Discuss the major components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER: The five major components of IDEA are: 1) nondiscriminatory and multidisciplinary
assessment of educational needs? 2) parental involvement in developing each child's
educational program? 3) a free and appropriate public education, 4) education in the least
restrictive environment (LRE)? and 5) an individualized education program (IEP).
Provisions for nondiscriminatory assessment and multidisciplinary assessment include: 1)
testing of students in their native or primary language, whenever possible? 2) the use of
evaluation procedures selected and administered to prevent cultural or racial
discrimination? 3) the use of assessment tools validated for the purpose for which they
are being used? 4) assessment by a multidisciplinary team utilizing several pieces of
information to formulate a placement decision.
Parents are granted several rights under IDEA, including: 1) consent in writing before
the child is initially evaluated? 2) consent in writing before the child is initially placed in a
special education program? 3) request an independent education evaluation if they feel
the school's evaluation is inappropriate? 4) request an evaluation at public expense if a
due-process hearing finds that the public agency's evaluation was inappropriate? 5)
participation on the committee that considers the evaluation, placement, and
programming of the child? 6) inspection and review educational records and challenge
information believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the privacy or other
rights of the child? 7) request a copy of information from the child's educational record?
8) request a hearing concerning the school's proposal or refusal to initiate or change the
identification, evaluation, or placement of the child or the provision of a free, appropriate
public education.
All students with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education
(FAPE) based upon individual ability and need. The IDEA provisions related to FAPE
are based on the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. constitution guaranteeing equal
protection of the law. No student with a disability can be excluded from a public
education based on a disability. The least restrictive environment clause of IDEA
mandates that students with disabilities receive their education with nondisabled peers to
the maximum extent appropriate. In order to meet this mandate, federal regulations
required schools to develop a continuum of placements, ranging from general classrooms
with support services to homebound and hospital programs. IDEA mandates that all
student with disabilities are to have an individual education program (IEP).
All IEPs contain information about the following: (1) the student's present level of
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performance? (2) annual goals for all students and short-term objectives for students
taking alternate assessments aligned with alternate achievement standards? (4) related
services? (5) percentage of time spent in general education? (6) beginning and ending
dates for special education services? and (7) annual evaluation.