate, the use of evidence-based programs and 

research.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) 

2020 $38,630

2021 38,630

2022 38,630

2023 38,630

2024 Annualized CR 38,630

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $38.6 million for the State Personnel 

Development (SPD) program, level with a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal 

year 2023 appropriation. This request would support approximately $28.8 million in continuation 

awards and $9.8 million in new awards focused on developing and implementing strategies to 

recruit and retain qualified special education personnel. Personnel shortages and inadequately 

prepared teachers in special education are among the most pressing and chronic problems 

facing the field. According to the annual Teacher Shortage Areas Report released by the 

Department, nearly every state (43), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the 
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Northern Mariana Islands reported a shortage of special education teachers and related service 

personnel in the 2023-2024 school year. SPD projects assist in addressing critical State and 

local needs to enhance personnel preparation and induction to the local educational agency. 

Projects also provide these personnel with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs and 

improve the achievement and other outcomes of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children 

with disabilities.

The request would allow the Administration to continue its support of professional development 

to support a State’s comprehensive system of personnel development under Part C of the IDEA 

and the needs of personnel serving children in preschool through third grade to support early 

literacy and numeracy, helping to build a strong foundation for learning throughout a child’s 

academic career. Funds may also be used to support a focus on classroom management, 

improving supports for children with significant needs, improving services for underserved 

populations, and/or new teacher supports.

The fiscal year 2025 request includes appropriations language that would provide authority to 

use SPD funds under section 655 of IDEA to carry out evaluation activities, including support for 

improved grantee evaluations. SPD is the only program within Part D of IDEA that does not 

have statutory authority to use funds to evaluate program performance.

The following examples illustrate how SPD funds are improving the knowledge and skills of 

teachers serving children with disabilities:

• The Arkansas SPD grant developed microcredentials that provide educators with an 

equitable approach to professional learning on Universal Design for Learning, high-leverage 

practices, and other evidence-based instructional practices. The overall goal is to ensure 

that every student has access to a high-quality, effective teacher, resulting in improved 

outcomes for all, especially students with disabilities. Every teacher who completed the 

microcredentials last year demonstrated increased self-efficacy for improving outcomes for 

all learners, specifically students with disabilities. The program also measured the effect of 

the professional learning opportunities on the reading scores of students with disabilities. 

The project exceeded the target of 61.5 percent of students with disabilities achieving valueadded reading scores by 3.3 percent.

• The Minnesota SPD grant established a goal of increasing the graduation rate of American 

Indian students with disabilities. The program takes a two-pronged approach: (1) it supports 

Check and Connect, an evidence-based mentoring approach, in schools serving American 

Indian students with disabilities, and (2) it supports the recruitment and development of 

American Indian teachers. In SY 2021-2022, the State graduation rate for American Indian 

students with disabilities increased 4.1 percent over SY 2019-2020 from 48.9 percent to 

53 percent.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Project funding amounts:

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants New awards $9,945 $3,574 $9,774

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Continuation awards 28,629 35,000 28,792

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Performance evaluation 53 53 53

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Peer review of new award applications 3 3 11

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Total funding 38,630 38,630 38,630

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Average award 1,072 964 989

Number of awards:

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Number of new awards 5 4 11

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Number of continuation awards 31 36 28

State Personnel Devel opm ent grants Total awards 36 40 39

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To assist State educational agencies in reforming and improving their systems for 

providing educational, early intervention, and transitional services, including their 

systems of professional development, technical assistance, and dissemination of 

knowledge about best practices, to improve results for children with disabilities.

Objective 1: Provide personnel with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of, and 

improve the performance and achievement of, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children with 

disabilities.

Objective 2: Improve the quality of professional development available to meet the needs of 

personnel serving infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Objective 3: Implement strategies that are effective in meeting the requirements of section 

612(a)(14) of IDEA to take measurable steps to retain highly qualified personnel in areas of 

greatest need to provide special education and related services.
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Measure: The percentage of SPD-funded initiatives that meet the benchmarks for use of 

evidence-based professional development practices over time.

Year Target Actual

2020 85% 81%

2021 85 82

2022 82 89

2023 82 88

2024 82 —

2025 82 —

Additional information: In 2023, an outside contractor used a random sampling process to 

select one professional development (PD) initiative for review from 25 SPD grants. Of the 25 

SPD grants reviewed, a total of 22, or 88 percent, were determined to “meet their respective 

benchmarks for use of evidence-based PD practices.” The Department provided additional 

technical assistance to grantees to improve the detail provided in the Annual Performance 

Report (APR) to accurately assess progress.

Measure: The percentage of SPD-funded initiatives that meet the benchmark for improvement 

in implementation over time.

Year Target Actual

2020 70% 60%

2021 70 59

2022 60 48

2023 60 71

2024 60 —

2025 60 —

Additional information: Of the 17 PD initiatives in their third year of implementation in 2023 

that submitted their APR in time for review, a total of 12, or 70.6 percent, were deemed to “meet 

the benchmark for improvement of evidence-based PD practices.” The Department provided 

additional technical assistance to grantees to improve the detail provided in the APR to 

accurately assess progress.

Measure: The percentage of initiatives that meet targets for their use of funds to sustain SPDsupported practices.

Year Target Actual

2020 85% 94%

2021 85 82

2022 85 89

2023 85 84

2024 85 —

2025 85 —

Additional information: Grantee-submitted data describing the cost of the fidelity activities 

designed to sustain individual initiatives is used to support this measure. Targets for each 

initiative are set in conjunction with the grantee. Expert panels review the data to determine 

whether the grantee has met the target for spending on that initiative within 5 percent of the 

target. In 2023, this measure applied to all 35 SPD grants in their second through final years of 
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funding; however, only 25 grantees submitted their APR in the data collection timeline for the 

review. A total of 21, or 84 percent, were deemed to “meet the grantee benchmark for using 

funds to support sustainability.”
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National activities: Technical assistance and dissemination

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 2, Section 663)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority: 

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$45,345 $45,345 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) program is the Department’s primary 

vehicle under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for identifying, providing, and 

disseminating information on effective practices to educators, policymakers, service providers, 

and families of children and youth with disabilities. The program makes competitive awards to 

provide technical assistance, support model demonstration projects, disseminate useful 

information, and implement activities that are supported by scientific research. These awards 

are intended to improve services provided under IDEA, promote academic achievement, and 

improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.

TA&D activities support the application of knowledge to improve practices among professionals 

and others involved in providing services that promote academic achievement and improve 

outcomes for children with disabilities. Through TA&D, the Department focuses on identifying 

and disseminating evidence-based practices and building capacity at the State and local levels 

to implement, sustain, and scale-up such practices. For example, these activities have 

successfully facilitated the expanded use of evidence-based practices such as positive 

behavioral interventions and supports, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which 

have been implemented and widely used throughout the country as a framework for delivering 

differentiated instruction.

The majority of TA&D program investments support national and regional technical assistance 

centers that are intended to support the field in implementing Parts B and C of IDEA by 

expanding the use of evidence-based and promising practices. Centers focus on a variety of 

critical topics, such as early childhood education, inclusive practices, behavior, literacy, 

assessment, and secondary transition. Most centers use a service model that provides three 

levels of technical assistance: (1) intensive, sustained; (2) targeted, specific; and (3) general, 

universal. At the intensive, sustained level, a small number of States receive on-site, ongoing 

planned assistance designed to reach an outcome desired by the recipient. Through targeted, 

specific services, centers support activities based on the topical or technical needs common to 

multiple recipients. Targeted, specific services can include one-time or short-term events, such 

as consultation services or presentations at conferences. The centers also provide general, 

universal technical assistance services that are intended to help broader audiences access 

information and services through presentations, newsletters, or research syntheses that are 

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations 

action.
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made available on center websites. Activities supported through this program are designed to 

address the needs of a variety of audiences, including teachers, related service personnel, early 

intervention personnel, administrators, parents, and individuals with disabilities. 

