Family & Community Special Communities
Special Education

Program Plan for Special Education

IDEA -2004

The federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), was reauthorized in December of 2004 and came fully into effect on July 1, 2005. The reauthorized act continues to emphasize the need to provide appropriate educational services to students with disabilities in order to improve educational results for these students.

Partnerships Improving Educational Outcomes for Students with Disabilities

IDEA-2004 continues to emphasize the role of parents and expands opportunities for parents, general educators, and special educators to work together in partnerships that support student learning and the success of students in adult life.

LEA Compliance

Every Local Educational Agency (LEA) must maintain the documentation named in each element of the Special Education Program Plan Statement to demonstrate compliance with IDEA-2004 at the local level. Massachusetts is aligning the submission of Special Education Program Plan Statement to the cohort model associated with the data collection activities for the State Performance Plans indicators. This process is no longer tied to the Program Quality Assurance Coordinated Program Review process.

• An updated Data Collection Schedule for the Massachusetts State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report has been posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/spp/datacollection.html?section=schedule.
• An updated District Cohort Assignments for the Massachusetts State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report has been posted at http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/spp/datacollection.html?section=list

LEAs assigned to Cohort 1 must complete and submit their Special Education Program Plan Statement to the Special Education Planning and Policy Development Office of the ESE by Friday, February 17 2012. LEAs in Cohort 1 that completed a Special Education Program Plan Statement in FY11 will not be required to submit a new plan.