Families in
Transition
IEP Dictionary
Lots of the language used in IEPs and other official documents can be very confusing. This is a quick guide to the different words and acronyms.
Hint: If you are on a computer use Command F or Ctrl F on your keyboard to easily find the term you are looking for. On a phone or tablet go to the share symbol, scroll down to 'find in page' and type in the word you are looking for.
504 Plan: A plan for a child to receive accommodations based on a disability that impacts their academic performance
AAC- (augmentative alternative communication): All alternative forms of communication. A tool to help for those with difficulty with spoken language. Includes electronic devices.
ABA- Applied Behavior Analysis: An intervention often used with children with autism.
Academic: Refers to school subjects like reading, math, science etc.
Accommodations: Changes to the learning environment to help a student
ADL- Activities of Daily Living: Everyday activities like including eating, dressing, bathing, grooming, and toileting.
Adaptive Behavior: Self help skills like dressing oneself, safety skills, grooming, following directions, using school/community materials etc.
APE- Adapted Physical Education: A related service for children who need different instruction in physical education
Advocate: A person who represents and provides support to children with disabilities and/or their parents.
Age of Majority: At 18 special education parent rights transfer to the child unless other arrangements have been made. This must be addressed by the team before 18.
ADA- Americans with Disabilities Act: This federal act prohibits discrimination based on disability
ADHD- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Annual Goals: Goals in the IEP made by the IEP team that they think the student can achieve in the next year. These goals are geared toward helping students take part in the general education curriculum. IEP goals need to be realistic and measurable
AR- Annual Review: Yearly meeting with IEP team including parents/caregivers, to look over the last year, update goals, and reassess placement.
ASD- Autism Spectrum Disorder: One of the categories of eligibility. A developmental disability that can affect a person's ability to communicate, relate to others, self regulate, and learn.
AT- Assistive Technology: Any device, equipment or software that helps a student learn, communicate, and function better in school
Alternate Assessment: A test designed for students whose disabilities prevent them from participating in the regular state standardized testing.
Alternate Placement: An alternative classroom setting used to help address needs that can't be met in general classroom setting
Audiology: Hearing specialist
Benchmarks: Milestones that help monitor progress towards a goal over the year.
BIP- Behavior Intervention Plan: A written plan added to an IEP to address serious behavioral problems. It is based on assessment of the student’s behavior and outlines what the school personnel will do differently to support the needs of the student.
Case Manager: The individual in charge of overseeing the implementation of the IEP. They act as the primary point of contact.
CAT- Citywide Assessment Team: This is the group that will do the evaluation for your child to be eligible for an IEP.
CBI- Community Based Intervention: A way to teach functional skills by going into the environment.
CFC- Child and Family Connections: Regional intake agencies for children and families to enter the Illinois Early Intervention System.
Child Find: A federal mandate to find all children with disabilities in order to provide them with services.
Cluster Program: Cluster programs are for students who need a significantly modified curriculum and moderate to intensive support in a separate classroom for more than 61% of the day.
Confidentiality: Agreement that no personal information will be shared without permission.
Consult services: These are indirect services, usually when a professional is collaborating with other professionals on the child's team. For example, 20 minutes per month of OT consult services might be a 20 minute collaboration between the special education teacher and OT on modifying the classroom environment to support the child.
CPS- Chicago Public Schools: The public school system in Chicago. They are the local education agency for anyone in the city of Chicago.
Dedicated paraprofessional: A professional who provides one-on-one assistance to a student. There are also shared paraprofessionals who provide assistance to multiple students.
District Representative (DR): The person from the district whose job is to make sure students are receiving services. They come to IEP meetings.
Domain: A domain is a part of a child’s performance that has to be considered in designing an evaluation. The domains are health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communication status, and motor abilities. A domain meeting takes place before evaluations and re-evaluations where IEP team members share their evaluation plans based on domains and parents consent.
Due Process: A legal term, describes the guarantee that people with people with disabilities have the right to challenge any decision made for them.
Due Process Hearing: A formal hearing between parents and school to settle disagreements.
ECSE- Early Childhood Special
Education: Specialized services for children 3-5 with disabilities.
EI- Early Intervention: Programs and services provided to qualifying infants and toddlers ages zero to three.
Eligible: The decision for if a student meets requirements for any kind of school based services.
Eligibility Conference: A meeting held to consider changes in a student’s eligibility for special education.
ELL- English Language Learner: A student who requires special instruction in English.
ESY- Extended School Year: A possible addition to an IEP allowing for children to participate in school instruction and services during school vacations. For children who are most likely to have negative effects from a long vacation.
Expressive Language Skills: Skills required to communicate with others. Speaking and writing are expressive language skills.
Facilitated IEP: An IEP meeting with a neutral 3rd party to help facilitate the meeting. This can be used as a way to solve conflicts between the school and parents.
FAPE- Free Appropriate Public Education: The words used in the federal law (IDEA) to describe a student with disabilities right to receive an education to meet their individual learning needs, at no cost to the parents.
FBA- Functional Behavioral Assessment: The assessment used to create a BIP. It assesses a student's behavior to better understand what they need.
FIE- Full and Individual Evaluation: The evaluation process used to determine eligibility. Students have the right to an individual evaluation that assesses all domains related to the suspected disability.
Fine Motor Skills: These are the skills needed to use the small muscles of the hand. Writing, cutting, grasping etc. Occupational therapy treats fine motor skill needs.
