Below are some of the many acronyms used in special education. You might recognize these from your or your child’s IEP, or other correspondence you have received from the district. Some of them are universal special ed terms, others are unique to the NHV district.
- ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act – federal law that, among other functions, guides service delivery in post-secondary educational settings (e.g., college, technical school, etc.) .
- BIP: Behavior Intervention Plan – designed to help students decrease specific undesired behaviors.
- CBI: Community Based Instruction –
- CST: Child Study Team – school personnel responsible for identifying students with special needs & ensuring appropriate delivery of special services. In NJ, CSTs generally consist of social workers, learning disability teacher-consultants (LDTCs), and school psychologists; these positions all require at least a Master’s degree.
- FAPE: Free and Appropriate Public Education – what every student is guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. As with LRE, “appropriate” is different for every student based on their unique strengths and needs.
- FBA: Functional Behavior Assessment – helps determine root causes of specific problem behaviors in students, as well as develop interventions to address them.
- HI: Home Instruction – temporary program in which teachers deliver educational programming to students at home, usually due to severe illness or medical need. HI takes place for a specified period of time, and always under the idea that the student will be returning to school as soon as s/he is able.
- ICS: In-Class Support – program in which a special education teacher assists or co-teaches with a general education teacher in a general education class (e.g., English, math, etc.)
- IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – federal law that determines how special education services are delivered to people from birth to age 21 in the US
- IEP: Individualized Education Plan – a plan to help students with disabilities succeed in school. Among other functions, the IEP dictates program placement, course selection, student goals & objectives, transition planning, and accommodations and modifications.
- LD: Learning Disability – disorder in which people have difficulty learning in a typical manner (can also stand for Learning Disabled, Learning Disorder, or Learning Difficulty).
- LDT-C: Learning Disability Teacher-Consultant – Member of the CST (see above) responsible for educational evaluations as well as case management.
- LLD: Learning & Language Disabled – self-contained program at NHHS for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities; students in this program take all core academic classes together over three periods. LLD English & Math runs for the full school year, while LLD Science and Social Studies run for one semester each.
- LRE: Least Restrictive Environment – federal & state laws mandate that students in special education must have the opportunity to be educated with their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible. As with FAPE, “least restrictive” is different for every student based on their unique strengths and needs.
- NJAC: New Jersey Administrative Code – usually seen as “NJAC 6a:14”; refers to the chapter & subchapters of NJ law that govern special education service delivery in this state
- OHI: Other Health Impaired – one of the classifications for special education eligibility in NJ
- OOD: Out-of-District – program in which a student’s educational program is delivered outside of the NHV district (e.g., Spring Run School, ESC, etc.)
- PO: Pull-Out – program in which students learn core academics in a smaller than average class environment; allows for slower pace & more “face time” with teacher (also called RCR).
- RCR: Resource Room Replacement – program in which students learn core academics in a smaller than average class environment; allows for slower pace & more “face time” with teacher (also called PO).
- SLD: Specific Learning Disability – one of the classifications for special education eligibility in NJ
