This ERIC digest provides highlights of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (P.L. 105-17). Changes to general provisions of the law are explained, as well as changes in other areas, such as outcomes and standards, evaluations and curriculum, procedural safeguards, discipline, early intervention, and teacher training and preparation. Specific changes include: (1) participation of students with disabilities in state and district-wide assessment programs; (2) development and review of the Individualized Education Program, including increased emphasis on participation of children and youth with disabilities in the general education curriculum; (3) enhanced parent participation in eligibility and placement decisions; (4) streamlined student evaluation/reevaluation requirements; (5) the availability of mediation services as a means for effectively resolving parent-school differences; (6) disciplinary procedures for students with disabilities, including allowing for an appropriate interim alternative education setting; (7) allowing children ages 3-9 to be identified as developmentally delayed; and (8) the creation of a new system of grants to improve results for students with disabilities through system reform, emphasizing personnel training and training for regular education teachers of early grades. (CR)