Special Education Glossary
ability grouping -
Separating students into groups based on their ability. Often used synonymously with the term 'tracking.'
achievement/ability discrepancy - A criterion often used to determine whether a child has a learning disability. It asks, is the child working up to expectations?
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 - It provides for the protection from discrimination of persons with disabilities and allows claims for compensatory and punitive damages.
adaptive behavior -A sort of "practical intelligence" measured by scales that identify how well a person manages within his or her own environment.
affective -A term which refers to emotions and attitudes.
alternative educational setting -An educational setting employed when the regular educational setting, as defined by the IEP, must be changed. The change is usually temporary and is frequently used as a behavioral management.
Alternate Standard Educational Program -Options existing in a school's curriculum which do not involve students' being served in a special education class --remedial or vocation programs
annual goals -A required component of an IEP. Goals are written for the individual student and can be for a maximum of one year.
authentic assessment -The evaluation of students for their performance on tasks such as a science project or a speech. Also called 'performance assessment.
autism -A new category of eligibility for special education services added by IDEA.
behavioral management plan - A plan as part of the IEP, decided mutually between school officials and parents, which delineates instructional and placement options for a student in case a student's behavior renders the original placement inappropriate.
Board of Education v. Rowley ("Rowley") - Case that helped to define how a special education program may be determined to be "appropriate."
case study evaluation -A set of procedures specified within IDEA to determine possible special education eligibility.
categorical placement -Special education programs in which students are grouped on the basis of their IDEA eligibility category.
charter schools -Publically funded schools that operate independently of local school boards and promote innovative teaching methods and curricula.
chronologically age appropriate -A standard by which children's activities may be evaluated. Instruction and materials should be directed at the student's actual age, rather than to interests of younger children.
cognitive -A term which refers to reasoning or intellectual capacity.
community-based -Skills are taught in the community rather than in the classroom in order to facilitate generalization and application.
continuum of services -The range of services which must be available to the students of a school district so that they may be served in the least restrictive environment.
conference -Generic term that may refer to a multidisciplinary conference, IEP meeting, annual review, or other type of meeting. It is ok to ask what is the purpose of any conference.
cooperative -Voluntary association of school districts that band together to provide special education services using a shared administrative structure.
cooperative learning -Placing students of various abilities in small groups so they can work together to achieve certain objectives.
cued speech -Method of communication used by some persons with hearing impairments
curriculum -The subject matter that is to be learned
curriculum-based assessment -child's progress in the curriculum is measured at frequent intervals.
delay -development which does not occur within expected time ranges.
developmentally appropriate -The natural and best time or method for learning - different for each child - certain subjects and skills.
disability -the result of any physical or mental condition that affects or prevents one's ability to develop, achieve, and/or function in an educational setting at a normal rate.
due process -action that protects a person's rights; in special education, this applies to action taken to protect the educational rights of students with disabilities.
dyslexia -A learning disability that manifests itself as difficulty with reading.
E.D.G.A.R. Complaint -A complaint filed with a state agency under rules promulgated as (federal) Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) that each state have a means for receiving complaints that federal laws are being violated. Enforcement mechanisms are weak.
EHA - Education for All Handicapped Children Act -More commonly identified as P.L. 94-142. It became effective in 1975 and has been significantly modified by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1977).
extended school day -A provision for a special education student to receive instruction for a period longer than the standard school day -- includes "double" kindergarten, later afternoons, or earlier starting times.
extended school year -provision for a special education student to receive instruction during ordinary school "vacation" periods.
EMH - "educably mentally handicapped" -eligibility category under IDEA including children whose cognitive development is approximately one-half to three-fourths the average rate and is accompanied by similar delays in adaptive behavior.
expulsion/suspension -The process used to separate a student from the public school setting for no more than 10 days until the IEP team can determine new educational placement.
evaluation -(as applied to children from birth through two years of age) the procedures used to determine if a child is eligible for early intervention services; (as applied to preschool and school-aged children) and/or whether a child has a disability and the nature and extent of the special education and related services the child needs.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act -A federal law that regulates the management of student records and disclosure of information from those records. The Act has its own administrative enforcement mechanism.
