Terms to Know
Below are some important terms to know. This is a list of the basics; this is the bare minimum. See the links below for a list of extensive glossaries.
Accomodations: Changing how a student may demonstrate knowledge of material with respect to the individual’s disability without changing the material to be learned. (i.e., oral instead of written tests, using a word processor instead of writing work out longhand, etc.)
Appendix A: The part of the federal special education guidelines which focuses on IEPs, the role of the school and parent and transition.
Child Find: The requirement that school districts must ensure that every student with disabilities is identified, so that appropriate services may be offered.
Disability: This is an impairment (physical or mental) which substantially affects one or more major life activities. (Debate here often occurs over what constitutes a substantial effect.)
Due Process Hearing: This is where parents and districts turn to resolve disputes over IEPs or other disability related issues in the schools.
Early Intervention: This is part C of IDEA; this is special services for the kids who are preschoolers, or age 5 and under.
IEP: Individualized Educational Plan: Each district is required to supply each disabled child with one of these.
IFSP: Individualized Family Services Plan. This is similar to an IEP, but for the kids in Early Intervention (IDEA part C.)
LRE: Least Restrictive Environment. This means a student should be educated with the mainstream population as much as possible. If that should be found to not be in the best interest of the student, then a student may be pulled out of a regular classroom and given instruction in a learning support room, a self-contained classroom, or even a separate private school.
LEA: Local Education Agency. This just means the district the student is attending.
Manifestation Determination: This is important. If a disabled student breaks a school rule severe enough for the school to be considering placing the child elsewhere (for example,expulsion), it must be determined whether or not the child’s behavior was caused by the disability. Example: A child with Tourette syndrome could likely not be expelled for swearing, if the Tourette syndrome routinely manifests itself by causing the child to swear indiscriminately. If the behavior was caused by the disability, the child cannot be removed because of acting out.
Modifications: Different from accommodations in that the actual material (or difficulty of the material, or assessment) is altered for the disabled student.
OCR: Office of Civil Rights.
Transition Services: This is part of an IEP. It is used to plan out services or service providers for the student who is graduating from school. (Transition can be to work or to another educational institution such as college.)
More and More Words!! Below are links to extensive glossaries of terminology applicable to special education and disability law in general:
The Council for Disability Rights:
http://www.disabilityrights.org/glossary.htm
Wrightslaw: http://www.wrightslaw.com/links/glossary.sped.legal.htm
LD Online: http://www.ldonline.org/glossary
Project Para: http://para.unl.edu/para/spedprog/Glossary.html