Special Education Law and Foundations Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key special education laws, legal principles, and disability categories discussed in the lecture.

Public Law 94-142

The 1975 legislation, also known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, that first guaranteed FAPE and special education rights for children with disabilities in public schools.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)

Federal special education law originally enacted in 1990 that established 13 disability categories and key framework principles for serving students with disabilities.

IDEA Improvement Act of 2004

The 2004 reauthorization of IDEA that increased school accountability and updated requirements for IEP development and implementation.

Section 504

A broad civil rights law that provides accommodations to students with documented physical or mental impairments (e.g., ADHD, diabetes, anxiety) who may not qualify for special education under IDEA.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

A 1990 general civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in all areas of public life and post-school environments.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Federal education law that instituted standards-based accountability and standardized testing to evaluate school proficiency for all students.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The 2015 law replacing NCLB that maintained testing accountability, offered greater flexibility, and required schools to track academic performance by specific student subgroups.

FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education)

An educational right guaranteed under special education law requiring public schools to provide tailored education that yields meaningful educational benefit.

Meaningful Educational Benefit

The legal standard used to determine whether a student is receiving FAPE by demonstrating measurable academic and functional progress.

Non-discriminatory Evaluation

An IDEA principle guaranteeing that a student is fairly assessed using non-biased testing to determine eligibility for special education supports.

Procedural Safeguards

A set of legal rights and protections guaranteed to parents and students under IDEA throughout the special education evaluation and planning process.

Family and Student Participation

An IDEA principle mandating that parents and, when appropriate, the student must be included as active team members in developing educational plans and IEPs.

Easy IEP

A computerized IEP software system introduced around 2004 to standardize IEP writing and replace handwritten 20-page documents.

Subgroups

Specific demographic subsets of students (e.g., students of color, female students, students with disabilities) that schools must monitor under ESSA to ensure educational equity.

Other Health Impairment (OHI)

An IDEA disability category covering chronic or acute health conditions, such as ADHD, that adversely affect a student's educational performance.