282
board members to improve results for children 
with disabilities. 
‘‘(H) Supporting institutions of higher edu-
cation with minority enrollments of at least 25 
percent for the purpose of preparing personnel to 
work with children with disabilities. 
‘‘(I) Developing and improving programs to 
train special education teachers with an exper-
tise in autism spectrum disorders. 
‘‘(c) LOW-INCIDENCE DISABILITIES; AUTHORIZED AC-
TIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary shall support activities, consistent with 
the objectives described in subsection (a), that benefit 
children with low-incidence disabilities. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED
ACTIVITIES.—Activities that 
may be carried out under this subsection include ac-
tivities such as the following: 
‘‘(A) Preparing persons who—
‘‘(i) have prior training in educational 
and other related service fields; and 
‘‘(ii) are studying to obtain degrees, 
certificates, or licensure that will enable 
them to assist children with low-incidence 
disabilities to achieve the objectives set out
283
in their individualized education programs 
described in section 614(d), or to assist in-
fants and toddlers with low incidence dis-
abilities to achieve the outcomes described 
in their individualized family service plans 
described in section 636. 
‘‘(B) Providing personnel from various dis-
ciplines with interdisciplinary training that will 
contribute to improvement in early intervention, 
educational, and transitional results for children 
with low-incidence disabilities. 
‘‘(C) Preparing personnel in the innovative 
uses and application of technology to enhance 
learning by children with low-incidence disabil-
ities through early intervention, educational, and 
transitional services. 
‘‘(D) Preparing personnel who provide serv-
ices to visually impaired or blind children to 
teach and use Braille in the provision of services 
to such children. 
‘‘(E) Preparing personnel who provide serv-
ices to deaf and hard-of-hearing children by pro-
viding direct language and communication ac-
cess to the general education curriculum through
284
spoken or signed languages, or other modes of 
communication. 
‘‘(F) Preparing personnel to be qualified 
educational interpreters, to assist children with 
low-incidence disabilities, particularly deaf and 
hard-of-hearing children in school and school-re-
lated activities and deaf and hard-of-hearing in-
fants and toddlers and preschool children in 
early intervention and preschool programs. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the 
term ‘low-incidence disability’ means—
‘‘(A) a visual or hearing impairment, or si-
multaneous visual and hearing impairments; 
‘‘(B) a significant cognitive impairment; or 
‘‘(C) any impairment for which a small 
number of personnel with highly specialized 
skills and knowledge are needed in order for chil-
dren with that impairment to receive early 
intervention services or a free appropriate public 
education. 
‘‘(4) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.—In selecting 
recipients under this subsection, the Secretary may 
give preference to applications that propose to pre-
pare personnel in more than one low-incidence dis-
ability, such as deafness and blindness.
285
‘‘(5) PREPARATION IN USE OF BRAILLE.—The 
Secretary shall ensure that all recipients of assistance 
under this subsection who will use that assistance to 
prepare personnel to provide services to visually im-
paired or blind children that can appropriately be 
provided in Braille will prepare those individuals to 
provide those services in Braille. 
‘‘(d) LEADERSHIP PREPARATION; AUTHORIZED AC-
TIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary shall support leadership preparation ac-
tivities that are consistent with the objectives de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED
ACTIVITIES.—Activities that 
may be carried out under this subsection include ac-
tivities such as the following: 
‘‘(A) Preparing personnel at the graduate, 
doctoral, and postdoctoral levels of training to 
administer, enhance, or provide services to im-
prove results for children with disabilities. 
‘‘(B) Providing interdisciplinary training 
for various types of leadership personnel, includ-
ing teacher preparation faculty, related services 
faculty, administrators, researchers, supervisors, 
principals, and other persons whose work affects
286
early intervention, educational, and transitional 
services for children with disabilities. 
‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Any eligible entity that 
wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a contract or 
cooperative agreement, under this section shall submit 
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(2) IDENTIFIED STATE NEEDS.—
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT TO ADDRESS IDENTI-
FIED NEEDS.—Any application under subsection 
(b), (c), or (d) shall include information dem-
onstrating to the satisfaction of the Secretary 
that the activities described in the application 
will address needs identified by the State or 
States the applicant proposes to serve. 
‘‘(B) COOPERATION
WITH
STATE
EDU-
CATIONAL AGENCIES.—Any applicant that is not 
a local educational agency or a State edu-
cational agency shall include information dem-
onstrating to the satisfaction of the Secretary 
that the applicant and one or more State edu-
cational agencies or local educational agencies
287
will cooperate in carrying out and monitoring 
the project. 
‘‘(3) ACCEPTANCE
BY
STATES
OF
PERSONNEL 
PREPARATION
REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary may 
require applicants to provide assurances from one or 
more States that such States—
‘‘(A) intend to accept successful completion 
of the proposed personnel preparation program 
as meeting State personnel standards or other re-
quirements in State law or regulation for serving 
children with disabilities or serving infants and 
toddlers with disabilities; and 
‘‘(B) need personnel in the area or areas in 
which the applicant proposes to provide prepara-
tion, as identified in the States’ comprehensive 
systems of personnel development under parts B 
and C. 
