Determining learning disabilities.

In the latest changes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the U.S. Dept. of Ed. is making sure students are identified at a younger age so they can benefit from interventions and work to be proficient in reading and math by 2014, as required under No Child Left Behind.

The evaluation relies on a variety of assessment tools and strategies. The current focus is on a research-based process known as RTI, or Response-to-Intervention.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities pushed for the changes, according to executive director James Wendorf. RTI will be key in identifying students at an earlier age--as early as kindergarten instead of third grade--so they can benefit from interventions before it's too late for them to catch up. "RTI can be used to distinguish special education students from those that just need to get up to speed," he says.

www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/ idea/idea2004.html

The new regulations include:

* Every state develops specific criteria to determine whether a child has a learning disability

* The child's parents and a team of qualified professionals determine if a child has a specific disability

* It must be determined that a child's difficulties are not primarily due to a visual, hearing or motor disability, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, culture and environmental factors, or economic disadvantage, limited English proficiency or lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math.