The TA&D program also funds model demonstration projects that evaluate the implementation 

of research findings in typical settings. Models that are found to be effective can then be 

promoted by the network of TA&D centers. In recent years, the program also has sought to 

leverage existing resources through improved collaboration and coordination with other related 

federally funded technical assistance and dissemination activities. TA&D activities promote the 

application of knowledge to improve practice by determining areas where technical assistance 

and information are needed, ensuring that materials are prepared in formats that are 

appropriate for a wide variety of audiences, making technical assistance and information 

accessible to consumers, and promoting communication links among consumers. 

Eligible entities under this program include public entities or agencies (such as State 

educational agencies, local educational agencies (LEAs), and institutions of higher education), 

private non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations. The duration of awards varies with 

the award's purpose, though most individual awards are made for a period of 5 years.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $44,345

2021 44,345

2022 44,345

2023 45,345

2024 Annualized CR 45,345

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $45.3 million for the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination (TA&D) program, level with a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal 

year 2023 appropriation. Of the funds requested, approximately $3.8 million (including peer 

review costs) would be used for new projects, and $41.5 million would support the continuation 

of grants made in prior years. Funding will support a variety of TA Centers and Model 

Demonstration projects aimed at supporting implementation of IDEA Part B and C and spurring 

innovation in the field. 

Supporting Military-Connected Children with Disabilities and Other Highly-mobile 

Children

This Administration is dedicated to ensuring that the children of military servicemembers receive 

access to the best educational supports available and that their academic and social progress 

are in no way hampered by their parents’ service to our Nation. Military-connected children often 

experience multiple moves, extended separations from family members, increased fear for their 

parent’s safety during deployment, and other stressors related to the unpredictability of military 

life. Military-connected children with disabilities face additional challenges in their education, 

especially around permanent change of station transitions. Many military families who move 

regularly find that it can be challenging to transfer an IEP from school to school. About
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55 percent of military-connected parents surveyed in a recent study1 reported a loss of 

resources and support for their child with disabilities and 42 percent of military-connected 

parents of children reported that their child’s IEP was either changed or not implemented upon 

arrival at a new duty station. 

The Administration is committed to addressing the challenges that military children with 

disabilities face when transitioning between schools. As such, the Department, within the BidenHarris Administration report titled Strengthening America’s Military Families2 released in 

September 2021, committed to collaborating across Federal agencies to address the needs of 

military families. For example, the Department is working with the Department of Defense Office 

of Special Needs and Exceptional Family Member Program to develop targeted technical 

assistance on evidence-based practices that address specific barriers frequently impacting 

military connected families and children with disabilities. 

In addition to military-connected children, many other highly-mobile children, including children 

experiencing homelessness, in foster care and children of migratory agricultural workers, 

frequently change schools. Disruptions in the provision of special education services for highlymobile children with disabilities when they transition schools negatively impacts academic and 

developmental outcomes for already at-risk children. The Administration is also committed to 

assisting highly-mobile children with disabilities and their families to ensure continuous access 

to high-quality services.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all of its investments under TA&D, including 

model demonstrations, are designed to generate evidence that supports service delivery for 

military-connected children with disabilities. Model demonstration projects involve investigating 

the degree to which a given model can be implemented and sustained in real-world settings, by 

staff employed in those settings, while achieving outcomes similar to those attained under 

research conditions. For example, the fiscal year 2024 Model demonstration competition has a 

priority for projects aimed at developing innovative family engagement strategies that improve 

transitions for military-connected students with disabilities. The knowledge gleaned from these 

projects will support the implementation of evidence-based practices to support and improve 

outcomes for military-connected children with disabilities, and other highly-mobile children, 

across the country. This request complements additional investments to support militaryconnected and highly-mobile children and their families described in Educational Technology, 

Media, and Materials. 

Keeping Our Students Safe in the Classroom

Data from the 2017-2018 school year show that 77 percent of all seclusions and 80 percent of 

all physical restraints were utilized with students with disabilities, despite those students 

representing only about 13 percent of the total student population.3 The Administration is deeply 

concerned that the use of such practices may violate students’ civil rights and deny them access 

to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment, and may, in 

extreme circumstances, put children in physical danger or cause death. In addition, the 

Administration is concerned more broadly about the extent to which exclusionary discipline 

practices (including in-school and out-of-school suspensions) prevent equal and equitable 

access to the learning environment, particularly for students with disabilities. The Department 

1 https://www.militarychild.org/upload/files/MCEC_2020EdSurvey_digital.pdf

2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Strengthening_Americas_Military_Families.pdf 3 https://ocrdata.ed.gov/specialreports/disciplinereport
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will continue to work towards reductions in the use of seclusion, restraint, and exclusionary 

discipline practices through investments in the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive 

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes for Students with Disabilities and the National 

Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. For example, the 

National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes 

for Students with Disabilities can reduce seclusion and restraint by improving State and local 

capacity to address the social, emotional, and behavioral development of young children with 

disabilities, while the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior Interventions 

and Supports provides schools with guidance on deploying school-wide strategies to improve 

school climates that can proactively reduce seclusion and restraint.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Program Funding:

Model demonstration projects: 

Model dem onstration centers: New 0 $1,600 $1,588

Model dem onstration centers: Continuations $4,628 2,164 2,196

Model dem onstration centers: Subtotal 4,628 3,764 3,784 

School climate and behavior:

 New 1,864 0 0

Regional/F eder al Resource Centers: Continuations 2,900 4,736 4,750

Regional/F eder al Resource Centers: Subtotal 4,764 4,736 4,750

Early childhood: 

Early childhood technical assistance: New 0 0 0

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 5,814 5,400 5,400

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 5,814 5,400 5,400

Building systems of support:

Early childhood technical assistance: New 744 6,250 0

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 8,450 2,947 9,182

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 9,194 9,197 9,182

Effective instruction:

Early childhood technical assistance: New 0 3,250 0

Early childhood technical assistance: Continuations 4,000 2,000 5,250

Early childhood technical assistance: Subtotal 4,000 5,250 5,250

Secondary transition: 

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: New 0 0 2,100

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: Continuations 2,100 2,100 0

Secondary, transiti on and postsecondary technical assistance: Subtotal 2,100 2,100 2,100

Sensory Disabilities: 

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: New 12,100 0 0

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: Continuations 1,300 13,400 13,400

Technical assistance for children w ho ar e both deaf and blind: Subtotal 13,400 13,400 13,400
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Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

National Activities:

 New 0 599 0

 Continuations 1,321 773 1,354

 Subtotal 1,321 1,372 1,354

Total program funding:

New 14,707 11,699 3,688

Continuations 30,512 33,521 41,532

Peer review 125 125 125

Total 45,345 45,345 45,345

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To assist States and their partners in systems improvement through the 

integration of scientifically based practices. 

Objective 1: States and other recipients of Special Education Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination program services will implement scientifically or evidence-based practices for 

infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Objective 2: Improve the quality of Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

projects.

Objective 3: The Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination program will 

identify, implement, and evaluate evidence-based models to improve outcomes for infants, 

toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Five performance measures were developed for the Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

program. Three of these measures are annual measures, and two are long-term.

Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the quality, relevance, and usefulness of products and 

services funded by the program. These measures were developed as part of an effort to make 

measures relating to technical assistance and dissemination activities more consistent 

Department-wide but have been adapted to reflect the unique purposes of the TA&D program. 

The actual data and targets for these measures reflect the performance in the year that the 

activity took place; in this case, the year the product or service was developed or delivered. 

For each of the three annual performance measures, expert panels review a sample of products 

and services developed by grantees against a listing of evidence-based practices in areas the 
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Department has identified as critical. The sample of grantees included in this measure for each 

year consists of TA&D centers in their second year or later and 10 State Deaf-Blind programs. 

The expert panels review and score all products and services based on an OSEP-designed 

rubric that is specific to each performance measure, rating the products and services on the 

extent to which they meet the measure’s performance indicators. Scores are weighted by the 

size of the investment in each program area reviewed.

Measure: The percentage of Technical Assistance and Dissemination products and services 

deemed to be of high quality by an independent review panel of experts qualified to review the 

substantive content of the products and services.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 97%

2021 90 97

2022 90 89

2023 90 97

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Expert panels review all products and services and score them based 

on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of these materials is: evidence-based, 

valid, complete, and up-to-date. 

