Below are important terms that may be used in special education.
Accommodation vs. Modification
- An accommodation is a change that helps a student overcome or work around a disability; it does not change the curriculum. Examples include: extended time, different test format, teacher-provided notes/outlines, provision of a peer note-taker, allowing for highlighted text, daily agenda checks between home/school, preferential seating, the use of a behavior reward system, shortened assignments, reading tests aloud to student, or allowing for a student with a writing disability to give answers orally.
- A modification means a change in what is being taught to, or expected from, the student. Making even a slight modification to an assignment can drastically improve a student’s ability to be academically successful. Examples include: reduction of homework or class work, using specialized/alternative materials written at differentiated level, simplifying vocabulary and concepts, previewing tests provided as a study guide, providing picture supports, use of calculator, or grading based on pass/fail.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- A set of scientific principles and guidelines which uses direct observation, measurement, and analysis of the relationship between the environment and behavior. In programming for students with autism, ABA employs intensive, highly structured teaching approaches where skills are broken down into their simplest most manageable form.
Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA)
- A portfolio assessment designed to measure progress toward achieving New Jersey’s state educational standards for those students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the state’s standardized testing regimen.
Assistive Technology (AT)
- Any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Some students display inattention (“daydreamer”), others display hyperactivity, and others display a combination of both. While some students take medication to manage ADHD symptoms, school personnel does not make any recommendations in this area. Interventions are tailored to the observed behavior regardless of medication use.
Autism Spectrum Disorder - (ASD)
- Formerly, ASD was divided into Asperger’s, Autism, and PDD-NOS. Based on current revisions, students fall into a general category of “Autism Spectrum Disorder”. Students with an ASD may experience a range of difficulties related to perception/interpretation, pragmatic language, or social interaction. Some students may be over- or under-responsive to stimuli (e.g., noise, flickering of a light, odor). It is not uncommon for students on the spectrum to also experience other disorders, such as ADHD or anxiety.
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)
- The term can be generally defined as a component of a child's IEP that describes positive behavioral interventions and other strategies that the district must implement to prevent and control unacceptable behaviors.
Child Study Team
- Consists of a school psychologist, a learning disabilities teacher/consultant, school social worker, and when needed, a speech-language specialist, responsible for conducting evaluations to determine eligibility for special education and related services for students with disabilities.
Cognitive Ability
- Cognitive, intellectual or innate ability tests measure identifiable skills related to learning or potential (commonly referred to as "IQ"). Cognitive ability is often broken down into components such as verbal skills, non-verbal skills, processing speed and/or working memory.
Compensatory Strategies
- Ways in which a student is taught to manage his or her learning problems, by manipulating and emphasizing strengths as a way to work around skills and/or abilities which may be limited.
Developmental Delay
- Failure to meet expected developmental milestones in one or more of the following areas: physical, social, emotional, intellectual, speech and language and/or adaptive development.
Due Process
- A defined procedure to settle a dispute between the parent and the school.
Dyslexia
- Dyslexia is the name for specific learning disabilities in reading. It is often characterized by difficulties with accurate word recognition, decoding and spelling and may cause problems with reading comprehension, slow down vocabulary growth, and negatively impact reading fluency. Dyslexia is neurological and often genetic; it is not the result of poor instruction.
Extended School Year (ESY)
- ESY is typically provided to students who, without special education services/structured programming during the summer months, will take much longer than the non-disabled student to “recoup” information learned the previous year. Students may demonstrate a need for ESY based on regressive performance in September thru October, or based on performance after long breaks or extended vacations.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he/she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Schools are not required to provide copies of records, but parents have a right to inspect and review records. Schools must have written permission from the parent in order to release any information from a student's education record.
Fine Motor Skills
- The use of small muscles to complete precise tasks such as writing, drawing, buttoning, opening jars, and assembling puzzles.
Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
- FAPE mandates that school districts provide access to general education and specialized educational services. It also requires that students with disabilities receive support free of charge, just as non-disabled students do. FAPE requires that support and related services be provided to children in their general education settings as much as possible.
Functional Behavior Assessment
- A process to determine which behaviors are limiting educational progress; to design interventions that decrease target behaviors; and to promote appropriate behavior(s) through positive behavioral supports.
