Individualized education plans (IEPs) have the potential and responsibility of providing individuals with the highest level of learning opportunities. In this guide, discover the essential steps and vital understandings for team members to create student-centered IEPs. This book simplifies the IEP writing process and provides practical strategies…

Five days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision in "M.C. v. Antelope Valley Union High School District." This important decision involved a student who was being served under the Individuals with…

This chapter describes possible effects of the 2017 "Endrew F." Supreme Court decision that raised the "de minimus" standard established in 1982 in "Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson School District v. Rowley." In Rowley, the court held school districts provided an appropriate education to students with…

The lack of support for transfer students, specifically students with individualized education plans (IEP) into school environments, is problematic. At times, IEP students face additional obstacles and challenges due to their disabilities compared to the regular education population. The authors formulated a case that follows an IEP transfer…

Thirty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in "Rowley" (1982). The case, which was the first special education case to be heard by the Court, ruled on the question of what constituted Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with disabilities under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of…

This article concludes this special issue by highlighting some of the most important points from the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in "Board of Education v. Rowley" (1982) and "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" (2017) but also discussing another crucial point to which school district personnel must adhere to ensure…

To provide a missing piece to the legal foundation of professional development and practice for the individualized education program (IEP) process, the authors report the results of a comprehensive systematic analysis of court decisions specific to IEP-related procedural violations after the 2004 amendments of the Individuals With Disabilities…

This article begins by describing a scenario in which a fourth-grade learning disabled student's individualized education program (IEP) team came together to develop his IEP and in so doing made a number of procedural and substantive errors. The purpose of this article is to examine the procedural and substantive requirements of the Individuals…

Given that parental participation is such a critical feature of IDEA (20 U.S.C. § 1400[c][5][B]), the question of who is a parent often presents a challenge. Specifically, with regard to educational decisions, states may include more options under the definition of a parent than those provided in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

Culturally and linguistically diverse families present schools with unique challenges related to eligibility and programming for special education. There has been a dearth in the literature for this population, especially from a legal standpoint. Existing literature has offered scarce information to address the legal rights and responsibilities of…

Parental participation is a crucial component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. When developing students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), school-based teams must place a high priority on involving students' parents in a collaborative effort to develop their children's educational programs and determine their placements.…

The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) receiving services in public schools is increasing steadily. However, the findings of previous research and recent litigation trends suggest that a notable disconnect persists between school-based services and parental satisfaction. As a means to better understand parental dissatisfaction…

The successful transition into adulthood of students with disabilities should be a priority for parents, students, educators, and leaders in special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1990 first mandated transition services for individuals with disabilities. Subsequent amendments to the IDEA in 1997 and…

Incarcerated youth are among the least academically and behaviorally competent students in the United States. In spite of juvenile justice reform efforts, including state and federal guarantees of appropriate education, educational services in juvenile corrections (JC) schools, especially for youth with disabilities, are lacking (Houchins,…

In the field of educational leadership, as well as special education, parental participation is paramount given that federal law has mandated that schools provide and show evidence that they foster parental participation. This quantitative, non-experimental study examined the relationship between level of education, marital status, socioeconomic…