Measure: The percentage of Technical Assistance and Dissemination products and services 

deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be of high relevance to 

educational and early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2020 93% 97%

2021 93 100

2022 93 97

2023 93 92

2024 93 —

2025 93 —

Additional information: Expert panels review the products and services and score them 

based on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of materials is responsive to 

priority issues, including challenges confronting the target groups. 
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Measure: The percentage of all Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

products and services deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful 

to improve educational or early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 94%

2021 90 100

2022 90 100

2023 90 89

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Expert panels review the products and services and score them 

based on a rubric that assesses the extent to which the content of materials can be easily and 

quickly adopted or adapted by the target group, and the likelihood that the product or service, if 

adopted, will produce the desired result. 

Long-Term Performance Measures

The Department established two long-term measures for this program. Data for the long-term 

measures are collected every 2 years. 

Measure: The percentage of effective evidence-based program models developed by model 

demonstration projects that are promoted to States and their partners through the TA&D 

Network. 

Year Target Actual

2018 Baseline 25%

2020 Baseline 25

2022 Baseline 22

2023 Baseline 42

2024 Baseline —

2025 Baseline —

Additional information: This measure was developed in 2010 to provide the Department 

valuable data on how well model demonstration projects are disseminating effective practices, a 

key component of this program. The Department defines an “effective program model” as “one 

that has been sustained in implementation sites beyond the life of the model demonstration 

project and has experienced some spread to other sites to be effective.” Grantees provide a 

written summary of follow-up study findings for third-party evaluation. Program models for which 

core components were sustained at a majority of implementation sites and which experienced 

some spread to additional staff or sites are rated as “effective.” Only those models deemed 

effective are included in the calculation, and have their promotion assessed.
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Measure: The percentage of school districts and service agencies receiving technical 

assistance and dissemination services regarding scientifically or evidence-based practices for 

infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities that implement those practices.

Year Target Actual

2015 86% 100%

2017 86 100

2019 83 100

2021 90 90

2023 90 75

2025 90 —

Additional information: Experts review data from States that have received intensive 

technical assistance from OSEP TA&D Centers in six focus areas. These areas include 

inclusive practices, instructional strategies, behavior, early intervention, literacy, assessment, 

and secondary transition.
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National activities: Personnel preparation 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 2, Section 662)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$115,000 $125,000 +$10,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Personnel Preparation program helps meet State-identified needs for adequate numbers of 

fully certified personnel to serve children with disabilities by supporting competitive awards to:

• provide research-based training and professional development to prepare special education, 

related services, early intervention, and regular education personnel to work with children 

with disabilities;

• ensure that those personnel are fully qualified and possess the skills and knowledge that are 

needed to serve children with disabilities; and

• ensure that regular education teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide 

instruction to students with disabilities in regular education classrooms.

In addition, the Department is required by statute to make competitive grants that support 

training activities in a few high-priority areas, including personnel development, beginning 

special educators, personnel to serve children with low incidence disabilities, and leadership 

personnel.

Personnel Development: This broad authority requires the Department to support at least one 

of the following activities:

• promoting partnerships and collaborative personnel preparation and training between 

institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies (LEAs);

• developing, evaluating, and disseminating innovative models for the recruitment, induction, 

retention, and assessment of teachers;

• providing continuous preparation and professional development to support special education 

and general education teachers and related services personnel;

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for fiscal year 2025 is expected through 

appropriations action.
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• developing and improving programs for paraprofessionals to become special educators;

• promoting instructional leadership and improved collaboration between general and special 

education;

• supporting training and professional development at IHEs with an enrollment of students of 

color of not less than 25 percent; and

• developing and improving programs to train special educators to develop expertise in autism 

spectrum disorders.

Beginning Special Educators: The Department is also required to make at least one award 

to: (a) enhance and restructure existing teacher education programs or develop teacher 

education programs that prepare special education teachers by incorporating an extended 

clinical learning opportunity, field experience, or supervised practicum (e.g., an additional 

5th year), or (b) create and support teacher-faculty partnerships between LEAs and IHEs (e.g.,

professional development schools) that provide high-quality mentoring and induction 

opportunities with ongoing support for beginning special educators or in-service support and 

professional development opportunities.

Personnel to Serve Children with Low Incidence Disabilities: Awards to support personnel 

to serve children with low incidence disabilities are designed to help ensure the availability of 

highly qualified personnel by providing financial aid as an incentive for the pursuit of careers in 

special education, related services, and early intervention. Under this authority, the term “low 

incidence disabilities” refers to visual or hearing impairments, significant intellectual disabilities, 

and persistent and severe learning and behavioral problems that need the most intensive 

individualized supports. Activities include preparing personnel; providing personnel from various 

disciplines with interdisciplinary training that will contribute to improvements in early intervention 

and educational outcomes for children with low incidence disabilities; and preparing personnel 

in the innovative uses of technology to enhance educational outcomes for children with low 

incidence disabilities; and to improve communication with parents.

Leadership Personnel: These activities help ensure that leadership personnel in both regular 

and special education have the skills and training to help students with disabilities achieve to 

high standards. Under this authority, leadership personnel may include teacher preparation and 

related service faculty, administrators, researchers, supervisors, and principals. Authorized 

activities include preparing personnel at the graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels, and 

providing interdisciplinary training for various types of leadership personnel.

All Personnel Preparation competitions emphasize the value of incorporating best practices, as 

determined through research, evaluations, and experience. These include practices related to 

personnel training and professional development, as well as the provision of special education, 

related services, and early intervention services. Grants are typically 5 years in length.

While individuals and students are not eligible for awards under the Personnel Preparation 

program, many grantees are required to use at least 65 percent of their award(s) for student 

support (e.g., tuition, stipends, and payment of fees). Students who receive financial assistance 

from projects funded under the program are required to pay back such assistance by working 

for a period of time after they complete their training in the area(s) for which they received 

training, or by making a cash repayment to the Federal Government if they do not meet that 
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work obligation. In recent years, approximately half of the total funding available under the 

program has been used to directly support student scholarships.

The Department also makes awards to centers under this program that focus on enhancing the 

quality of work in a particular topical area through such activities as professional development, 

technical assistance, partnerships, or the development and dissemination of materials and best 

practices.

Additional support for personnel preparation activities is provided through the State Personnel 

Development Grants program, under which the Department makes competitive awards to help 

State educational agencies reform and improve in-service preparation and professional 

development activities for teachers, including the recruitment and retention of special education 

teachers.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were: 

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $89,700

2021 90,200

2022 95,000

2023 115,000

2024 Annualized CR 115,000

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $125.0 million for the Personnel Preparation 

program, $10.0 million more than a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal year

2023 appropriation. Of the total amount, approximately $19.3 million (including peer review 

costs) would be used for new projects, and $105.7 million would support the continuation of 

grants made in prior years. The program is aligned with the Department’s “Raise the Bar: Lead 

the World” initiative through which it focuses on achieving academic excellence and prepares 

every student to be active, engaged, and lifelong learners. 

Every child with a disability should have access to high quality service providers and educators 

with the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and experience to meet their unique needs. However, 

far too many districts and schools nationwide face shortages of qualified special education staff. 

The significant funding increases in this program in recent years have been critical to 

addressing the long-term shortages of special education teachers. However, more resources 

are needed. For the 2023-24 school year, 43 States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia 

projected a shortage of qualified teachers in special education, more than for any other teacher 

shortage area by an eight state margin.

1 In a 2022 survey, 77 percent of schools reported 

difficulty in hiring special education teachers.

2 These shortages have led some States to 

increase class sizes or to rely more on long-term substitutes or teachers who are not fully 

credentialed to teach students with disabilities.3 The shortage of highly qualified teachers can 

1 https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/Eliminating-Educator-Shortages-through-Increasing-Educator-Diversity 2 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2022, 

September 27). Too Few Candidates Applying for Teaching Jobs the Primary Hiring Challenge for More Than TwoThird of Public Schools Entering the 2022-

23 SchoolYear. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/09_27_2022.asp. 3 https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/r_ondrasek_feb20_v2.pdf 
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impact a district’s ability to provide students with disabilities the services they need that districts 

must provide. In a national survey of 1,000 special educators, 82 percent of respondents 

reported there were insufficient special education personnel to adequately serve students with 

disabilities.1 And the shortage of special education personnel has become more severe over 

time. Despite a 5 percent growth in the number of students with disabilities between school 

years 2007-8 and 2017-18, the number of special educators remained flat.2,3

In addition to the overall shortage, there is an acute shortage of special educators of color. 

