The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the main federal statute governing special education and early intervention services for children with disabilities from birth through age 21.1 IDEA consists of four parts. Part A contains general provisions, including the purposes of the act and definitions. Part B contains provisions…

This report responds to Delaware state legislation requiring the development of proposed revised regulations for the classification of students as learning disabled (LD). The report first describes the current system, noting that in 1997 15 percent of the student population were served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and over…

This paper offers criteria for states attempting to develop more effective special education funding formulas. It notes that balancing criteria to meet program objectives is difficult, with a major focus on one criterion often coming at the expense of other criteria. An effective formula should be: understandable, equitable, adequate, predictable,…