Glossary

Glossary

Below are some Acronyms and terms that are often used in special education. This resource is here for you to better understand the words that may get used in IEPs, discussions about your child’s education, and for you to know your rights as a parent. There is a link at the bottom to go directly to the page we found this information.

Accommodations Changes in the administration of an assessment, such as setting, scheduling, timing, presentation format, response mode, or others, including any combination of these, that do not change the construct intended to be measured by the assessment or the meaning of the resulting scores. Accommodations are used for equity, not advantage, and serve to level the playing field. To be appropriate, assessment accommodations must be identified in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan and used regularly during instruction and classroom assessment.

Achievement Test An instrument designed to efficiently measure the amount of academic knowledge and/or skill a student has acquired from instruction. Such tests provide information that can be compared to either a norm group or a measure of performance.

Adequate Yearly Progress Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts and schools must achieve each year. It is an individual state’s measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards required by NCLB.

Aggregation The total or combined performance of all students for reporting purposes.

Alignment The similarity or match between or among content standards, performance standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessments in terms of knowledge and skill expectations.

Alternate Assessment An instrument used in gathering information on the standards-based performance and progress of students whose disabilities preclude their valid and reliable participation in general assessments. Alternate assessments measure the performance of a relatively small population of students who are unable to participate in the general assessment system, with or without accommodations as determined by the IEP Team.

Assessment The process of collecting information about individuals, groups, or systems that relies upon a number of instruments, one of which may be a test. Therefore, assessment is a more comprehensive term than test.

Assistive Technology The term ‘assistive technology device’ means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. The term does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such device. The term `assistive technology service' means any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. It includes evaluation of the child’s needs, purchase of the device, training and other aspects of the use of the device. [IDEA 2004 §602(1)& (2)].

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (also called Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD) is a condition with the principal characteristics of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years and can continue into adulthood. These symptoms appear early in a child's life. Because many normal children may have these symptoms, but at a low level, or the symptoms may be caused by another disorder, it is important that the child receive a thorough examination and appropriate diagnosis by a well-qualified professional.

Autism A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal or nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance as defined in paragraph (b) (4) of this section. (ii) A child who manifests the characteristics of ‘autism’ after age 3 could be diagnosed as having ‘autism’ if the criteria in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section are satisfied. [34 CFR §300.7(c)(1)]

Bias (test bias) In a statistical context, bias is a systematic error in a test score. In discussing test fairness, bias is created by not allowing certain groups into the sample, not designing the test to allow all groups to participate equitably, selecting discriminatory material, testing content that has not been taught, etc. Bias usually favors one group of test takers over another, resulting in discrimination.

Child Find The term ‘child find’ is a requirement under federal law that a state develop and carry out a plan through its school districts to find and identify all children who are in need of special education and related services.

Child with a Disability A child with a disability means a child evaluated in accordance with IDEA as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment including deafness, a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment including blindness, serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services. §300.8 (See also STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY)

Criterion-Referenced Tests (CRT) A test that measures specific skill development as compared to a predefined absolute level of mastery of that skill.

Curriculum-based Assessments Assessments that mirror instructional materials and procedures related to the curriculum resulting in an ongoing process of monitoring progress in the curriculum and guiding adjustments in instruction, remediation, accommodations, or modifications provided to the student.

Deaf-Blindness A disability characterized by concomitant hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness. [34 CFR §300.7(c)(2)]

Deafness A hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. [34 CFR §300.7(c)(3)].

Development Delay Early childhood developmental delay means a child through 7 years of age whose primary delay cannot be differentiated through existing criteria within R 340.1705 to R 340.1710 or R 340.1713 to R 340.1716 and who manifests a delay in 1 or more areas of development equal to or greater than 1/2 of the expected development. [Rule 340.1711]

Disaggregated “Disaggregate” means to separate a whole into its parts. Under NCLB, this term means that test results are sorted into groups of students who are economically disadvantaged, from racial and ethnic minority groups, have disabilities, or have limited English fluency.

Disproportionality The unequal representation of racial and ethnic minorities in special education compared to the racial/ethnic composition of the total student enrollment.

