Praxis Special Education: Mild to Moderate key terms

A disorder in basic psychological processes that affects understanding or using language, producing difficulties in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or math. A severe discrepancy between ability and achievement is not required under current IDEA criteria.

A multi-tiered framework of increasingly intensive, research-based instruction and progress monitoring used to identify students who struggle and to determine whether difficulties persist despite high-quality intervention.

An older identification approach that compares a student's measured IQ with achievement scores and labels a learning disability when a large gap exists. It is criticized for delaying services and misidentifying culturally and linguistically diverse students.

A cognitive-processing approach to SLD identification that looks for a profile in which a processing weakness is logically linked to an academic deficit while other abilities remain intact.

Significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, originating before age 18, that affect conceptual, social, and practical skills needed for everyday life.

The conceptual, social, and practical skills a person uses to function in daily life, such as handling money, communicating, following social rules, and completing self-care tasks. It is measured with rating scales and interviews.

A condition showing one or more of several characteristics over a long period and to a marked degree: learning problems not explained by other factors, relationship problems, inappropriate behavior, mood problems, or physical symptoms tied to school problems.

A developmental disability affecting social communication and interaction, along with restricted or repetitive behaviors, interests, or sensory responses, present early in life and impacting educational performance.

A category some states use for young children who lag significantly behind peers in physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, or adaptive development, without needing a specific disability label.

A category for students whose limited strength, vitality, or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, ADHD, diabetes, or epilepsy, adversely affects educational performance.

A neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning. Students often qualify for services under Other Health Impairment or Section 504.

A written accommodation plan under a federal civil rights law that ensures a student with a disability has equal access to programs and activities, typically through general education accommodations rather than specialized instruction.

A legally binding written document for an eligible student that states present levels, measurable annual goals, special education and related services, accommodations, and placement in the least restrictive environment.

The requirement that a student with a disability be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal occurring only when supports in the general setting cannot meet the student's needs.

The guarantee that eligible students receive special education and related services at public expense, meeting state standards and conforming to their IEP, without cost to families.

The IEP section describing what the student can currently do, how the disability affects progress in the general curriculum, and baseline data that annual goals are built from.

IEP statements describing what a student can reasonably accomplish in one year in a skill area affected by the disability, written so progress can be observed and counted.

A required written statement to parents before the school proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, placement, or services, explaining the reasons and the information used.

The legal rights given to parents and students under special education law, including notice, consent, access to records, independent evaluation, dispute resolution, and complaint procedures.

A formal administrative proceeding in which an impartial hearing officer resolves disagreements between families and schools about identification, evaluation, placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education.

A voluntary, confidential process in which a neutral third party helps families and school staff reach a mutually agreeable resolution of a special education dispute, often faster and less adversarial than a hearing.

The legal duty of states and districts to actively identify, locate, and evaluate children who may need special education, including students in private schools, homeless situations, and migrant families.

Parental permission, given in writing and with full understanding, before a school conducts an initial evaluation or begins certain services. Refusal may be overridden only through specific legal procedures.

The comprehensive, multidisciplinary process of gathering data through tests, observations, interviews, and records to decide whether a student is eligible for special education and what services are needed.

A review of a student's eligibility and needs that occurs at least every three years, or sooner if conditions warrant or a parent requests it, and may rely on existing data rather than new testing.

A structured process of identifying the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences that reveal why a behavior occurs, used to design an effective, function-based behavior support plan.

A written plan, often built from a functional behavioral assessment, that specifies proactive supports, replacement skills to teach, and responses to problem behavior, with data collection to monitor effectiveness.

A schoolwide, tiered system that teaches and reinforces expected behaviors, uses data to guide decisions, and provides increasingly intensive supports matched to student need.

A planning framework that builds flexibility into goals, methods, materials, and assessment so varied learners can access content through multiple means of engagement, representation, and action or expression.

Adjusting content, process, product, or environment based on students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles so each learner works at an appropriate level of challenge.

Changes in how a student accesses material or demonstrates learning, such as extended time, preferential seating, or a read-aloud, 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, simplified text, or alternate standards. They alter the curriculum rather than only the access route.

Temporary supports, such as modeling, prompts, graphic organizers, or guided practice, that help a student complete a task and are gradually withdrawn as competence grows.

A teacher-directed approach using clear explanations, modeling, guided practice with feedback, and independent practice, often sequenced in small steps with frequent checks for understanding.

Frequent, brief measurement of a student's performance on a target skill to judge whether instruction or intervention is working and to adjust it based on the data.

A set of short, standardized probes in areas such as reading fluency or math computation that are administered repeatedly to show growth over time and inform instructional decisions.

Ongoing checks during instruction, such as exit tickets, questioning, or observations, that reveal what students understand so teaching can be adjusted before a summative grade is given.

An evaluation of learning at the end of a unit or period, such as a test or project, used to measure mastery against standards and often to assign grades.

A test based on alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate meaningfully in the general assessment even with accommodations.

IEP planning that begins by age 16, or earlier in some states, and addresses postsecondary education, employment, and independent living through measurable goals and coordinated services.

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

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

Educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms with appropriate supports, so they participate in the same curriculum and social life as peers to the greatest extent possible.

A voluntary, mutually respectful partnership among educators, families, and related-service providers who share goals, expertise, and accountability for a student's learning and well-being.

A working relationship in which educators communicate regularly and respectfully with families, value their input, and involve them as decision-makers in planning and reviewing services.

The ability to understand one's own needs and strengths and to speak up, request supports, and make informed choices, a key skill taught for secondary and postsecondary success.

Acting as the primary causal agent in one's life by setting goals, making choices, solving problems, and evaluating outcomes, often supported through explicit instruction and practice.

Pictures, schedules, checklists, or graphic cues that make expectations and sequences concrete, commonly used to support communication and reduce anxiety for students with autism or language needs.

Planned teaching of behaviors such as turn-taking, initiating conversation, and reading social cues, using modeling, role-play, feedback, and practice in natural settings.

Instruction focused on skills students need for daily living, work, and community participation, such as cooking, money handling, and safety, rather than purely academic content.

Coordinated services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and their families, typically delivered through an individualized family service plan rather than an IEP.

The range of placement options, from full-time general education to specialized settings, that a district must make available so each student is served in the least restrictive appropriate setting.