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Title page 1

Contents 3

Highlights 2

Letter 5

Background 9

DODEA Schools 9

Special Education and Related Services in DODEA Schools 10

Special Education Services Overseas 12

DOD Updated Its Special Education Services Directory in January 2025 but DODEA's Staff Allocation Methods Do Not Always Align with Student Needs 15

DOD Updated its Special Education Services Directory to Include Information About the Availability and Level of Related Services Overseas 15

DODEA's School Staffing Formulas Do Not Consider Required Service Minutes, Which Can Vary Widely Among Students with IEPs 19

DODEA Staff and Families Identified Staffing Shortages, Insufficient Training, and Unclear Guidance Among Key Obstacles to Providing Special Education Services 23

DODEA School Staff Said Staffing Shortages, High Turnover Rates, and a Lengthy Hiring Process Exacerbate Heavy Workloads and Affect Service Delivery 23

DODEA Paraeducators Cited a Need for Crisis Training 28

Special Education Staff Face Challenges Adapting the General Education Curriculum and Obtaining Reading Interventions to Meet Students' Needs 31

DODEA School Staff Said They Have Insufficient Guidance to Implement DOD's Special Education Policies, Resulting in Inconsistent Practices Across Schools 35

Conclusions 39

Recommendations for Executive Action 39

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 40

Appendix I: Comments from the Department of Defense 43

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgements 51

Tables 3

Table 1. Sample Information Provided in DOD's July 2021 Directory of Special Education Services Overseas 16

Figures 3

Figure 1. Student Enrollment and Number of Schools Across DODEA, School Year 2023-2024 9

Figure 2. Example of Special Education Service Levels in Overseas DODEA Schools for Services Related to Vision Impairments 12

Figure 3. Days Taken to Resolve Special Education Related Services Delays for DODEA Students During 2022-2023 School Year 17

Figure 4. DODEA Staffing Formulas for Special Education 20

Figure 5. Turnover Rates Among Paraeducators and Special Education Teachers Across DODEA Locations, School Year 2022-2023 25

Figure 6. Average Time to Hire DODEA Special Education Teachers and Paraeducators, School Years 2019-2020 to 2022-2023 27

Figure 7. Voices from the Field: Concerns Around Instructional Materials to Adapt the General Education Curriculum 32

Figure 8. Voices from the Field: Concerns Around Guidance for Special Education 38