Category Archives: OSEP

OSEP Releases New Fast Facts on Children Identified with Intellectual Disability

OSEP Fast Facts: Children Identified with Intellectual Disability. In School Year 2021-22, students identified with intellectual disability were more likely to be served inside a regular class less than 40% of the day than all students with disabilities.

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released a new OSEP Fast Facts: Children Identified with Intellectual Disability, which explores our Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 618 data. This Fast Fact takes a closer look at our data on children whose primary disability is intellectual disability. 

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OSEP Fast Facts: OSEP Releases Two New Fast Facts on IDEA Section 618 Data Collected on Children with Disabilities Served Under IDEA in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

IDEA Section 618 Data Collected on Children with Disabilities Served Under IDEA, Part C During the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

By the Office of Special Education Programs 

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) released two new OSEP Fast Facts that take a closer look at the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 618 data submitted for School Year (SY) 2020-21 and fall 2021: 

The Part C infographics looks at data related to infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities, and the Part B infographic looks at data related to children and youth, ages 3 through 21, with disabilities. 

In these infographics, OSEP highlights examples of state-submitted data notes that reference the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on these data collections.   

Highlights from IDEA Section 618 Data Collected on Children with Disabilities Served Under IDEA, Part C During the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic 

  • There was close to a 15% drop in the number of infants and toddlers served under IDEA, Part C in 2020-21. In 2021-22, the number served was back to 95% of the number of infants and toddlers served in 2019. 
  • There was a decrease in the percent of infants and toddlers receiving services in a community-based setting and an increase in those receiving services in the home setting from 2019-20 to 2021-22.  
  • There has been a steady increase in the number of infants and toddlers who reached age three, exiting IDEA, Part C from 2016-17 to 2019-20 and then nearly a 9% drop in 2020-21.   
  • There was an overall drop in written signed complaints, mediations, and due process complaints filed in 2020-21. 

Highlights from IDEA Section 618 Data Collected on Children with Disabilities Served Under IDEA, Part B During the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic 

  • There was a less than 1% drop in the number of children with disabilities, ages 3-21, served under IDEA, Part B from SY 2019-20 to SY 2020-21. In SY 2021-22, the number served under Part B increased above the number served in SY 2019-20. 
  • The Department of Education (ED) waived the reporting of the statewide assessments in SY 2019-20, and ED offered states flexibilities regarding the timing, length and type of administration of assessments in SY 2020-21. Therefore, assessment data for SY 2020-21 may not be comparable to other years. A visualization in the Fast Fact explores the uncertainty of the assessment data during this time. 
  • After a slight upward trend in the number of total disciplinary removals of children with disabilities, ages 3-21, from SY 2016-17 to SY 2018-19 there was a 73% drop in disciplinary removals from 2018-19 to 2020-21. 
  • There was an overall drop in the number of written signed complaints and mediations in SY 2020-21. However, the trend in the number of total due process complaints filed increased over time from SY 2016-17 to SY 2020-21. 

Visit the OSEP Fast Facts page for existing and future Fast Facts.

Blog articles provide insights on the activities of schools, programs, grantees, and other education stakeholders to promote continuing discussion of educational innovation and reform. Articles do not endorse any educational product, service, curriculum or pedagogy.

OSEP Releases a new Fast Facts on Students with Traumatic Brain Injury Served Under IDEA, Part B

U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. OSEP Fast Facts: Students Identified With Traumatic Brain Injuries. Bar graph shows: Percent of School Aged Students With Disabilities Identified With Traumatic Brain Injury, Ages 5 to 21, Served Under IDEA, Part B, in the US, Outlying Areas, and Freely Associated States: Between SY 2014-15 and 2021-22. 2014=.43%; 2015 = .42%; 2016 = .42%; 2017=.41%, 2018=.40%; 2019 = .36%; 2020 = .36%; 2021 = .38%. Students with traumatic brain injury are less likely to be served in the age range 5-11 and more likely to be served in the age range 12-17 than all students with disabilities.

By the Office of Special Education Programs

Less than 1% of school aged students with disabilities are identified with traumatic brain injury. OSEP‘s latest Fast Facts takes a closer look at data from the data collections authorized under IDEA Section 618, including those collected through child count, educational environments, discipline and exiting data collections with a lens on students identified with traumatic brain injury.

Highlights from OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities

  • Students with traumatic brain injury are less likely to be served in the age range 5–11 and more likely to be served in the age range 12–17 than all students with disabilities.
  • In school year (SY) 2021–22, White students are more likely to be identified with traumatic brain injury and Hispanic/Latino students were less likely to be identified with traumatic brain injury than all students with disabilities.
  • In SY 2020–21, children with traumatic brain injury, ages 14–21, exiting school were more likely to graduate and less likely to drop out than all students with disabilities.
  • In SY 2021–22, students with traumatic brain injury were less likely to be served inside a regular class 80% or more of the day than all students with disabilities.

OSEP Fast Facts is an ongoing effort to display data from the 12 data collections authorized under IDEA Section 618 into graphic, visual representations with the intent to present 618 data quickly and clearly.

Visit the OSEP Fast Facts page for existing and future Fast Facts.

Blog articles provide insights on the activities of schools, programs, grantees, and other education stakeholders to promote continuing discussion of educational innovation and reform. Articles do not endorse any educational product, service, curriculum or pedagogy. 

