IDEA | Additional IDEA Rights | Range of Placements

IDEA

IDEA is a federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which furnishes a formal process for accessing children with disabilities and providing specialized programs and services to help them succeed in school. IDEA was enacted in 1975, reauthorized and revamped in 1997, and more recently in 2004.

Special education is unique because of the central role parents play in determining their child's educational program. Under IDEA, the program and services your child needs will be determined through the individualized education program, or IEP, process. The term IEP is used to refer to a meeting about and a written description of your child's program. Your ability to understand and master the IEP process is central to your child's educational experience. Indeed the IEP is the centerpiece of IDEA. Keep in mind the following:

Don't let the word "law" throw you off balance. The actual language of IDEA, and more important, its underlying purpose, can easily be mastered. The legal concepts in IDEA are logical and sensible.

Developing a broad understanding of the law will help you when you review assessments, eligibility. IEP's and other key matters.

The actual language of IDEA appears throughout this site.

IDEA imposes a number of requirements on school districts.

Every school district has the legal duty to identify, locate and evaluate children who may be in need of special education. This includes children who have no fixed address (such as homeless or migrant children) and children who may be advancing from grade to grade but nonetheless may need special education. Once a child is identified and located, the school district must find them eligible for special education through an evaluation and IEP process before specific programs and services can be provided. ...more...