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The American Psychological Association (APA) is changing the definition of Autism Spectrum Disorders, a change which will occur in May of 2013. You can view the draft criteria here and a short explanation here. There are several changes which concern parents, education professionals and people with autism spectrum disorders. Very briefly, these changes are: 1. The new APA criterion for autism spectrum disorders is different from the current APA, IDEA and Montana educational criteria for autism spectrum disorders. 2. Asperger's Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder will no longer exist as separate APA diagnostic categories, but will be subsumed in the revised APA criteria for "Autism Spectrum Disorder." What will these changes mean for students with autism spectrum disorders in Montana's public schools? 1. Montana is unlikely to change the current criteria for identification of a student as having autism until the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) is reauthorized. 2. The IDEA was last reauthorized in 2004 and the revised regulations were published in 2006. There is no anticipated date for when the next reauthorization will occur. 3. When the IDEA or Montana educational criteria for educational disabilities change, there is no requirement that students who are currently identified as eligible for special education and related services be reevaluated to determine eligibility under the new criteria. These students have previously been determined as eligible using the criteria which were in effect at the time of their identification. 4. Children and youth who are evaluated and diagnosed by non-school agencies as meeting the current or revised APA definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder are still required to have a separate educational evaluation by the school district. 5. If necessary, the OPI Division of Special Education will provide guidance and technical assistance in interpreting any differences between the new APA criteria for autism spectrum disorders and the current Montana educational criteria for autism. If you have questions, please contact Doug Doty, Statewide Coordinator of the OPI Montana Autism Education Project at ddoty@mt.govor 459-5303

Cases involving IDEA typically begin or end with the issuance of a prior written notice; either the school district has refused to initiate a service or proposed it, and parents disagree. Last week, the Ninth Circuit expanded this traditional framework.

Lawmakers should work to increase the number of special education teachers and establish consistency in the implementation of services when Congress meets next year to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a group of school principals says.

The new, still-divided Congress that took office this month faces a lengthy list of education policy legislation that is either overdue for renewal or will be soon, in a political landscape that remains consumed with fiscal issues. But it's tough to say whether there will be much action on all that outdated legislation—including the No Child Left Behind Act, which has awaited reauthorization since 2007. The cast of characters in Washington is virtually unchanged since before the 2012 elections—which left President Barack Obama in the White House, Democrats in control of the Senate, and Republicans in control of the House of Representatives.

The success rate among the graduates of  America’s Special Education Programs has been studied and criticized for decades. In 2005, Dr. Frank Rusch of Pennsylvania State University and this writer addressed the issue related to the inability of young special education high school graduates to achieve success in employment, post-secondary education, adequate housing and community acquiescence. According to the study, Rusch and Pizzuro wrote: “Young adults with disabilities typically leave publicly funded educational institutions without a job, without being enrolled in postsecondary education, and without the security of knowing their roles in society. Fewer than 30 percent of high school leavers obtain jobs after departing mandated education and fewer than 10 percent enroll in postsecondary education. The past 25 years has witnessed continued poverty among young adults with disabilities, despite legislative reauthorizations aimed at improving educational opportunities (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004) and employment access (The Americans with Disabilities Act).”

When: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 12:00 to 1:30 PM MT ABOUT THE WEBINAR: Marking the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this presentation will review the six pillars of IDEA that support children, parents and teachers in educational settings. How these important precepts have changed through the years will be reviewed. The role parents and advocates have played in IDEA and how they must prepare to again impact the upcoming reauthorization of IDEA are covered. Time is provided for questions from participants. COST:  $35.00 (regularly $50.00) Price includes toll-free phone and web access to the 90 minute presentation, presentation handout and unlimited access to the event archive in both web and audio formats. Secure online purchasing >>>

The U.S. Secretary of Education testified about the President’s FY 2011 budget request and ESEA reauthorization to the House Education and Labor Committee. Duncan was grilled by both Republicans and Democrats about the lack of funding increases for IDEA.

The Obama administration's blueprint to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) will support state and local efforts to help ensure that all students graduate prepared for college and a career. Following the lead of the nation's governors and state education leaders, the plan will ask states to ensure that their academic standards prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace, and to create accountability systems that recognize student growth and school progress toward meeting that goal. This will be a key priority in the reform of NCLB, which was signed into law in 2002 and is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).

On Wednesday, December 22, President Obama signed the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act of 2010 (H.R. 1246/S. 3199) into law. The bill, which was passed earlier this month by the Senate, was passed by the House on December 15.

The legislation reauthorizes and expands EHDI legislation passed nearly 10 years ago, increasing state funding for follow-up services to ensure that babies initially identified with a potential hearing loss receieve full diagnostic evaluations and, if necessary, are enrolled in early intervention programs. The act also promotes culturally sensitive family support services.

This is the 29th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2007. Section 664(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all children with disabilities and the provision of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.

“I’m advocating for greater alignment between ESEA and IDEA. Alignment does not mean the merger of IDEA and ESEA. Nor does it represent any intention whatsoever to diminish or weaken IDEA as a unique and freestanding civil rights statute. … The reauthorization of ESEA and IDEA will create an opportunity for a paradigm shift that will allow us to define one educational system, while also refining our policies and practices to make certain that we educate all students to the highest possible standards,” said Posny.

President Barack Obama signed a three-year extension of the Combating Autism Act Friday, the very day the law — and many of the programs it established — was set to expire. The reauthorization Obama signed calls for $231 million annually through 2014 to fund everything from autism research to prevalence tracking, education, early identification and intervention programs.

Welcome to Montana's "No Child Left Behind Report Card".  The "Report Card" is required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The information is helpful in determining how Montana schools and districts are meeting the requirements of this federal legislation.  It should not be considered a comprehensive report on the quality of education provided by any Montana school or district.

When IDEA was reauthorized in 2004 some new buzz words emerged. One term is Response to Intervention (RTI).  Although response to intervention is not actually new, it is very new to IDEA, parents, and to many school districts.