NICHCY Connections... to Resources on IDEA 2004

NICHCY's Connections pages are designed to put you in quick contact with information that's readily available on the Internet. We're pleased to offer this particular resource page to connect you with sources of information on our nation's special education law, the IDEA 2004. We'll be continually adding to it, as new resources emerge.

The Law Itself

• 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. We're pleased to offer the PDF file online at NICHCY, at:
  www.nichcy.org/reauth/PL108-446.pdf
• And a text-only version of the law:
  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:h.1350.enr:

Federal Regulations

Some time after passage of the statute come the federal regulations--in this case, on August 3, 2006. That's when Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the release of final federal regulations for IDEA 2004. Publication of these regulations in the Federal Register occurred on August 14, 2006.

The final regulations will guide implementation of the law in the United States and are the standard upon which state policies and rules must be based. (States may go beyond what federal regulations require, but their policies and rules must, at a minimum, be consistent with the federal regulations.)

• A PDF version of the federal regulations, as posted in the Federal Register, August 14, 2006.
  www.nichcy.org/reauth/IDEA2004regulations.pdf
• Text-only version of the regs.
  www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2006-3/081406a.html

From the Feds

From OSERS and OSEP:

For authoritative input on the law, we 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:
www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html

OSERS and OSEP have made a series of short summaries available on changes from the IDEA 97 to IDEA 2004. The topics are listed below. All of these can be found in NICHCY's "OSEP-Reviewed Materials on IDEA 2004," posted at:
www.nichcy.org/idealist.htm

• 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
• Part C Option: Age 3 to Kindergarten Age
• I. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Surrogates, Notice and Consent
• II. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Mediation and Resolution Sessions
• III. Procedural Safeguards Regarding Due Process Hearings
• Secondary Transition
• State Funding
• Statewide and Districtwide Assessments

Again, all of these summaries can be found in NICHCY's "OSEP-Reviewed Materials on IDEA 2004," posted at:
www.nichcy.org/idealist.htm