Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - Book Report/Review Example

Draft Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Idea) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Idea) Section A The 1975 PL 94-142, Education for All Handicapped Children Act, currently referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA) comprises of six main components (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). The components are history, purpose, components, helpful information about aspects of the law, the law, and more information (Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2010). The historical component of the law traces the stages of development since its establishment in 1975 (Gargiulo, 2006). This component explains the general motive of the law, which sought to improve the quality of education for children with the disabilities. The major changes happened in the years 1986, 2004, and 2006. Some of the changes involved the inclusion of infants and toddlers, the abolition of the discrepancy model, and reauthorization. The improvements were meant to increase the level of effectiveness of the law. The purpose component of the law spells out the specific objectives for which the law was created to serve. The objectives include free appropriate public education for children with disabilities, protection of the rights of children and their parents, and the facilitation of agencies and institutions in order to enhance their support for the children (Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2010). Other objectives include assisting states in developing interagency systems, enhancing the facilitation of resources and logistics, and assessing the level of effectiveness (Gargiulo, 2006). The component part comprises of parts A to D, with part A dealing with definitions in the context of the law. Part B deals with the provision of money to states for carrying out the specifics of the law. Part C deals with the various services that handles the welfare of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Part D empowers the states and institutions handling children with disabilities through a range of strategies. The component about helpful information about aspects of the law breaks down the law into the specific parts including roles and procedures. Details include assessment, due process, funding and other aspects of the process. The law component gives details of the IDEA 2004 (Public Law 108-446) including its passage, implementations, and regulations (Gargiulo, 2006). The part on more information issues guidance to documents and websites that have pertinent information on the law. Section B PL 99-457 (1986 This law expanded to cover young children and infants with cases of disabilities within the six central provisions that covered older children (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). It also spelled out that states that would fail to comply with provisions would suffer by the withdrawal of funds meant to support other schooling services. This part of the law also provided for the development of an intervention system for tackling the educational challenges for infants and children with special developmental needs. The law also put in place Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). Other additions included the development of public awareness plans and procedural safeguards. PL 101-476 The passage of the PL 101-476 in 1990 marked the revising the earlier title of the law on special disability law on people with disabilities to the alternative name of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). The law prioritized children above the state of disability. The law also saw a withdrawal of phrases such as handicapped to refer to children with disabilities. Transition and eligibility were key additions to the law. Children with autism and those with traumatic brain injury were formally included under the children with disability bracket. The transition period was established in order to provide the mechanisms and programs for children to transcend from public schools of the disability to community institutions. Transition was to begin at the age of 16. PL 105-17 (1997) Details of this law included conditions to be met by the IEP when handling matters of children with disability. The IEP team have to give details on the effect of the disability on the child’s education as understood within a general education classroom. They were also required to set goals, benchmarks, and objectives. The law also spelled out the composition of the IEP, which included the child’s parents and a local educational agency representative. The law also provided conditions on evaluations, assessments, and accommodations. Other details were accountability, progress, environment, and special conditions to be assessed and evaluated by the IEP team. IDEA 2004: PL 108-446 The passage of this law created specific qualifications for special education teachers, which included a special education certification from the state or a special license together with a bachelor’s degree. The teachers were also required to have other special skills to equip them in the task of handling cases of children with disability. The law also provided special education teachers with opportunities for educational development. The law requires that all the monies placed under the State Improvement Grant be used for purposes of professional development. The law also required the adjustment of academic processes for children with disability to the kind of standards recommended by the state. The law also gave details of individual education plans in order to enable schools to provide short-term objectives for students with alternative programs. Another key issue in the IDEA 2004: PL 108-446 was the early intervention for young children (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). Section C The IDEA referral process for referring a student with disability for evaluation and admission in special education follows a definite sequence. The first step is the identification of the child with the suspicion of special needs and in need of special education. The second step is the evaluation of the child in order to obtain the specifics about the nature of need. The third step is the determination of the level of eligibility (Jones, Apling & Smole, 2004). The fourth step is the ascertaining of eligibility. The fifth step requires the scheduling of the level of eligibility. The sixth step is the IEP meeting and the writing down of the IEP. The seventh step revolves around the determination and the provision of the required services. It is usually the norm for services to be provided as soon as possible. The eighth step of the process requires the reporting of the level of progress to the child’s parents. The ninth step involves the reviewing of the IEP in order to determine levels of efficiency and the determination of possible areas of improvement. The tenth step involves the reevaluation of the child. The reevaluation process is generally considered between two and three years from the time of the referral. In some cases, the reevaluation process is conducted on the request of the child’s parents. Section D The referral and educating of a child with disability requires various efforts and skills that are directed towards addressing some of the specific challenges facing the child. The application of pre-referral interventions helps the intervening team to assess some specific details about the child, which can help in determining the kind and level of assistance that the child would require. In order to attend to all the requirements of a disabled child, there is the need to apply a multi-disciplinary team that would bring on board different skills. The various skills would attend to a child’s educational requirements, physical needs, psychological needs, and material needs. The teams may comprise of teachers, psychologists, community workers, and parents. Many times, the process of providing special education to a child of disability often entails the application of individualized education plan. The working of the individualized education plan is in such a way that provides targeted support that is tailor-made to suit the identified needs of a particular student with disability. Both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests are important in teaching students with disabilities. The use of norm-referenced tests allows the teacher to compare the student’s progress in relation to a class of other students that have the same kind of disability. However, in order to determine independently the measure of progress of the student, the teacher uses the criterion-referenced system. This method of testing measures the performance of the student against set standards. The performance will enable the teacher to make appropriate decisions regarding the appropriate course of action. References Gargiulo, R. M. (2006). Special education in a contemporary society: An introduction to exceptionality. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Jones, N. L., Apling, R. N., & Smole, D. P. (2004). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA: Background and issues. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Salvia, J., Ysseldyke, J. E., & Bolt, S. (2010). Assessment in special and inclusive education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Read More