Database of Federally Funded Technical Assistance and Research Centers

The Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) aims to empower school districts to build and maintain technology systems that include every student, particularly children and youth with disabilities who require assistive technology and accessible materials. The CITES Framework is a helpful guide that encourages positive change within a district. It works alongside technology and instructional efforts already in place, bringing together experts and coaches at various levels to assist local teams in making and maintaining inclusive technology systems.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE),  the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) supports schools, districts, and states to build systems capacity for implementing a multi-tiered approach to social, emotional and behavior support. The broad purpose of PBIS is to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of schools and other agencies. PBIS improves social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students, including students with disabilities and students from underrepresented groups.

The purpose of the project is to increase the body of knowledge on equitable and innovative approaches for implementing and integrating technology into informal and formal authentic early childhood assessments and to build capacity of the field to use technology to support authentic assessment through disseminating tools, methods, and frameworks.

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) focuses on the inclusion of students with disabilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities in instruction and assessments. The scope of NCEO’s work includes issues related to accessibility of assessments across the comprehensive assessment system including formative assessment practices, classroom-based assessments, diagnostic assessments, interim assessments, and summative assessments.

NCEO is a leader in advocating for appropriate testing access and accommodations for students with disabilities, including English learners with disabilities and English learners without disabilities. NCEO works to ensure that the assessment results for these groups of students are reported just as they are for other students and that they influence accountability systems in the same way as they do other students.

Created by IDEA 2004, the NIMAC is a federally-funded, searchable online repository of source files for K-12 instructional materials. We receive files in the XML-based NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) format, and states use these materials in the production of accessible formats such as braille, large print, and digital text. The NIMAC currently has over 74,000 files from more than 160 publishers.

The Regional PTACs help OSEP’s funded network of Parent Centers address administrative/management challenges and increase their capacities to provide information and training to families of children with disabilities.  This resource takes you to the Center for Parent Information & Resources site where you can find more information about the four Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers.

Some of the Technical Assistance (TA) Services RPTACs provide to Parent Centers include:

• One-to-one consultations 
• Training/Webinars 
• Training for non-profit board training members 
• Help with needs assessment 
• Peer-to-peer mentoring 
• TA using technology to enhance programs and services 
• Regional meetings and conferences 
• Site visits  
• Non-profit management tools 
• Newsletters  
• Family- and Youth-centered service strategies

he STEM Innovation for Inclusion in Early Education (STEMI²E²) Center aims to:

• Develop and enhance the knowledge base on engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning opportunities for young children with disabilities (O-5);
• Implement high-quality technical assistance and professional development to increase engagement for young children with disabilities in STEM opportunities; and
• Engage partners and stakeholders from diverse disciplines and industry in work to increase the inclusion of young children with disabilities in early high-quality STEM learning experiences.