OSAT OK085 key terms

The legal right of every eligible student with a disability to receive specially designed instruction and related services, at public expense, that meet state standards and confer meaningful educational benefit.

The federal statute governing special education for students aged 3 through 21, setting requirements for identification, evaluation, IEP development, procedural safeguards, and placement in the least restrictive environment.

The ongoing legal obligation of states and districts to locate, identify, and evaluate all children suspected of having disabilities who need special education, including children in private schools and those who are homeless or wards of the state.

The requirement that students with disabilities be educated alongside peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal occurring only when supplementary aids and services cannot support successful learning in general education.

The range of placement options, from full-time general education through resource rooms, self-contained classes, and specialized schools, used to match each student's needs while preserving access to general education settings.

A disorder in basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language that may appear as difficulty in listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or mathematics, and is not primarily caused by other disabilities or environmental factors.

A multi-tiered framework of increasingly intensive, research-based instruction and progress monitoring used to intervene early and to inform decisions about whether a student may have a specific learning disability.

Brief, administered-to-all assessments that identify students who may be at risk for academic or behavioral difficulty so that additional support can begin before referral for special education evaluation.

A developmental disability affecting social communication and interaction, along with restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior or interests, with symptoms appearing early and varying widely in severity and presentation.

A condition showing one or more persistent characteristics such as inability to learn unexplained by other factors, poor peer or teacher relationships, inappropriate behavior, unhappiness, or physical symptoms, that adversely affects educational performance over time.

Significantly below-average general intellectual functioning existing with limitations in adaptive behavior, expressed in conceptual, social, and practical skills, that originates before age 18 and affects educational performance.

A physical condition affecting the skeletal or muscular system, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or muscular dystrophy, that adversely affects a student's educational performance and may require motor accommodations.

An acquired injury to the brain caused by external physical force, resulting in impairments in cognition, memory, attention, language, or behavior that affect educational performance; it excludes congenital or degenerative conditions.

Simultaneous hearing and vision impairments whose combined effect creates severe communication and educational needs that cannot be met by programs designed for either impairment alone.

A written accommodation plan under the Rehabilitation Act that provides access to programs and activities for students with a physical or mental impairment substantially limiting a major life function, without necessarily requiring specialized instruction.

The comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment, requiring parental consent, that determines whether a student is eligible for special education and identifies the student's educational needs before the first IEP is written.

The written summary of assessment results, including eligibility determination, present levels of performance, and recommendations, prepared by the multidisciplinary team and shared with parents at the eligibility meeting.

A group of professionals from different disciplines, such as special education, psychology, and speech-language pathology, who conduct evaluations and contribute varied expertise to eligibility and program decisions.

A legally binding written document specifying a student's present levels, measurable annual goals, services, accommodations, placement, and progress reporting, developed by a required team and reviewed at least annually.

The IEP section describing the student's current skills, strengths, needs, and how the disability affects progress in general education, forming the baseline from which annual goals and services are designed.

Statements in the IEP describing what a student can reasonably achieve in one year, written so progress can be observed and counted, and linked to the student's needs and grade-level standards.

Intermediate steps or benchmarks that break an annual goal into smaller, sequenced accomplishments, used to gauge progress toward the larger yearly outcome.

Frequent, repeated measurement of a student's performance on a targeted skill, using comparable probes over time, to judge whether instruction is working and to adjust intervention or goals.

A set of standardized, brief fluency measures drawn from the curriculum, such as oral reading or math computation probes, used to track growth and compare a student's rate of progress to expectations.

Ongoing, low-stakes checks of learning during instruction that give teachers information to adjust teaching and give students feedback before a final grade or summative evaluation.

An evaluation administered at the end of a unit, course, or year to measure what a student has learned against standards, often used for grading, promotion, or accountability reporting.

Changes in how a student accesses material or demonstrates learning, such as extended time, large print, or preferential seating, that do not alter what is being taught or the expected standard.