Students of color with disabilities, who make up over half of all students with disabilities, are 

served by a special educator workforce that is 82% white.4 Research has shown that a diverse 

educator workforce has academic and social benefits for all students, particularly students of 

color.5

This request recognizes the need for critical investments in high quality preparation programs 

that support the development of diverse staff prepared to fill a wide range of roles in the special 

education pipeline and provide educators with the skills they need to be effective in their 

practice and keep them in the profession. Additionally, to address persistent gaps between 

students with disabilities and their peers in reading and writing, as reflected in the 2022 National 

Assessment of Educational Progress,

6 new grants would focus on ensuring personnel are 

trained in the most up to date, evidence-based early numeracy and literacy instructional 

practices to ensure students, such as students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia and 

dyscalculia and speech-language disabilities, receive high-quality early academic instruction 

and supports. 

Specifically, the request would invest $30 million in doctoral programs designed to support the 

development of faculty at institutions of higher education who can prepare future special 

education teachers and related services providers. Over the next five years, the Administration 

estimates that these investments will produce an additional 480 faculty members who, in turn, 

would be able to support the training of an additional 14,000 special educators per year. This 

investment would greatly expand the future teacher preparation pipeline and ensure that more 

well-prepared teachers enter the classroom per year than ever before. 

In addition, the request would invest $70.7 million in pre-service training programs for special 

education teachers and related services providers, helping meet the needs of students today. 

Within this amount, $7.5 million will be reserved for new projects training teachers at Historically 

Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities and 

Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), as well as programs with a history of placing well-qualified 

teachers and service providers in under resourced school districts. In total, the Administration 

estimates that these investments, if sustained, would produce more than 15,500 additional 

service providers over the next five years, ultimately serving nearly 340,000 students per year. 

1 National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services, 

https://specialedshortages.org/about-the-shortage/. 2 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED557421.pdf

3 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/2020-annual-report-congress-idea/ 4 NCES statistics on children served under IDEA, Part B by race/ethnicity in school year 2018-19, 

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_204.40.asp; and The Push to Get More Teachers of Color in 

Special Education Classrooms, Education Week, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-push-to-get-moreteachers-of-color-in-special-education-classrooms/2019/09. 5 https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/diversifying-teaching-profession-brief 6 https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ 
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Program Funding:

Low incidence disabilities grants:

New Low incidence disabilities grants $500 $3,900 0

Continuations Low incidence disabilities grants 5,376 2,200 $6,100

Subtotal Low incidence disabilities grants 5,876 6,100 6,100

Leadership training grants:

New Low incidence disabilities grants 8,533 0 6,000

Continuations Low incidence disabilities grants 25,818 25,810 23,896

Subtotal Low incidence disabilities grants 34,350 25,810 29,896

Training improvement grants:

New Program improvement grants 1,300 6,000 3,000

Continuations Program improvement grants 3,362 4,700 10,700

Subtotal Program improvement grants 4,662 10,700 13,700

Early childhood grants:

New Early childhood grants 2,072 0 0

Continuations Early childhood grants 2,000 4,088 3,996

Subtotal Early childhood grants 4,072 4,088 3,996

Pre-service training grants

New Other personnel development grants 21,798 12,250 10,000

Continuations Other personnel development grants 35,196 47,923 54,327

Subtotal Other personnel development grants 56,994 60,173 64,327

In-Service Support and Retention 3,000 0 0

Continuations in-service support and retention 2,154 4,296 4,238

Subtotal in-service support and retention 5,154 4,296 4,238

Contracts:

New 1,000 911 0

Continuations national activities 2,320 2,576 2,477

Subtotal national activities 3,320 3,487 2,477

Total Program Funding:

New total program funding 38,203 23,061 19,000

Continuations total program funding 76,225 91,563 105,733

Peer review of new award 

applications 572 346 266

Total 115,000 115,000 125,000
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To prepare service providers and leadership personnel in areas of critical need 

who are highly qualified to improve outcomes for children with disabilities. 

Objective 1: Improve the curricula of IDEA training programs to ensure that personnel 

preparing to serve children with disabilities are knowledgeable and skilled in practices that 

reflect the current knowledge base. 

Objective 2: Increase the supply of teachers and service providers who are highly qualified for 

and serve in positions for which they are trained.

Objective 3: Enhance the efficiency of the expenditure of Federal dollars under the program.

Annual Performance Measures

The program has five annual performance measures designed to provide information on various 

aspects of program quality, including outcomes for scholars who receive funding through the 

program. 

Measure: Percentage of projects that incorporate scientifically- or evidence-based practices in 

their curricula.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 96%

2021 90 86

2022 90 —

2023 90 —

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor using a panel of five 

to seven experts, who review a randomly selected sample of grantee course syllabi submitted 

by funded applicants in the same cohort of grantees. Fiscal year 2022 performance data is 

expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the Fiscal year 2026 

Congressional Justification. 

In 2017, the Department began requiring grantees to operate interdisciplinary projects and, as a 

result, allowed grantees to use up to 12 months of their project periods for planning purposes. 

As a result, for all cohorts shown above, syllabi review occurred one year after initial award. 
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Measure: Percentage of scholars who exit training programs prior to completion due to poor 

academic performance.

Year Target Actual

2020 1.9 0.9

2021 1.9 0.6

2022 1.9 —

2023 1.9 —

2024 1.9 —

2025 1.9 —

Additional information: Grantees submit data annually through the Department Personnel 

Preparation Data Report Web-based data collection (see: http://www.oseppdp.ed.gov). Fiscal 

year 2022 performance data is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included 

in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are working in the area(s) for which 

they are trained upon program completion.

Year Target Actual

2020 87% 91%

2021 90 90

2022 90 —

2023 90 —

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: In 2021, 770 scholars completed their program of study and were 

employed in the area(s) for which they were trained. The denominator includes scholars who 

completed their program of study and were not employed in the area(s) for which they were 

trained (86 scholars in 2021) and scholars who completed their program of study and were 

employed in the area(s) for which they were trained (770 scholars in 2021). Fiscal year 2022 

performance data is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the 

fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in high-need 

districts.

Year Target Actual

2020 85% 67%

2021 85 72

2022 85 —

2023 85 —

2024 85 —

2025 85 —

Additional information: In calculating this measure, the Department uses employment 

records submitted by scholars and matches that employment data to school districts in the 
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Common Core of Data (CCD), which are then classified as high-need using free and reducedprice lunch data.

Performance on this measure improved in 2021 after declining significantly in 2020, due, the 

Department believes, at least in part to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As noted in the 

preceding measure, overall rates of employment did not decline significantly, but 

degree/certification recipients were less likely to teach in high-need districts. Fiscal year 2022 

performance data is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the 

fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Measure: Percentage of degree/certification recipients who are rated as effective by their 

employers.

Year Target Actual

2020 80% 85%

2021 80 87

2022 80 —

2023 80 —

2024 80 —

2025 80 —

Additional information: In 2021, 643 scholars were rated as effective by their employers. The 

denominator for this measure includes scholars whose employment records had not been 

verified by their employers (99 scholars in 2021), scholars who had been deemed as “less than 

effective” or “ineffective” by their employer (0 scholars in 2021), and scholars who had been 

deemed “effective” by their employer 643 scholars in 2021). Fiscal year 2022 performance data 

is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 

Congressional Justification.

Long-Term Performance Measures

The program currently has one long-term measure that tracks the skills of scholars supported 

with program funds. The Department also is currently piloting a new long-term outcome 

measure – the percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in the field of 

special education for at least 2 years. 