New OSEP 2022 Discretionary Grant Awards

In fiscal year 2022, OSERS’ Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) provided over $101 million to fund new programs that help educate children and youth with disabilities to assist states and local districts to improve results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21.

Please read about these programs below ( ALN# | Title ). Please note that all amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

You can search all OSEP grantees by accessing the Office of Special Education Program’s Discretionary Grants Public Database (the FY 2022 new grant awards listed below will be added to the database by the middle of November).

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OSEP Releases Fast Facts on Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities

OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of Children with Disabilities, Ages 5 (in kindergarten) through 21, Served under IDEA Part B. Percentage of Students with Disabilities, Ages 5 - 21, Receiving Services Inside a Regular Class 80% or More of the Day, in the US, Outlying Areas, and Freely Associated States: SY 2020-21. The map demonstrates the ranges of the percent of Students with Disabilities, Ages 5 through 21, Receiving Services Inside a Regular Class 80% or More of the Day in 2020-21 by State. Educational environments are defined in the IDEA Part B Child Count and Educational Environments for School Year 2020-2021, OSEP Data Documentation.

By the Office of Special Education Programs

OSEP released a new OSEP Fast Facts: Educational Environments of School Aged Children with Disabilities, which explores our IDEA, Section 618 data.

This OSEP Fast Facts takes a closer look at the environments where children with disabilities are receiving special education and related services.

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OSEP Releases Fast Facts on Students with Disabilities who are English Learners (ELs) Served under IDEA Part B

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Office of Special Education Programs. OSEP Fast Facts: Students with Disabilities who are English Learners (Els) Served under IDEA Part B. Approximately 1.6% of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools are dually identified as a student with a disability under IDEA Part B and an English Learner. 13.74% = national percentage of school aged children served under IDEA, Part B. Pie Chart Shows 11.85% of students served under IDEA, Part B are English Learners while 88.2% of students served under IDEA, Part B are non-English Learners. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts Data Warehouse (EDW): “IDEA Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Collection,” 2020-21. Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1980-81; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1985-86 through 2019-20 and 2020-21 Preliminary; and National Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Projection Model, through 2030.

By the Office of Special Education Programs

OSEP is excited to release a new OSEP Fast Facts: Students with Disabilities who are English Learners (ELs) Served under IDEA Part B, which explore our IDEA, Section 618 data with the specific lens on one of the fastest-growing populations of students with disabilities served under IDEA.

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Welcome to New OSEP Director, Valerie C. Williams

Valerie C. Williams Director, Office of Special Education Programs Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Valerie C. Williams
Director, Office of Special Education Programs
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Valerie C. Williams joins the Department as director in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

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OSEP Releases Fast Facts on the Race and Ethnicity of Children with Disabilities Served under IDEA Part B

Screen cap: OSEP Fast Facts on Race and Ethnicity OSEP Hand in Hand on Race and Ethnicity

By the Office of Special Education Programs

OSEP is excited to release a new OSEP Fast Facts: Race and Ethnicity of Children with Disabilities Served under IDEA Part B and new supplemental tool, Hand In Hand, which explore our IDEA, Section 618 data with the specific lens on race and ethnicity.   

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OSEP Releases Fast Facts on School Aged Children with Disabilities

Introducing a Supplemental Tool to Help Stakeholders Engage with New Fast Facts

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts Data Warehouse. Data from 2012-2018 includes ages 6-21 and 2019 includes ages 5 (in kindergarten)-21. SY 2019-20 was the transition year for reporting 5-year-olds in Kindergarten in FS002 - Children with Disabilities (IDEA) School Age. States/entities had the option to report children that are 5 years old in the reporting categories "Age 5 (School Age)" and "Age 5 (Early Childhood)". The permanent change takes place in SY 2020-2 Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs. Hand in Hand. A supplemental tool to help parents and other stakeholders engage with OSEP Fast Facts: School Aged Children 5 (in kindergarten) Through 21 Served Under Part B, Section 618 of the IDEA.

By the Office of Special Education Programs

OSEP is excited to release a new Fast Facts on School Aged Children 5 (in Kindergarten) Through 21 Served Under Part B, Section 618 of the IDEA along with a new supplemental tool, Hand In Hand, which is intended to be used alongside the new OSEP Fast Fact.

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OSEP Releases Fast Facts on Part C and B New Data Files and Part B Personnel

Go to OSEP Fast Facts: 2018–19/2019 IDEA Section 618 Data. Image description: 2.95% to 3.7% is the increase in the percentage of the population of infants and toddlers receiving early intervention services under IDEA, Part C, birth through 2 years, from 2014-15 to 2019-20. 8.85% to 9.86% increase in the percentage of the population of school age students served under IDEA, Part B, from 2014-15 to 2019-20. Infants and toddlers with disabilities exiting Part C were more likely to be Part B eligible than any other basis of exit.

OSEP Fast Facts:
2018–19/2019 IDEA Section 618 Data.

Go to OSEP Fast Facts: Part B Personnel. Number of special education teachers and paraprofessionals employed or contracted to work with children with disabilities for ages 3 through 21 in school year 2018-19. 520,637 special education paraprofessionals. 429,486 special education teachers. 228,805 related services personnel. In school year 2018-19, 7,278,380 children with disabilities were served under IDEA Part B.

OSEP Fast Facts:
Part B Personnel.

By the Office of Special Education Programs

OSEP is excited to release two new Fast Facts that take a closer look at our newly released 2018–19/2019 state level data files on the IDEA Section 618 Data Products website.

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