Parent Resources

To help you navigate the world of acronyms and terms frequently used in special education.  You can use this page to assist you throughout your students school years.  

In order for a child to be serviced in a special education setting, a child must meet with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definitions.  Students who meet criteria after appropriate testing is completed, are given a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) until, in the State of South Carolina, the age of twenty-one. 

Terms:

Accommodations- Changes to the environment, response mode, curriculum, or equipment that allows a student to gain access to content and/or to complete a task.  Accommodations do not alter what is taught.  Examples:  extended time to complete an assignment or test, a copy of class notes, oral response instead of written response to a question.  

Adaptive Behavior- Identifies how well a student can function within their environment (day to day skills).  Typically a measurement scale.  

Advocate- An individual who helps families in their dealings with the school district regarding a child's special education program. 

Age of Majority- Rights are transferred from the parent to the student on the child's 18th birthday (the form is signed at age 17 in order to cover if the child's birthday is during the time frame of the current IEP). 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- A U.S. act that prohibits the discrimination of individuals based on their disability.  

Alternate Assessment- An assessment designed for a small number of students who cannot participate in statewide testing.  Student participation in alternate assessment is determined in the IEP meeting and is way to include students with disabilities in the state's assessment and accountability program.  

Annual Goals/Objectives- A required component of an IEP which states what a student is expected to accomplish over the course of the IEP.  

Behavior Support Plan (BSP)- An individualized behavior support plan created to change or eliminate an unwanted behavior replacing it with a positive, more socially acceptable behavior. 

Community-Based Instruction (CBI)- Skills learned in the classroom that are extended to the community setting.  

Disability- A physical, sensory, cognitive, or affective impairment that causes the student to need special education.  

Due Process- Procedural safeguards in place to ensure the protection of the rights of parent/guardians and the student under IDEA and related to state and federal laws.  

Extended School Year (ESY)- A provision for special education students to receive extended instruction during the ordinary school vacation period.  This is determined during the annual IEP review meeting and is offered typically when there is a concern of regression over an extended period of time away from school.  

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)- A federal law that regulates the management of student records and disclosure information from those records.  This is set in place for the protection and privacy of parents and students.  

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)-Requirement under IDEA that requires an educational program be provided for all students (regardless of disability) without cost to families.  

Functional Curriculum- A curriculum that focuses on practical life skills and utilizes classroom and community settings with materials that are a regular part of everyday life.  The purpose of a functional curriculum is to maximize the students ability to learn and use real-life skills. 

Functional Behavior Assessment- An assessment of behavior conducted by the IEP team to identify the function of (the reason for) a student's behavior.  

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-  The U.S. law that ensures that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) which emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet students' need, preparing them for employment, independent living, and post-secondary contexts.  

Individualized Education Program (IEP)- A written educational plan developed and approved by the IEP team for students with disabilities.  It documents a student's present level of performance, sets annual goals and objectives, and describes the special education services and related services needed to meets these goals and objectives.  

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)- The goal of LRE is that a student is services in a setting where a child can be successfully serviced with his/her general education peers as much as possible. 

Manifestation Determination- A review conducted by the IEP team that looks at the potential relationship between a student's disability that resulted in a disciplinary action and removal of the student with a disability.  

Modifications- Changes in the content or learning objectives to meet the needs of a student with a disability.  These differ from accommodations and may include: an alternate reading assignment, fewer questions, and an alternate or shorted writing assignment.  

Present Levels of Performance- Found on the IEP, this section discusses what the student is currently able to do with success.  

Prior Written Notice- A written notice that describes what will be implemented in the educational program.  Parents receive a Prior Written Notice (PWN) after each meeting before the changes discussed in a meeting take place.  

Transition Planning-  This will happen as your child enters high school and is the process of preparing students to function in the future.  While a transition plan moves a child from one educational program to another, the main focus at this point is preparation from high school to work/post-graduation placement.  

Common Acronyms:

ADA- Americans with Disabilities Act

ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ASD- Autism Spectrum Disorder

AT- Assistive Technology

AU- Autism

AYP- Adequate Yearly Progress

BSP- Behavior Support Plan 

DD- Developmental Delay 

ESY- Extended School Year

FAPE- Free Appropriate Public Education 

FBA- Functional Behavior Assessment

FERPA- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

HIPPA- Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act

ID- Intellectual Disability

IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IEP- Individualized Education Program

LRE- Least Restrictive Environment

MD- Multiple Disabilities

NCLB- No Child Left Behind

PT- Physical Therapy

PLOP- Present Level of Performance

OT-Occupational Therapy

SI- Sensory Integration

SLI- Speech Language Impairment

SLP- Speech Language Pathologist

VR- Vocational Rehabilitation