This policy brief on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is based on March 2002, discussions involving chief state school officers and state directors of special education from five Western states and staff of Western educational research and policy organizations. It focuses on those issues that are fundamental to successfully moving toward a more unified education system -- one that incorporates both IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. These issues include: (1) the need for increased and more flexible funding along with accountability; (2) closer alignment between the processes and policies of IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act; (3) an accountability system focused on learning; and (4) building teacher and administrator capacity. The paper concludes that if these issues are addressed, the unnecessary labeling of students will decrease and districts will be better able to meet the needs of students with disabilities as well as those of at-risk students. It suggests that the confluence of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the reauthorization of IDEA, and the standards movement has provided an unprecedented opportunity to help all students meet high standards. (DB)