FAPE - "free appropriate public education" -Provision as required under IDEA.
Free appropriate public education (often referred to as FAPE)-IDEA, requires that an education program be provided for all school-aged children (regardless of disability) without cost to families; the exact requirements of "appropriate" are not defined, but other references within the law imply the most "normal" setting available.
fine motor-actions which require tiny muscle movements -- writing or typing.
functional curriculum -focused on practical life skills and usually taught in community based settings with concrete materials that are a regular part of everyday life.
gross motor -actions which require large muscle movements -- walking or.
handicap -Pejorative term no longer in accepted use.
hands-on learning -A tactile approach to learning -- child would learn the alphabet by running his fingers over cutouts of the letters.
heterogeneous grouping- Students of diverse abilities are placed within the same instructional groups.
homogeneous grouping -Students of similar abilities are placed within the same instructional groups.
Honig v. Doe -This case offers significant information on the nature of discipline that may be used with special education students.
identification -the process of locating and identifying children needing special services.
inclusion -the practice of providing a child with disabilities with his or her education within the general education classroom, with the supports and accommodations needed by that student.
Individual Education Program (IEP) -a written education plan for a preschool or school-aged child with disabilities developed by a team of professionals (teachers, therapists, etc.) and the child's parents. Reviewed and updated yearly.
IEP meeting -A gathering required at least annually under IDEA in which an IEP is developed for a student receiving special education.
IFSP - Individual Family Service Plan - Document which outlines the services to be delivered to families of infants and toddlers receiving special services.
inclusion -The educational practice of teaching children with special needs in the regular classroom.
IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act -Law that modifies and extends the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA).
in-home interventions -Special education services delivered in a child's own home.
instructional placement -Phrase used to describe the situation in which a child spends at least half of his/her school day in special education.
intelligence quotient (IQ) - A score on an intelligence test for which 100 is the mean. A score below 90 is considered below average; a score of 110 or above is considered above average.
Irving Independent School District v. Tatro ("Tatro") -A case that helped to distinguish (federally required) related services from "medical services" which are not required to be provided under IDEA.
joint agreement -A joint agreement is a voluntary association of school districts who join together to provide special education services. Also called a "cooperative."
LEA - local educational agency - i.e., a local public school district.
learning disability (LD) -A lifelong disorder affecting how individuals with normal or above-average intelligence select, retain and express information.
LRE - least restrictive environment -an educational setting or program that provides a student with disabilities with the chance to work and learn to the best of his or her ability; it also provides the student as much contact as possible with children without disabilities, while meeting all of the child's learning needs and physical requirements. A requirement of IDEA.
magnet schools -Publically funded and governed schools that bring in students from outside the local neighborhood to reduce or eliminate racial imbalance or isolation, and offer a distinctive curriculum or instructional approach.
mainstreaming -The placement of special-needs students into educational programs along with children without special needs.
manipulatives -Peg boards, blocks and other devices designed to help children develop skills in a subject.
model schools -Privately backed public schools, restructured according to one of nine school plans developed and funded by the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC).
MDC - "multidisciplinary conference" - A required gathering under IDEA and is the only body that can make certain determinations -- specifically about a child's eligibility for special education.
mediation - A voluntary dispute resolution process for which ISBE will provide mediators upon request.
multi-age classrooms - include more than one age level -- grouped by ability rather than by age.
multicultural education -offers activities and themes that teach children respect for diversity and emphasize values and character education.
occupational therapy (OT) -A special education related service which is usually focused upon the development of a student's fine motor skills and/or the identification of adapted ways of accomplishing activities of daily living when a student's disabilities preclude doing those tasks in typical ways (e.g. modifying clothing so a person without arms can dress himself/herself).
OCR - US Office for Civil Rights - An agency of the federal government's executive branch within the Department of Education. It is charged with enforcing a number of civil rights statutes including Section 504.
open classroom -A description of an ungraded classroom in which students of different ages learn at their own pace.
OSEP - US Office of Special Education Programs -An office within OSERS charged with assuring that the various states comply with IDEA.
