In special education and gifted, you'll find that members of the IEP or GIEP team will often use acronyms or abbreviations. In fact, I just did it in this sentence and didn't even realize it! So let's talk about some of the most common terms.
First is "IEP" or "GIEP". IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan, and GIEP stands for Gifted Individualized Education Plan. These are the documents that explain what supports and services your child needs to be successful in school. The members of the IEP or GIEP team include the parent or guardian, the classroom teacher, the special education teacher or gifted support teacher (or in some cases the speech/language therapist), the building administrator, and anyone else who may have important input. The team meets at least once a year to review your child's progress and make any necessary changes to their IEP or GIEP, although they may meet more often if needed.
But before a child has an IEP or GIEP, they will need to be evaluated. Often times, the evaluation is conducted by the school psychologist, or if the concerns are primarily related to communication or speech, it will be conducted by the speech/language therapist. In some cases, multiple evaluators may be involved (like an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or audiologist), but the team will write one comprehensive report sharing all of their findings. Here are the evaluation types:
ER, or Evaluation Report- this is a student's initial evaluation to determine if they need special education services.
RR, or Reevaluation Report- this is for a student who currently receives special education services. It may be done to determine if a student still requires special education, or if they need additional supports or services. Reevaluations are conducted at least once every 3 years, or once every 2 years if the student has an Intellectual Disability.
GWR, or Gifted Written Report- this is a student's initial evaluation to determine if they need gifted support services. Once a student is identified as gifted, they never have to be evaluated again (although in some cases, the team may request a reevaluation).
Now on to a few more terms:
NOREP, or Noticed of Recommended Educational Placement- This is the document used to explain what the IEP team's recommendation is for your child's placement. This is the document where you officially give permission (or not) for your child to begin services, change services, or continue services.
NORA, or Notice of Recommended Educational Assignment- This is just like a NOREP, except for gifted.
ESY, or Extended School Year- This is not the same as summer school, even though it happens in the summer. If your child has an IEP, and they experience a loss of skills over longer breaks and then have a hard time regaining those skills when they come back to school (this is called "recoupment"), the IEP team may decide that they should attend a program in the summer so that they don't lose what they've gained during the school year. The IEP team makes these decisions around February of each year.
One last thing: if you are wondering what that long, 30+ page document is that you received with your permission form, IEP, or NOREP... that's called the Procedural Safeguards Notice. It explains your rights as a parent of a child who is either being evaluated, or who receives special education services. Keep one copy on hand for your records, but the school can also provide you with one whenever you need it.