dictate decisions about curriculum and assessment for all states. The most important provisions associated with these laws are that all children with disabilities are entitled to a free appropriate public education, regardless of their skill levels and the severity of their disabilities.
The laws also mandate the use of unbiased testing, classification, and placement procedures including parental notification and consent. Further, these public laws also stipulate that disabled children must be placed in the least restrictive (most normalized) appropriate placement, meaning that to the extent possible, handicapped children should be educated with children who do not have disabilities. Also, the laws state that parents have a right to participate in decisions related to their child's education and the policies of the state and local educational agencies. Parents also have the right to procedural due process, meaning that they can challenge the school's decisions and actions that affect their children.
Finally, children have a right to an individualized and appropriate education, commonly referred to as an ôIndividualized Educational Programö or IEP. The laws state that, at a minimum, each IEP must include a summary of the child's present levels of functioning; annual goals; short-term instructional objectives; statement of the educational and related services needed, such as speech/language therapy or physical therapy; dates o
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