‘‘(f) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.—
‘‘(1) IMPACT OF PROJECT.—In selecting recipi-
ents under this section, the Secretary shall consider 
the impact of the project proposed in the application 
in meeting the need for personnel identified by the 
States. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT
ON
APPLICANTS
TO
MEET 
STATE
AND
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS.—The Sec-
288
retary shall make grants under this section only to el-
igible applicants that meet State and professionally 
recognized standards for the preparation of special 
education and related services personnel, if the pur-
pose of the project is to assist personnel in obtaining 
degrees. 
‘‘(3) PREFERENCES.—In selecting recipients 
under this section, the Secretary may—
‘‘(A) give preference to institutions of higher 
education that are educating regular education 
personnel to meet the needs of children with dis-
abilities in integrated settings and educating 
special education personnel to work in collabora-
tion with regular educators in integrated set-
tings; and 
‘‘(B) give preference to institutions of higher 
education that are successfully recruiting and 
preparing individuals with disabilities and indi-
viduals from groups that are underrepresented in 
the profession for which they are preparing indi-
viduals. 
‘‘(g) SERVICE OBLIGATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each application for funds 
under subsections (b) and (c) shall include an assur-
ance that the applicant will ensure that individuals
290
agreements, assess the progress in the implementation 
of this Act, including the effectiveness of State and 
local efforts to provide—
‘‘(A) a free appropriate public education to 
children with disabilities; and 
‘‘(B) early intervention services to infants 
and toddlers with disabilities and infants and 
toddlers who would be at risk of having substan-
tial developmental delays if early intervention 
services were not provided to them. 
‘‘(2) DELEGATION.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary shall designate the Di-
rector of the Institute for Education Sciences to carry 
out this section. 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out 
this subsection, the Secretary may support objective 
studies, evaluations, and assessments, including stud-
ies that—
‘‘(A) analyze issues identified in the re-
search agenda in section 663(d); 
‘‘(B) meet the standards in section 663(c); 
and 
‘‘(C) undertake one or more of the following: 
‘‘(i) An analysis of the measurable im-
pact, outcomes, and results achieved by
291
State educational agencies and local edu-
cational agencies through their activities to 
reform policies, procedures, and practices 
designed to improve educational and transi-
tional services and results for children with 
disabilities. 
‘‘(ii) An analysis of State and local 
needs for professional development, parent 
training, and other appropriate activities 
that can reduce the need for disciplinary 
actions involving children with disabilities. 
‘‘(iii) An assessment of educational 
and transitional services and results for 
children with disabilities from minority 
backgrounds, including—
‘‘(I) data on—
‘‘(aa) the number of minority 
children who are referred for spe-
cial education evaluation; 
‘‘(bb) the number of minority 
children who are receiving special 
education and related services and 
their educational or other service 
placement;
292
‘‘(cc) the number of minority 
children who graduated from sec-
ondary programs with a regular 
diploma in the standard number 
of years; and 
‘‘(dd) the number of minority 
children who drop out of the edu-
cational system without a regular 
diploma; and 
‘‘(II) the performance of children 
with disabilities from minority back-
grounds on State assessments and other 
performance indicators established for 
all students. 
‘‘(iv) A measurement of educational 
and transitional services and results of chil-
dren with disabilities served under this Act, 
including longitudinal studies that—
‘‘(I) examine educational and 
transitional services and results for 
children with disabilities who are 3 
through 17 years of age and are receiv-
ing special education and related serv-
ices under this Act, using a national,
293
representative sample of distinct age 
cohorts and disability categories; and 
‘‘(II) examine educational results, 
transition 
services, 
postsecondary 
placement, and employment status of 
individuals 
with 
disabilities, 
through 21 years of age, who are re-
ceiving or have received special edu-
cation and related services under this 
Act. 
‘‘(v) An identification and report on 
the placement of children with disabilities 
by disability category. 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL ASSESSMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a national assessment of activities carried out 
with Federal funds under this Act in order—
‘‘(A) to determine the effectiveness of this 
Act in achieving its purposes; 
‘‘(B) to provide timely information to the 
President, the Congress, the States, local edu-
cational agencies, and the public on how to im-
plement the Act more effectively; and 
‘‘(C) to provide the President and the Con-
gress with information that will be useful in de-
294
veloping legislation to achieve the purposes of 
this Act more effectively. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC COMMENT.— 
‘‘(A) PLAN.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of the Improving Edu-
cation Results for Children With Disabilities Act 
of 2003, the Secretary shall publish in the Fed-
eral Register for public comment a comprehen-
sive plan for developing and conducting the na-
tional assessment. 
‘‘(B) COMMENT
PERIOD.—The Secretary 
shall provide a public comment period of at least 
30 days on such plan. 
‘‘(3) SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT.—The national as-
sessment shall assess the—
‘‘(A) implementation of programs assisted 
under this Act and the impact of such programs 
on addressing the developmental needs of, and 
improving the academic achievement of, children 
with disabilities to enable them to reach chal-
lenging developmental goals and challenging 
State academic content standards based on State 
academic assessments; 
‘‘(B) types of programs and services that 
have demonstrated the greatest likelihood of help-