Glossary


Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome	AIDS	A disease of the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Administrative Law Judge	ALJ	A federal or state hearing officer who hears and makes decisions on administrative matters for a federal or state agency.
Advanced placement	AP	Advanced courses offered in high schools which, when successfully completed, offer the basis for being placed at a higher level in college. Advanced placement tests provide the basis for colleges awarding credit for such courses.
Alternative school		A school for placement of students unable to function in regular classroom settings.
Americans with Disabilities Act	ADA	Federal law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.
Applied behavior analysis	ABA	A skills-based therapy that teaches socially significant behavior by applying certain psychological principles, specifically teaching skills by breaking them into small steps taught (and rewarded) one at a time. The term can encompass any method that changes behavior in a measurable, systematic way; such methods have traditionally involved learning situations free from distraction and discrete trials.
Asperger Syndrome		A developmental disability sometimes referred to as high functioning autism; Asperger Syndrome is characterized by the poor communication and social skills evident in autism, but also by at least normal intelligence and language development.
Assistive technology	AT	Equipment or technology that can improve functional capacity of individuals with disabilities including, for example, computer access aids, communication aids, hearing aids. The term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401(1); 28 C.F.R. § 35.104, 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.5–.6.
Attention Deficit Disorder	ADD	A disorder that involves impulsivity and attentional deficits in initiating or maintaining concentration; these difficulties often result in learning and behavioral issues; sometimes called ADD/WO meaning “without” hyperactivity.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder	ADHD	ADD with hyperactivity, that is excessive movement and restless behavior. ADD and ADHD are not specifically included in the statutory definitional list for child with a disability but may qualify for special education under other categories where appropriate.
Autism		A neurologically based developmental disorder that affects verbal and nonverbal communication social skills. Autism is part of a spectrum of pervasive development disorders (PDD) including Autistic Disorder, Asperger Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Retes Disorder, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Autism is included in the definitional list for child with a disability. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401(3)(A), 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(1).
Behavioral intervention plan	BIP	A written document that outlines how the IEP team and others will try to intervene with the environment and/or the student to alter problematic behaviors presented by a student and identified in the functional behavioral assessment. This term is used in IDEA at 20 U.S.C. § 1415(k)(1)(D), (F) to address an approach to a child’s behavior. See also 34 C.F.R § 300.530(f).
Board of Cooperative Educational Services	BOCES	Typically an intermediate level public Educational Services agency formed to provide shared services to school districts.
Charter school		A self-governing public school operating under its authorizing charter under state law.
Coding		In some states, term to describe designation of a student as eligible for special education.
Cognitive development		Acquisition of the ability to think, reason, and understand concepts, process information, and solve problems. See 20 U.S.C. §§ 1401, 1432; 34 C.F.R. § 300.8.
Compensatory education	COMP ED	Services provided beyond the time that eligibility for special education under IDEA has otherwise expired to address situation where the student can show that the program that he/she was given was inappropriate.
Conduct disorder	CD	Repetitive patterns of aggressive and severe antisocial behavior including Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Disruptive Behavior Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DBD-NOS), Adjustment Disorder, and Child or Adolescent Antisocial Behavior.
Department of Education	DOE	There are the United States Department of Education and also various state departments, the latter sometimes referred to by variations on this name.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders	DSM	Published by the American Psychiatric Association, this manual codifies diagnostic attributes for mental health disorders for both children and adults.
Discrete trial training	DTT	A skill based therapy for autistic students that uses an instruction-prompt-response-reward methodology, i.e. a stimulus, a behavior and a consequence.
Dyslexia		A neurologically-based disorder that hampers processing of language and reading ability, typically involving difficulty with phonetic mapping, spatial orientation, and sequential ordering. Dyslexia is included as a specific learning disability under 20 U.S.C. § 1401(30)(B) and 34 C.F.R. § 300.8.
Early Childhood Team	ECT	In some states, the name for the team which meets to formulate the Individual Family Service Plan.
Early Intervening Services	EIS	Services funded by up to 15% of an LEA's federal IDEA funds for children not found to be eligible for services under IDEA, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. § 1413(f) and 34 C.F.R. § 300.226. Not to be confused with early intervention services for children ages 0–2.
