Special Education Glossary
Common terms and acronyms related to special education instruction, procedures, and services.
Glossary
Term
Definition
504 Plan
A plan that specifies the adaptations, accommodations, and modifications for a student with a disability that limits a major life activity (but who does not qualify for an individualized education program (IEP)) may need to participate in programs and activities offered by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). (Also see
Section 504
)
Accommodations
Changes how the student will learn or demonstrate their knowledge, keeping content expectations the same.
Adaptive Physical Education
Adapted physical education teachers provide support, consultation, and collaboration for students requiring specialized instruction.
Administrative Review
A voluntary, informal mediation process permitting the presentation of differences between parents and school staff members to an appointed committee composed of FCPS staff members not directly involved with the student.
Annual Review
A scheduled meeting of school staff members and parents to develop, review, and revise a student’s IEP goals and objectives and to determine the appropriateness of new or continued services.
Assistive Technology Services (ATS)
ATS uses computers, augmentative communication devices, and adaptive technology peripherals to maximize the potential of FCPS students with disabilities.
Basis for Committee Decision (BCD)
Definitions and criteria used by eligibility committees to determine if students are eligible to receive special education services. Students must have been evaluated in accordance with established procedures.
Behavior Intervention Teacher (BIT)
Teachers provide assistance to schools within their assigned Region on the design and implementation of behavioral prevention and intervention strategies and support services.
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)
A plan that follows a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) that uses positive behavioral interventions and supports to address behaviors that interfere with the learning of students with disabilities or with the learning of others or behaviors that require disciplinary action. (Also see Functional Behavioral Assessment.)
Business Days
Monday through Friday, 12 months of the year, exclusive of federal and state holidays.
Calendar Days
Consecutive days, inclusive of Saturdays and Sundays. Whenever any period of time fixed by the term “calendar days” shall expire on a Saturday, a Sunday, or a federal or state holiday, the period of time for taking such action shall be extended to the next day, not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a federal or state holiday.
Case Manager
Staff member responsible for collecting, monitoring, and processing information pertaining to an individual student.
Child Find
A public school program that locates and identifies children and young adults aged 2 through 21 years who may be in need of special education and related services.
Child with a Disability
Those children evaluated and identified, in accordance with regulations governing Section 504 as having a physical or mental impairment that impacts a major life activity.
Community Services Board
The local government agency that provides services to adults with intellectual disabilities and mental illness to help them become as self-supporting as possible.
Consent
The parent(s) or eligible student has been fully informed of all information relevant to the activity for which consent is sought in the parent’s(s’) or eligible student’s native language, or other mode of communication; the parent(s) or eligible student understands and agrees, in writing, to the carrying out of the activity for which consent is sought, and the consent describes that activity and lists the records (if any) that will be released and to whom; and the parent(s) or eligible student understands that the granting of consent is voluntary on the part of the parent(s) or eligible student and may be revoked at any time.
Continuum of Services
Refers to the range of service delivery options offered to eligible students.
Counseling Services
A service related to a student’s IEP defined as a short-term structured intervention with specific aims and objectives to promote that student’s social, emotional, and academic growth within the school environment.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services
Educational services for hearing-impaired students are provided through itinerant services and site-based programs to eligible students.
Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (Dars)
The agency of the Virginia government that offers assistance to persons with physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities so that they may become as self-supporting as possible
Due Process Hearing
A formal procedure used to resolve conflicts between parents and school divisions over the provision of special education services. (Also see
Impartial Hearing
)
Early Intervention
Specialized services are provided to infants and toddlers who are at risk for, or showing signs of, developmental delay.
Educational Assessment
A written report describing current educational performance and identifying precise instructional needs in academic skills, language performance, and functional areas. This report includes academic testing results, the classroom teacher narrative, and classroom observation information.
- Medical Assessment: written report from a licensed physician indicating general medical history and any medical or health problems that may impede educational progress.
- Psychological Assessment:A written report from an approved psychologist based on the use of a battery of appropriate assessments that may include individual intelligence test(s) and psychoeducational tests.
