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
- 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.
- Annual State Application for IDEA, Part B - FY 2022 (PDF): Florida’s IDEA Part B application will be available to the public from March 18 to May 18, 2022. Comments will be accepted through April 18, 2022, and 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 at IDEAGrant@fldoe.org; or via fax at 850-245-0953. For the benefit of public interest, the application will be available for public viewing once finalized.
- 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.
- 2021 FDOE 1% Waiver Extension Request (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.
- ED IDEA: The U.S Department of Education’s website with information and resources on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA.
- Discretionary Projects Webinars for Parents and Educators
- Bureau Presentations
- Grant Opportunity: Request for Proposal for the Educational Interpreters Project (Word)