Common Special Education Terms

 These are common Special Education terms and definitions. If you are trying to learn more, we are here to help!

 

Disability: A condition recognized by the law. To qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), students must have a disability that falls under one of the 13 categories listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):  IDEA is a federal law that guarantees all students with disabilities access to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. 

https://fespedtn.blogspot.com/2020/11/breaking-down-idea.html

Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA ) guarantees the right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for kids with disabilities. That can include kids with learning and thinking differences. FAPE is one of the most important legal rights your child has.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE):  IDEA says that children who receive special education should learn in the least restrictive environment. This means they should spend as much time as possible with peers who do not receive special education.

Individualized Education Program (IEP): An IEP outlines the needs and goals of a student receiving special education instruction, supports, and services needed to make progress academically and socially to thrive in school.

504 plan: A 504 plan supports a student with a disability by removing barriers. It gives the student equal access to learning in the general education classroom. Students with 504 plans tend not to need specialized instruction, but do need accommodations at school like a student with disabilities.  504’s can be short term or long term and can include supports for students with mental health needs and physical needs.

Accommodation: Accommodations help students learn and show what they’ve learned by removing barriers. For instance, students who take longer to answer questions because of learning differences might be allowed extra time to take a test. Even with accommodations, students are expected to learn the same content as their peers.

Modification: A modification is a change in what a student is expected to learn and demonstrate. For example, a teacher might ask the class to write an essay that analyzes three major battles during a war. A student with a modification may only be asked to write about the basic facts of those battles. Modifications are different from accommodations.  Modifications may also impact whether the student is awarded a ‘credit’ in high school classes.

Related Services: Related services are any support services a student needs to benefit from special education such as Transportation, Speech, Occupational Therapy, etc.

Annual Goals: The Annual Goals in the IEP are a list of the academic and functional (every day) skills the IEP team thinks a student can achieve by the end of a school year. These goals are geared toward helping students take part in the general education curriculum.

Present Level of Performance (PLEP): PLEP is a description of a student’s current abilities, skills, challenges, and strengths at the time the IEP is written. PLEP describes academic skills (like reading level) and functional skills (like making conversation or writing with a pencil). The PLEP should include what assessment is being used to measure current performance and the score of that assessment, as well as, when it was given.

Student Lead IEP: Student Lead IEP’s are meaningful opportunities for students receiving Special Education to take leadership roles in the creation and implementation of their plans.

Response to Intervention (RTI): RTI is a systematic way of identifying struggling students and providing extra help. Teachers assess the skills of everyone in the class to see which students need evidence-based instructional interventions.  A student receiving RTI intervention is still eligible for Special Education supports.

Transition Plan: This part of the IEP lays out what a teen will learn and do in high school in order to gain skills needed for employment as a young adult. The IEP team, including the student, develops the plan together.  The Transition Plan should be in place by a students 14th birthday.

Assistive Technology (AT): Assistive Technology is any device, equipment, or software that helps students learn, communicate, and function better in school. AT ranges from simple tools (like highlighters) to high-tech software (like apps that read text aloud). 

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS): PBIS is a proactive, schoolwide approach used in some schools  to promote positive behavior and improve school safety. PBIS creates a school culture in which all students learn about behavior and use a common language to talk about it.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP): A plan designed to proactively teach and reinforce positive behavior. Typically, the plan uses strategies to prevent and address behavior that gets in the way of learning. It may also include supports and aids for the student.

Extended School Year Services (ESY): Special education services provided outside of the regular school year, such as during the summer or, less commonly, during extended breaks like winter break.  ESY is determined by the IEP team for students who may need support maintaining skills previously learned.  Supports and services should be part of the ESY plan.

Supplementary Aids and Services:  Supplementary aids and services means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate.

 

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic, please reach out to specialeducation@thearctn.org.

Resources:

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/iep-terms-to-know

How to Make the Most of Virtual Learning

 

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, but one of the hardest hit populations have been students. With schools switching back and forth between in-person and remote or some version of a hybrid, students with IEPs have had it particularly rough. As a parent, it’s hard to watch your child struggle, but we often wonder what we can do or say to make things easier, especially during a pandemic. The Family Engagement Team at The Arc TN has pulled together some tips and resources that you can use to help get you and your child through this year.

Important things to Remember:

·        The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a Federal Law and has not been changed or waived in light of COVID-19. Your students still have the right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). https://fespedtn.blogspot.com/2020/11/breaking-down-idea.html

·        If a school district is providing remote or virtual learning opportunities, the FAPE is required to make sure students with disabilities are able to fully access those opportunities: https://fespedtn.blogspot.com/2020/06/

·        Participation in all educational opportunities provided by the school is important. If the educational opportunity provided for your child does not work for them, document that and tell the school so they can figure out another plan.

·        Keep detailed notes about how the student is being impacted. CLICK HERE for a weekly guide to tracking your child’s progress. Always keep everything in writing.

·        Open communication between you and the teacher is key!! 

·        If a teacher is trying a new strategy, it may be best to implement the strategy at home, too.

Here are some questions to consider:

·        What are the educational options, choices, opportunities, and participation for students WITHOUT disabilities?

·        How many hours of a week is instruction being provided?

·        How is instruction being provided?

·        Is homework being assigned?

·        Are students with disabilities being offered the same instruction and education option, opportunities, choices, activities, and supports as students without disabilities?

Questions to ask yourself about students with disabilities:

·        How will the students be tested to determine the outcomes for students with IEPs and 504 plans are assisting students in reaching their goals?

·        Will the students have accessibility to all learning materials (print and digital) and technologies, enabling students with disabilities to access curricula with assistive technology?

·        Does the school have personnel and guidelines in place to ensure that students’ IEPs and 504 plans are appropriately reviewed, revised, and updated in partnership with parents and guardians, as scheduled during the year, whether remote or in-person?

·        Are general education, special education, assistive technology, and education technology staff prepared to collaborate to ensure that every learner with a disability continues to learn and make progress in the least restrictive environment?

If the student with disabilities is not being offered the same instruction, here is a list of steps for parents can take. Parents can take any approach they prefer. But this is a good recommendation for the order you could try.

·        Address the issue with your child's teacher

·        Request a meeting of the IEP team to address the issue

·        Contact the Special Education Director at your school district about the issue

·        Reach out to the Department to speak to a complaint investigator Heather Anderson at Heather.Anderson@tn.gov and she will work with you to try to resolve this informally

·        File an administrative complaint with the Department of Education

·        Request mediation from an outside party

·        Request a Due Process hearing https://fespedtn.blogspot.com/2020/06/since-shortly-after-schools-closed-in.html

 

If you have any questions about the services your child is receiving in special education, please feel free to reach out to our team at specialeducation@thearctn.org.