Exceptional Student Education
The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services administers programs for students with disabilities. Additionally, the bureau coordinates student services throughout the state and participates in multiple inter-agency efforts designed to strengthen the quality and variety of services available to eligible students with disabilities.
Topics of Special Interest
- BEESS Weekly Memo
- Annual State Application for IDEA, Part B - FY 2025 (PDF)
- In order to receive a grant under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states must submit an application annually. The public participation requirements relevant to Part B are set forth in the Part B regulations at 34 CFR 300.165 and in paragraph 441(b)(7) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). States are required to make the Part B Application available to the public for a period of 60 days, and accept comments for a period of at least 30 days. Florida’s Part B Application will be available to the public through May 19, 2025, on the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services website at www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu. Comments will be accepted between March 20, 2025, and April 18, 2025. For the purposes of public comment, the FY 2024 template has been used for the FY 2025 Annual State Application for IDEA, Part B. Comments may be submitted in writing to the IDEA Program Manager, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 614, Tallahassee, Florida 32399; via email to the IDEA grant mailbox IDEAGrant@fldoe.org; or via fax at 850-245-0953.
- English Language Arts and Mathematics Access Points-Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AP-AAAS) aligned with the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards: https://www.cpalms.org/public/search/AccessPoint.
- Best Practices for Transition Services and Programs in Florida School Districts (PDF)
- The 2021 Florida Legislature passed, and Governor DeSantis signed into law, House Bill (HB) 173, requiring the Florida Department of Education in collaboration with the Project 10: Transition Education Network to review existing transition services and programs for students with disabilities to identify best practices. The deadline for completing this review and publishing the best practices was July 1, 2022. More information on HB 173 (2021) can be found at the following link: https://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-9224/dps-2021-91.pdf (PDF).
- Start with the End in Mind: An Infographic to Guide Decisions about Student Participation in the Alternate Assessment
- Center for Parent Information & Resources: A federally funded project for parents and parent centers serving families of children with disabilities with many free resources.
- OSEP Centers and Grants: The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) provides information on this site specific to its federally funded grants that provide technical assistance and services to families, schools, districts and States.
- BEESS Presentations
- What Matters Most: Key Practices Guide
- BEESS Theory of Action (PDF)