This 23rd annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA) discusses the progress of students with disabilities. It includes a number of modules reporting on the results of the National Assessment. Section 1 includes five modules that present state-reported data on high school gradation rates for students with disabilities, information about the participation and performance of students with disabilities in state assessments, challenges to providing secondary education and strategies, outcomes for students with problem behaviors, and data from the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study. Section 2 contains information on the characteristics of students receiving services under IDEA. The five modules in Section 3 examine some of the programs and services available within schools for children with disabilities and include preliminary results from the National Assessment Program. Educational environments, family involvement, personnel needs, early intervention services, and state and local implementation are discussed. The final section contains three modules describing state improvement activities, the planning process used to develop the Part D National Activities Program, and the National Assessment Program. Extensive appendices provide data tables on child count, placement, personnel, graduation rates, discipline, population and enrollment, and early intervention. (Sections contain references.).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funds to states for the education of children with disabilities. It contains detailed requirements for the receipt of these funds, including the core requirement of the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). IDEA was comprehensively revised in 1997 by P L 105-17, but Congress has continued to grapple with issues relating to the Act. This book provides an overview of the Act with particular attention paid to issues of recent congressional concern, such as funding and the provision of FAPE for children with disabilities found to have brought a weapon to school.