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Horace Mann
Horace Mann becomes Secretary of the newly formed Massachusetts State Board of Education. A visionary educator and proponent of public (or "free") schools, Mann works tirelessly for increased funding of public schools and better training for teachers. As Editor of the Common School Journal, his belief in the importance of free, universal public education gains a national audience. -
Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children,
Pennsylvania begins funding the Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children, a private school for children with intellectual disabilities. -
Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind
The Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, was the first college in the world established for people with disabilities. Today it is known as Gallaudet University. -
IQ is Born
Louis M. Terman and his team of Stanford University graduate students complete an American version of the Binet-Simon Scale. The Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale becomes a widely-used individual intelligence test, and along with it, the concept of the intelligence quotient (or IQ) is born. The Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet Scales is among the most popular individual intelligence tests today. -
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is developed by David Wechsler. It introduces the concept of the "deviation IQ," which calculates IQ scores based on how far subjects' scores differ (or deviate) from the average (mean) score of others who are the same age. Wechsler intelligence tests, particularly the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, are still widely used in U.S. schools to help identify students needing special education. https://wechsleriqtest.com/ -
Samuel A. Kirk
Samuel A. Kirk uses the term "learning disability" at a Chicago conference on children with perceptual disorders. The term sticks, and in 1964, the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, now the Learning Disabilities Association of America, is formed. Today, nearly one-half of all students in the U.S. who receive special education have been identified as having learning disabilities. -
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is passed on April 9. Part of Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty," it provides federal funds to help low-income students, which results in the initiation of educational programs such as Title I and bilingual education.
https://www.slideshare.net/malikabennett/esea-15176446 -
Diana v. California State Board
The case of Diana v. California State Board results in new laws requiring that children referred for possible special education placement be tested in their primary language. https://sites.google.com/site/schoolpsychquickreference/legal-briefs/diana-v-ca-state-board-of-education -
Mills v. the Board of Education of Washington, D.C.
The case of Mills v. the Board of Education of Washington, D.C. extends the PARC v. Pennsylvania ruling to other students with disabilities and requires the provision of "adequate alternative educational services suited to the child's needs, which may include special education . . ." Other similar cases follow. -
The Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act becomes law. Section 504 of this act guarantees civil rights for people with disabilities in the context of federally funded institutions and requires accommodations in schools including participation in programs and activities as well as access to buildings. Today, "504 Plans" are used to provide accommodations for students with disabilities who do not qualify for special education or an IEP. -
The Education of All Handicapped Children Act
The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142) becomes federal law. It requires that a free, appropriate public education, suited to the student's individual needs, and offered in the least restrictive setting be provided for all "handicapped" children. States are given until 1978 (later extended to 1981) to fully implement the law. -
Public Law 94-142
Public Law 101-476, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), renames and amends Public Law 94-142. In addition to changing terminology from handicap to disability, it mandates transition services and adds autism and traumatic brain injury to the eligibility list. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) becomes law. Essentially a civil rights law, it prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities in all areas, including education. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is approved by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. The law, which reauthorizes the ESEA of 1965 and replaces the Bilingual Education Act of 1968, mandates high-stakes student testing, holds schools accountable for student achievement levels, and provides penalties for schools that do not make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the goals of NCLB. -
IDEA 2004
H.R. 1350, The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), reauthorizes and modifies IDEA. Changes include modifications in the IEP process and procedural safeguards, increased authority for school personnel in special education placement decisions, and alignment of IDEA with the No Child Left Behind Act. The act also requires school districts to use the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach. -
Endrew F v Douglas County School District
In the Case of Endrew F v Douglas County School District, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rules that schools must offer "an individualized education program reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances."
