Introduction

1. Introduction • What is IDEA? • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act • Federal legislation that is the driving force behind special education • Provides guidelines that schools must adhere to and protections for parents and students with disabilities • Aims to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities • Originally enacted in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act • Amended and reauthorized in 1997 and again in 2004. • (U.S. Department of Education)

2. IDEA 1997 The reauthorization of IDEA in 1997 brought about many important changes in special education, including how funding from the federal government is allocated. A poverty factor is included in the new funding formula. • What this presentation will address: • Changes in IDEA 1997 • Pros/Cons for special education funding (focus on poverty factor) • Implications for special education

3. Changes in IDEA 1997 • Regular teachers included in IEP meetings • Transition plans necessary • Copies of friendly version of parental rights • Increased parental rights

4. Changes in IDEA 1997 • Special education students included in statewide testing • Positive behavioral supports • Manifest determination • Funding formula from special education count to student count and poverty factors

5. Changes in IDEA 1997 Funding Pros • Poverty factor is the relative number of children living in poverty, as determined by the State Education Agencies (SEA) • States receive an additional 15% for each child living in poverty • Accounted for by the number of students receiving free or reduced lunch

6. Changes in IDEA 1997 Funding Pros (continued) • Ensures that children with disabilities may attend public schools alongside their peers • Ensures that the disabled student can be included into the regular classroom setting • Improves the quality of education for the special education student

7. Changes in IDEA 1997 Funding Cons • Some LEAs found that there was a reduction in EC Funds • Lack of a state-wide system to collect private school enrollment data • Problems calculating the poverty factor for other SEAs • Inequities in funding for LEAs with similar responsibilities • Use of free and reduced lunch counts as the poverty indicator; high school students tend not to fully participate in school lunch programs

8. Implications for Special Education • Ensures access to the general education curriculum • Addresses the cost of improving special education • Gives increased attention to racial, ethnic, and economic diversity

9. Implications for Special Education (continued) • Provided incentives to whole-school approaches and interventions done before the referral • Focused on teaching and learning while reducing requirements that do not improve educational results.

10. Implications for Special Education (continued) • Strengthened the role of parents. • “Show me the money!!! $$$$$ • Changes in funding formula • Placed more emphasis on LRE • Gave districts more flexibility

11. More Implications for Special Education

12. More Implications for Special Education (continued)

13. More Implications for Special Education (continued) • Approaches toward Improvement • Identification and Monitoring systems • Equity of services

14. References • Curran, C. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (PL 105-17) . Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.cengage.com/highered/ Web site: http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislat ion/pl_105-17.html • Flagle, R. (2007). IDEA Amendments of 1997. Raven's Guide to Special Education, Retrieved November 2, 2010 from http://www.seformmatrix.com/raven/raven1b.htm • Funding Formula and fiscal Provisions for Part B: A policy Analysis http://www.nasdse.org/Portals/0/Documents/Download%20Publications/ DFR-0386.pdf • Hardman, M., Drew, C., & Egan. Human Exceptionality: School, community, and family. Pearson Education, Inc. USA • Knoblauch, B. (1997). An Overview of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (P.L. 105-17). Retrieved November 2 , 2010, from Ericdigests.ORG Web site: http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-1/act.html

15. References • National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, . (n.d.). Funding mechanisms in special education . Retrieved on November 2, 2010 from http://4.17.143.133/ncac/FundingMechanismsinSpecialEducation2081.cfm • Parish, T. Disparities in the Identification, Funding, and Provision of Special Education. Retrieved on October 31, 2010. • Tschantz, J. (2003, February). Funding formula and fiscal provisions for part b: a policyanalysis. Retrieved October 27, 2010 fromhttp://www.nasdse.org/Portals/0/Documents/Download%20Publications/DFR-0386.pdf • U.S. Department of Education. (2007). A 25 year history of the IDEA. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html • Yell, M. & Shrinier, J. (1997). IDEA amendments of 1997: Implications for special and general education teachers, administrators, and teacher trainers. Focus on Exceptional Children. Retrieved November 1, 2010 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3813/is_199709/ai_n8775645/