IDEA and IEP
What is IDEA?
IDEA 2004
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that secures special education services for children with disabilities from the time they are born until they graduate from high school. The law was reauthorized by Congress in 2004, prompting a series of changes in the way special education services are implemented.
History
IDEA has undergone several changes since it began as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), or Public Law 94-142, in 1975. This law originated as a way to insure that students with disabilities receive an appropriate public education.
IDEA has been updated about every five years since its beginnings, the latest of which is the 2004 reauthorization. The reason for this consistent updating is to give us a chance to see how the law plays out in practice, and what we need to do to make it more clear, efficient or effective. In 1986, for example, the infant and toddler component was added, and in 1990, transition planning became a requirement to assist students starting as teens to plan for transition beyond high school.
Several ideas have become part of the special education vocabulary because of this law, including FAPE (free appropriate public education), IEP (individualized education program) and LRE (least restrictive environment). These concepts have been built into the special education system to insure equal access to education for all students.
In 2006, another change was made when final regulations were released for IDEA 2004. For years, schools were required to wait until a child fell considerably behind grade level before being eligible for special education services. Today, with the release of the final regulations of IDEA 2004, school districts are no longer required to follow this 'discrepancy model,' but are allowed to find other ways to determine when a child needs extra help. This is being implemented throughout the country through a process called Response to Intervention.
What is an IEP?
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program (alternatively called an "Individualized Education Plan," "Individual Education Plan," or some combination thereof). This is a legally binding document that spells out exactly what special education services your child will receive and why. It will include your child's classification, placement, services such as a one-on-one aide and therapies, academic and behavioral goals, a behavior plan if needed, percentage of time in regular education, and progress reports from teachers and therapists. The IEP is planned at an IEP meeting.The individualized part of IEP means that the plan has to be tailored specifically to your child's special needs -- not to the needs of the teacher, or the school, or the district. Goals, modifications, accommodations, personnel, placement, all should be selected, enforced and maintained with the particular needs of your child in mind. "We don't do that," for example, is not an individualized response. If your school has never had a child like yours (and since your child is an individual, they haven't), and now they do, and a service is appropriate to his or her needs, then they do do that now. (About.com/specialeducation.)
Who is eligible for an IEP?
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) has categorized 13 different disabilities that qualify for special education services.
A child who is identified under one of the categories may be eligible for special education services. About.com/specialeducation.
IDEA 2004
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that secures special education services for children with disabilities from the time they are born until they graduate from high school. The law was reauthorized by Congress in 2004, prompting a series of changes in the way special education services are implemented.
History
IDEA has undergone several changes since it began as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), or Public Law 94-142, in 1975. This law originated as a way to insure that students with disabilities receive an appropriate public education.
IDEA has been updated about every five years since its beginnings, the latest of which is the 2004 reauthorization. The reason for this consistent updating is to give us a chance to see how the law plays out in practice, and what we need to do to make it more clear, efficient or effective. In 1986, for example, the infant and toddler component was added, and in 1990, transition planning became a requirement to assist students starting as teens to plan for transition beyond high school.
Several ideas have become part of the special education vocabulary because of this law, including FAPE (free appropriate public education), IEP (individualized education program) and LRE (least restrictive environment). These concepts have been built into the special education system to insure equal access to education for all students.
In 2006, another change was made when final regulations were released for IDEA 2004. For years, schools were required to wait until a child fell considerably behind grade level before being eligible for special education services. Today, with the release of the final regulations of IDEA 2004, school districts are no longer required to follow this 'discrepancy model,' but are allowed to find other ways to determine when a child needs extra help. This is being implemented throughout the country through a process called Response to Intervention.
What is an IEP?
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program (alternatively called an "Individualized Education Plan," "Individual Education Plan," or some combination thereof). This is a legally binding document that spells out exactly what special education services your child will receive and why. It will include your child's classification, placement, services such as a one-on-one aide and therapies, academic and behavioral goals, a behavior plan if needed, percentage of time in regular education, and progress reports from teachers and therapists. The IEP is planned at an IEP meeting.The individualized part of IEP means that the plan has to be tailored specifically to your child's special needs -- not to the needs of the teacher, or the school, or the district. Goals, modifications, accommodations, personnel, placement, all should be selected, enforced and maintained with the particular needs of your child in mind. "We don't do that," for example, is not an individualized response. If your school has never had a child like yours (and since your child is an individual, they haven't), and now they do, and a service is appropriate to his or her needs, then they do do that now. (About.com/specialeducation.)
Who is eligible for an IEP?
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) has categorized 13 different disabilities that qualify for special education services.
- Visual Impairment
- Speech and Language Impairment
- Auditory Impairment
- Deaf/Blind
- Autism
- Developmental Disabilities (Intellectual Disabilities)
- Multiple Disabilities
- Orthopedic Impairment (Physical)
- Specific Learning Disabilities
- Emotional/Behavior Disorder
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Multi-sensory Impairment
- Serious Health Impairments
A child who is identified under one of the categories may be eligible for special education services. About.com/specialeducation.