Special Education

Front 1

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Back 1

This was signed into U.S. law in 2002, and seeks to increase accountability for student performance in public schools. Schools whose students don't demonstrate mastery on standardized tests may face certain penalties, and if they don't improve, parents may transfer their students to other schools.

Front 2

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

Back 2

All children in the U.S. are entitled to this under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Front 3

Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Back 3

This is the law that outlines rights and regulations for students with disabilities in the U.S. who require special education. Under this law, all children with disabilities are entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least-Restrictive Environment (LRE), and some are entitled to Early Intervention (EI) and Extended School Year (ESY).

Front 4

Individual Education Program (IEP)

Back 4

This document determines what your child's program, services, and accommodations will be in special education.

Front 5

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Back 5

This act was intended to make it illegal to keep individuals with disabilities from having reasonable access to recreation, employment, education, and any other of the usual activities most Americans take for granted.

Front 6

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Back 6

This condition is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention. It is included in other health impairments category.

Front 7

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Back 7

This developmental condition affects individuals in two main areas: Individuals have impaired communication and social interaction. Individuals have restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities.

Front 8

Intellectual Disabilities (ID)

Back 8

This is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and inadaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.

Front 9

Learning Disability (LD)

Back 9

A disability of unexpected under achievement typically involving reading that is resistant to traditional instruction.

Front 10

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Back 10

This is often the result of an acute event.

Front 11

English Language Learner (ELL)

Back 11

A person who is in the process of acquiring English and has a primary language other than English

Front 12

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD)

Back 12

This term is used by the U.S. Department of Education to define children enrolled in educational programs who are either non-English-proficient (NEP) or limited-English-proficient (LEP). Educators use this phrase to identify children from homes and communities where English is not the primary language of communication (Garciá 1991)

Front 13

Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)

Back 13

These are measurable instructional goals established for a specific group of students over a set period of time. These serve as one of the measures of student growth for the State Teacher Evaluation model and may represent 20% - 35% of the evaluation.

Front 14

Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS)

Back 14

These are the standards of success in every public school in MD, and are designed to clearly communicate what is expected of students at each grade level. They focus on core conceptual understandings and procedures starting in the early grades, thus enabling teachers to take the time needed to teach core concepts and procedures well—and to give students the opportunity to master them.

Front 15

Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs)

Back 15

If parents or caregivers are earning at or below current Income Eligibility Guidelines, their child/children may be eligible for these.

Front 16

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Back 16

This is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

Front 17

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Back 17

This is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs.

Front 18

Assistive Technology (AT)

Back 18

This is any item, piece of equipment, software or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities

Front 19

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

Back 19

This is a group of states working together to develop a modern assessment that replaces previous state standardized tests.

Front 20

Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC)

Back 20

This is a consortium of state education agencies and national educational organizations dedicated to the reform of the preparation, licensing, and on-going professional development of teachers. Towson University uses this consortium’s standards to guide our education courses and prepare our teacher candidates.

Front 21

Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD)

Back 21

This disorder is characterized by excesses, deficits or disturbances of behavior. The child's difficulty is emotionally based and cannot be adequately explained by intellectual, cultural, sensory general health factors, or other additional exclusionary factors.

Front 22

Emotional Disturbance (ED)

Back 22

This is the term used in IDEA for emotional or behavioral disorders.

Front 23

Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP)

Back 23

This is used to describe the written plan used to address problem behavior that includes positive behavioral interventions, strategies and support

Front 24

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

Back 24

This is a process that identifies specific target behavior, the purpose of the behavior, and what factors maintain the behavior that is interfering with the student's educational progress.

Front 25

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Back 25

This is a schoolwide approach to make schools safe and promote positive behavior. It’s also a way for schools to decide how to respond to a child who misbehaves.

Front 26

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Back 26

Educational placement with the most inclusion and integration with typical learners as possible and appropriate.

Front 27

Local Education Agency (LEA)

Back 27

A school district, board of education, or other public authority underthe supervision of a state educational agency having administrativecontrol and direction of public elementary or secondary schools, orany other public educational institution or agency havingadministrative control and direction of a vocational educationprogram.

Front 28

LSS

Front 29

Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP)

Back 29

Identifies and organizes services and resources for infants and toddlers and their families

Front 30

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Front 31

SPI

Front 32

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Back 32

A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Front 33

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

Back 33

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was passed as a part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" and has been the most far-reaching federal legislation affecting education ever passed by the United States Congress.

Front 34

English Learner (EL)

Back 34

Students learning English as their second language.