Measure: Percentage of scholars completing Special Education Personnel Preparation funded 

training programs who are knowledgeable and skilled in evidence-based practices for children 

with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 85%

2021 95 94

2022 95 —

2023 95 —

2024 95 —

2025 95 —

Additional Information: This measure reflects performance on independent exams, such as 

the Praxis II, that are designed to assess the knowledge and skills of special educators. Fiscal 
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year 2022 performance data is expected to be available in December 2024 and will be included 

in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification.

Efficiency Measures

Measure: The Federal cost per degree or certification program recipient working in the area(s) 

in which they were trained upon program completion.

Year Target Actual

2020 $32,500 $36,173

2021 32,500 51,725

2022 32,500 38,284

2023 32,500 —

2024 32,500 —

2025 32,500 —

Additional information: Results on this measure in 2020 were markedly higher than in prior 

years. While results of this measure continue to be higher than pre-2020 levels, the increase 

has been largely driven by a higher than usual number of doctoral preparation programs being 

included in the measure (average cost per program completer of $208,223 in 2022), costs for 

both doctoral and masters level programs (average cost per program completer of $30,770 in 

2022) were higher than in prior years. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be 

available in December 2024 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional 

Justification.
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National activities: Parent information centers 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 3, Sections 671-673)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

Par ent inform ation centers

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$33,152 $33,152 0 Par ent Informati on C enters

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Parent Information Centers program is one of the primary vehicles under the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for providing information and training to parents of 

children with disabilities. The program supports competitive awards to help ensure that:

• Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information designed to 

assist these children in meeting developmental and functional goals and challenging 

academic achievement goals, and in being prepared to lead productive independent adult 

lives;

• Children with disabilities and their parents receive training and information on their rights, 

responsibilities, and protections under IDEA, in order to develop the skills necessary to 

participate effectively in planning and decision-making relating to early intervention, 

educational, and transitional services; and

• Parents receive coordinated and accessible technical assistance and information to assist 

them in improving early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for 

their children and families.

The training and information provided by the centers help ensure that parents and families have 

the opportunity, knowledge, and skills to help their children with disabilities succeed. In addition 

to helping parents and families better understand the nature of their children’s disabilities and 

their educational and developmental needs, the centers provide training and information on how 

parents and families can work with professionals serving their children. For parents of schoolaged children, this includes participating with administrators and teachers in the development of 

their child’s individualized education programs (IEPs), as required by the IDEA. For parents of 

infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services, this means participating with a 

multidisciplinary team in the development of individualized family service plans (IFSPs).

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for FY 2025 is expected through appropriations 

action.
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The IDEA authorizes three types of competitively awarded projects: parent training and 

information centers, community parent resource centers, and technical assistance for parent 

centers. The award period for these projects is typically 5 years.

• Parent training and information (PTIs) centers must serve parents of children of all 

ages (birth to 26) and all types of disabilities. The training and information provided by 

the centers must meet the needs of parents of children with disabilities living in areas 

served by the centers, particularly underserved parents and parents of children who may 

be inappropriately identified. At least one award for a parent training and information 

center must be made in each State, subject to the receipt of acceptable applications. 

Large and heavily populated States typically have multiple centers that serve designated 

counties.

The centers also play an important role in dispute resolution by sharing information on 

the benefits of alternative methods of dispute resolution, such as mediation, which 

States are required to make available under IDEA. Parent center staff attend or facilitate 

over 1,000 alternative dispute resolution sessions every year. As part of that role, parent 

centers are required to meet with parents to explain the IDEA-mandated mediation 

process. In States where parent centers provide this service, they typically do so through 

contracts with State educational agencies.

The Department allocates funds to parent centers through a formula based on three 

weighted indicators of need: State population of ages 0 to 26 (85 percent), child poverty 

(10 percent), and rural school enrollment (5 percent), with most centers receiving a 

minimum of $200,000. No center will receive a reduction of more than 20 percent below 

the amount of the fiscal year 2014 grant.

• Community parent resource centers (CPRCs) are parent training and information 

centers in smaller, geographically defined areas that are operated by local parent 

organizations and help ensure underserved parents of children with disabilities, including 

parents with low incomes, parents of children who are English learners, and parents with 

disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable them to participate 

effectively in helping their children. Community parent resource centers are required to 

establish cooperative partnerships with the parent training and information centers in 

their States.

• Parent technical assistance centers support parent training and information centers 

and community parent resource centers in areas such as coordinating parent training 

efforts, disseminating evidence-based research and information, and ensuring the 

effective use of technology. The parent technical assistance center network maintains a 

website with a wide variety of information and materials for parents and professionals, as 

well as a directory of the parent centers (http://www.parentcenterhub.org/).

An applicant for a parent center grant must be a parent organization that has a board of 

directors, the majority of which must be parents of individuals with disabilities under the age of 

26. The board must also include individuals with disabilities and individuals working in the fields 

of special education, related services, or early intervention. The parent and professional 

members of the board must be broadly representative of the population to be served, including 

parents with low incomes and parents of English learners.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands) 

2020 $27,411

2021 27,411

2022 30,152

2023 33,152

2024 Annualized CR 33,152

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $33.2 million for the Parent Information 

Centers program, level with a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. The request would support a new PTI competition and 31 CPRC and Technical 

Assistance Center continuation awards.

Parent Information Centers provide direct resources for parents and families and act as referral 

points to other resources such as those available under the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination program, which coordinates its activities with Parent Information Centers to 

ensure that parents participating in parent training projects, as well as other parents, have 

access to valid information that is designed to address their needs.

Together, the PTIs, CPRCs, and Technical Assistance Centers provide training and information 

to over one million parents and professionals each year.1 Family involvement in children’s 

learning is critical to ensuring the provision of high-quality education and related services that 

promote positive educational and life outcomes. Decades of research show that positive schoolfamily partnerships can effectively involve families in their children’s learning and improve 

student achievement.2 Studies show that all families can take concrete steps that significantly 

help their children succeed in school, regardless of their income, education, disability status, or 

knowledge of the English language.3

Parent Information Centers are effective at helping families understand and advocate for the 

rights of their children. For example, in fiscal year 2023, 93 percent of parents receiving 

program services reported having enhanced capacity to work with schools and service providers 

effectively in meeting the needs of their children. Demand for PTI services is strong. 

Furthermore, investments in PTIs and CPRCs can address longstanding barriers underserved 

families face in ensuring children receive appropriate services, particularly low-income families, 

and families of color. For example, a 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) found that families in low-income school districts were substantially less likely to engage 

in the IDEA dispute resolution process, which can help families secure additional services their 

children require or resolve placement and discipline disputes, than families from high-income 

1 There are nearly 100 PTIs and CPRCs in the United States and Territories. They can be located using the tool 

found at: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/. 2 Anne T. Henderson, Karen L. Mapp (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family and community 

connections on student learning. Austin, TX: Southwest Education Development Laboratory 

(https://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf). 3 See Lisa Boonk, Hieronymus J.M. Gijselaers, Henk Ritzen, Saskia Brand-Gruwel (2018). A review of the 

relationship between parental involvement indicators and academic achievement. Educational Research Review 24, 

10-30 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X18301027); S. Wilder (2014). Effects of parental 

involvement on academic achievement: a meta-synthesis. Educational Review 66:3, 377-397 

(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2013.780009?src=recsys).
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school districts.1 Reasons for the discrepancy cited in the GAO report include challenges lowincome families face in paying attorney’s fees and feeling at a disadvantage with the school 

district’s knowledge and financial resources. PTIs and CPRCs can play a pivotal role in leveling 

the playing field by providing families information and direct assistance through the dispute 

resolution process. This request maintains crucial support for underserved families.