Education for All Handicapped Children Act	EAHCA	Enacted in 1975, Public Law 94-142, predecessor to current IDEA federal special education legislation.
Education of the Handicapped Act	EHA	Enacted in 1970, the predecessor and framework to the EAHCA.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act	ESEA	Major federal legislation focused on K12 education, initially the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and variously amended since then. ESEA provides large amounts of federal aid to states and local districts. The best-known provision of ESEA is Title I, which directs funding to serve economically disadvantaged children.
English as a second language; English for speakers of other languages	ESL/ESOL	A method for teaching English to limited-English-speaking students.
English language learners	ELL	A student whose first language is a language other than English; typically the term describes a student in a particular program for learning English such as bilingual education or ESL.
Extended school year	ESY	Services provided to a student during vacations and holidays.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act	FERPA	The federal law protecting the confidentiality of student records and providing certain parental/student rights in regard to those records for schools receiving federal financial assistance, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99.
Free appropriate public education	FAPE	Special education and necessary related services provided without charge in conformity with state standards and a student's IEP. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401(7); 34 C.F.R. §§ 104.33(b), (d), 300.17.
Functional behavioral assessment	FBA	A review and analysis of the student’s situation to find the “functions” of that student’s problem behaviors by identifying problem behaviors and the contextual factors that contribute to those behaviors. The term is used in IDEA and its implementing regulations at 20 U.S.C. § 1415(k), 34 C.F.R. § 300.530.
Head Start		Head Start is a federally sponsored program focused on preparing low-income children ages 0–5 for school, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 9831.
Homeschooling		Education at home; governed by various state laws.
Inclusion		Educating all children in the same classroom, including children with various disabilities, by adding appropriate services.
Independent Educational Evaluation	IEE	An evaluation of a student for special education and related services conducted by someone other than those employed by the school district. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b)(1) 34 C.F.R. § 300.502.
Individualized Education Program	IEP	A single written document laying out the plan for special education and related services for a student with disabilities. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401 (14); 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.320–.328.
Individualized Family Service Plan	IFSP	A plan written by a multidisciplinary team to address the needs of children with disabilities ages 0–3. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1401(15); 1436; 34 C.F.R. § 303.344.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act	IDEA	Federal special education legislation, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act	IDEIA	The reauthorization of IDEA in 2004 is sometimes referred to with this acronym.
Intelligence quotient	IQ	A standardized test score measuring a person's cognitive abilities in relation to his/her age. The score is calculated by dividing the “mental age” (derived from the test) by actual age.
Interim alternative educational setting	IAES	An education placement outside of the student’s regular placement, authorized specifically by statute under 20 U.S.C. § 1415 (k) and 34 C.F.R S 300.530 (b)(1).
Learning disability		This term covers a variety of conditions that affect a student's ability to learn, more particularly, ability to acquire and use verbal or nonverbal information. The IDEA speaks to “specific learning disability” as “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.” 20 U.S.C. §§ 1401(3), (30); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8 (c)(10).
Learning disorder		Another term for learning disability, a condition that interferes with a student's ability to learn.
Least restrictive environment	LRE	The placement of children with disabilities that allows for their being included in academic and non-academic settings “to the maximum extent appropriate” with students who are not disabled. IDEA requires that there be a continuum of placements, see 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(5) 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.114–.120.
Limited English proficiency	LEP	Students whose primary language is not English. See generally 20 U.S.C. § 7801(25). This term is used in IDEA as part of the definition of native language at 20 U.S.C. § 1401(20); 34 C.F.R. § 300.29.
Local education agency	LEA	Public board of education, school district, or other local authority that administers education in various political subdivisions. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401(19), 34 C.F.R. § 300.28.
Local Hearing Officer	LHO	A hearing officer at the local level; see 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f).
Lovaas		An intensive, early intervention behavior program for children with autism developed by and named for Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas; also known as the UCLA Model of Applied Behavioral Analysis.
Magnet School		A school with a strong emphasis in a particular subject area, for example, music, science, drama, or math. Typically students attend a magnet school by application and selection rather than attending a school that would be in their residential area.
Mainstreaming		The practice of integrating students with disabilities into regular classrooms for at least part of their school day.