OSERS - US Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services -An agency of the federal government's executive branch within the Department of Education.
parent training and information programs -Programs that provide information to parents of children with special needs.
phonics -The method of teaching children to read and write by studying speech sounds.
pilot -A new program, school or curriculum.
portfolio -A collection of student's schoolwork used to evaluate her performance in a subject.
pull-out program -Taking a student out of class for one or more sessions a week to see an education specialist.
permanent record -A brief document upon which essential information is entered and preserved. The contents of the permanent record are specified in the Illinois Student Records Act.
placement - the classroom, program, service, and/or therapy that is selected for a student with special needs. Placement includes the school, the classroom, related services, and the amount of time the child will spend with non-disabled peers.
policy/policies -rules and regulations; as related to early intervention and special education programs, the rules that a state or local school system has for providing services for and educating its students with special needs.
present levels of educational performance- A required IEP component.
program(s) -in special education, a service, placement, and/or therapy designed to help a child with special needs.
referral -Notice to a school district that a child may be in need of special education.
regression/recoupment -The loss of skills a child experiences over an instructional break (primarily summer vacation) and the amount of time it takes him/her to recover the lost skills.
REI - regular education initiative - The goal of the REI is to merge the special education and regular education.
related services - Transportation, developmental, corrective, and other support services that a child with disabilities requires in order to benefit from education - speech/language pathology and audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, counseling services, interpreters for those with hearing impairments, medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes, and assistive technology devices and services.
resource placement -A special education placement for less than half a child's school day - usually in a "resource room."
respite care -A service provided to the families of children who require extraordinary forms of care so that the family can take vacations, handle business affairs, and have some relief from the duties of caring for the child.
rote learning --The method of learning something by memorizing the facts.
satellite program -A classroom operated in another facility. A special education cooperative might rent classrooms in its member school districts' facilities to operate classes for students who are able to move out of the cooperative's segregated special education facility.
school-based management- An approach to running a school that encourages parents' and teachers' input and decision-making.
Section 504 -Provision of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits recipients of federal funds from discrimination against persons with disabilities.
self-contained placement -See "instructional placement."
seriously emotionally disturbed -An eligibility category under IDEA which is described in detail within the statute. In Illinois, children eligible under this category are called behavior disordered.
short-term objectives -A required component of an IEP. Each annual goal must have at least one short-term objective.
special education programs/ services - programs, services, or specially designed instruction (offered at no cost to families) for children over 3 years old with special needs who are found eligible - special learning methods or materials, special classes and programs.
special needs - (as in "special needs" child)— a term to describe a child who has disabilities or who is at risk of developing disabilities and who, therefore, requires special services or treatment in order to progress.
standardized tests -Tests which have norms reflecting a larger population (usually these are age or grade based norms reflecting the performance of children throughout the country on the same tests).
supplementary aids and services -Accommodations which could permit a student to profit from instruction in the least restrictive environment. They are required under IDEA.
surrogate parent - An individual trained and appointed by ISBE to exercise special education rights on behalf of children with disabilities.
temporary record -A very extensive document including any diagnostic special education materials.
thematic learning -Learning different subjects around a common theme - studying water through the history of aqueducts and by making models of a waterwheel in art class.
tracking -Grouping students in a classroom by ability.
therapeutic day program -An instructional placement for students with serious emotional disturbance in which aspects of treatment for the emotional difficulty are incorporated into the school program.
TMH - "trainably mentally handicapped" - An eligibility category under IDEA including children whose cognitive development is approximately one-fourth to one-half the average rate and is accompanied by similar delays in adaptive behavior.
total communication - An instructional strategy in which teachers instruct children with severe hearing loss both by speaking to them and by using sign language.
transition planning -At a minimum, this is planning for adolescents' post-school lives and must begin by age 14-1/2. This involves preparation of a document called an Individual Transition Program (ITP).
traumatic brain injury -A new disability category added for eligibility under IDEA.
visual-motor -Co-ordination of what is seen with an action -- catching a ball.
West's Education Law Reporter -A full-text reporter and digest service for case law relevant to education. Key numbers are consistent with West's other publications.
whole language -The method of teaching children reading and writing by concentrating, at first, on a whole sentence or story instead of on individual words.
Back to Schools and Special Education