Special Education Key Terms

Special Education Terms

Special Education
  • Definition: Specially designed instruction provided at no cost to parents to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.
Child with a Disability
  • Federal Definition: Defined by IDEA includes:
    • Autism (AU)
    • Visually Impairment (VI)
    • Auditory Impairment (AI)
    • Emotional Disturbance (ED)
    • Intellectual Disability (ID)
    • Orthopedic Impairment (OI)
    • Other Health Impairment (OHI)
    • Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
    • Speech or Language Impairment (SI)
    • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Accommodations
  • Purpose: Adjustments that allow students with disabilities to learn and access the same curriculum (TEKS) as their peers.
  • Focus: Changes the "how" of demonstrating learning without altering the curriculum content.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
  • Background: Mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001.
  • Measures: Evaluates schools on Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, and either Graduation Rate (for high schools) or Attendance Rates (for younger grades).
Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee
  • Composition:
    • Child’s parent
    • Regular and special education teachers
    • District representative
    • Evaluator of data and potentially other relevant parties.
Autism (AU)
  • Characteristics: Developmental disability affecting communication and social interaction, evident before age three, impacting educational performance.
Auditory Impairment (AI)
  • Definition: Encompasses both deafness and hearing impairments.
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
  • Purpose: A written plan addressing behavioral concerns affecting a child's learning or the learning of peers.
  • Requirement: Written permission from parents is necessary for initial evaluations, placements, or re-evaluations for special education.
Co-teaching
  • Definition: Collaborative teaching by general and special education teachers in a general education environment.
Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP)
  • Purpose: Created under the Safe Schools Act for students who commit disciplinary offenses, placing them outside their standard classroom settings.
Dyslexia
  • Description: Learning disorder characterized by difficulty in reading, writing, or spelling despite conventional instruction and sufficient intelligence.
Emotional Disturbance
  • Conditions: Includes severe depression, inability to maintain relationships, and inappropriate behavior, which adversely affects educational performance.
Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
  • IDEA Significance: Ensures special education and necessary related services are provided at no cost; establishes state requirements to obtain federal funds for special education.
Full Individual Evaluation (FIE)
  • Purpose: Referral process for testing special education needs when a child struggles despite interventions.
Intellectual Disability (ID)
  • Definition Change (2010): Federal law revised terminology from Mental Retardation (MR) to Intellectual Disability, denoting significantly below-average intellectual functioning and challenges in adaptive behavior.
Learning Disabilities (LD) (SLD)
  • Definition: Disorder affecting one or more psychological processes involved in language use, impacting abilities in listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or mathematics.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
  • Goal: Maximize the time children with disabilities spend with non-disabled peers.
Modifications
  • Function: Changes "what" a student is expected to learn, differing from the general curriculum to accommodate disabilities.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
  • Focus: Aims to bridge achievement gaps among student groups through enhanced accountability, impacting almost all Texas school districts.
Other Health Impairment (OHI)
  • Definition: Disabilities arising from chronic or acute health conditions, such as ADHD, affecting educational performance.
Placement
  • Definition: The educational setting determined by the ARD Committee based on the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Reevaluation
  • Frequency: Must occur at least every three years to assess ongoing need for special education services.
Response to Intervention (RtI)
  • Process: Identifying at-risk children through instructional interventions and monitoring progress.
Speech or Language Impairment (SI)
  • Definition: Communication disorders that adversely impact educational performance, such as articulation or language impairments.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
  • Description: The required general curriculum and standards established for each grade and subject.
Visual Impairment and Blindness (VI)
  • Definition: Vision impairment that, even with correction, significantly affects educational performance.