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Essay The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This Act is also known as Public Law 108-446. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that secures special education services for children with disabilities from the time they are born until they graduate from high school. The law was re-authorized by Congress in 2004. This re-authorization has driven a series of changes in the way special education services are executed. These changes are continuing today and they affect special education and related services across the United States.
There are several different purposes of IDEA. The first is to ensure that all children with disabilities have a free …show more content…

There are more purposes, but those will have to wait for another day.
While all children can be referred for evaluation for special education, not all are found to be eligible. The student will be tested in all areas related to the child’s assumed disability by the multidisciplinary educational team. In order to be eligible for special education services, the child’s assume disability has to impact the child’s ability to learn. Parents represent the child’s interests. They need to stay informed and involved in their child’s education. IDEA of 2004 strengthened the role, as well as the responsibility, of parents and ensures that they and their families have opportunities to participate in their child’s education. IDEA also protects the rights of parents by ensuring that they can be members of the IEP teams. Parents can be involved in the evaluations and placements of their children and have a say in what happens.
Not only are the students and parents affected, but also the teachers. In order for teachers to be highly qualified, they must have a bachelor’s degree and must prove their knowledge in the core curriculum that they are teaching. They can prove their knowledge by passing the PRAXIS series tests. Teaching standards have risen due to the research conducted involving the relationship between the quality of teaching and low-income

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