Supporting Military-Connected Children with Disabilities and Other Highly-Mobile 

Children

This Administration is dedicated to ensuring that the children of military servicemembers receive 

access to the best educational supports available and that their academic and social progress 

are in no way hampered by their parents’ service to our Nation. Military-connected children often 

experience multiple moves, extended separations from family members, increased fear for their 

parent’s safety during deployment, and other stressors related to the unpredictability of military 

life. Military-connected children with disabilities face additional challenges in their education, 

especially around permanent change of station transitions. Many military families who move 

regularly find that it can be challenging to transfer an IEP from school to school. Fifty-five 

percent of military-connected parents surveyed in a recent study reported a loss of resources 

and support for their child with disabilities and 42 percent of military-connected parents of 

children reported that their child’s IEP was either changed or not implemented upon arrival at a 

new duty station.2

In addition to military-connected children, many other highly-mobile children, including children 

experiencing homelessness, in foster care and children of migratory agricultural workers, 

frequently change schools. Disruptions in the provision of special education services for highlymobile children with disabilities when they transition schools negatively impacts academic and 

developmental outcomes for already at-risk children. Therefore, the Administration is also 

committed to assisting highly-mobile children with disabilities and their families to ensure 

continuous access to high-quality services.

In November 2023, the Department released a letter3 to State Directors of Special Education 

and State IDEA Part C Coordinators emphasizing the need to provide services and supports 

that meet the unique needs of military-connected children with disabilities and the importance of 

partnering with families to ensure successful transitions when students move schools. The 

Department also released technical assistance4 that compiles resources, including parent 

information centers, the Department of Defense (DOD) and organizations supporting militaryconnected families that can help to support States, parents, families, and school staff improve 

outcomes for military-connected children with disabilities, and ensure the timely provision of 

early intervention and special education services. In FY 2025, the Department will continue to 

work with DOD and existing TA centers to provide parent information centers with guidance and 

resources on serving military-connected and highly-mobile families.

1 https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-22 2 https://www.militarychild.org/upload/files/MCEC_2020EdSurvey_digital.pdf

3 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/letter-on-military-connected-children-with-disabilities-nov-9-2023/ 4 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/military-connected-children-with-disabilities/
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Program Funding:

Parent Training & Information Centers:

New: Parent Training & Info Centers 0 0 $25,851

Continuations: Par ent Tr aini ng & Info Centers $21,038 $21,178 0

Supplements: Parent Trai ning & Info C enters 4,673 4,673 0

Subtotal: Par ent Trai ning & Info C enters 25,711 25,851 25,851

Community Parent Resource Centers:

New: Community Parent Resource Centers 0 0 0

Continuations: Community Par ent R esource C enters 3,120 3,120 3,120

Supplements Community Parent Resource Centers 780 780 780

Subtotal: Community Parent Resource Centers 3,900 3,900 3,900

Technical Assistance Centers:

New: Technical Assistance 3,142 0 0

Continuations: Technical Assistance 0 3,018 3,002

Subtotal: Technical Assistance 3,142 3,018 3,002

Total Program Funding:

New: Total 3,142 0 25,851

Continuations: Total 24,158 27,316 6,122

Supplements: Total 5,453 5,453 780

Contracts: Total 383 383 383

Peer Review of new award applications: Total 16 0 16

Total 33,152 33,152 33,152

Number of Projects:

Parent Training & Information Centers:

New: Parent Training & Info Centers 0 0 65

Continuations: Parent Training & Info 65 65 0

Community Parent Resource Centers:

New: Community Parent Resource Centers 0 0 0

Continuations: Community Parent Resource Centers 26 26 26

Technical Assistance Centers:

New: Technical Assistance 5 0 0

Continuations: Technical Assistance 0 5 5

Total number of projects:

New: Total 5 0 65

Continuations: Total 91 96 31

Total 96 96 96
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To provide training and information to parents of children with disabilities.

Objective 1: Improve the quality of parent training and information projects.

Objective 2: Parents served by Special Education Parent Information Centers will be 

knowledgeable about their IDEA rights and responsibilities.

Objective 3: Parents served by Special Education Parent Information Centers will be able to 

advocate for scientifically or evidence-based practices for their child.

Six performance measures have been developed for the Parent Information Centers program. 

There are three annual measures, two long-term measures, and one efficiency measure.

Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the quality, relevance, and usefulness of products and 

services provided by the program. These measures were developed as part of a crossdepartmental effort to make measures relating to technical assistance and dissemination 

activities more consistent Department-wide. However, the measures were adapted to reflect the 

unique purposes of the Parent Information Centers program. The measures are:

Measure: The percentage of materials disseminated by Parent Training and Information Center 

Program projects deemed to be of high quality by an independent review panel of experts 

qualified to review the substantive content of the products or services.

Year Target Actual

2020 93% 100%

2021 93 93

2022 93 97

2023 93 94

2024 93 —

2025 93 —

Additional information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using expert panels 

of reviewers who assess grant implementation by reviewing a randomly selected sample of 

materials disseminated by centers for the purpose of training and informing parents.
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Measure: The percentage of Parent Training and Information Center Program products and 

services deemed to be of high relevance to educational and early intervention policy or practice 

by an independent review panel of qualified experts with appropriate expertise to review the 

substantive content of the products or services.

Year Target Actual

2020 93% 97%

2021 93 97

2022 93 97

2023 93 94

2024 93 —

2025 93 —

Additional information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using panels of 

special education parent stakeholders to review a randomly selected sample of materials 

disseminated by centers for the purpose of training and informing parents.

Measure: The percentage of all Parent Training and Information Center Program products and 

services deemed by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful to improve 

educational or early intervention policy or practice.

Year Target Actual

2020 93% 100%

2021 93 93

2022 93 97

2023 93 97

2024 93 —

2025 93 —

Additional information: Data are collected and analyzed by a contractor, using panels of 

special education parent stakeholders to review a randomly selected sample of materials.

Long-Term Performance Measures

Two long-term measures have been developed for the program. Data are collected every 2 

years through a survey of parents who received services from the parent centers. Baseline data 

were collected in fiscal years 2017 and 2019 and targets for 2021 were established in late 2019.

Measure: The percentage of parents receiving Special Education Parent Information Centers 

services who report having enhanced capacity to work with schools and service providers 

effectively in meeting the needs of their children.

Year Target Actual

2021 87% 90%

2023 87 93

2025 87 —

Additional information: Data for the measure are collected by the parent centers every two 

years by mail, on-line survey, or telephone interview from a randomized list of parents served by 
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each center. Each randomized list must yield responses from at least 1 percent of the parents 

served by each center.

Measure: The percentage of parents receiving Special Education Parent Information Centers 

services who report enhanced knowledge of IDEA rights and responsibilities.

Year Target Actual

2021 93% 95%

2023 93 93

2025 93 —

Additional information: Data for the measure are collected by the parent centers every two 

years by mail, on-line survey, or telephone interview from a randomized list of parents served by 

each center. Each randomized list must yield responses from at least 1 percent of the parents 

served by each center.

Efficiency Measure

The calculation of the efficiency measure was modified for the program. The target for 2022 and 

future years was informed by baseline data from fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Measure: An index of the Federal cost per unit of output provided by the Special Education 

Parent Training and Information Centers.

Year Target Actual

2020 Baseline 21

2021 Baseline 15

2022 19 14

2023 19 21

2024 19 —

2025 19 —

Additional information: The efficiency measure for the PTIs program is “the index of Federal 

cost per unit of output.” The calculation of the Federal index of cost per unit of technical 

assistance is the total Federal cost of PTI grant funding for a given fiscal year divided by the 

sum of the numbers of parents and professionals receiving technical assistance during that 

fiscal year. Technical assistance is defined as: (1) letters, telephone calls, and e-mail 

exchanges; (2) the provision of training, participation in meetings, and home visits; and 

(3) participation in extended services, including IEP meetings, mediation sessions, and 

resolution sessions. The Department notes that it is difficult to attribute increases or decreases 

under this measure to the Federal share of funds due to the variability in other sources of 

funding. The result is expressed as an index of cost rather than a cost in dollars.

In fiscal year 2023, 1,553,042 services were provided to parents and professionals across the 

three technical assistance categories, and the total amount of program funding was 

$33,152,000, yielding an index of cost of 21.3.
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National activities: Educational technology, media, and materials 

(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part D, Subpart 3, Section 674)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority: 

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$31,433 $31,433 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program is the primary source of support for 

accessible technology and media-related activities under the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA). The program supports two broad categories of activities: (1) accessible 

technology, and (2) educational media and materials. 

