Final regulations on school assessments: an attempt to align the NCLBA and the IDEIA

The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued final regulations on education assessments under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), which went into effect on May 9, 2007. These regulations cover how students with disabilities are going to participate in state- and district-wide assessments, and are part of the DOE's effort to align the NCLBA and the IDEIA. This article reviews the new assessment regulations and evaluates whether and how they benefit children with disabilities.