How is Indiana doing in providing a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities?

I would like to share with you information from the Down Syndrome Indiana Governmental Affairs Committee Chair, Tom Milvert. I think his message is more important than anything I have to say today...

Every year the US Department of Education assesses the performance of how well each state is doing in ensuring that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. The assessment is based on a State Performance Plan (SPP) that each state department of education submitted to the US Department of Education after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in 2004.

So how is Indiana doing in providing a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities?

The latest state assessment results have been published and Indiana is…..

At the absolute bottom of all educational jurisdictions that were assessed. And to make it worse we have been at the bottom for three consecutive years. Below is a summary of the results:

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Following is each state's performance in meeting the requirements of IDEA Part B, which serves students with disabilities, ages 3 through 21:

MEETS REQUIREMENTS-Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, , Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Republic of Marshall Islands, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming

NEEDS ASSISTANCE-Delaware, Guam, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virgin Islands and Vermont

NEEDS ASSISTANCE (two consecutive years)-American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia , Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Palau, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia

NEEDS INTERVENTION-Bureau of Indian Education, Louisiana and Rhode Island

NEEDS INTERVENTION (three consecutive years)-Colorado, District of Columbia and Indiana

[Ref: US Department of Education]
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To read more details follow this link:

http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/factsheet09.html

Our children in Indiana deserve better than last place. For to long, the Indiana Department of Education has failed to provide the leadership and has failed to provide the guidance and accountability that is required to ensure that every student, in every school, in every community, in Indiana receives the special education services and supports that they are entitled to. It is time for change and time for accountability in Indiana. Our children deserve better than “free”; they deserve the appropriate education that the IDEA guarantees.

Over the next few days and weeks I will provide some additional information on this topic and together we can form a plan to address this as a unified community.

Please let Tom know if you have any questions on this topic.

Thanks,
Tom Milvert
Down Syndrome Indiana
Governmental Affairs Committee Chair

Thanks for sharing Tom!!!!