IDEA and NCLB

Under the NCLB Act, schools and districts must demonstrate adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward ensuring that every child achieves the proficient level of the state's standards by the 2013-2014 school year. Students with disabilities are no exception. NCLB requires that students with disabilities as a subgroup demonstrate AYP toward the state's goals. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) includes specific provisions to help schools and districts develop programs to support students with disabilities.

Guidance, Regulations, Legislation, and Announcements

Guidance

Non-Regulatory Guidance, Alternate Achievement Standards for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Word)
Provides States with detailed information about how best to use and implement alternate achievement standards.

Non-Regulatory Guidance, Alternate Achievement Standards for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Word)
Guidance addresses only the implementation of the December 9, 2003 regulation on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It does not address the proposed “2 percent” policy or the issue of “modified” achievement standards.

Legislation

Final Legislation, Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; Title 1, Sec. 1001 (2) —STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Announcements

IDEA Reauthorizaton Moves Forward in U.S. Congress (May 2004)

Additional Guidance Offered to States to Help Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (March 2004)

New No Child Left Behind Provision Gives Schools Increased Flexibility While Ensuring All Children Count, Including Those With Disabilities (December 2003)

Paige Releases Principles for Reauthorizing Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (February 2003)

U.S. Department Of Education Releases New Special Education Guidelines, Details Workable, "Common-Sense" Policy to Help States Implement No Child Left Behind (May 2005)

Secretary of Education Letter on Raising Achievement of Students with Disabilities, Greater Flexibility Available for States, Schools (November 2005)

Secretary of Education Announces New Special Education Regulations (August 2006)

For Information Specific to California:

Special Education
Information and resources to serve the unique needs of persons with disabilities so that each person will meet or exceed high standards of achievement in academic and nonacademic skills.

Other Resources

Useful Links

California Services for Technical Assistance and Training (CalSTAT)
The CalSTAT website is a special project of the California Department of Education, Special Education Division. The project's purpose is to support collaboration between general education and special education. The site also
offers information related to technical assistance, family partnerships projects, leadership institutes, regionally coordinated training programs, and many other resources.

NCEO's Accountability for Students with Disabilities
This National Center on Educational Outcomes site provides an overview of the issues of accountability under NCLB for students with disabilities, links to state accountability policies, and a list of their reports and other resources that focus on designing and building educational assessments and accountability systems taking into account students with disabilities.

The Access Center
The Access Center builds state and local capacity to improve access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. The Web site connects states, districts, and schools with each other and with research-based practices, tools, videos and readings that can help achieve this goal. The Center is funded by USDE’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Events

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Readings

2005 State Special Education Outcomes: Steps Forward in a Decade of Change