The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Summary:

This page briefly describes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 and links to additional information.

IDEA was originally passed by Congress in 1975 as the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94 142). This law mandated that all children with disabilities receive a free, appropriate public education regardless of the level or severity of their disability. These key components were addressed:

• Provision of federal funding to the states to partially support special education services
• Definition of eligibility for children ages 3 to 21
• Requirement for individual educational plans (IEPs)
• Implementation of due process and procedural safeguards

In 1990 the law was renamed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with the following changes:

• Expand the types of disabilities covered under the law
• Requirement for transition services for older students

In 1997, IDEA was re-authorized to provide clear mandates for students with disabilities to be involved in the general education program by requiring that:

• IEPs must relate more clearly to the general education curriculum.
• Parents must receive regular progress reports.
• Children with disabilities must be included in state and district assessment programs, as appropriate.

In 2004, IDEA was revised to align its provisions with the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). IDEA focused on general supervision, accountability, and reporting by districts and states. Some of the key changes include the identification of specific learning disabilities, evaluation and reevaluation procedures, secondary transition, and state and districtwide assessments.

IDEA 2004 addresses appropriate accommodations in reference to individual educational plans (IEPs). The law uses the term "accommodations" to describe changes to the ways students learn and are tested. Specifically, accommodations include:

• Supplementary aids and services to be provided to the student
• Classroom and testing accommodations
• Supports for school personnel to address the needs of the student with disabilities
• Individual accommodations in the administration of state or district assessments

The IEP team is also required to address these special factors:

• Use of positive behavioral interventions
• Language needs of students with limited English proficiency
• Possible use of braille for those who are visually impaired
• Communication needs of students, including the deaf or hard of hearing
• Need for assistive technology devices or services

Resources

A Web site about IDEA 2004 and additional resources describing the law is available at: http//idea.ed.gov

Legal Basis | ESEA | ADA | Section 504 | Eligibility