Most parents and teachers get information about the law from training sessions, articles, advice on list serves, and informal discussions with others. Your knowledge can rise no higher than your source! You must read the law - this is the only way to understand legal rights, responsibilities, and issues.

IDEA 2004: Section 1414 - Evaluations, Reevaluations and IEPs

Overview, Explanation and Comparison of IDEA 2004 and IDEA 97

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004: Overview, Explanation and Comparison of IDEA 2004 & IDEA 97 by Peter W. D. Wright, Esq. describes the substantive changes to the five key statutes of IDEA 2004 by section and subsection.

Good Books about IEPs

Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives by Barbara Bateman and Cynthia Herr. The heart of the law is the child's written Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives teaches educators and parents how to write IEPs that are legally correct and educationally useful.

IEP and Inclusion Tips by Anne Eason and Kathleen Whitbread - Learn how to prepare for IEP meetings, create legally correct and educationally sound IEPs, ensure access to the general curriculum, track educational progress, and form effective parent-school partnerships. Features more than 100 tips to help parents, teachers and administrators share goals and develop healthy working relationships.

How Well Does Your IEP Measure Up? by Diane Twachtman-Cullen. Step-by-step guide to writing IEPs; includes sample goal & objective templates for areas of functioning typically neglected in IEPs Includes recommendations for teaching strategies, educational programming formats & useful resources.

The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child. This useful book by attorney Lawrence Siegel is filled with organization and planning tips, sample letters and forms; information about IEPs. More info

Preparing Instructional Objectives teaches you to identify, select, and write educational objectives. You learn how to describe the performances you expect to achieve, identify the conditions under which you expect the performance to occur, and set criteria for acceptable performance.

Measuring Educational Results by Robert Mager. How do you know if a child is learning and making progress? You measure the results of instruction to determine if objectives and benchmarks have been achieved. This easy-to-read book gives you tools to measure instructional results. Learn more about Measuring Instructional Results.

For more good books about IEPs and special ed advocacy, visit the Advocate's Bookstore.

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition (ISBN: 978-1-892320-16-2, 456 pages, 8 1/2" x 11", perfect bound) by Peter Wright and Pamela Wright, published in 2007, is available in two formats: a print book and a print & e-book combo. The book includes:

• Full text of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 and IDEA 2004 regulations with analysis and commentary
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• No Child Left Behind Act
• Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• McKinney-Vento Homeless Act
• Decisions in special education cases from the U. S. Supreme Court
• References and resources

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition is designed to meet the needs of parents, teachers, advocates, attorneys, related services providers, school psychologists, administrators, college professors, hearing officers, and employees of district and state departments of education.

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind

Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind (ISBN: 1-892320-12-6) by Peter W. D. Wright, Pamela Darr Wright and Suzanne Whitney Heath is published by Harbor House Law Press and includes the No Child Left Behind CD-ROM.

Surviving Due Process: When Parents and the School Board Disagree

Surviving Due Process: When Parents and the School Board Disagree - Stephen Jeffers v. School Board. Takes you through a special education due process hearing, from initial preparations to testimony by the final witness. Jeffers v. School Board is based on the true story of a young child with autism. With different evidence and witnesses, this could easily be a case about a child with a different disability or a different legal issue. (DVD, 2 hours, $19.95)

Free Pubs & Resources

Understanding the Standards-based Individual Education Program (IEP). Advocacy Brief from NCLD. The term "standards-based IEP is used to describe a process and document that is framed by the state standards and that contains annual goals aligned with, and chosen to failitate the student's achievement of, state grade level academic standards.

Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities. (in html) Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards Assessing Special Education Students.

The Accommodations Manual presents a five-step process for individualized educational program teams, 504 plan committees, general and special education teachers, administrators, and district-level assessment staff to use in the selection, administration, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the use of instructional and assessment accommodations by students with disabilities. The guidance in the manual pertains to students with disabilities who participate in large-scale assessments and the instruction they receive.

A Guide to the Individualized Education Program published by the U. S. Department of Education. Learn how to write IEPs that improve teaching, learning, and educational results. Article includes contents of the IEP; IEP team members; writing the IEP; placement decisions; implementing the IEP; revising and revising the IEP; resolving disagreements about the IEP; sample IEP form, information and resources, the federal regulations for IEPs, and guidance about IEPs.

Designing Individualized Education Program (IEP) Transition Plans from ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to prepare students with disabilities for employment and independent living. Transition planning that involves students and their families leads to post-school success and independence. Article describes how to design quality IEP transition plans.

Questions and Answers On Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Evaluations, and Reevaluations from US Department of Education, Building the Legacy of IDEA 2004. The responses presented in this document generally are informal guidance representing the interpretation of the Department of the applicable statutory or regulatory requirements in the context of the specific facts presented and are not legally binding.