Emotional Disturbance The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that affects a child’s educational performance: (A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors. (B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. (C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances. (D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression. (E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. [34 CFR §300.7(c)(1)]

Errors Measurement The differences between observed scores and the theoretical true score; the amount of uncertainty in reporting scores; the degree of inherent imprecision based on test content, administration, scoring, or examinee conditions within the measurement process that produce errors in the interpretation of student achievement.

Extended Standards A content standard that has been expanded while maintaining the essence of that standard, thereby ensuring that all students with significant cognitive disabilities have access to, and make progress in, the general curriculum.

Free Appropriate Public Education Free appropriate public education (FAPE) means special education and related services that are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; meet the standards of the state; include preschool, elementary school, or secondary school education and are provided in conformity with an individualized education program (IEP).

Hearing Impairment An impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section. [34 CFR §300.7(c)(5)]

High Stakes Testing A test for which important consequences are attached to the results for students, teachers, schools, districts, and/or states. Consequences may include promotion, graduation, rewards, or sanctions.

Highly Qualified Teacher [IDEA 2004 §602(10)] (A) IN GENERAL- For any special education teacher, the term `highly qualified' has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, except that such term also-- (i) includes the requirements described in subparagraph (B); and (ii) includes the option for teachers to meet the requirements of section 9101 of such Act by meeting the requirements of subparagraph (C) or (D). (B) REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS- When used with respect to any public elementary school or secondary school special education teacher teaching in a State, such term means that-- (i) the teacher has obtained full State certification as a special education teacher (including certification obtained through alternative routes to certification), or passed the State special education teacher licensing examination, and holds a license to teach in the State as a special education teacher, except that when used with respect to any teacher teaching in a public charter school, the term means that the teacher meets the requirements set forth in the State's public charter school law; (ii) the teacher has not had special education certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis; and (iii) the teacher holds at least a bachelor's degree. (C) SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TEACHING TO ALTERNATE ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS- When used with respect to a special education teacher who teaches core academic subjects exclusively to children who are assessed against alternate achievement standards established under the regulations promulgated under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, such term means the teacher, whether new or not new to the profession, may either-- (i) meet the applicable requirements of section 9101 of such Act for any elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher who is new or not new to the profession; or (ii) meet the requirements of subparagraph (B) or (C) of section 9101(23) of such Act as applied to an elementary school teacher, or, in the case of instruction above the elementary level, has subject matter knowledge appropriate to the level of instruction being provided, as determined by the State, needed to effectively teach to those standards. (D) SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TEACHING MULTIPLE SUBJECTS- When used with respect to a special education teacher who teaches 2 or more core academic subjects exclusively to children with disabilities, such term means that the teacher may either-- (i) meet the applicable requirements of section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for any elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher who is new or not new to the profession; (ii) in the case of a teacher who is not new to the profession, demonstrate competence in all the core academic subjects in which the teacher teaches in the same manner as is required for an elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher who is not new to the profession under section 9101(23)(C)(ii) of such Act, which may include a single, high objective uniform State standard of evaluation covering multiple subjects; or (iii) in the case of a new special education teacher who teaches multiple subjects and who is highly qualified in mathematics, language arts, or science, demonstrate competence in the other core academic subjects in which the teacher teaches in the same manner as is required for an elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher under section 9101(23)(C)(ii) of such Act, which may include a single, high objective uniform State standard of evaluation covering multiple subjects, not later than 2 years after the date of employment. (E) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Notwithstanding any other individual right of action that a parent or student may maintain under this part, nothing in this section or part shall be construed to create a right of action on behalf of an individual student or class of students for the failure of a particular State educational agency or local educational agency employee to be highly qualified. (F) DEFINITION FOR PURPOSES OF THE ESEA- A teacher who is highly qualified under this paragraph shall be considered highly qualified for purposes of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Inclusion Inclusion is a special education approach that stresses education students with disabilities, regardless of the type of severity of that disability, in the regular classrooms of their neighborhood schools.

Individualized Education Program An individualized education program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability that is developed, reviewed and revised in a meeting in accordance with IDEA regulations.

