June 2005 Article

Re-authorized IDEA

In December 2004, President Bush signed the three year re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act now has a new designation - the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004.

Hearings and workshops are occurring at the State and Federal level to allow educators, attorneys, advocates, and parents to participate in the development of new regulations and to gain knowledge of significant changes. Among the changes are requirements that Special Education teachers must meet new standards aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act.

Multiple online resources have become available:

http://www.cec.sped.org The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has produced commentary and analysis regarding the proposed regulations.

http://www.c-c-d.org/IdeaUserGuide.pdf: Robert Silverstein, J.D., Director of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities has written a comprehensive analysis of changes entitled "User’s Guide to the 2004 IDEA Reauthorization (P.L. 108-446 and the Conference Report)". This is a PDF file and will open in a new browser window.

http://www.advocacycenter.org/FactSheets/Summary_of_IDEA_2004.pdf: The National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS) has produced a brief summary of the changes brought about by the passage of IDEIA 2004. This is a PDF file and will open in a new browser window.

http://www.nasdse.org: National Association of State Directors of Special Education provides analysis and a side-by-side comparision of IDEIA to IDEA.

http://kuhl.house.gov/UploadedFiles/idea.pdf: The Congressional Research Service has issued a report to Congress entitled, "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Analysis of Changes Made by P.L. 108-446".This is a PDF file and will open in a new browser window.

The new regulations become effective on July 1, 2005.