Superintendents and Co-op Directors have been provided through mass mail from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), Special Education Unit, a manual with a side-by-side comparison of the re-authorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004 – Public Law 108-446) to current federal law (IDEA 1997 - Public Law 105-17). This document was prepared by and furnished to the ADE by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE).
Additional resources and training are being developed by the ADE for dissemination to school districts and co-ops prior to July 1, 2005, the effective date for the majority of changes in the IDEA provisions. Further training will be provided during the summer prior to the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year.