Changes to what a student is expected to learn or the level of performance required, such as reduced content or alternate standards, which do alter the curriculum or assessment expectations.

A substitute measure, based on alternate achievement standards, used to evaluate the performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate meaningfully in the general assessment even with accommodations.

Any item, device, or software, from pencil grips to speech-generating devices, that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of a student with a disability; the IEP must consider and document needs.

Supportive services required for a student to benefit from special education, such as speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, transportation, counseling, and school health services, listed in the IEP.

The legal protections given to parents and students, including notice, consent, access to records, independent evaluation, mediation, and due process hearings, designed to ensure fair special education decisions.

A parent's informed, voluntary written agreement to an action such as an initial evaluation or the initial provision of services; consent may be revoked and cannot be assumed from silence.

A formal, impartial administrative proceeding in which a hearing officer resolves disputes between parents and the school district over identification, evaluation, placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education.

A voluntary, confidential process in which a neutral facilitator helps parents and school staff reach a mutually agreeable resolution of a special education dispute, often as an alternative to a due process hearing.

A required review, held when discipline would change a student's placement for more than ten school days, deciding whether the behavior was caused by or substantially related to the disability or to a failure to implement the IEP.

A structured process of gathering information to identify the antecedents, consequences, and function of a challenging behavior, forming the basis for a positive behavior support plan.

A written, individualized plan that teaches replacement skills and adjusts antecedents and consequences to reduce challenging behavior, based on functional assessment data and included in or attached to the IEP.

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

A teacher-directed approach that clearly states objectives, models the skill, guides practice with feedback, and gradually releases responsibility to students, with frequent checks for understanding.

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

Breaking a complex skill into smaller, sequenced steps that can be taught, modeled, and reinforced one at a time, often used for daily living, vocational, or multistep academic tasks.

A behavior-teaching procedure in which the steps of a task analysis are taught in sequence, either forward from the first step or backward from the last, until the whole skill is performed.

A scientific approach that applies principles of learning, such as reinforcement and prompting, to teach socially significant skills and reduce interfering behavior, with data used to guide decisions.

A planning framework that builds multiple means of engagement, representation, and action or expression into lessons so varied learners can access content and show what they know.

Adjusting content, process, product, or environment based on readiness, interest, and learning profile so that each student works at an appropriate level of challenge within the same classroom.

The practice of educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms with appropriate supports, so they participate in the academic and social life of the school alongside peers.

A partnership in which a general and a special educator jointly plan, deliver, and assess instruction in one classroom, using models such as station teaching, parallel teaching, or team teaching.

A problem-solving relationship in which a specialist and general educator share expertise, jointly plan interventions, and monitor results, with the classroom teacher retaining primary instructional responsibility.

A trained support staff member who assists with instruction, supervision, or personal care under the direction of a certified teacher, with roles and supervision defined by state rules and the IEP.

A coordinated set of activities, beginning by age 16 and based on age-appropriate assessments, that prepares a student for postsecondary education, employment, and independent living after leaving school.

The ability to understand one's own needs, rights, and strengths and to communicate them effectively, ask for help, and participate in decisions about one's education and life.

Acting as the primary causal agent in one's life by making choices, setting goals, solving problems, and evaluating outcomes, taught through opportunities for student-led IEP participation and decision making.

Instruction and assessment that recognize, value, and incorporate students' cultural backgrounds and experiences, while guarding against bias in referral, evaluation, and discipline practices.

The overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a racial or ethnic group in special education identification, particular disability categories, or disciplinary actions relative to its share of enrollment.

Collaborative relationships between educators and families built on regular two-way communication, respect for family expertise, and shared decision making about the student's goals and services.

The conceptual, social, and practical skills a person uses in everyday living, such as communication, self-care, safety, and social judgment, typically measured through rating scales and interviews with caregivers.

A specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin and characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, decoding, and spelling, typically stemming from a phonological processing deficit.

Methods and devices, ranging from picture boards to speech-generating software, that supplement or replace spoken language for students with limited functional speech.