Technology activities are generally designed to promote the development, demonstration, and 

use of accessible technology. The technology component of the program also supports 

research on using technology to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, as well as 

technical assistance and dissemination activities to enhance the use of technology by students, 

parents, and teachers. Media and materials activities focus on closed captioning, video 

description, timely provision of books and other educational materials in accessible formats, and 

other activities to improve access to education for students with disabilities.

The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 expanded the range of 

media that must be closed captioned and updated accessibility standards to include emerging 

Internet and mobile technologies. However, significant gaps in captioning coverage remain. 

The Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program helps ensure educational media 

that are not otherwise required to be made accessible are available to students with disabilities. 

For example, mandatory captioning only applies to broadcast television, not to video broadcast 

solely over the Internet or video produced for classroom viewing. Funding for this program helps 

increase the accessibility of learning content and materials by supporting the captioning and 

nationwide distribution of thousands of titles of educational media each year.

Video description is used to make video and other media with visual content accessible for 

people who are blind or visually impaired. Audio-narrated descriptions of key visual elements in 

a video or television program are inserted into natural pauses in the spoken dialogue, 

supplementing the regular audio track of the program by providing additional context. Federal 

law requires television broadcast stations affiliated with the top four commercial broadcasting 

corporations (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC) and licensed to the top 60 Designated Market Areas 

(i.e., unique, county-based geographic areas designated by The Nielsen Company, a television 

audience measurement service based on television viewership) and the five most watched non1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2011. Reauthorization for fiscal year 2025 is expected through 

appropriations action.
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broadcast networks to provide 50 hours of video description per calendar quarter. The video 

description must be of prime time or children’s television programming. Educational media and 

materials funds support video description for other video programming, including educational 

materials intended for use in the classroom and increasingly popular Internet media, that are not 

subject to description requirements. The IDEA requires that description and captioning funds be 

used only for programs that are suitable for use in classroom settings, and program funds may 

not be used to describe or caption news programs, even when they are suitable for use in 

classrooms. 

Educational materials activities include the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient 

conversion into specialized accessible formats. The educational materials provided by this 

program are intended to support students’ access to the general curriculum and participation in 

statewide assessments. The single largest grant in this program provides funding for the 

production and distribution of textbooks and other educational materials in accessible formats to 

students with visual impairments and other print disabilities. 

The Department makes competitive awards for projects throughout the fiscal year. The duration 

of awards typically varies from 3 to 5 years. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $29,547

2021 29,547

2022 30,433

2023 31,433

2024 Annualized CR 31,433

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $31.4 million for the Educational Technology, 

Media, and Materials program, level with a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal 

year 2023 appropriation. Of the request, approximately $3.8 million would be used to support 

new awards for research in educational technology and technical assistance and approximately 

$27.6 million would be used to support continuations for awards made in previous years.

Projects funded under the program support improved access to and participation in the general 

education curriculum, developmentally appropriate activities for preschool children, and 

statewide assessments. By supporting research on and dissemination of accessible 

instructional materials and technology, this program helps ensure students with disabilities 

receive a free appropriate public education, consistent with the requirements of the IDEA. The 

program also funds innovations in accessible technologies and broadens the understanding of 

how technology can be used effectively to increase academic achievement. The Administration 

believes increased access and participation supported by this program results in higher 

expectations and improved opportunities and outcomes for children with disabilities. 
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Supporting Military-Connected Children with Disabilities and Other Highly-Mobile 

Children

The Administration is dedicated to ensuring that the children of military servicemembers receive 

access to the best educational supports available and that their academic and social progress 

are in no way hampered by their parents’ service to our Nation. Military-connected children often 

experience multiple moves, extended separations from family members, increased fear for their 

parent’s safety during deployment, and other stressors related to the unpredictability of military 

life. Military-connected children with disabilities face additional challenges in their education, 

especially around change of station transitions. Many military families who move regularly find

that it can be challenging to access and transfer an IEP from school to school leading to gaps in 

services for children that impact their academic and developmental outcomes. About 55 percent 

of military-connected parents surveyed in a study1 reported a loss of resources and support for 

their child with disabilities and 42 percent of military-connected parents of children reported that 

their child’s IEP was either changed or not implemented upon arrival at a new duty station. 

The Administration is committed to addressing the challenges that military children with 

disabilities face when transitioning between schools. As such, the Department, within the BidenHarris Administration report titled Strengthening America’s Military Families2 released in 

September 2021, committed to collaborating across Federal agencies to address the needs of 

military families.

In addition to military-connected children, many other highly-mobile children, including children 

experiencing homelessness, in foster care and children of migratory agricultural workers, 

frequently change schools. Disruptions in the provision of special education services for highlymobile children with disabilities when they transition schools negatively impacts academic and 

developmental outcomes for already at-risk children. Therefore, the Administration is also 

committed to assisting highly-mobile children with disabilities and their families to ensure 

continuous access to high-quality services.

The Administration believes that all military-connected and highly-mobile children with 

disabilities must receive the services to which they are entitled under the IDEA. The 

Administration requests $2.7 million to establish projects that conduct research on and promote 

the demonstration and use of innovative, emerging, and universally designed technologies for 

military-connected children with disabilities. Specifically, this investment will support the 

development, demonstration, and implementation of innovative technology tools that address 

challenges and barriers experienced by these children and their families during transition 

periods. Projects may support activities such as the development of digital speech and 

occupational therapy resources as well as educational tools, specifically designed for highlymobile children, which will aid in minimizing disruptions and learning loss. This request 

compliments additional investments to support military-connected and highly-mobile children 

and their families described in Technical Assistance and Dissemination.

1 https://www.militarychild.org/upload/files/MCEC_2020EdSurvey_digital.pdf 2 https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Strengthening_Americas_Military_Families.pdf 
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Program Funding:

Technology:

Technology: Research:

Newtechnol ogy research $1,390 $1,500 $2,746

Continuations technol ogy research 6,947 6,507 5,518

Subtotal technology: research 8,337 8,007 8,264

TechnologyTechnical assistance and dissemination:

Newtechnology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 5,338 0 985

Continuationstechnology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 1,491 6,367 5,125

Subtotal technology: technical assistance and dissemi nation 6,829 6,367 6,110

TechnologyProjects to address the postsecondary, 

vocational, technical, and adult education 

needs of individuals with deafness:

NewTechnology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocational, technical, and adult educati on needs of i ndivi duals wi th deafness: 0 0 0

Continuations Technology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocati onal, technical , and adult educati on needs of i ndivi duals wi th deafness: 1,000 1,000 1,000

Subtotal Technology: Pr ojects to addr ess the postsecondary, vocational, technical, and adult educati on needs of indivi duals with deafness: 1,000 1,000 1,000

Media and Materials:

Medi a and m aterials Captioned and described accessible 

media:

New media and materials: captioned & described accessibl e m edi a 0 0 0

Continuations media and m aterials: captioned & described accessi ble media 4,796 3,992 3,992

Subtotal media and materials: captioned & described accessibl e m edi a 4,796 3,992 3,992

Medi a and m aterials: Books and other instructional materials in 

accessible formats:

New medi a and m aterials: books and other instructi onal m aterials in accessi ble formats 0 0 0

Continuations media and m aterials: books and other instructional materials in accessibl e formats 7,043 9,000 9,000

Subtotal media and materials: books and other i nstr ucti onal m aterials i n accessibl e formats 7,043 9,000 9,000

Medi a and m aterials: National Instructional Materials Access 

Center (NIMAC) and National Center on 

Accessible Educational Materials (AEM):

New Medi a and m aterials: National Instructional Materials Access C enter (NIM AC) – Statutory earmark 0 1,800 0

Continuations Media and m aterials: nati onal i nstr ucti onal m aterials access center statutory earm ark 2,800 650 2,450

Subtotal Media and m aterials: nati onal i nstructional materi als access center statutory earm ark 2,800 2,450 2,450

Other (e.g., program evaluation contracts):

New other 0 305 0

Continuations other 532 227 532

Subtotal, Other, other 532 532 532
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Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Total Program Funding: 

New total program funding 6,728 3,605 3,731

Continuations total program funding 24,608 27,743 27,617

Peer review 97 85 85

Total program funding 31,433 31,433 31,433

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Annual Performance Measures

The three annual measures deal with the relevance, quality, and usefulness of products and 

services provided by the program.

