Special Education/IDEA
On this page:
- Educational Rights & Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
- Dispute Resolution & Procedural Safeguards
- Special Education Laws
- Evaluation & Reevaluation Reports
- Supplementary Aids and Services
Educational Rights & Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
Defining & Understanding Special Education
A reference list to expand your understanding of what key terms in IDEA mean and how schools address the needs of students with disabilities and support them in achieving the annual goals stated in their IEPs.
The Right to Special Education in Pennsylvania: A Guide for Parents and Advocates, Education Law Center of PA
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
The IEP is an important document in the educational lives of students with disabilities receiving special education under IDEA. This is a written document listing, among other things, the special education services that the student will receive. The IEP is developed by a team that includes the child’s parents and school staff.
- Your Rights in the IEP Process: It is important to understand your rights as an informed decision-maker in the IEP process.
- A Closer Look at Each IEP Component:
- — Present Levels
- — Annual Goals
- — Benchmarks or Short-Term Objectives
- — Measuring and Reporting Progress
- — Special Education
- — Related Services
- — Supplementary Aids and Services
- — Program Modifications for School Personnel
- — Extent of Nonparticipation
- — Accommodations in Assessment
- — Service Delivery
- — Transition Planning
- — Age of Majority
Supreme Court Case Decision Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District Re-1
On March 22, 2017 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District Re-1, 137 S. Ct.988 that the scope of the free appropriate public education (FAPE) requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) be determined that “[t]o meet its substantive obligation under the IDEA, a school must offer an IEP that is reasonably calculated to enable a child make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.” The court additionally emphasized the requirement that “every child should have the chance to meet challenging objectives.”
After 34 Years, the Supreme Court Revises FAPE – The Endrew F. Decision – an article from the PEAL Center’s Summer 2017 newsletter
FAPE at a Glance:
Dispute Resolution & Procedural Safeguards
IDEA Dispute Resolution Parent Guides
The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education provides IDEA Dispute Resolution Parent Guides (available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Hmong, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese, Burmese, Portuguese, Japanese, and Somali.). These guides are companion resources to OSEP’s release of a Q&A on IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution
Procedural Safeguards Notice
- Schools provide families with a document called the “Procedural Safeguards Notice” that describe the rights that families have in the special education process. This document is lengthy but includes important information. There are several resources available to help families understand the contents of this document and their rights that you can access on this page.
- Rights Done Right: Procedural Safeguards Videos
- Procedural Safeguard Notice Audio
- ConsultLine: a toll-free help line for families and advocates of children with disabilities
- Parent’s Rights: Understanding the Procedural Safeguards (English), PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)
- Derechos de los padres: Cómo Entender la Notificación de Salvaguards Procesales (Español), PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)
- The Pennsylvania State Task Force on the Right to Education, PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)
- Add link here to the “New to Special Education” publication
Procedural Safeguard Notice Audio
Resource from the Office for Dispute Resolution. This resource provides links to an audio recording of the Procedural Safeguard Notice (PSN) broken into IX sections.
- General Information
- Confidentiality Information
- State Complaint Procedures
- Due Process Complaint Procedures
- Hearing on Due Process Complaint
- Mediation
- The Child’s Placement Pending Mediation and Due Process
- What if My Child is Excluded from School Because of Discipline Issues
- What Special Education Services are Available for My Child, if Parentally Placed in a Private School?
ConsultLine, Office for Dispute Resolution
1-800-879-2301 (Toll-Free)
ConsultLine is a toll-free information help line for families and advocates of children with disabilities who have questions or concerns about the education of a preschool and school-aged child. ConsultLine specialists answer questions and provide information about special education, gifted education, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. More information about ConsultLine here.
You can reach the ConsultLine at the following telephone numbers: 1-800-879-2301 (in Pennsylvania) and 717-901-2146 (outside of Pennsylvania).
The Spanish HelpLine Plus is available for callers who would like to speak with a specialist in Spanish.
Special Education Law and Regulations
Evaluation & Reevaluation
This five-part series will help you understand federal and state special education laws regarding evaluation and reevaluation forms, and other important educational language in these reports. Included on these pages are downloadable PDFs of the annotated forms. Check out the series here, and let us know what you think!
Supplementary Aids and Services
Supplementary aids and services are often critical elements in supporting the education of children with disabilities in regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with non-disabled children to the maximum extent appropriate.
Examples of supplementary aids and services:
- Adapted equipment
- One-on-one aide
- Assistive technology
- Modified assignments/materials
- Peer mentors
- Collaboration/consultation among staff, parents, and/or other professionals
Determining what supplementary aids and services are appropriate for a particular child must be done on an individual basis.
Pennsylvania’s Supplementary Aids and Services Toolkit: An Overview for Parents
Supplementary Aids and Services (SaS) Consideration Toolkit
Supplementary Aids and Services Fact Sheet, PaTTAN. This fact sheet provides the definition and purpose of supplementary aids and services as well as a framework for considering the full range of supplementary aids and services.
Gaskin Publication