Tuesday, January 17, 2012

United States Department of Education Submits Its Annual IDEA Report to Congress

In December of 2011, the US Doe sent its annual report on the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act to Congress. This “annual” report is actually for the year 2008 and most of the data is from 2005-2006 school year. Nonetheless, it contains some interesting information. For example, among its key findings are:

• In 2006, a total of 6,081,890 students ages 6 through 21 were served under IDEA, Part B. Of these students, 5,986,644 were served in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Bureau of Indian Education schools. This number represented 9.1% of the general population ages 6 through 21.

• In 2006, the largest disability category among students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, was specific learning disabilities (44.6%). The next most common disability category was speech or language impairments (19.1%), followed by other health impairments (9.9%), intellectual disabilities (8.6%) and emotional disturbance (7.5%).

• In 2005, 88.4% of full-time equivalent personnel (other than special education teachers) who provided special education and related services for children and students ages 3 through 21 served under IDEA, Part B, were fully certified.

• Children and students ages 3 through 21 who were served under IDEA, Part B, under the category of emotional disturbance had the highest rates of removal to an interim alternative educational setting by school personnel for drug or weapon offenses (0.49%) and by a hearing officer for likely injury to themselves or others (0.08%) in school year 2005–06, compared to children and students in all other disability categories.

You may read the report in its entirety at: http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2008/parts-b-c/30th-idea-arc.pdf

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