Reference
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms this manual uses, from FAPE and prior written notice to stay put, with some of the names states use for the same things.
Use your browser's find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to search the page. Where a federal regulation defines a term, the citation follows the definition; the regulations are linked from the resource library. States often use their own names for the same thing, and your state's notice is the authority on its own words. The chapter that teaches each term is named in brackets.
The basics
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Special education | Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the needs of a child with a disability, in a classroom, at home, in a hospital or another setting. It is a kind of instruction, not a place. (34 CFR 300.39) [How the process works] |
| Specially designed instruction | Adapting what is taught, how it is taught, or how it is delivered, so the child can meet their needs and get at the general curriculum. (34 CFR 300.39) [How the process works] |
| Related services | The support a child needs to benefit from special education, such as speech-language pathology, audiology, interpreting, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, counseling, school nurse services, transportation and parent counseling and training. (34 CFR 300.34) [How the process works and Goals, services and placement] |
| FAPE (free appropriate public education) | Special education and related services provided at public expense and without charge, meeting the state's standards, under an IEP. What "appropriate" means is in the Endrew F. entry. (34 CFR 300.17) [How the process works and Goals, services and placement] |
| IEP (individualized education program) | The written statement of a child's present levels, annual goals, how progress is measured and reported, and the services, aids and supports the school will provide, developed and reviewed by the IEP team. (34 CFR 300.22, 300.320) [How the process works and Reading the IEP] |
| IEP team | The group that writes and reviews the IEP: the parents, at least one regular education teacher (if the child is or may be in regular education), at least one special education teacher or provider, a school representative, someone who can interpret evaluation results, others with knowledge or special expertise, and the child when appropriate. (34 CFR 300.321) [How the process works and Before the meeting] |
| Child with a disability | A child evaluated as having one of the impairments the regulation lists who, because of it, needs special education and related services. Both parts must be true. (34 CFR 300.8) [How the process works] |
| Parent | For the process: a biological or adoptive parent, a foster parent (unless state law prohibits it), a guardian, a person acting in place of a parent with whom the child lives or who is legally responsible, or a surrogate parent. (34 CFR 300.30) [How the process works] |
| Surrogate parent | A person appointed to act as the parent in the process when no parent can be found or the child is a ward of the state. (34 CFR 300.30) [How the process works] |
| Child find | The state's duty to identify, locate and evaluate children who may need special education, including children moving from grade to grade. (34 CFR 300.111) [How the process works and Referral and evaluation] |
| IFSP (individualized family service plan) | The plan for a child under 3 in early intervention (IDEA Part C). By the third birthday, a child moving to preschool special education has an IEP, or an IFSP where the state allows. (34 CFR 300.124) [Transitions and changes] |
| Early intervention (Part C) | IDEA's services for infants and toddlers under 3 and their families. [How the process works and Transitions and changes] |
| Federal floor | This manual's name for what the federal regulations set and every state must meet. States add their own timelines, names, offices and rules. [How the process works and Your state's rules] |
Evaluation and eligibility
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Evaluation | The procedures used to decide whether a child has a disability and what the child's educational needs are. It uses a variety of tools, includes information from the parent, relies on no single measure and covers every area related to the suspected disability. (34 CFR 300.304) [Referral and evaluation] |
| Informed consent | The parent's written agreement after being told, in their native language or other mode of communication, everything relevant to the activity. It is voluntary and can be revoked in writing, though not for what already happened. (34 CFR 300.9) [Referral and evaluation and In the meeting] |
| Eligibility | The decision, by a group of qualified professionals and the parent, that a child is a child with a disability who needs special education. The parent gets a copy of the evaluation report and the eligibility documentation at no cost. (34 CFR 300.306) [How the process works and Referral and evaluation] |
| Reevaluation | A new evaluation of a child already found eligible: at least once every three years unless the parent and school agree it is unnecessary, and not more than once a year unless they agree. (34 CFR 300.303) [Referral and evaluation and Your IEP binder] |
| IEE (independent educational evaluation) | An evaluation by a qualified examiner who does not work for the school. A parent who disagrees with the school's evaluation can ask for one at public expense; the school either provides it or asks for a hearing to show its own evaluation is appropriate. The school must consider an outside evaluation the parent shares. (34 CFR 300.502) [Referral and evaluation and When you disagree] |
