Special Education and the Law for Parents

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004

What is IDEA 2004?The "slip law" is the Public Law (P.L.) print of P.L. 108-446, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. It's available in PDF format and is 162 pages long.

Updates on IDEA 2004 from the Federal Government

From the Congress... IDEA: Guide to Frequently Asked Questions discusses key definitions, new provisions with respect to highly qualified teachers, funding, private schools, charter schools, new state policies, IEPs, procedural safeguards, discipline, and monitoring and enforcement. Find the guide on the U. S. House of Representatives Web site. Issues page, which provides links to such documents as: the Bipartisan House-Senate Conference Report on H.R. 1350; a summary of the bill; and four fact sheets on the bill, entitled (1) Special Education Reform: Supporting Teachers & Schools, Providing New Choices for Parents & Students; (2) Making Special Education Stronger for Students & Parents; (3) Reducing Unnecessary Lawsuits and Litigation in Special Education; and (4) Building on Historic Funding Increases for Special Education.
From OSERS and OSEP:For authoritative input on the law, we also look to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), within the Department of Education. These are the agencies within the federal government responsible for overseeing IDEA's implementation. They've established a dedicated IDEA 2004 page, at:
OSERS and OSEP have also made the following one-page summaries available on changes from the IDEA 97 to IDEA 2004:Alignment with the No Child Left Behind Act
Changes in Initial Evaluations and Reevaluations
Children Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools
Discipline
Disproportionality and Overidentification
Early Intervening Services
Highly Qualified Teachers
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team Meetings and Changes to the IEP
Local Funding
I. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Surrogates, Notice and Consent
II. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Mediation and Resolution Sessions
III. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Due Process Hearings
III. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Due Process Hearings
 Secondary Transition
Statewide and Districtwide Assessments

General Summaries of IDEA

It goes without saying, or surprise, that reauthorization of a law of IDEA's incredible power would generate a multitude of comments, analyses, and summaries. What's new? What's different? What's the same? Here is a long list of what has already hit the streets for all of us to use to understand the new law's requirements. IDEA 2004: Overview, Explanation & Comparison.
Courtesy of Wrightslaw, this 56-page article describes the substantive changes to the five key statutes of IDEA 2004 by section and subsection. Text added to IDEA 2004 is in italics. Text deleted from IDEA 97 has been struck through. IDEA: Analysis of Change Made by P.L. 108-446.
The Congressional Research Service, the part of the Library of Congress that serves as the research arm of Congress, has published an 47-page analysis of the new IDEA law. A User's Guide.
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) offers this 63-page guide on additions and deletions to IDEA brought about by the 2004 reauthorization and includes relevant information from the Conference Report, which articulates Congressional intent.More from Wrightslaw.
Wrightslaw also makes available a number of other articles on IDEA 2004, including How Will IEPs Change Under IDEA 2004?; IDEA 2004: IEP Team Members & IEP Team Attendance; Requirements for Highly Qualified Special Ed Teachers, and Transition Services for Education, Work, Independent Living.And from the Thompson Publishing Group...
IDEA: New Expectations for Schools and Students is hot off the press at Thompson. For a mere $149 introductory offer (with discounts for multiple copies), this book is designed as a tool for educators, administrators, school attorneys, school board members, and parents seeking to understand and implement the new law. Summary of the 2004 IDEA.
Courtesy of the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), this summary looks at the IEP process, due process, and discipline.Summary of the new IDEA provisions.
Courtesy of NAPAS, the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc. Summary of the new law.
Courtesy of the National Committee of Parents and Advocates Organized to Protect IDEA. CEC's summary.
Courtesy of the Council for Exceptional Children. Let's go section by section.
Courtesy of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), take a look at the Comparison of H.R. 1350 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) and IDEA ‘97. You can download the entire comparison in PDF, or look at individual comparisons of Parts A, B, C, or D of the law and the new provisions for the National Center for Special Education Research. A side-by-side analysis of transition requirements.
Courtesy of NCSET, the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. The side-by-side analysis identifies major changes between IDEA 1997 and H.R. 1350 (IDEA 2004) concerning transition services for youth with disabilities.

And 200 pages from NASDSE.
NASDSE, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, offers a 200-page side-by-side that compares current law to the amended law signed by President Bush on December 3rd. Individual copies are $15 each; bulk orders of 100 copies or more receive a 15% discount. To order your copy, send a check or purchase order to NASDSE, 1800 Diagonal Road., Suite 320, Alexandria, VA 22314, Attention: C. Burgman. The document is not available in electronic format.