FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 key terms

Federal special education law requiring states to provide eligible students with disabilities a free appropriate public education, procedural safeguards, and an individualized education program in the least restrictive environment.

A legal right under IDEA: special education and related services designed to meet a student's individual needs, provided at public expense, under public supervision, and consistent with the student's IEP.

The IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal to separate settings only when supports cannot make success possible.

A state's ongoing system for identifying, locating, and evaluating children who may need special education, including public awareness, screening, and referral procedures from birth through age 21.

A federal civil rights law prohibiting disability discrimination in programs receiving federal funds; it requires reasonable accommodations so qualified students can access school activities but does not require an IEP.

A written plan developed by a team that documents a student's present levels, measurable annual goals, special education and related services, progress measurement, and participation in general education.

Supportive services required for a student with a disability to benefit from special education, such as speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, transportation, and school nursing services.

IDEA-required protections for families, including notice before changes in placement or services, access to records, mediation, and due process hearings to resolve special education disputes.

An assessment that compares a student's performance to a representative sample of same-age or same-grade peers, often reported as standard scores or percentile ranks.

An assessment that measures a student's performance against a defined standard or set of skills rather than against other students, helping teachers identify specific mastered or missing competencies.

The consistency of an assessment's results across repeated administrations, raters, or items; a reliable test produces similar scores when the underlying ability has not changed.

The extent to which an assessment measures what it is intended to measure and supports the interpretations and decisions made from scores, including content, criterion, and construct evidence.

Frequent, brief assessments of a student's academic or behavioral performance over time, used to determine whether instruction is effective and to adjust intervention decisions.

A set of brief, standardized probes in basic academic skills, such as oral reading fluency or math computation, used to screen students and monitor progress toward goals.

A multi-tiered prevention framework that uses universal screening, research-based instruction, and progress monitoring to identify and support students at risk before referral for special education evaluation.

The IEP section describing a student's current strengths, needs, and how disability affects progress in the general curriculum; it anchors goals, services, and accommodations.

Changes in how a student accesses instruction or demonstrates learning, such as extended time, read-aloud, or preferential seating, that do not alter content expectations or grade-level standards.

Changes to what a student is expected to learn or the level of performance required, such as reduced content, simplified assignments, or alternate standards, which may affect grades and diploma options.

A structured teaching approach that clearly states learning objectives, models the skill, guides practice with feedback, and provides independent practice until students achieve mastery.

Planning instruction around student readiness, interests, and learning profiles by varying content, process, product, and environment while keeping essential learning goals constant.

An instructional planning framework that proactively provides multiple means of engagement, representation, and action or expression so diverse learners can access and show learning.

Temporary supports, such as prompts, models, or graphic organizers, that help a student complete a task just beyond independent ability and are gradually removed as competence grows.

Any device or service that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of a student with a disability, ranging from low-tech tools to specialized software and communication devices.

Breaking a complex skill into smaller, sequenced steps that can be taught, practiced, and monitored; it helps design instruction and measure progress for students with significant needs.

The core of special education: adapting content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address a student's unique disability-related needs and ensure access to the general curriculum.

A framework of increasingly intensive instructional supports, often three tiers, in which all students receive core instruction and some receive targeted or individualized interventions based on data.

A systematic process for identifying the antecedents, consequences, and functions of a student's challenging behavior, used to design an effective behavior intervention plan.

A written plan based on functional assessment data that specifies proactive strategies, replacement behaviors, consequences, and progress monitoring to reduce challenging behavior and teach appropriate skills.

A schoolwide framework that teaches and reinforces expected behavior through clear expectations, data-based decision making, and increasingly intensive supports for students who need them.

A consequence that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will occur again; it can be positive, by adding something, or negative, by removing something aversive.

The process of stopping reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, which typically produces a temporary increase in the behavior before it gradually decreases.

A required team review, held when discipline changes placement for more than ten school days, deciding whether the misconduct was caused by or substantially related to the student's disability.

A collaborative arrangement in which a general education teacher and a special education teacher jointly plan, deliver, and assess instruction for a diverse classroom, often using models such as station or parallel teaching.

A problem-solving partnership in which a special educator or related service provider works with general educators and families to plan supports, share strategies, and monitor student progress indirectly.

Approaches that treat families as equal partners, respect their priorities and culture, and build on family strengths through ongoing communication and shared decision making about the student's education.

Methods and tools, such as picture boards, speech-generating devices, or sign systems, that supplement or replace spoken language for students with limited functional communication.

A coordinated process beginning by age 16, or earlier when appropriate, that prepares a student for postsecondary education, employment, independent living, and community participation based on measurable goals.

The skills and attitudes that enable students to make choices, set goals, solve problems, and advocate for themselves, especially during transition planning and adult life.

A document provided when a student exits school that summarizes academic achievement, functional performance, and recommendations for meeting postsecondary goals; required by IDEA.

Coordination among schools, vocational rehabilitation, mental health, developmental disability, and other agencies to provide seamless services and supports during transition and adult life.