The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.

View the IDEA at: http://idea.ed.gov/download/statute.html

Federal Regulations

In August 2006, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the final regulations for Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004.

Two closely watched issues that were addressed in the new regulations are:

Highly qualified teachers: States may develop a separate, high, objective, uniform state standard of evaluation (or HOUSSE) specifically for special education teachers, provided it does not establish a lower standard for content knowledge than for regular education.

Diagnosis of learning disabilities: States may continue using the “severe discrepancy” method of diagnosing students with specific learning disabilities. However, states and districts are directed to use Response to Intervention (RTI) as part determining eligibility for special education services. RTI requires that all students be given a variety of interventions on difficult subjects. If a students still does not make progress, further investigation may be warranted, including evaluation for learning disabilities.

The new regulations took effect October 13, 2006.

View the Federal Regulations as HTML or PDF*.

For more information about IDEA, try these resources from the
U. S. Department of Education:

• Alignment with No Child Left Behind
  
  
• Changes to Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation
  
  
• Questions and Answers On Individualized Education Programs (IEP's), Evaluations and Reevaluations
  
  
• Children Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools
  
  
• Questions and Answers On Serving Children With Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools
  
  
• Discipline
  
  
• Questions and Answers on Discipline Procedures
  
  
• Early Intervening Services
  
  
• Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities
  
  
• Questions and Answers On Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS)
  
  
• Individualized Education Program (IEP)
  
  
• Individualized Education Program (IEP), Team Meetings and Changes to the IEP