Frequently Used Terms

Speech: The verbal means of communicating

Language: Made up of socially shared rules that include the following: what words mean, how to make new words, how to put words together, what word combinations are best in what situations.

Screening: A brief assessment given to determine whether further, more in-depth assessments are needed. May or may not yield a standardized score.

Evaluation: An in-depth assessment, often utilizing multiple assessment tools, for the purpose of determining a child's speech and/or language abilities. An evaluation occurs as part of the Special Education Eligibility Determination process.

RTI: Response to Intervention. A regular education initiative designed to provide tiered instruction to students, to better meet their academic needs.

504: A legal document for students who are in need of accommodations to access the regular education curriculum.

IEP: Individualized Education Plan. As defined in RSA I86-C:2 III, "a written plan for the education of an educationally disabled child that has been developed by a school district in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education and that provides necessary special education or special education and educationally related services within an approved program."

Articulation: Speech sound production

Fluency: The rhythm of speech

Receptive Language: The ability to understand language

Expressive Language: The production of language

Pragmatics: Social language

Intelligibility: How well a child's speech is understood

Common Core State Standards: The educational standards that children are expected to master during school. They can be found in detail at http://www.corestandards.org