Individualized Family Service Plan The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written plan for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers eligible under Part C of IDEA.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the major federal law related to special education that provides funding to states and sets specific procedural requirements for the identification and education of students with disabilities.

Least Restrictive Environment The IDEA requires that, to the maximum extent appropriate, school districts must educate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE), i.e., in the regular classroom with appropriate aids and supports (referred to as “supplementary aids and services”) along with their non-disabled peers in the school they would attend if not disabled, unless a student’s individualized education program (IEP) requires some other arrangement.

Linkage The type of connection that is mandated or voluntarily established between a charter school and a traditional LEA.

Local Education Agency (LEA) A local education agency (LEA) is a public institution (often referred to as a school district) that has administrative control and direction of one or more public elementary or secondary schools, and the term includes a public charter school thatis established as an LEA under state law.

Matrix Sampling A measurement technique organizing a large set of test items into a number of relatively short item subsets, each of which then is administered to a subsample of test takers, thereby avoiding the need to administer all items to all examinees.

Mental Retardation (Michigan uses the term Cognitive Impairment) Cognitive impairment shall be manifested during the developmental period and be determined through the demonstration of all of the following behavioral characteristics: (a) development at a rate at or below approximately 2 standard deviations below the mean as determined through intellectual assessment, (b) scores approximately within the lowest 6 percentiles on a standardized test in reading and arithmetic. This requirement will not apply if the student is not of an age, grade, or mental age appropriate for formal or standardized achievement tests, (c) lack of development primarily in the cognitive domain, (d) impairment of adaptive behavior, and (e) adversely affects a student's educational performance. [Rule 340.1705]

Minimum n The smallest number of students a state has determined can produce statistically reliable results for a group while protecting the confidentiality of the student within the group.

Modification A change to the testing conditions, procedures, and/or formatting so that measurement of the intended construct is no longer valid.

Multiple Disabilities (Michigan uses the term Severe Multiple Impairment) Concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness, mental retardation-orthopedic impairment, etc.), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. The term does not include deaf- blindness. [34 CFR §300.8(c)(7)] [Rule 340.1711]

National Assessment of Education Progress The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), conducted since 1969, is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what American students know and can do in various subject areas. Students with disabilities participate according to NAEP criteria. (For a copy of the criteria, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/criteria.asp).

Norm-Referenced Tests (NRT) A standardized test designed, validated, and implemented to rank a students’ performance by comparing that performance to the performance of that student’s peers.

Office of Special Education Programs The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is that section of the U. S. Department of Education that is responsible for the implementation of the IDEA. It carries out activities related to state eligibility for IDEA funds and monitoring state Compliance with IDEA requirements.

Orthopedic Impairment A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly (e.g., clubfoot, absence of some member, etc.), impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures). [34 CFR §300.8(c)(8)]

Other Health Impairment (OHI) Having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that – (i) Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, and sickle cell anemia; and (ii) Adversely affects a child’s educational performance. [34 CFR 300.8(c)(9)] Some states include special mention of eligibility criteria for children with ADHD under this category. [Rule 340.1709a]

Out-of-level Testing Administration of a test at a level above or below a student’s present grade level to enable the student to be assessed at the level of instruction rather than the level of enrollment.

Portfolio Assessment An organized collection or documentation of student-generated or student-focused work typically depicting the range of individual student skills.

Qualified Personnel Under IDEA, qualified personnel means personnel who have met SEA-approved or SEA-recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the area in which the individuals are providing special education or related services.

Related Services Related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes speech-language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. The term also includes school health services, social work services in schools and parent counseling and training, interpreter services, and school nursing services.

Reliability The consistency of the test instrument; the extent to which it is possible to generalize a specific behavior observed at a specific time by a specific person to observations of similar behavior at different times or by different behaviors.

Special Education Special education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals, in institutions and in other settings; related services; travel training; vocational education and instruction in physical education.

Specific Learning Disability The term means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. [34 CFR §300.8(c)(10)]

Speech or Language Impairment A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. [34 CFR §300.8(c)(11)]

Standardized Test An established procedure that assures that a test is administered with the same directions and under the same conditions (time limits, etc.) and is scored in the same manner for all students to ensure the comparability of scores. Standardization allows reliable and valid comparison to be made among students taking the test. The two major types of standardized tests are norm-referenced and criterion- referenced.

