Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

IDEA Child Outcomes Highlights for FFY2019

PDFs of these data are also available:

On This Page

What are the Outcomes?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds programs providing services designed to assist children with a range of delays and disabilities in achieving individualized developmental and functional goals. There are two types of programs. Part C Early Intervention is for children ages birth to 2, and Part B Preschool is for children ages 3 to 5.

States report data annually to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education on three child outcomes for Part C and Part B Preschool programs:

  1. Social relationships, which includes getting along with other children and relating well with adults
  2. Use of knowledge and skills, which refers to thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and early literacy and math skills
  3. Taking action to meet needs, which includes feeding, dressing, self-care, and following rules related to health and safety

How is Progress Measured?

The skills children master at different ages can be measured and described so that we can identify children who are developing too slowly. Children who are substantially behind their peers have developmental delays. OSEP has established five progress categories to convey developmental trajectories indicative of developmental delay. The solid line on the graph (line e) illustrates typical development. The other lines represent some kind of delay in the early years. States report annually to OSEP the percentage of children in each of the five progress categories (a to e).

OSEP Progress Categories as Developmental Trajectories

Chart: Five lines representing the progress categories of Age in Months with Growth in Outcome
  1. Did not improve functioning
  2. Improved in functioning, no change in trajectory
  3. Moved closer to functioning like same-aged peers
  4. Improved functioning to that of same-aged peers
  5. Functioning like same-aged peers

From the progress category data, two summary statements per outcome are calculated:

  • Summary Statement 1 is the percentage of children who made greater than expected growth. The summary statement is calculated from the progress categories in the following way: (c + d) / (a + b + c + d)
  • Summary Statement 2 is the percentage of children who exited at or above age expectations. The summary statement is calculated from the progress categories in the following way: (d + e) / (a + b + c + d + e)

National Child Outcomes Data for Children Exiting in 2019-20

National Child Outcomes Data for Children Exiting in 2019-20
Outcome Part C Early Intervention Part B Preschool
Summary Statement 1 Summary Statement 2 Summary Statement 1 Summary Statement 2
Social Relationships 64 52 81 56
Knowledge and Skills 69 44 82 53
Action to Meet Needs 71 54 81 62

Note: Data are based on 46 Part C states and 40 Part B Preschool states. Only states with high quality data were included.

National Trends Over Time: Summary Statements by Program and Outcomes

Part C Early Intervention: Summary Statement 1, FFY2015-2019

Chart: (data table follows)
Part C Early Intervention: Summary Statement 1, FFY2015-2019
Outcome FFY2015 FFY2016 FFY2017 FFY2018 FFY2019
Social Relationships 68 67 66 65 64
Knowledge and Skills 74 73 73 74 69
Action to Meet Needs 76 75 76 76 71

Part C Early Intervention: Summary Statement 2, FFY2015-2019

Chart: (data table follows)
Part C Early Intervention: Summary Statement 2, FFY2015-2019
Outcome FFY2015 FFY2016 FFY2017 FFY2018 FFY2019
Social Relationships 59 58 57 55 52
Knowledge and Skills 50 49 47 46 44
Action to Meet Needs 57 57 57 57 54

Part B Preschool: Summary Statement 1, FFY2015-2019

Chart: (data table follows)
Part B Preschool: Summary Statement 1, FFY2015-2019
Outcome FFY2015 FFY2016 FFY2017 FFY2018 FFY2019
Social Relationships 78 80 81 81 81
Knowledge and Skills 79 81 82 82 82
Action to Meet Needs 77 80 81 81 81

Part B Preschool: Summary Statement 2, FFY2015-2019

Chart: (data table follows)
Part B Preschool: Summary Statement 2, FFY2015-2019
Outcome FFY2015 FFY2016 FFY2017 FFY2018 FFY2019
Social Relationships 58 60 60 59 56
Knowledge and Skills 54 56 56 55 53
Action to Meet Needs 64 65 65 64 62

Conclusion

Between FFY2018 and 2019 there were declines in the percentage of children making gains (Summary Statement 1) and those reaching age expectations (Summary statement 2) in Part C and the percentage of children reaching age expectations (Summary statement 2) in Preschool Part B. The percentage of children making gains (Summary Statement 1) in Part B Preschool held relatively steady from FFY2018 to FFY 2019. Reasons states have provided for declines in state performance include: changes to state data collection methods, data quality issues, and potential impacts of COVID-19. Further analyses are needed to understand this trend.

Please cite as:

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center and Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems. (2021). IDEA Child Outcomes Highlights for FFY2019. Retrieved from https://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/childoutcomeshighlights.asp

The contents of this page were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H373Z120002, and a cooperative agreement, #H326P170001, from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. DaSy Center Project Officers: Meredith Miceli and Richelle Davis, ECTA Center Project Officer: Julia Martin Eile