Reauthorization of the IDEA 2004

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the primary federal program that authorizes state and local aid for special education and related services for children with disabilities. On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, a major reauthorization and revision of IDEA. The new law preserves the basic structure and civil rights guarantees of IDEA but also makes significant changes in the law. Most provisions of Public Law (PL) 108-446 go into effect on July 1, 2005. The requirements regarding “highly qualified” special education teachers became effective immediately upon signature.

Regulations
Statute
Technical Assistance Tools
California Statute Changes
Resources
Training

Regulations

• Final Regulations to Implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)
  The U.S. Department of Education (ED) published in the Federal Register on August 14, 2006, the final regulations to implement the IDEA 2004 and became effective on October 13, 2006.
  
  
• Policy Guidance
  Index of policy documents on the education of infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities
  

Statute: IDEA, as Amended in 2004, PL 108-446, 20 United States Code 1400 et seq.

• Full text of IDEA Statute, December 3, 2004 (PDF)
  
  
• General Table of Contents (Structure of the law)
  
  
• TITLE I - Amendments To The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
• Part A - General Provisions
• Part B - Assistance For Education Of All Children With Disabilities
• Main section of the act describing special education services and procedural safeguards
• Part C - Infants And Toddlers With Disabilities
• Part D - National Activities To Improve Education Of Children With Disabilities
• TITLE II - National Center For Special Education Research
• TITLE III - Miscellaneous Provisions Effective dates

Technical Assistance Tools

• Major Topic Briefs
  Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has developed a series of topic briefs around several high-interest areas of IDEA. Topic briefs include a summary of all relevant statutory language around that topic, the citations and a cross-reference, when applicable, to other related briefs.
• Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities
  Research briefs, technical assistance, and information for improving instruction, assessment and accountability for students with disabilities.
• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, ESEA Title II, Part A Non-Regulatory Guidance (PDF)
  This Non-Regulatory Guidance explains how State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and State agencies for higher education can effectively and correctly use Title II, Part A funds to ensure that all teachers are qualified and effective.

California Statute Changes, October 7, 2006

Legislation was introduced during the 2007 state legislative session to align California Education Code (EC) to the final IDEA regulations.

• State Assembly Bill 1662 (Lieber and Daucher) made changes to California special education statutes to bring them into harmony with federal changes enacted through the 2004 reauthorization IDEA. The bill was signed by the Governor on October 7, 2005.
  
  
• Assembly Bill 1841 (Buchanan) aligns EC 56346 with the amended IDEA Part B regulations at 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 300.300(b)(4). This regulation requires that parental revocation of consent for the continued provision of special education and related services must be in writing, and that upon revocation of consent, a public agency must provide the parent with prior written notice, in accordance with 34 CFR Section 300.503. A letter, alerting all local educational agencies addressing this issue, was mailed January 6, 2009.
  
  
• California Legislative Information
  Access to California statutes, including Education Code, Government Code, and Welfare and Institutions Code.
  
  
• California Code of Regulations
  Access to the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Division 1, Chapter 3, Individuals with Exceptional Needs, sections 3000-3100.

Resources

• IDEA Partnership
  The IDEA Partnership reflects the collaborative work of more than 50 national organizations, technical assistance providers, and organizations and agencies at state and local level. Together with the OSEP, the Partner Organizations form a community with the potential to transform the way we work and improve outcomes for students and youth with disabilities.
  
  
• Council on Exceptional Children
  The Council on Exceptional Children (CEC) is a source for information, resources, and professional development for special educators.

Training

• IDEA Regulation Training
• Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004
  This US Department of Education Web site was created to provide a "one-stop shop" for resources related to IDEA and its implementing regulations including training and technical assistance references.
  
  
• Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities
  OSEP-developed Tool Kits are compilations of resources developed to provide information to practitioners, families, and other stakeholders involved in improving outcomes for children with disabilities.
  
  
• Individualized Education Program (IEP) Web Module
  This self-paced Web training module provides information on how to write IEP goals tied to standards, student focused, and measurable.