Standards There are two types of standards, content and performance. Content standards are statements of the subject-specific knowledge and skills that schools are expected to teach students, indicating what students should know and be able to do. Performance standards are indices of qualities that specify how adept or competent a student demonstration must be and that consist of the following four components: 1. levels that provide descriptive labels or narratives for student performance (i.e., advanced, proficient, etc); 2. descriptions of what students at each particular level must demonstrate relative to the task; 3. examples of student work at each level illustrating the range of performance within each level; and 4. cut scores clearly separating each performance level.

Standards-based Assessment Assessments constructed to measure how well students have mastered specific content standards or skills.

State Education Agency (SEA) A state education agency (SEA) is the component of state government that is primarily responsible for the state supervision of public elementary and secondary schools.

Student with a Disability In the Individuals with Disabilities Act, a student with disabilities is defined as “a child evaluated in accordance with §§300.304-300.311 as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment including deafness, a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment including blindness, serious emotional disturbance (hereafter referred to as emotional disturbance), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs specialeducation and related services.” Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 defines a "handicapped person" (outdated terminology) as "any person who (i) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, (ii) has a record of such an impairment, or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment."

Transition Services A coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability that is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the student with a disability to facilitate the student’s movement from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing, and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. [§300.43]

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, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or to brain injuries induced by birth trauma. [34 CFR §300.8(c)(12)].

Validity The extent to which a test measures what it was designed to measure. Multiple types of validity exist. Common types of validity include the following: Construct validity: The extent to which the characteristic to be measured relates to test scores measuring the behavior in situations in which the construct is thought to be an important variable. Content validity: The extent to which the stimulus materials or situations composing the test call for a range of responses that represent the entire domain of skills, understandings, or behaviors that the test is intended to measure.

Convergent validity: The extent to which the assessment results positively correlate with the results of other measures designed to assess the same or similar constructs. Criterion-related validity: The extent to which test scores of a group or subgroup are compared to other criterion measures (ratings, classifications, other tests) assigned to the examinees. Face validity: Concept based on a judgment concerning how relevant the test items appear to be, it relates more to what a test appears to measure than to what the test actually measures.

Visual Impairment Including Blindness An impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness. [34 CFR §300.8(c)(13)]

Acronyms:

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act AYP: Adequate Yearly Progress ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder CEC: Council for Exceptional Children CIMS: Continuous Improvement Monitoring System CSLC: Charter Schools Leadership Council CSP: Charter Schools Program (of the U.S. Department of Education) ED: U.S. Department of Education EMO: Educational Management Organization ESP: Educational Services Provider FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act FRC: Federal Resource Center GLCEs: Grade Level Content Expectations 504: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IEP: Individualized Education Program IFSP: Individualized Family Service Plan ISD: Intermediate School District LEA: Local Education Agency (school district) LRE: Least Restrictive Environment MACSB: Michigan Association of Charter School Boards MAPSA: Michigan Association of Public School Academies MCCSA: Michigan Council of Charter School Authorizers MDE: Michigan Department of Education MEAP: Michigan Educational Assessment Program MI-ACCESS: Michigan Alternate Assessment Test MME: Michigan Merit Exam NACSA: National Association of Charter School Authorizers NAEP: National Assessment of Education Progress NASDSE: National Association of State Directors of Special Education NCLB: No Child Left Behind Act - the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) NCSI: National Charter Schools Institute NICHY: National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities OCR: Office for Civil Rights OSEP: Office of Special Education Programs PACER: Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights PSA: Public School Academy (Charter School) RESA: Regional Educational Service Agency RRC: Regional Resource Center SEA: State Education Agency SIF: School Improvement Framework SIP: School Improvement Plan

Acknowledgements:

http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_30334_40088-176418--,00.html

The Primer definitions were compiled by the authors from many sources. Details about the disability categories under IDEA are available in the document Disability Categories: State Terminology, Definitions & Eligibility Criteria (2004).

Some of the assessment terms were quoted with permission from a publication of the Council of Chief State School Officers' ASES SCASS Project.