New IDEA Will Allow for Supplemental Materials
AEP Position Prevails in IDEA Conference Committee
Report
November 19, 2004
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Stacey
Pusey
Communications Manager
Washington--Congress has approved a key provision
that will permit teachers to use supplemental instructional materials
to support the instruction of children served in programs authorized
by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The provision is in the IDEA Conference Committee report, which
both the House of Representatives and the Senate approved today.
IDEA bills passed earlier this year set the expectation that reading
instruction offered in pre-referral or early intervening programs
must be grounded in a scientifically based, comprehensive
reading instruction program as required by the No Child Left Behind
Act's (NCLB) Reading First program. The expectation would have created
an inferred prohibition of supplemental instructional materials,
which are often the instructional materials that children in IDEA
programs need the most.
"This is a wonderful victory for special needs kids and a
clear recognition of the value of the learning resources supplemental
publishers provide," said Charlene F. Gaynor, executive director
of the Association of Educational Publishers. "We commend the
legislators whose conviction and action have thrown open the window
of success to all types of learners."
Supplemental materials take a variety of forms including workbooks,
readers, software and hands-on products. Most supplemental materials
are targeted to certain types of students or sub-groups of students,
and many such materials are based on research.
The language on supplemental materials in the committee
report reads:
“"The Conferees believe that early intervening
services should make use of supplemental instructional materials,
where appropriate, to support student learning. Children targeted
for early intervening services under IDEA are the very students
who are most likely to need additional reinforcement to the core
curriculum used in the regular classroom. These are in fact the
additional instructional materials that have been developed to supplement
and therefore strengthen the efficacy of comprehensive core curriculum.
Per the requirements of NCLB, core curriculum must meet standards
of scientific rigor. As supplementary materials to these core programs,
they are aligned with and designed to reinforce the skills taught
in these comprehensive research-based texts."
Throughout the negotiations, AEP maintained that supplemental
materials, by their nature, augment the provision of a comprehensive
scientifically based reading program. Core instruction in each of
the five essential reading components defined in NCLB—phonemic
awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency and
reading comprehension—should be reinforced by supplemental
instructional materials to ensure student success.
"Children targeted for IDEA pre-referral or early intervening
services are the very students who are most likely to need additional
reinforcement from supplemental materials," Gaynor said. "By
definition, these children are not mastering required skills when
provided with regular instruction. They need targeted services that
are often best delivered using supplemental materials."
About AEP
AEP, a national, nonprofit organization, represents, supports and
promotes the publishers of supplemental educational resources, key
tools for reading and learning at school and at home. Its membership
includes the giants of the supplemental education industry, and
spans the gamut from magazines to television channels, books to
interactive computer software and CDs. Please visit www.AEPweb.org
for more information.
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