Special Education Terminology by Colleen Bain, M.A.

1.      PL 94-142:

PL94-142 is a law that was passed in 1975 requiring that public schools provide a "free appropriate public education" to school-aged children ages 3-21 (exact ages depend on your state's mandate), regardless of disabling condition; also called the Education For All Handicapped Children Act, with recent amendments now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).   http://www.fapeonline.org/terms.htm

2.      IDEA:

In 1997, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized (P.L. 105-17). The IDEA Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97) require states receiving IDEA funds to ensure that a free appropriate public education is made available to children with disabilities in mandatory age ranges in the least restrictive environment. One of the major emphases in the reauthorization of IDEA is that students with disabilities must have access to the general curriculum, that is, the same curriculum as for non-disabled students and be held to challenging performance standards. Thus, the provisions in IDEA '97 regarding the participation of students with disabilities in general state and district-wide assessment programs, with appropriate accommodations and modifications in administration, where necessary, promote these important statutory purposes. [20 U.S.C. §1412(a)(17)(A) and 34 CFR §300.138(a)]  
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/educational-testing/4132.html

3.      Section 504:

Like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 prohibits discrimination against students with physical and mental disabilities who attend public school. The section protects students, whose physical or mental impairments substantially limit one or more “major life activities,” such as caring for themselves, seeing, breathing, walking and learning. Like the ADA, this statute protects both children with physical and mental disabilities who are not, and should not be receiving special education services, and children receiving special education services. Section 504 differs from the ADA in that it applies only to programs of the federal government and programs that receive federal funds. The New York City Board of Education receives federal funds and is covered by Section 504. Section 504 requires school districts to: develop and implement standards and procedures for identifying, assessing and assuring appropriate placement of eligible students; ensure the provision of necessary individualized services and support; and train teachers and support staff to perform services or make accommodations in the classrooms. Section 504 can require administration of medication, monitoring students’ physical well-being, provision of accessible facilities, use of equipment like tape recorders and calculators, counseling, and test modifications or accommodations. http://wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm

4.      Individualized Educational Plan (IEP):

The term “individualized education program” means a written statement for each children with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised and includes statements about present levels of educational performance, measurable annual goals, special education and related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided, etc.  Related to assessments, the IEP must include a statement of any individual modifications in the administration of State or district wide assessments of student achievement that are needed in order for the child to participate in such assessment, or if the IEP team determines that the child will not participate in a particular State or district wide assessment, a statement of why that assessment is not appropriate for the child, and how the child will be assessed. http://education.umn.edu/nceo/Presentations/tele2/DisabilityTerms.htm

5.      Multi-Disciplinary Committee (MDC):

MDC is a team consisting of more than two specialists such as a special educator, speech and language pathologist, psychologist, occupational therapist, used to help determine the students needs  

6.      Child Study Team (CST):
The Child Study Team is located in each school building to receive and act upon referrals of students suspected of being disabled. The membership of this committee usually consists of at least three persons, including the school principal or a person chosen by the principal, the teacher or teachers, specialists, and the referring source if appropriate.

7.      Least Restrictive Environment (LRE):

Under the IDEA all children who require special education services must be educated in the least restrictive setting appropriate to their individual needs. The statute states that “each public agency shall ensure – (1) That to the maximum extent appropriate children with disabilities … are educated with children who are non-disabled; and (2) That special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” In other words, if a child can learn in a general education class with necessary supports and services, s/he must be allowed to do so. If that’s impossible, then there must be a continuum of placements and services to allow for the individual needs of children receiving special education services to be met in the most integrated settings appropriate.   http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/idea.lre.fape.htm

8.      Regular Education Initiative (REI):

An initiative from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services sponsored by Madeline Will in 1986 that advocated the integration of general and special education into one educational system for all students. 

9.      Non-discriminatory assessment:

A key principle in IDEA, this refers to assessing the abilities and needs of the individual student in a fair and unbiased manner to plan for an appropriate education based on the student's strengths, weaknesses, and exceptional learning needs. 

