IDEA Child Outcomes Data Highlights for 2023-2024 (FFY 2023)

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

IDEA Child Outcomes Data Highlights for 2023–2024 (FFY 2023) summarizes how Part C Early Intervention (birth–2) and Part B Preschool (3–5) programs report child outcomes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It explains three outcome areas—social relationships, knowledge and skills, and action to meet needs—and how progress is measured using five progress categories (a–e) and two summary statements. National figures and multi-year trends (FFY 2019–2023) are provided, followed by conclusions about largely stable outcomes for Part C and mixed movement for Part B, noting data-year variation and the need for further state-level analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

What are the Outcomes?

Program types and three outcome areas

How is progress measured?

Progress categories (a–e)

Summary statement calculations

National Child Outcomes Data for FFY 2023

Summary statements by program and outcome

National Trends Over Time: Summary Statements (FFY 2019–2023)

Part C Early Intervention

Part B Preschool

Conclusion

IDEA Child Outcomes Data Highlights for 2023–2024 (FFY 2023) [https://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/childoutcomeshighlights.asp](https://ectacenter.org/eco/pages/childoutcomeshighlights.asp) 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–2, and Part B Preschool is for children ages 3–5. 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. Categories a , b, c, and d represent some kind of delay in the early years, where category e illustrates typical development, with growth in outcomes and age in months in parity. States report annually to OSEP the percentage of children in each of the five progress categories (a–e) . OSEP Progress Categories as Developmental Trajectories a. Did not improve functioning b. Improved in functioning, no change in trajectory c. Moved closer to functioning like same-aged peers d. Improved functioning to that of same-aged peers e. Functioning like same-aged peers From the progress category data, two Summary Statements are calculated for each outcome. 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 Part C and Part B Preschool in 2023–2024 (FFY 2023) | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Outcome | Part C, Summary Statement 1 | Part C, Summary Statement 2 | Part B Preschool, Summary Statement 1 | Part B Preschool, Summary Statement 2 | | Social Relationships | 65 | 51 | 81 | 49 | | Knowledge and Skills | 71 | 43 | 81 | 48 | | Action to Meet Needs | 69 | 51 | 80 | 56 | | Note: Data are based on 46 Part C states and 43 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, FFY 2019–2023 | Outcome | FFY
2019 | FFY
2022 | FFY
2021 | FFY
2022 | FFY
2023 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Social
Relationships | 64 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 65 | | Knowledge and Skills | 69 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | | Action to Meet Needs | 71 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 69 | Part C Early Intervention: Summary Statement 2, FFY 2019–2023 | Outcome | FFY
2019 | FFY
2022 | FFY
2021 | FFY
2022 | FFY
2023 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Social
Relationships | 52 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 51 | | Knowledge and Skills | 44 | 44 | 42 | 42 | 43 | | Action to Meet Needs | 54 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 51 | Part B Preschool: Summary Statement 1, FFY 2019–2023 | Outcome | FFY
2019 | FFY
2022 | FFY
2021

FAQs

What are the three IDEA child outcomes reported for Part C and Part B Preschool programs?

They are social relationships, use of knowledge and skills, and taking action to meet needs. Each outcome covers functional behaviors relevant to early development.

How are IDEA progress categories (a–e) used to calculate the summary statements?

Progress categories indicate developmental trajectories. Summary Statement 1 reflects greater-than-expected growth using (c + d) divided by (a + b + c + d), while Summary Statement 2 reflects exit at or above age expectations using (d + e) divided by (a + b + c + d + e).

What key changes are described in the FFY 2022 to FFY 2023 comparison?

For Part C, outcomes were largely unchanged, with a decrease in greater-than-expected growth for Social Relationships and an increase for Knowledge and Skills. For Part B, greater-than-expected progress increased across all three outcomes, while exit at age expectation decreased for all three.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle