The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education regularly provides guidance to the field on the nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). “Guidance” can take several forms:

• OSEP’s correspondence in response to questions received from the field;
• policy documents and letters on priority issues; and
• non-regulatory guidance.

All are intended to clarify elements of the law and its regulations. Often, OSEP responds directly to questions from  state and local special education directors. These letters are an important part of understanding IDEA and how to implement it. We are pleased to connect you with OSEP/DOE’s guidance and offer two kinds of information:

• general  links to the most current OSEP/DOE pages online where IDEA guidance is posted;
• specific  links to recently published or high-priority guidance on IDEA.

General IDEA Guidance from OSEP/DOE

• OSEP’s Legislation and Policy Guidance
  http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/policy.html
  
• OSEP Policy Correspondence
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/letters/revpolicy/index.html

Specific IDEA Guidance from OSEP/DOE

Looking for a particular guidance document on IDEA? We identify the more recent guidance below, as well as letters and memos on high-priority topics.  In alphabetical order, by topic:

• 2006 Determination Letters of State Implementation of IDEA
  Determination letters for FY 2006, July 2008
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/factsheet.html
• Discipline Procedures
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C7%2C
• Early Intervening Services
  Memorandum to the Chief State School Officers and the State Directors of Special Education, July 28, 2008
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/ceis.html
• Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) Serving Children With Disabilities
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C2%2C
• Homeless Children with Disabilities
  Policy Guidance under Executive Order #13422, February 2008
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/spec-ed-homelessness-q-a.pdf
• IEPs, Evaluations, and Reevaluations
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C3%2C
  
  
• Modified Academic Achievement Standards
  Non-regulatory guidance, July 2007
  http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/modachieve-summary.html
• Monitoring, Technical Assistance, and Enforcement
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C4%2C
• NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards)
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C5%2C
• Procedural Safeguards and Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children with Disabilities
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C6%2C
• RTI and Early Intervening Services (EIS)
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C8%2C
• Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools
  An informal Q&A, January 2007
  http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C1%2C