| Standard score | A test score placed on a scale where the average is 100 and most scores fall between 85 and 115 on many tests. Publishers label the same score differently, so read the report's own explanation. [Referral and evaluation] |
| Percentile rank | The percentage of students in the test's comparison group who scored at or below the child. A percentile is not the percentage of answers correct. [Referral and evaluation] |
| Confidence interval | The range within which the child's score would likely fall on retesting, reported at a stated confidence (often 90 or 95 percent). A score is an estimate. [Referral and evaluation] |
| Age or grade equivalent | The age or grade at which an average student got the same raw score. Test publishers caution against using these for decisions, because they are not equal steps. [Referral and evaluation] |
| Functional behavioral assessment | An assessment of what happens before and after a behavior and what purpose it seems to serve, used to plan behavior supports. [Referral and evaluation and When you disagree] |
The IEP's parts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Present levels | The IEP's statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum. Goals start from it. (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)) [Reading the IEP] |
| Measurable annual goal | A goal for the year, written so that anyone could tell whether it was met: what the child will do, under what conditions, to what level, measured how. (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)) [Goals, services and placement] |
| Baseline | Where the child is now on the skill a goal addresses, usually stated in the present levels. [Goals, services and placement] |
| Progress report | The periodic report, on the schedule the IEP states, of the child's progress toward each annual goal; the regulation's example is quarterly reports issued with report cards. (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)) [Goals, services and placement and After the meeting] |
| Supplementary aids and services | Aids, services and supports provided in regular education classes and other settings so a child can be educated with children without disabilities to the extent appropriate. (34 CFR 300.42) [Goals, services and placement] |
| Accommodation | A change in how a child learns or shows what they know (more time, a quiet room, text read aloud) that does not change what is expected. [Goals, services and placement] |
| Modification | A change in what the child is expected to learn or do (fewer problems, a different standard). [Goals, services and placement] |
| Special factors | Things the team must consider for some children: behavior that impedes learning, limited English proficiency, Braille for a child who is blind or visually impaired, communication needs and the needs of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, and assistive technology. (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)) [Reading the IEP] |
| Assistive technology | Devices and services that help a child with a disability function, from a pencil grip to a speech-generating device. (34 CFR 300.105) [Reading the IEP] |
| Alternate assessment | A state test based on alternate standards, for a small group of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities; the IEP says why a child takes it instead of the regular test. (34 CFR 300.160, 300.320) [Reading the IEP] |
| ESY (extended school year services) | Special education and related services beyond the normal school year, provided if the IEP team decides, individually, they are necessary for FAPE. Not limited to particular categories. (34 CFR 300.106) [Goals, services and placement] |
| LRE (least restrictive environment) | The requirement that a child be educated with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when the regular class with supplementary aids and services cannot work satisfactorily. (34 CFR 300.114) [Goals, services and placement] |
| Continuum of placements | The range of placements a school system must have available: regular classes, special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions. (34 CFR 300.115) [Goals, services and placement] |
| Placement | Where the IEP is carried out, decided by a group that includes the parents, at least once a year, based on the IEP. (34 CFR 300.116) [Goals, services and placement] |
| Endrew F. standard | The Supreme Court's 2017 statement that a school must offer an IEP "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances." This manual quotes it and does not apply it. [Goals, services and placement] |
| Draft IEP | A proposed IEP the school prepares before a meeting. Federal rules do not require one; ask the school about its practice. [Reading the IEP and Before the meeting] |
Notices and safeguards
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Procedural safeguards notice | The document explaining parents' rights in the process, given once a year and also on referral or a request for evaluation, on the first complaint of the year, on a disciplinary change of placement, and on request. It may be posted online. (34 CFR 300.504) [Your state's rules] |
| Prior written notice | The school's written notice, a reasonable time before it proposes or refuses to start or change a child's identification, evaluation, placement or services, with its reasons and the records it used. (34 CFR 300.503) [How the process works, In the meeting and After the meeting] |
| NOREP (state example) | Notice of Recommended Educational Placement: Pennsylvania's combined prior written notice form, as Rules and Record's Pennsylvania page names it. [Your state's rules] |
| ARD committee (state example) | Admission, review, and dismissal committee: Texas's name for the IEP team, as Rules and Record's Texas page names it. [Your state's rules] |
| Meeting notice | The school's notice of an IEP meeting, early enough for the parent to attend, stating the purpose, time, location and who will attend. (34 CFR 300.322) [Before the meeting] |