Formal Due process request: The request for a formal due process hearing. A request has to be sent to the superintendent (CEO) of CPS in writing.
Gen Ed- General Education: This term describes the standard educational curriculum and environment. Its often used to describe the type of classroom, teacher, etc.
Gross motor skills: Skills using the larger muscles of the body. Like running, walking, jumping etc.
Guardian: The person who qualifies as a student's guardian. They have rights under the law.
Guardian ad litem: A court appointed guardian for a child to speak for their best interest.
Headstart: Federally funded programs that are run by community-based organizations. They are designed to help children and families become ready for school and to succeed in life.
Home and Hospital Instruction Program (HHIP): These programs provide instruction by a teacher to students who will miss 10 or more school days in a row because of medical or psychiatric conditions. A medical professional must write up a statement about the need for this type of instruction.
IAES- Interim alternate educational setting: A temporary educational placement for a student who has been removed from their current school for disciplinary reasons.
IEE-Independent Educational Evaluation: An assessment by an outside professional not employed by the school. Parents have the right to get an IEE, and to request the school pay for it if they can prove the evaluation their child received was not fair or adequate.
Inclusive: Programs or classrooms that are for general education students and students with IEPs.
Initiation: The date, month, and year that a program or service will begin as documented on the IEP.
ISBE- Illinois state board of education: Illinois's agency in charge of overseeing public schools.
Itinerant: These word describes a professional such as a teacher or therapist who goes to different schools or other locations to provide services.
LEA- Local Education Agency: The local agency in charge of managing and providing services for public schools. In the city of Chicago the LEA is CPS.
LRE- Least Restrictive Environment: A requirement by federal law that students with disabilities have to be taught as much as possible with general education students. The IEP decides on this for each student.
LSSP- School Psychologist: A person trained to give psychological tests, interpret results, and suggest appropriate educational approaches.
MDR- Manifestation Determination Review : Meetings of the IEP team held by the school to decide if punishable behavior is due to disability.
Mediation: This is a process where the parents and school try to settle disagreements with a trained mediator
Minutes or service minutes: This describes how many minutes a child has of a certain service. For example a child may have 60 minutes of occupational therapy per month or 500 minutes of special education per week.
Modifications: Changes to the curriculum such as changes to the in instructional level, content, and assessment standards.
MTSS- Multi-Tiered System of Support: This is a framework schools use to make sure students are supported in schools. the framework helps the IEP team make decisions to meet students' needs.
Orientation and Mobility: These are possible related services to help a child understand their environment and move. It is for children with visual impairments.
OSD- Office for Students with Disabilities: The name of CPS's office in charge of anything related to special education.
OT- Occupational Therapy: A possible related service that focuses on helping students with fine motor skills, sensory needs, and everyday skills.
Parent support specialist: CPS Parent Support Specialists work with families and to find solutions and get services and resources to help address the needs of students with disabilities.
PBIS- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: A framework educators use to promote students’ social-emotional-behavioral and mental health.
PECS- Picture Exchange Communication System: A type of augmentative alternative communication (AAC) to teach individuals to initiate communication. They are taught to initiate by handing a picture to a communication partner in exchange for a desired item.
PUNS- Prioritization of urgency of ned for services: A statewide database that records information about individuals with developmental disabilities who are planning for or seeking services. Enrolling is a good step for your child receiving services they need in the future.
PWN- Prior Written Notice: This is a mandatory written communication provided to parents before the school’s proposal or refusal to initiate or change the student’s identification, evaluation, or educational placement. Notice in the parent’s native language must also be provided in advance of any scheduled IEP meetings. There different kinds of notices based on the situation.
Present Levels: A part of an IEP. Describes the child's current levels of academic achievement and functional performance in different areas.
Procedural Safeguards: Rights safeguarded by state/federal law of students and caregivers who are receiving or may be eligible to receive special education and related services.
PT- Physical Therapy: A possible related service that focuses on gross motor skills and movement.
Receptive Language Skills: Any skills about understanding and receiving communication. Listening and reading are receptive language skills.
Referral: The process of requesting that a student be evaluated. Any person who suspects a student may have a disability may refer a student, including teachers, principals, parents, the student themselves etc.
Related Services: Other services received by the student/provided by the school to help them access their education.
RSP- related service provider: The individuals who provide a related service. They are also part of your student's IEP team.
School health services: A possible related service provided by a qualified school nurse or other qualified health professional.
SEA- State education agency: The state agency in charge of supervision of public schools. Illinois's is the ISBE.
SECA- Special education classroom assistant: Assistants in special education classrooms
SEL- Social emotional learning: Learning where students learn skills that are important for their social and emotional lives.
SLP- Speech and Language
Pathologist: The person who provides speech therapy.
Special Education Administrator (also called SEA): A person whose job is to oversee special education programs in a district or a school.
SPED- Special Education: Specially designed teaching/curriculum, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.
ST- Speech Therapy: A possible related service that focuses on producing and understanding communication.
Supplementary Aids and Services: Accommodations, services, modifications and other supports provided in educational settings to help children with disabilities to access their education.
Surrogate Parent: An individual appointed by ISBE to advocate for special education rights for children with disabilities who are wards of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) or are otherwise without access to parents.
SW- Social Work: A possible related service to support a student's social, emotional and life adjustment to school and/or society. Provided by trained mental health professionals, either school social workers or psychologists.
VI- Visually Impaired: Any type of sight problem that even with glasses adversely affects school performance. Children with visual impairments can be further described as partially or fully blind.