10.  Extended School Year (ESY):

Extended school year is a provision for a special education student to receive instruction during ordinary school “vacation” periods. 

11.  Appropriate placement:

Most appropriate placement is defined as "the environment in which all the needs of a student are best met, where the student acquires the greatest benefits from the educational program" (Curry & Hatlen, 1988, p. 420).  The “most enabling placement is one in which the student has the opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of the school experience including acquisition of special skills, thereby providing an academic, social, and emotional environment that encourages a holistic development in preparation for life.  The issue is the quality of education provided within a particular placement as measured by the degree to which specific, unique needs of a student with a visual impairment, as appropriately assessed and identified in his or her IEP, can be met" (Huebner, 1989). 

12.  Inclusive education: 

Inclusion is a term often used to describe an LRE method of educating children in need of special education in a general education classroom in the school they would have attended if not disabled, with age appropriate peers, and with appropriate supports and services.

13.  Mainstreaming:

As defined by the Board of Education “mainstreaming is the placement of a special education student with a disability in the general education classroom with age appropriate peers for those areas of instruction in which the student’s academic and behavioral performance is within the range of his or her non-disabled peers and is not impacted by his or her disability.” Mainstreaming can occur in academic classes or during other times of day including, for example, lunch, gym, and shop. In contrast to other LRE placements, mainstreaming does not require supplementary aids and services.  

14.  Self-contained setting:

    A self-contained setting is a special class for specific types of disabled students who spend all or the largest portion of the school day away from the non-disabled.

15.  Resource setting:

Instruction in a resource setting is provided by a Special Education teacher and is designed to meet individual academic needs and increase academic competence. http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/huie/HTML/Special.htm

The purpose of the resource concept is to provide educational resources to the exceptional student, his teachers and his parents. These resources make possible the exceptional student’s continued enrollment in the regular classroom.  Included in the resource concept is the resource setting which consists of a student attending resource for one-half to three hours a day.  http://www.naset.org/2218.0.html

16.  Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD): 

Now referred to as AD/HD, subtype, “Predominantly Inattentive Type” for someone with serious inattention problems, but not much problem with hyperactivity/impulsive symptoms;

In 1994 the name of the disorder got changed in a way that is confusing for many people. Since that time all forms of attention deficit disorder are officially called “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” after which a comma appears. After the comma, a subtype is specified:

• “Predominantly Inattentive Type” for someone with serious inattention problems, but not much problem with hyperactivity/impulsive symptoms;

• “Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Type for someone with serious problems with hyperactivity/impulsivity, but not much problem with inattention.

Even though these are the official labels, a lot of professionals and lay people use both terms: “ADD” and “AD/HD.” Some use those terms to designate the old subtypes; others use ADD just as a shorter way to refer to any subtype.  http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/what/WWK8

17.  Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactive Disorder (ADDHD):
Same as above relative to ADD/HD is now referred to as AD/HD with the subtype Combined Type” for someone with serious inattention problems and serious problems with hyperactivity and impulsivity.  http://www.help4adhd.org/en/about/what/WWK8

18.  Transition services:

The term `transition services' means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that–

(A) is designed to be a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;
(B) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests . . . "  http://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/art/defs.transition.htm

19.  Accommodation plan:

An Accommodation Plan is a written plan that describes the services and placement a child receives. This is developed and monitored by general education professionals. A group of individuals knowledgeable about the child develop the Accommodation Plan. Children who are eligible for special education services under IDEA already have a comprehensive Individualized Education Program, and do not have an additional Section 504 Accommodation Plan. http://college.hmco.com/education/resources/res_prof/students/spec_ed/legislation/pl_93-112.html#modifications

 20.  Specific Learning Disability:

The IDEA (2004) definition of SLD – “The term ‘specific learning disability’ means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.

Such term includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Such term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.”