Gross Motor Skills
- The use of large muscles for activities involving strength and balance, such as walking, running and climbing.
In-Class Resource (ICR)
- In-class resource refers to a general education class with two teachers (one general education teacher, one special education teacher). Students who receive this program may be on or around grade level; supports may be for academic, social, or behavioral considerations. The student has to meet the regular education curriculum requirements for the grade or subject being taught; there will be modification to the instructional strategies or testing procedures which should be listed in the student’s IEP.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
- The written educational program designed for each classified student, incorporating certain information such as educational goals (long-term and short-term), the duration of the program, and provisions for evaluating the program’s effectiveness and the student’s performance.
IEP team- The IEP team is comprised of the special education student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), case manager, general education teacher(s), special education teacher(s), and related service provider(s), if appropriate. The case manager is the team leader and is responsible for coordinating the development, monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the IEP.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- IDEA is a federally mandated law initially enacted by Congress in 1975 to ensure that students with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free and appropriate public education, just as non-disabled students do. The law has been revised many times over the years. The state code (N.J.A.C. 16A:14) is the state’s implementation of federal IDEA.
Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS)
- This committee is comprised of the school counselor, a school administrator, a representative from the Child Study Team, the student’s general education teacher(s), and other personnel who may be involved with the student (e.g., school nurse, related services providers). This team primarily meets to discuss general education students who may be experiencing a wide range of difficulties (i.e., academic, behavior, social, health) that may interfere with student learning. The committee documents interventions, responses to those interventions, and plans next steps for the student. Some students may be monitored yearly though I&RS; there is no time limit.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
- LRE refers to the setting where a student with a disability can receive an appropriate education designed to meet his or her educational needs, alongside peers without disabilities, to the maximum extent appropriate.
Manifestation Determination
- In connection with the discipline of students with disabilities, a determination whether or not the misconduct at issue was either a manifestation of the disability or the result of an inappropriate placement.
Neurological Evaluation
- An examination that specifically focuses on mental status, cranial nerves, motor functions, deep tendon reflexes, sensation and gait abilities; when used more in a psychiatric context, also refers to an examination of an individual's thinking ability.
Positive Behavioral Support (PBS)
- An individual PBS (for general education and special education students) is developed with the teacher(s) and school counselor or CST to address a wide range of difficulties in the classroom.
Psychiatric Evaluation
- An evaluation designed to diagnose any number of emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorders.
Related Services
- Services that are provided to help classified students to benefit from special education. The services are specified in the student’s IEP and are provided in conjunction with the special education program. Some examples of related services include: counseling services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, parent training, social work, speech/language services, transportation.
Resource Center (RC)
- Resource center instruction is provided in lieu of general education instruction in the same subject (also referred to as “replacement”). At the elementary level (per state code which allows three subjects to be taught in resource centers at this level), resource center instruction is offered in reading, writing, and math; beginning in the middle school, resource classes are also offered for science and social studies. Students who receive this program are typically below grade level; program may also be considered for academic, social, or behavioral needs. While skills/concepts may be taught at the student’s ability level, students must be exposed to the grade-level curriculum.
Section 504 Plan
- This is a general education program. Section 504 Plan refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which specifies that no one with a disability can be excluded from participating in federally funded programs or activities, such as schooling. A disability refers to a "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities." This can include physical impairments (e.g., person using a wheelchair), illnesses or injuries (e.g., broken bone), chronic conditions like asthma, allergies and diabetes, or learning problems. A Section 504 Plan provides modifications and accommodations, provided by all teachers, that will be needed for these students to have an opportunity to perform at the same level as their peers.
Supplemental Aids and Services (SAS)
- Supplemental aids and services can include modifications and accommodations, as well as direct services to the student, and can be provided in academic, extracurricular, and nonacademic environments available to, and of interest to, the student. Some examples of SAS: adapted equipment, assistive technology (such as keyboard, special software, or a communication system), training for staff, student, and/or parents, an individual or shared paraprofessional, adapted materials (such as books on tape, large print, or highlighted notes), and collaboration/consultation among staff, parents, and/or other professionals.