In IEP meetings the LEA and the rest of the IEP team must meet IDEA's obligation of FAPE for the student in the LRE, which often involves determining if a student should be included in an RSP class or in an SDC class and if they need ESY.
Even those who have been involved with Special Education for years may not know all of the jargon used in the previous sentence. So those who are new to Special Education, whether a new Special Education teacher, a Regular Education teacher who has students mainstreamed in her class, or a parent trying to navigate the Special Education labyrinth, need a primer on the various acronyms and phrases employed in Special Education. While not a comprehensive list, this is a good basic listing of the more general and prevalent jargon.
IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law, first established in 1975, governs all of Special Education and guarantees children with special needs will have their educational needs met by the schools, known as FAPE.
FAPE stands for Free and Appropriate Public Education. In essence, this means that schools will provide, without charge, appropriate services, accommodations, and modifications where necessary to meet the individual needs of the student.
IEP stands for an Individualized Education Plan. Each school-aged student in Special Education has to have one. An IEP is developed in an IEP meeting and includes several people. At an IEP meeting there needs to be an Administrator, a School Psychologist, a Special Education teacher, a Regular Education teacher, and a parent/guardian. While not legally required unless over the age of 18, the student is an important member of the IEP team. There are also many other people who could be involved including District Representative, Nurse, any employee who provides special services (e.g. Speech and Language or Adaptive PE) to the student, parent advocate, outside counselors, or lawyers. An IEP itself contains several parts. There is a narrative of all that was discussed and a catalogue of the student's strengths and parent's academic concerns. The majority of the IEP details each subject that the student has a deficit in, the present level of performance, and the goals that the student will work toward during the next year in that subject. Some students also have goals involving study skills, social skills, or behavior goals. Some IEPs also include a Transition Plan (see below). The IEP also delineates what accommodations and/or modifications the student will receive in the classroom, with the curriculum, and on tests to help them achieve success. Finally, the IEP has a signature page that everyone who attended the meeting and agrees with the placement and goals for the student signs.
ITP stands for Individualized Transition Plan. To ensure that students in Special Education are working towards post-high school goals, all Special Education students 16 years or older have a ITP. The ITP includes a Post-Secondary Employment goal, a Post-Secondary Education goal, a Post-Secondary Training goal, a Post-Secondary Independent Living goal, and a Post-Secondary Community goal. The goals are developed in tandem with the student. This also helps the students beginning thinking and planning for their futures.
LEA stands for the Local Education Authority. This is usually the local school district.
LRE stands for the Least Restrictive Environment. This is the setting that can successfully meet the student's academic needs and address his disability that is closest to the Regular Education environment as possible. There is a continuum of placement that is discussed at every IEP meeting.
RSP stands for Resource Specialist Program. This is the least restrictive of the Special Education settings, usually for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. It is either a pull-out program for specific subjects, a smaller class with students with similar education needs for that particular subject, or classroom assistance.
SDC stands for Special Day Class. These are self-contained classrooms for students with similar educational needs. Usually the disability level is from moderate to severe and there is a mandatory student-teacher ratio. This is a more restrictive setting than the RSP classes, but there are many levels of SDC classes offered. Some are on the regular school campus and others have their own separate campuses depending on the severity of the disability of the students the classroom is servicing.
ESY stands for Extended School Year. Usually known as summer school, but in year round schools this is also held during the interim breaks.
There are different ways to qualify for Special Education and each has its own acronym.
MR stands for Mental Retardation. To qualify, a student must have a low IQ (typically <69) as well as delays in adaptive skills.
ED stands for Emotionally Disturbed. To qualify as ED, a student must "exhibit one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely 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." [Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(i)]
SLD stands for Specific Learning Disability. This is for students who have a processing delay or difficulty in oral expression, listening comprehension, written expression, reading comprehension, mathematical expression, mathematical calculation, or mathematical reasoning.
OHI stands for Other Health Impairment. This is for health issues, either physical or mental, that are not covered by any of the other categories but are impacting the student's ability to access the curriculum. This could include cancers, asthma, or ADD/ADHD.
Again, this is not a comprehensive listing of all Special Education acronyms and phrases, but a list of the more common jargon that is employed in the Special Education field. Once you have these basic acronyms under your belt, you will be able to hold your own in any Special Education conversation and begin to plumb the depths of the specific area of Special Education you are interested in.