- Sociocultural Assessment:A written report describing developmental history and adaptive behavior at home and at school. A social worker or visiting teacher completes this evaluation. Other evaluation reports may include speech and language, occupational therapy, etc., when appropriate.
Educational Evaluation
(See
Evaluation
)
Eligibility Committee
A committee of professional staff members and the parent that considers the individual needs of a student and determines whether the student is eligible for special education and related services. Eligibility committees usually meet at the student’s school.
Equal access
Equal opportunity of a qualified person with a disability to participate in or benefit from educational aid, benefits, or services.
Evaluation
The process of collecting and analyzing psychological, medical, socio-cultural, and educational information for a student so that the eligibility committee can determine if the student is eligible for special education services and the area(s) of eligibility. Eligibility committees consider information presented by parent(s) and school staff members, as well as information that the parent(s) has obtained from private practitioners
Evidence-Based
Practices based on scientific evidence
Extended School Year (ESY) Services
Special education and/or related services provided beyond the regular school year for the purpose of providing FAPE to a student with a disability in accordance with the student’s IEP, at no cost to the family. ESY services may be delivered through a variety of settings and methods, including classroom instruction, parent-guided home programs with progress monitored by the teacher, and/or consultative support from staff members.
Free appropriate public education (FAPE)
A statutory requirement that children and youth with disabilities receive a public education appropriate to their needs, at no cost to their families.
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
Conducted by a team in order to develop a hypothesis about the function of the problem behavior when a student behaves in a way that significantly interferes with the student’s learning and/or the learning of others. This leads to the development of a behavioral intervention plan (BIP). (Also see Behavioral Intervention Plan.)
General Education
Direct participation in a general education class or activity planned and conducted by general education staff members (for example, includes activities such as lunch or job training in which a student is participating with general education peers).
Home-Based Instruction
Home-based instruction may be provided to special education students who have been removed from school due to disciplinary or other reasons. The goal of home-based instruction is to keep the student current with classroom instruction until the student is allowed to return to a classroom setting.
Homebound Instruction
Homebound services may be provided to students who have a medical condition preventing them from participating in classroom instruction because they are confined to home or a healthcare facility.
IDEA
(See
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
)
Identification
Recognition on the part of a parent, teacher, or other person that a child may have special learning needs.
IEP Team
A group consisting of parents, a special education teacher, a general education teacher, the student (when appropriate), a representative of the school system qualified to provide or supervise special education services, and others as requested who meet at a conference to develop the IEP.
Impartial Hearing
A formal procedure used to resolve conflicts between parents and school districts over the provision of special education services. (Also see
Due Process Hearing
)
Independent Educational Evaluation
An evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the school division responsible for the education of your child.
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
)–A written plan for every student receiving special education services that contains information such as the student’s special learning needs and the specific special education services required by the student.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The federal law that mandates that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) be available to all school-age children with disabilities. It is also known as Public Law 101-476.
Knowledgeable Committee
A group of staff members that work directly with or supervise the student in an educational setting that convene to review students’ eligibility under Section 504. The knowledgeable committee also develops a Section 504 Plan, if required.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
The setting determined by the IEP team that gives the child as much time as possible in general education settings and activities while meeting the child’s learning and physical needs. It also means that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of a child with disabilities from the general education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Local Education Agency (LEA)
The public-school division (for example, Fairfax County Public Schools).
Local Screening Committee (LSC)
A committee established in all schools to review referrals for special education and to identify the needs of students experiencing academic difficulties. A LSC includes the principal (or designee), the teacher of the student, a special education teacher, the school psychologist, the school social worker, the person initiating the referral, and other staff members, as appropriate. Parents are notified of the meeting and are encouraged to attend and participate.
Major Life Activity
Area (s) that are limited by an identified impairment. Examples include, learning, working, communicating, hearing, eating, bending, breathing, concentrating, caring for oneself, walking, thinking, seeing, reading, or operation of a major bodily function, including, but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
Mediation
A process in which a neutral person facilitates communication between two parties and, without deciding the issues or imposing a solution on the parties, enables them to understand and resolve their dispute.
Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS)
A framework through which school teams make decisions using data. This data helps school teams plan for instruction for all students and provide the extra time, support, and interventions as needed.
Neighborhood Base School
The school serving the local home address.
Ombuds
The Office of the Ombuds serves as an independent, confidential resource for students, families, employees, and community members, offering informal help to answer questions, resolve concerns, and voice complains regarding FCPS matters.
Parent
A biological or adoptive parent, a foster parent, a surrogate parent, a guardian, an emancipated minor, a custodial stepparent, or an individual acting in place of a parent with whom the student lives or who is legally responsible for the student’s welfare. This term includes a number of qualifiers and exceptions; for further details, see the glossary in the
2023 The Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education.
Positive Behavior Approach (PBA)
A schoolwide approach to preventing and responding to behavioral concerns that support staff as they teach and promote positive behavior among all students.
Procedural Support Liaison (PSL)
An FCPS staff member from the Office of Special Education Procedural Support who serves as a resource to parents and school staff by providing information about services and facilitating communication between parents and school staff in support of a collaborative decision-making process. A PSL may serve as an additional IEP team member. The PSL can provide guidance to parents and staff when there are questions related to federal, state, and local special education guidelines and procedures. One PSL is assigned to each pyramid.
Processing Disorder
A deficit in the ability to differentiate, give meaning to, and/or appropriately respond to symbols, objects, and/or events in the environment.
Program of Studies (POS)
The basic instructional program for FCPS. It includes a series of documents containing the instructional objectives for all subjects in kindergarten through grade 12, instructional activities, catalogs of instructional materials, and tests measuring student achievement of selected objectives (available for review in local schools according to grade level).
Public Expense
means that the school division either pays for the full cost of the evaluation or ensures that the evaluation is otherwise provided at no cost to you, consistent with the provisions of the IDEA, which allow each State to use whatever State, local, Federal and private sources of support are available in the State to meet the requirements of the IDEA.
Public Law 108-446
The federal law mandates that FAPE be available to all school-age children with disabilities. It is also known as IDEA or IDEIA.
Reevaluation
A review by the IEP team or the Section 504 knowledgeable committee that is required every three years or more often if necessary. It determines if updated information used to decide continuing eligibility for special education or under secton 504 is needed and the types of information needed to determine the individual needs of the student.
Referral
Informing a school or agency that a student may have special learning needs. A referral can be made by a parent, teacher, or any staff member who has worked with the student. Children do not have to be in school to be referred.
Related Services
Support services designated in a student’s IEP or Section 504 Plan that are required (1) based on the student’s disability and (2) to help a child benefit from educational resources.(eg: S/L, OT, PT, VQ, etc.)
Section 504
A federal statute in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of a disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. In accordance with Section 504, a qualified student with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities shall not, on the basis of that disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination in any program or activity offered by FCPS.
Qualification under Section 504 may result in the development of a 504 Plan that specifies the adaptation, accommodations, and modifications that a student may need to participate in programs and activities offered by FCPS.
Qualification under Section 504 may result in the development of a 504 Plan that specifies the adaptation, accommodations, and modifications that a student may need to participate in programs and activities offered by FCPS.
Section 504 Plan
A Plan that specifies the required accommodations, modifications and/or services for a student who qualifies under Section 504.
Sociocultural Evaluation
(See
Evaluation
)
Special Education
Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of a child with disabilities, including classroom instruction, instruction in physical education, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions. The term also includes speech therapy or any other related service and vocational education if these services consist of specially designed instruction at no cost to the parent.
Standards of Learning (SOL)
The outline of the basic knowledge and skills that Virginia students will be taught in grades K-12 in the four essential academic subjects of English, math, science, and social studies.
State Education Agency (SEA)
The state agency responsible for the implementation of school programs (for example, the Virginia Department of Education).
Transition Planning Guide
A written plan designed to help plan for the student’s transition from school to life in the community. It includes career interests and goals; interpersonal, social, self-advocacy, and independent living skills; and courses and resources to meet goals. It is the final link for students completing school. A transition plan becomes part of a student’s IEP during eighth grade or when the student is 14 years of age, whichever comes first.
