Examining States’ Responses to the IDEA Special Factors Requirements for DHH Students:

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students have exhibited deficient language competencies and low academic achievement for over four decades. As a result, Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 requires schools to address special language and communication factors through each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). States have responded in a variety of ways with several that supplement their IEPs using a communication plan. This article examined states’ IEP or communication plan templates to identify the format and specificity with which they addressed these requirements. The IDEA language was parsed into distinct items to allow ratings using a Likert-type scale. The analyses performed descriptive, t test, and ANOVA comparisons on the forms posted on states’ website. Those states using a communication plan had significantly higher ratings overall. Kentucky’s form was the most highly rated IEP and identified each required item. Most state IEP forms identified these factors more gen...