For each of the three annual performance measures that follow, a contractor collects and 

analyzes data based on input from two panels of subject matter experts who review a sample of 

products and services developed by grantees against a listing of evidence-based practices in 

key target areas the Department has identified as critical. The sample of grantees included in 

this measure for each year consists of projects from across all areas of this program. Products 

and services are divided into the categories of policy and practice.

Goal: To promote the development, demonstration, and use of accessible technology 

and media services to improve results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with 

disabilities.

Objective: Improve the quality of products produced by projects in the Special Education 

Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program. 
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Measure: The percentage of Educational Technology, Media, and Materials projects judged to 

be of high quality.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 93%

2021 90 89

2022 90 100

2023 90 100

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Of the 22 products and services reviewed in the sample, all were 

reported to be of high quality by the Science Expert Panel. 

Measure: The percentage of Educational Technology, Media, and Materials projects judged to 

be of high relevance to improving outcomes of infants, toddlers, children and youth with 

disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 93%

2021 90 100

2022 90 100

2023 90 96

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Of the 22 products and services reviewed in the sample, 21 were 

reported to be of high relevance by the Science Expert Panel. 

Measure: The percentage of Special Education Educational Technology, Media, and Materials 

projects and services judged by an independent review panel of qualified experts to be useful in 

improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2020 90% 100%

2021 90 100

2022 90 100

2023 90 100

2024 90 —

2025 90 —

Additional information: Of the 22 products and services reviewed in the sample, all were 

reported to be of high relevance by the Science Expert Panel.
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Efficiency Measures

The Department established two efficiency measures for the Educational Technology, Media, 

and Materials program that provide data on accessible book distribution and on video captioning 

and description projects, respectively. 

Measure: The Federal cost per download from the accessible educational materials production 

and distribution project funded by the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials program. 

Year Target Actual

2020 4.0 4.9

2021 4.7 5.8

2022 4.7 6.0

2023 4.7 6.4

2024 4.7 —

2025 4.7 —

Additional information: In FY 2023, 1,484,677 accessible materials downloads were provided 

to users, while the OSEP funding award for this work was $9,500,000. The calculation provides 

the ratio of the total cost of providing accessible educational materials downloads to users to the 

total number of downloads provided during the current fiscal year. The result is expressed as an 

index of cost rather than a cost in dollars.

Measure: The Federal cost per hour of video description funded by the Educational 

Technology, Media, and Materials program.

Year Target Actual

2020 $2,200 $2,547

2021 2,200 2,066

2022 2,200 2,815

2023 2,200 2,719

2024 2,200 —

2025 2,200 —
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Special Olympics education programs 

(Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, Section 3(a))

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2025 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority: 

Period of fund availability: 

2024 Annualized CR 2025 Request Change

$36,000 $36,000 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 authorizes the Department of 

Education to make discretionary grant awards to the Special Olympics to support activities in a 

number of areas related to the Special Olympics. The Department of Education is authorized to 

make awards for:

• activities to promote the expansion of Special Olympics, including activities to increase the 

participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities within the United States; and

• the design and implementation of Special Olympics education programs, including character 

education and volunteer programs that support the purposes of the Special Olympics Sport 

and Empowerment Act of 2004, that can be integrated into classroom instruction and are 

consistent with academic content standards.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2020 $20,083

2021 23,683

2022

2023

31,000

36,000

2024 Annualized CR 36,000

FY 2025 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2025, the Administration requests $36 million for Special Olympics education 

programs, level with a fiscal year 2024 annualized CR based on the fiscal year 2023 

appropriation. The request would support efforts to promote the expansion of Special Olympics 

and the design and implementation of Special Olympics education programs.

The Special Olympics National Youth Activation Demonstration (Unified Champion Schools, 

previously referred to as Project UNIFY), a national youth sports demonstration and education 

program, is the major activity funded by this direct appropriation. In addition to sports and 

physical education in integrated settings, this program also provides opportunities for youth to 

participate in leadership development, service learning, and structured interpersonal 
SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special Olympics education programs

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communication and socialization activities. In general, Special Olympics program activities 

assist individuals with intellectual disabilities in being productive members of their communities 

by dispelling negative stereotypes and promoting positive and inclusive learning environments.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2023 2024 2025

Unified Champion Schools

Project UN IFY Number of funded State programs 49 49 49

Project UN IFY Number of schools participating 9,440 9,400 9,400

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

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

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

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

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

resources and efforts invested by those served by the program.

Goal: To increase the inclusion and awareness of students with intellectual disabilities.

Objective: The Special Olympics will improve awareness about students with intellectual 

disabilities.

Measure: The percent of school liaisons who report that Unified Champion Schools helps raise 

awareness about students with intellectual disabilities.

Year Target Actual

2020 70% 68%

2021 75 67

2022 75 60

2023 75 65

2024 75 —

2025 75 —

Additional information: Data are collected by external evaluators who survey school liaisons 

at the end of each program year. School liaisons are volunteers, typically teachers, who 

administer Special Olympics programming at the school level. Special Olympics includes those 

survey responses that indicate the program “made a big difference” (scores of 4 or 5 on the 

survey’s Likert scale) in the numerator used to calculate the actual performance.
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Measure: The percent of school liaisons who report that Unified Champion Schools increases 

opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to be involved in school activities.

Year Target Actual

2020 65% 68%

2021 65 67

2022 65 58

2023 65 63

2024 65 —

2025 65 —

Additional information: Data are collected by external evaluators who survey school liaisons 

at the end of each program year. School liaisons are volunteers, typically teachers, who 

administer Special Olympics programming at the school level. Special Olympics includes those 

survey responses that indicate the program “made a big difference” (scores of 4 or 5 on the 

survey’s Likert scale) in the numerator used to calculate actual performance.

Objective: The Special Olympics will increase opportunities for K-12 students with intellectual 

disabilities to participate in inclusive school activities.

Measure: The number of schools participating in Unified Champion Schools.

Year Target Actual

2020 7,000 7,868

2021 7,500 7,329

2022 7,500 8,358

2023 7,500 9,440

2024 7,500 —

2025 7,500 —

Additional information: The decrease in participation rates from 2020 to 2021 is due to the 

impact of the national COVID-19 pandemic on schools. Participation rates have increased 

significantly through 2022 and 2023. The Special Olympics program attributes this significant 

increase in participation to the increased appropriation as well as to their post-pandemic rebuild 

which included targeted efforts with key partners including the National American Indian and 

Alaska Native Head Start Collaboration Office and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Measure: The number of schools participating in a Unified Champion Schools High Activation 

Program.

Year Target Actual

2020 5,000 5,841

2021 5,500 5,265

2022 5,500 5,595

2023 5,500 7,364

2024 5,500 —

2025 5,500 —

Additional information: High Activation schools feature a higher intensity and variety of 

activities, and, therefore, are likely to have a larger impact on participating students. Building 

Bridges schools offer fewer activities and generally include schools that are new to the program. 
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The decrease in participation rates from 2020 to 2021 is due to the impact of the national 

COVID-19 pandemic on schools. Participation rates have increased significantly through 2022 

and 2023. The Special Olympics program attributes this significant increase in participation to 

the increased appropriation as well as to their post-pandemic rebuild which included targeted 

efforts with key partners including the National American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start 

Collaboration Office and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

Efficiency Measures

Objective: The Special Olympics will develop efficient programs at the national, State, and 

school level.

Measure: The average total Federal cost per school.

Year Target Actual

2020 $2,500 $2,235

2021 2,500 2,740

2022 2,500 2,833

2023 2,500 3,282

2024 2,500 —

2025 2,500 —

Measure: The percent of Federal funds spent on administration.

Year Target Actual

2020 20% 18%

2021 20 12

2022 20 12

2023 20 —

2024 20 —

2025 20 —

Additional information: The Department believes that these targets will slow cost growth for 

the program in future years. Fiscal year 2023 performance data is expected to be available in 

January 2025 and will be included in the fiscal year 2026 Congressional Justification. 

 
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Account Summary Table

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