| Excusal | A team member not attending all or part of a meeting, which needs the parent's written agreement or, when the member's area is discussed, written consent and written input from that member. (34 CFR 300.321(e)) [Before the meeting] |
| Amendment | A change to the IEP between annual meetings, which the parent and school can agree to in writing without a meeting. (34 CFR 300.324(a)(4)) [After the meeting] |
Disagreement
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Facilitated IEP meeting | An IEP meeting run by a neutral facilitator, offered by some states. It is not required by IDEA. Your state page says whether your state offers one. [Before the meeting and When you disagree] |
| Mediation | A voluntary meeting with a trained, impartial mediator to reach a written agreement, at the state's cost. It may not be used to delay a due process hearing. (34 CFR 300.506) [When you disagree] |
| State complaint | A signed written complaint to the state education agency alleging a violation that occurred not more than one year before it is received. (34 CFR 300.153) [When you disagree] |
| Due process complaint | A complaint that starts a hearing before an impartial hearing officer, filed within two years of when the party knew or should have known of the issue, or within the state's own limit. (34 CFR 300.507) [When you disagree] |
| Resolution meeting | A meeting the school convenes after a parent files a due process complaint, within 15 days of receiving it, to try to settle the issue before the hearing. (34 CFR 300.510) [When you disagree] |
| Stay put | The rule that the child remains in the current placement during a due process proceeding unless the parties agree otherwise. It applies to due process proceedings as the regulation states, not to every disagreement. (34 CFR 300.518) [When you disagree] |
| Manifestation determination | A review, within 10 school days of a decision to change a child's placement for a conduct violation, of whether the conduct was caused by or directly related to the disability, or was the direct result of the school's failure to carry out the IEP. (34 CFR 300.530) [When you disagree] |
| Compensatory services | Services provided to make up for services a child did not receive. Whether they are owed is a legal remedy decided in the dispute processes; this manual counts time and does not say what is owed. [After the meeting and When you disagree] |
Transitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Transition services | A coordinated set of activities, based on the student's needs, strengths, preferences and interests, to help the move from school to post-school life. Required in the IEP beginning not later than the first IEP in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if the team decides. (34 CFR 300.43, 300.320(b)) [Transitions and changes] |
| Age of majority | The age at which a person becomes a legal adult under state law. The state sets it. [Transitions and changes] |
| Transfer of rights | A state may provide that the parent's rights in the process pass to the student at the age of majority. The IEP must say, at least a year before, that the student has been told which rights will transfer. (34 CFR 300.520, 300.320(c)) [Transitions and changes] |
| Comparable services | Services similar to those in a transferring child's IEP, provided by the new district until it adopts the IEP or writes a new one (in state), or until it evaluates if it decides to and writes a new IEP if appropriate (out of state). (34 CFR 300.323(e), (f)) [Transitions and changes] |
| Supported decision-making and guardianship | Two different legal arrangements for an adult who may need help with decisions. Named in this manual only as terms; a parent center or attorney explains them. [Transitions and changes] |
Other laws, records and places to ask
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Section 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a civil rights law against disability discrimination in programs that receive federal money, including public schools. (34 CFR Part 104) [How the process works and When you disagree] |
| 504 plan | A written plan of the aids and services a school provides a student under Section 504. OCR encourages schools to write one; the regulation does not set its contents. [How the process works] |
| OCR (Office for Civil Rights) | The office in the Department of Education that enforces Section 504 in schools and takes discrimination complaints. [When you disagree] |
| Services plan | The plan describing the equitable services a public school district provides to a child placed in a private school by the family, who has no individual right to the services a public school student would get. (34 CFR 300.137) [How the process works] |
| FERPA | The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the federal law on access to and privacy of education records. (34 CFR Part 99) [Referral and evaluation and When you disagree] |
| Education records | Records directly related to a student and kept by the school. Parents may inspect them without unnecessary delay and before any IEP meeting, and in no case more than 45 days after the request. (34 CFR 300.613, 99.10) [Referral and evaluation and Before the meeting] |
| Parent center (PTI and CPRC) | A federally funded Parent Training and Information Center or Community Parent Resource Center that helps families of children with disabilities. Free, and not the office that handles complaints. Your state's notice lists the ones in your state. [Your state's rules and When you disagree] |
| Rules and Record | A Field Assembly site with one page per state and DC that quotes the state's own special education and discipline sources with dates. This manual links it and copies nothing from it. [Your state's rules] |