504

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights statute which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. A 504 plan is an individual education plan for a special-needs student.

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act

AIS

Academic Intervention Services; CR 100.2 (ee) Planned additional instruction or services that supplement regular classroom instruction and/or support services that enable students to meet State learning standards. The intensity of such services may vary, but must be designed to meet the specific needs of students as identified through State assessments and/ or district -adopted or district-approved procedures that are consistent throughout the district at each grade level.

AP

Advanced Placement. A program that enables high school students to complete college-level courses for college placement and/or credit.

APPR

Annual Professional Performance Review. A section of Commissioner's Regulations (CR 100.2(o)) that requires teachers to be evaluated annually.

AYP

Adequate Yearly Progress. All public schools throughout the country must measure and report AYP as outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind law. AYP measures the yearly progress of different groups of students at the school, district and state levels against yearly targets in reading and mathematics. Target goals are set for attendance and graduation rates as well.

BOCES

Board of Cooperative Educational Services

CDOS

Career Development and Occupational Studies; One of the seven curriculum areas.

CSE

Committee on Special Education - In its most common usage: A committee of the local education agency which has responsibility for determining a student's eligibility for special educational services. If the student is found eligible, then the committee is also involved in developing the needed individualized program for the student. The CSE usually has a special education administrator, the district's psychologist, and a few other professionals on it. The composition of the actual committee for any one student is a function of what school the student is in and what their needs are. The child's teacher and parents are part of the committee for the student. In some states, the CSE is known as the ARD or PPS.

CTE

Career and Technical Education

ED

Emotional Disturbance - A clinical diagnosis of feelings and behavior that interfere with the student's ability to learn or participate in school activities.

ELL

English Language Learner

FACS

Family and Consumer Sciences

FBA

Functional Behavioral Assessment - A collection of tools, scales, observations, and interviews that are tailored to the needs of a specific student whose behavior is particularly problematic and/or jeopardizes their educational placement. The purpose of the FBA is to determine under what conditions the (problematic) behavior occurs, what drives it, what reinforces (maintains) it, and what time of day or other patterns can be detected. This assessment is then used to create a Behavior Intervention Plan for the student.

GED

Graduate Equivalency Diploma is a high school equivalency certificate awarded upon successful completion of a test. The GED measures academic skills in five areas: writing, social studies, science, interpreting literature and the arts.

IDEA

PL 101-476 (formerly known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). IDEA was amended in 1997 as Public Law 105-17 as is usually just referred to as "IDEA" or "IDEA '97." This piece of federal legislation is the heart of entitlements to special education. IDEA also empowers parents as partners in their special needs child's educational planning.

IEP

Individualized Education Program. The IEP is a written statement for a student with a disability that is developed, at least annually, by a team of professionals knowledgeable about the student and the parent. The plan describes the strengths of the child and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child, and when, where, and how often services will be provided. The IEP is required by federal law for all exceptional children and must include specific information about how the student will be served and what goals he or she should be meeting.

IHO

Impartial Hearing Officer

LD

Learning Disability (also: Learning Disorder, Learning Disabled, Learning Disabilities) - A physical cognitive, neurological, or psychological disorder that impedes a student's ability to learn.

LRE

Least-Restrictive Environment - A setting where students with disabilities can be educated along side their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent possible.

NYSED

New York State Education Department

OHI

Other Health Impairment (classification category under IDEA)

PD

Professional Development

PPS

Pupil Personnel Services

PSAT

Pre-Scholastic Assessment Test. Normally taken by high school juniors as a practice test for the SAT.

PTA

Parent Teacher Association

SAT

Scholastic Aptitude Test - The SAT is often taken by high school juniors and seniors as a precursor to college/university admission. It assesses a student's verbal, mathematical and writing skills.

SDM

Shared Decision Making. A process in which all the stakeholders within a school are engaged and meaningfully involved in the planning and decision-making processes of the school.

STEP

System for Tracking Education Performance. Reformulation of the State Education department's LEAP Reporting System.

Title III

Title III is the section of No Child Left Behind that provides funding and addresses English language acquisition and standards and accountability requirements for limited English proficient students.

UPK

Universal Prekindergarten