Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA 2004
The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004 may be accessed here
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
(IDEA) Part B regulations
of the IDEA has been published in the Federal Register
on August 14, 2006 and are available here
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
- Final Regulations
Additional information on the IDEA is available at
IDEA related resources from Ed.gov
Rhode Island
Special Education
Regulations
Current State Regulations
Regulations
of the Rhode Island Board of Regents
for Elementary & Secondary Education
Governing the Education of Children
with Disabilities, December, 2000.
State
Regulations effective July 1, 2008
Regulations
of the Rhode Island Board of Regents
for Elementary & Secondary Education
Governing the Education of Children
with Disabilities, January, 2008
State
Performance Plan/Annual Performance
Reports
Under the
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004
(IDEA), states are required to
report the progress of students with
disabilities in important areas of
performance. This report is the most
recent report submitted to the US
Department of Education.
SPP Public Reporting: District
Progress on SPP Indicators
The State shall report annually to
the public on the performance of
each local educational agency (LEA)
located in the State on the targets
in the State’s Performance Plan.
School Support System:
A Collaborative
System of
Focused Monitoring
The School Support System (SSS) is being
implemented by the Rhode Island Department of Education, Office
of Special Populations (RIDE/OSP), to improve outcomes for
students with exceptionalities who receive special education
services. The SSS evaluates the quality and effectiveness of
special education, and the extent to which the district/ (Local
Education Agency) or the educational setting meets special
education laws and regulations. It emphasizes:
•
Involving the whole school district/educational setting,
including administrators,
special and general
educators, students and parents;
• gathering
and analyzing information from multiple sources of information;
• conducting
on site reviews, interviewing administrators and staff to focus
on general
and specific
information on delivery of programs and services to students;
and
• developing
a School Support System Plan for strengthening programs and
correcting
essential areas in
order to improve student performance.
The School Support System, is a collaborative system of focused
monitoring. The Office of Special Populations is aligned with
federal IDEA legislation. Moreover, the School Support System
addresses the Comprehensive Education Strategy and the R.I.
Student Investment Initiative. These are state general
education initiatives designed to close gaps in student
performance and prepare students for the 21st
century. Hence, the School Support System is designed to align
with best practice efforts and supports the following beliefs
and assumptions:
• An
assigned category or level of special need does not define the
educational needs
of students.
• To the
maximum extent possible, students with exceptionalities are
meaningfully
included in
the general education program.
• The
curricula are based on standards that are sufficiently broad to
support the
learning
needs of all students and include academic and skill areas.
• Individual
Education Plans reflect state and local standards for student
performance,
incorporate varied
assessments, and utilize a broad array of accommodations for
testing and
learning.
• A
comprehensive system of professional training must support and
encourage the
involvement of all
personnel in addressing the learning needs of students with the
full
range of abilities
and exceptionalities.
The
School Support System integrates multiple sources of information
in order to develop a support plan that is directed at
increasing student performance and is founded on proven
practice. Moreover, the Rhode Island Department of Education,
Office of Special Populations seeks to create collegial and
collaborative relationships with the school district/educational
setting, thereby involving the entire district/educational
setting in evaluating the quality of special education
services. As a result, the process delineates the
district/educational setting’s strengths and needs, culminating
in the development of a plan to improve service delivery. Our
goal is to implement agreements and versification in a timely
and systematic way to get corrective actions /support planning
instituted in order to assure continuous high performance of all
children.
Additional
Information
Susan Wood, Ph.D.
Rhode Island Department of Education
255 Westminster Street
Providence, R.I. 02903-3400
Office of Special Populations
Telephone (401) 222-8992
Email:
Susan.Wood@ride.ri.gov
Information on
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act and the Americans with
Disabilities Act is available on the
following page: