Which law expanded EHA and requires nondiscriminatory and multidisciplinary assessment, parental involvement, and an Individualized Education Program to support students with disabilities?

• A. Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)
• B. Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)
• C. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• D. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Answer: (B)

This item tests knowledge of the law that built on the Education for All Handicapped Children Act by adding required school procedures for students with disabilities. The correct law is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Enacted in 1990 and renamed, IDEA expanded who was eligible for services and established essential processes: nondiscriminatory, multidisciplinary evaluations to determine need; active parental involvement in decision-making; and the creation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that guides personalized special education services in the least restrictive environment. The original Education for All Handicapped Children Act laid the groundwork, but it did not mandate the IEP or the same level of evaluation and parental involvement that IDEA requires. The Americans with Disabilities Act focuses on civil rights across public life and does not specify the school-based evaluation and planning components used to support a student’s education.