Appendix A.3. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly the Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA), requires the Secretary of Education to transmit to Congress annually a report describing the progress made in serving the nation's disabled children. This annual report contains information on children served by public schools under the provisions of Part B of the IDEA and on children served in state-operated programs for the handicapped under Chapter I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Statistics on children receiving special education and related services in various settings and school personnel providing such services are reported in an annual submission of data to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) by the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas. The child count information is based on the number of disabled children receiving special education and related services on December 1 of each year. Count information is available from http://www.ideadata.org.

Since each participant in programs for the disabled is reported to OSERS, the data are not subject to sampling error. However, nonsampling error can arise from a variety of sources. Some states follow a noncategorical approach to the delivery of special education services, but produce counts by disabling condition because Part B of the EHA requires it. In those states that do categorize their disabled students, definitions and labeling practices vary.

Further information on this annual report to Congress may be obtained from

Office of Special Education Programs
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
U.S. Department of Education
550 12th St., SW
Washington, DC 20065
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html
http://www.ideadata.org