Manifestation		For special education students, a determination review statutorily mandated review to ascertain whether the student’s behavior is a result of his/her disability. see 20 U.S.C. § 1415 (k)(1)(E);34 C.F.R. § 300.530(e).
Mediation		Generally, a process where a third party neutral helps to facilitate a solution to a problem between or among other parties. Mediation is part of the dispute resolution procedures referenced by IDEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e); 34 C.F.R. § 300.506, 303.419.
Multidisciplinary conference	MDC	Meeting of professionals and other educators from a variety of disciplines involved in a student’s evaluation.
Office for Civil Rights	OCR	Part of the Department of Education, the enforcement agency for several federal civil rights statutes that prohibit discrimination including discrimination on the basis of age, disability, race, color, national origin, and sex, as well as for Title Il of the ADA prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disabilities by public entities.
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services	OSERS	Part of the Department of Education, OSERS includes the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and works to support programs to educate, rehabilitate and otherwise improve the lives of those with disabilities.
Office of Special Education Programs	OSEP	Part of OSERS, OSEP administers the federal IDEA and describes itself as “dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.”
Orton Gillingham		A specific method for teaching students with specific language or reading disabilities including dyslexics.
Picture exchange communication system	PECS	A modified applied behavioral analysis method for teaching non-verbal communication, typically used with nonverbal autistic students.
Portfolio		A collection of student work that can form the basis of assessment.
Private school		Schools that are administered primarily by other than local, state or federal government and which thus retain mostly separate control over their functioning. Private schools would include parochial (religiously affiliated) schools as well as various secular schools such as boarding schools, military schools, and others.
Pull-out programs		Programs that provide assistance to individual students outside of the regular classroom, i.e. by “pulling them out” of regular classes.
Pupil evaluation team	PET	Term used for IEP team in some states.
Regulation		Rule adopted by an agency to implement legislation; when properly adopted rules and regulations have the force and effect of law.
Related services		Related services include a variety of services as may be necessary for a student to benefit from special education. This term is defined by statute and regulation, 20 U.S.C. § 1401(26); 34 C.F.R. § 300.34.
Resolution Session		Meeting prior to opportunity for due process hearing, between parents and relevant IEP team members, including representative with decision-making authority, to discuss complaint and attempt to resolve it. Relevant statutory and regulatory provisions are 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f)(1)(B) and 34 C.F.R. § 300.510.
Resource room		A special classroom, typically a special education classroom where additional help is provided.
Response to Intervention	RTI	Process for evaluating children suspected to have specific learning disabilities that employs systematic assessment of the student's response to high quality, research-based general education instruction. The term “Response to Instruction” is also used by some sources. The IDEA regulations provide that states must permit LEAs to use such a process. 34 C.F.R. § 300.307(a)(2); see 20 U.S.C. § 1414(b)(6)(A). For information supporting the use of RTI and selected references, see 71 Fed. Reg. 46647-59 (Aug. 14, 2006).
Section 1983	1983	42 U.S.C. § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
Section 504	504	Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, federal law that prohibits discrimination against disabled students.
State education agency	SEA	The State Board of Education or other similar state-level agency responsible for implementing education law and policy. This term is defined by statute, 20 U.S,C. § 1401(32).
State hearing officer, also state review officer	SHO, SRO	A state level hearing officer; in regard to special education, part of the due process provisions, see 20 U.S.C. § 1415(g).
Stay Put		Student stays in his/her “then current educational placement” while disputes are ongoing; see 20 U.S.C.A. 1415(j); 34 C.F.R. 300.518.
Title I		Refers to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which targeted federal financial resources to schools with high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. This part of the federal legislation was also known as Chapter I.
Title I		Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12111–12117; 29 C.F.R. Part 1630 (employment).
Title II		Title Il of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131–12134; 28 C.F.R. Part 35 (public services and transportation).
Title III		Title Ill of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12181–12189; 28 C.F.R. Part 36 (public accommodations and services operated by private entities).
Title VI		Title VI of Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 USCS § 2000d (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin).
Title Vll		Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e (Equal Employment Opportunities).
Title IX		Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681 (sex discrimination).
Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children	TEACCH	A skill-based therapy that emphasizes teaching functional skills.