Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) on November 19, 2004. This act was focused on better aligning IDEA with No Child Left Behind, by not only assuring that special needs children would get an education, but making sure that education was the best possible one they could have, and putting emphasis on raising the educational performance of these students.
This law goes on to require that all special education teachers be "highly qualified" and describes what qualifications that entails. Degrees and educator testing are the main points.
Discipline of special education students is also outlined. A student may not be punished if his or her disability is the cause of the misbehavior, and IEP teams must analyze the offense and determine if this is the case, or if perhaps a failure to implement the student's IEP is the cause.
This amendment will have a significant impact on the profession lives of educators as well as students. President Bush took a large interest in reforming our schools, and this law is a tiny portion of that pledge. Greater accountability is now required of teachers and higher standards are being enforced. Government is taking a stand on teacher experience and qualifications, and attempting to ensure that America's children, special and general education students alike, are getting the best education possible from their educators.
This law goes on to require that all special education teachers be "highly qualified" and describes what qualifications that entails. Degrees and educator testing are the main points.
Discipline of special education students is also outlined. A student may not be punished if his or her disability is the cause of the misbehavior, and IEP teams must analyze the offense and determine if this is the case, or if perhaps a failure to implement the student's IEP is the cause.
This amendment will have a significant impact on the profession lives of educators as well as students. President Bush took a large interest in reforming our schools, and this law is a tiny portion of that pledge. Greater accountability is now required of teachers and higher standards are being enforced. Government is taking a stand on teacher experience and qualifications, and attempting to ensure that America's children, special and general education students alike, are getting the best education possible from their educators.
Why We Comply with this Law
IDEA of 2004 was necessary and important to streamline the original law. After several years for previous amendments to sink in, Congress decided to alter some rules.
"Highly qualified" is a term everyone wants to associate with educators, and this law made it mandatory for those words to apply to every special education teacher in the country. Special education teachers are now expected to pass difficult examinations to earn certification.
Also, the disciplining of disabled students is a touchy subject. How do you punish someone who deserves punishment, but may or may not fully understand what they did to warrant it? It is not fair to punish them without explaining their wrongdoing, and the government sets strict limitations on what schools can and cannot do to punish special education pupils. Excessively long punishments are not allowed, harsh or complex punishments are not allowed, and the IEP team for the student in question must ask some hard questions of themselves before they do anything to the child. This process is designed to force fairness into a potential landmine situation.
"Highly qualified" is a term everyone wants to associate with educators, and this law made it mandatory for those words to apply to every special education teacher in the country. Special education teachers are now expected to pass difficult examinations to earn certification.
Also, the disciplining of disabled students is a touchy subject. How do you punish someone who deserves punishment, but may or may not fully understand what they did to warrant it? It is not fair to punish them without explaining their wrongdoing, and the government sets strict limitations on what schools can and cannot do to punish special education pupils. Excessively long punishments are not allowed, harsh or complex punishments are not allowed, and the IEP team for the student in question must ask some hard questions of themselves before they do anything to the child. This process is designed to force fairness into a potential landmine situation.