APE (Adapted Physical Education)
Physical Education that has been adapted or modified to address the individualized needs of children with disabilities, by adapting the curriculum, task, equipment, and/or environment to enable all students to participants in, and benefit from, physical education.
AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress):
AYP is a term used in the No Child Left Behind Act. It is the state's measure of progress toward the goal of 100 percent of students achieving to state academic standards in at least reading/language arts and math, and sets the minimum level of proficiency that the state, its school districts, and schools must achieve each year on annual tests and related academic indicators.
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder):
A special education eligibility category that includes Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
AT (Assistive Technology):
Any service that directly assists an eligible individual in selecting, acquiring, or using an assistive technology device.
BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan):
A written plan to address behavioral concerns impeding the child’s learning or that of others. It is part of a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that includes positive behavioral interventions and supports and other strategies to address the behavior.
CONSENT:
Consent means a parent has been fully informed in his or her native language or other mode of communication, such as sign language, braille, or oral communication.
EDUCATION RECORDS:
Education records means records that are directly related to a student.
ESY (Extended School Year):
A provision for special education students to receive instruction during ordinary school “vacation” periods, or at any time when school is not typically in session. ESY services or programming may focus on all, or only some, of a child’s needs that are addressed during the regular school year, depending on the needs of the child. The IEP team determines whether a child needs ESY services as part of the IEP process.
FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education):
Education for children with disabilities provided in the least restrictive environment, and at public expense, under public supervision, and without charge, through an IEP.
FBA (Functional behavioral assessment):
An assessment of a student’s behavior. An FBA is used when developing positive behavioral interventions for a child with a disability.
GE: (Grade Equivalent):
The average raw score for all children in the same school grade.
HI (Hearing Impairment):
Impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, which adversely affects a child’s educational performance, but is not included under definition of deafness.
IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation):
Testing done by someone who doesn’t work for the school system. Parents may either pay for such an evaluation themselves or ask the school district to pay. The school district can either agree or dispute the need for the I.E.E. by filing for a due process hearing.
IEP (Individualized Educational Program):
The document, developed at an IEP meeting that describes the child’s special education program. It sets the standard by which special education services are determined appropriate for a child with a disability.
LEA (Local Education Agency):
Local Education Agency or LEA means local school systems and charter schools designated by the State of Georgia to provide special education and related services to eligible children.
LEA Rep (Local Education Agency Representative)
A required member of the IEP team who Is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities; is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum; and, is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency.
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment):
To the maximum extent appropriate, educating children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, with children who are nondisabled; and removing children with disabilities to special classes, separate schooling, or other settings apart from the regular educational occurs only if 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.
MDR (Manifestation Determination Review):
A meeting of the IEP team, held within 10 days after a child with a disability violates a school rule and is suspended for 10 or more days (or suspension equals a cumulative 10 days). It is an investigation of whether or not the behavior is caused by his/her disability (manifestation of the disability) or is the result of the IEP not being implemented.
MID (Mild Intellectual Disability)
A special education eligibility category where intellecutal functioning is approximately 55 and includes deficits in adaptive behavior that significantly limit a child’s effectiveness in meeting the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence or social responsibility, and especially school performance.
MoID (Moderate Intellectual Disability)
A special education eligibility category where intellectual functioning ranging from an upper limit of approximately 55 to a lower limit of approximately 40 and includes deficits in adaptive behavior that significantly limit a child’s effectiveness in meeting the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence or social responsibility, and especially school performance.
O & M (Orientation and Mobility services):
A related service provided to blind or visually impaired children by qualified personnel to enable those students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community.
OHI (Other Health Impairment)
A special education eligibility category where a student has a diagnosed medical condition with limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment that is due to chronic or acute health problems and adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
OI (Orthopedic Impairment):
A special education eligibility category where a student has a severe orthopedic impairment which adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
OT (Occupational Therapy):
A related service which is usually focused upon the development of a student’s fine motor skills and/or the identification of adapted ways of accomplishing activities of daily living when a student’s disabilities preclude doing those tasks in typical ways.
PARENT :
Parent means a person who has legal authority to act on behalf of a minor child and shall include the child's biological or adoptive parent or foster parent; a guardian authorized to make educational decisions for the child; a person with whom the child lives who is acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent, including but nor limited to a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative; an individual who is legally responsible for the child's welfare; or a duly designated surrogate.
PID (Profound Intellectual Disability)
A special education eligibility category where students intellectual functioning below approximately 25; and deficits in adaptive behavior that significantly limit a child’s effectiveness in meeting the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence or social responsibility and especially school performance.
PT (Physical therapy):
A related service provided by a qualified physical therapist. PT promotes motor development and the student’s participation in everyday routines and activities that are part of the educational program.
PLEP (Present level of academic achievement and functional performance):
A statement on the IEP that describes what the child knows and can do at this time. It includes how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children); or for preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.
POINT (Pyramid of Intervention)
The Georgia Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions is the process of aligning appropriate assessment with purposeful instruction for all students. The use of a variety of ongoing assessment data to determine which students are not meeting success academically and/or behaviorally.
RTI (Response to Intervention):
A multi-step process of providing educational supports and instruction to children who are struggling learners. Progress is monitored and results are used to make decisions about further instruction and intervention.
SDD (Significant Developmental Delay)
A special education eligibility category for students with significant developmental delay in adaptive behavior, cognition, communication, motor development or emotional development to the extent that, if not provided with special intervention, the delay may adversely affect a child’s educational performance in age-appropriate activities.
SEF (Special Education Facilitator)
Individual serving as the LEA/LSS Representative during IEP meetings.
SID (Severe Intellectual Disability)
A special education eligibility category where intellectual functioning ranging from an upper limit of approximately 40 to a lower limit of approximately 25; and deficits in adaptive behavior that significantly limit a child’s effectiveness in meeting the standards of maturation, learning, personal independence or social responsibility and especially school performance.
SLP: (Speech and Language Pathologist)
Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate, diagnose, and treat speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders.
SLD/LD (Specific Learning Disability) (also referred to as “learning disability”):
A special education eligibility category where there is a deficit in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, write, spell or to do math calculations.
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)
An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, which adversely affects educational performance.
VI (Visual Impairment, including Blindness):
A visual impairment that, even with correction, adversely affects child’s educational performance; includes both partial sight and blindness.