Essentials of IDEA for Assessment Professionals

by Guy McBride, Ron Dumont, John O. Willis

Quickly acquire the practical coverage and guidance you need to understand the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities. To understand it thoroughly, school psychologists, teachers, and other school service providers need a comprehensive resource to guide them in what this frequently amended Act means and how it should be interpreted. The first concise, yet authoritative, book of its kind on which professionals can rely to navigate this often-misunderstood law, Essentials of IDEA for Assessment Professionals is that source. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, each chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. Written in the user-friendly and well-known Essentials format, each of the seven concise chapters covers terminology, classification, assessments/evaluations, and other topics related to IDEA. With an accompanying CD offering commentary on judicial decisions related to interpretation of IDEA, as well as references to the 2006 final regulations for IDEA 2004 and Section 504 regulations, Essentials of IDEA for Assessment Professionals provides helpful guidelines for educational assessments and evaluations.
From the Legal Proverbs for Special Education Professionals
As in life, most of the woes resulting in adversarial situations in special education law result from simple things that special educators have either done or left undone. Below are ten proverbs (or pseudo proverbs) that may help practitioners avoid the most common

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to appreciate the dark humor of this book’s authors, but that’s because of the potential pitfalls of the legislation in question. This is what happens when lawmakers have no professional knowledge of the subject the law is addressing. While IDEA is certainly necessary and well-intentioned, its vague portions can get practitioners into trouble. McBride et al. aim to clarify these confusing sections with advice gathered from professional experience and state and federal court decisions. Throughout, they remind readers that what may appear to be a loophole is often a noose, a bit of sage advice for any career, but particularly one that impacts the lives and futures of children. Hopefully the next time this law is revised, the authors provide an updated guide with their trademark wit and wisdom.