Trauma
Results from an event, series of events, or a set of circumstances an individual experiences as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening, which may have lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. Traumatic events may be experienced by an individual, a generation, or an entire community or culture.
Trauma-Informed
A program, organization, or system that realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in students, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.
Acronyms
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2E | Twice Exceptional |
| 504 | A section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 |
| AAC | Augmentative and Alternative Communication |
| ABA | Applied Behavioral Analysis |
| ACSD | Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
| ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder |
| APE | Adapted Physical Education |
| ASL | American Sign Language |
| AT | Assistive Technology |
| ATS | Assistive Technology Services |
| AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress |
| BCD | Basis for Committee Decision |
| BIP | Behavior Intervention Plan |
| CSA | Comprehensive Services Act |
| CSB | Community Services Board, Fairfax- Falls Church |
| CTS | Career and Transition Services |
| DARS | The Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services |
| DB | Deaf-Blindness |
| DD | Developmental Delay |
| DF | Deafness |
| D/HSS | Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services |
| DPE | Due Process and Eligibility |
| DRS | Department of Rehabilitative Services |
| DSS | Department of Special Services |
| ECSE | Early Childhood Special Education |
| ECIDS | Early Childhood Identification and Services |
| ED | Emotional Disability |
| EFE | Education for Employment |
| EFEO | Education for Employment Opportunities |
| EL | English Learners |
| ESY | Extended School Year |
| ETR | Employment & Transition Representative |
| FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education |
| FBA | Functional Behavioral Assessment |
| FCPS | Fairfax County Public Schools |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act |
| FRC | Family Resource Center |
| HI | Hearing Impairment |
| IAES | Interim Alternative Education Setting |
| ID | Intellectual Disability |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| IEE | Independent Educational Evaluation |
| IEP | Individualized Educational Program |
| ISP | Individualized Services Plan |
| ITC | Infant Toddler Connection |
| LD | Learning Disability |
| LEA | Local Education Agency |
| LEP | Limited English Proficiency |
| LRE | Least Restrictive Environment |
| LSC | Local Screening Committee |
| MD | Multiple Disabilities |
| MDR | Manifestation Determination Review |
| ML | Multilingual Learners |
| MPR | Multipurpose Referral |
| MTSS | Multi-Tiered System of Supports |
| NCLB | No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 |
| OHI | Other Health Impaired |
| O&M | Orientation and Mobility |
| OI | Orthopedic Impairment |
| OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs, (U.S. Department of Education) |
| OSEPS | Office of Special Education Procedural Support (FCPS) |
| OSERS | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (U.S. Department of Education) |
| OT | Occupational Therapy |
| PAC | Preschool Autism Class |
| PBA | Positive Behavior Approach |
| PBIS | Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports |
| PE | Physical Education |
| PECS | Picture Exchange Communication System |
| PERT | Postsecondary Education Rehabilitation Transition |
| PLOP | Present Levels of Performance |
| PSL | Procedural Support Liaison |
| PT | Physical Therapy |
| PTSD | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
| PWN | Prior Written Notice |
| RTI | Response to Intervention |
| SD | Severe Disability |
| SEA | State Education Agency (in Virginia; the Virginia Department of Education) |
| SEAC | Special Education Advisory Committee (State Organization) |
| SEPTA | Special Education Parent Teacher Association (FCPS Organization) |
| SLD | Specific Learning Disability |
| SLI | Speech-Language Impairment |
| SLP | Speech-Language Pathologist |
| SOL | Virginia Standards of Learning Test |
| S/L | Speech Language |
| SR&R | Student Rights and Responsibilities |
| STEP | Secondary Transition to Employment Program |
| TBI | Traumatic Brain Injury |
| T/TAC | Training/Technical Assistance Center |
| USDOE | United States Department of Education |
| VAAP | Virginia Alternative Assessment Program |
| VDOE | Virginia Department of Education |
| VI | Vision Impairment |
| VR | Vocational Rehabilitation |
| VSDB | Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind |
| VPOS | Virginia Program of Studies |
| WAT | Work Awareness and Transition |
