January 2020: Educational Lingo
Here we are, a new year! It is always funny to live on a school year calendar along with the yearly calendar. For those in education, it can sometimes feel like the new year starts in September, not January. Whenever your new year happens, we hope that January has started off well for you.
If you are not a part of the education world, the terms, acronyms, and references that are used can often sound like gibberish. It can also be difficult to know who to talk with if you have a concern about your child's school experience. Over the next few blog posts, we will try to clarify language, terms, and other information that you may encounter. We will start with some basic definitions that are often used in education.
Legal terms that often come up/are related to education:
Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE):
The right students have to receive and access equal educational opportunities.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE):
A requirement stating that students with disabilities must be taught in the same setting as students without disabilities as much as possible.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
The law that guarantees educational equality for students with disabilities.
Section 504:
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Education terms that come up with regard to special education:
Special Education:
Instruction that is specifically designed to bolster the success of qualified (eligible) students.
Individualized Eduction Program (IEP):
A document that defines the special education services to be delivered to students who qualify (are eligible) as defined by IDEA (above). It offers the student specially designed instruction or related services that are needed due to an educational disability that is adversely affecting the child's academic performance.
Educational Disability:
A disability that impacts the student's academic performance and/or access to the curriculum. This is different from a clinical disability (given by a medical doctor or therapist). Massachusetts has ten categories of educational disabilities: Autism, Communication Impairment, Developmental Delay, Emotional Impairment, Health Impairment, Intellectual Impairment, Neurological Impairment, Physical Impairment, Sensory Impairment, and Specific Learning Disability.
Accommodations:
Alterations that enable a student to work around a disability without a change to the curriculum. For example, preferential seating in each class, or taking a test orally rather than writing down answers.
Modifications:
Changes/adaptations to what is being taught or expected of a student with a disability, which makes it possible for the student to participate in a classroom with students who do not have disabilities. For example, modifying the test so that it is shorter, has a word bank, or does not have an essay component.
There are two concrete ways to think about the difference between accommodations and modifications. Accommodations generally take place in the general education setting and are implemented by the classroom teacher. Modifications generally take place outside of the general education setting and are implemented by a special education teacher. An illustration of this would be the difference between wearing glasses (accommodations) and having lasik surgery (modification). In one, you are using a tool to access your improved sight, in the other you are changing your eye to improve your sight. I can not take credit for this example, it was used by our Assistant Principal for Student Services in a meeting and it just works so well to explain!
Other educational terms that are used:
Assistive Technology (AT):
Technology devices that are used to help students perform tasks that would otherwise be too difficult or impossible for them. For example, using a voice to text program to write an essay.
Assessment:
An evaluation used to identify a student's strengths, weaknesses and progress.
Inclusion:
The opportunity for students with disabilities to learn alongside peers without disabilities in general education classrooms.
Interventions:
Instructional or social/emotional methods or supports designed to target the student's educational needs.
Response to Intervention (RTI):
The process by which the success of an intervention is examined and modified depending on the student's needs.
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP):
A plan specifically targeting previously identified undesirable or disruptive behaviors that the student demonstrates in the classroom or school setting.
Hopefully this is helpful and will set the stage for our next few blog posts which will look at 504 plans and IEPs in more detail, explain the process for determining eligibility for each, and what to expect if you request an evaluation/assessment for your child.
Happy January!
--Dr. J
If you are not a part of the education world, the terms, acronyms, and references that are used can often sound like gibberish. It can also be difficult to know who to talk with if you have a concern about your child's school experience. Over the next few blog posts, we will try to clarify language, terms, and other information that you may encounter. We will start with some basic definitions that are often used in education.
Legal terms that often come up/are related to education:
Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE):
The right students have to receive and access equal educational opportunities.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE):
A requirement stating that students with disabilities must be taught in the same setting as students without disabilities as much as possible.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
The law that guarantees educational equality for students with disabilities.
Section 504:
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Education terms that come up with regard to special education:
Special Education:
Instruction that is specifically designed to bolster the success of qualified (eligible) students.
Individualized Eduction Program (IEP):
A document that defines the special education services to be delivered to students who qualify (are eligible) as defined by IDEA (above). It offers the student specially designed instruction or related services that are needed due to an educational disability that is adversely affecting the child's academic performance.
Educational Disability:
A disability that impacts the student's academic performance and/or access to the curriculum. This is different from a clinical disability (given by a medical doctor or therapist). Massachusetts has ten categories of educational disabilities: Autism, Communication Impairment, Developmental Delay, Emotional Impairment, Health Impairment, Intellectual Impairment, Neurological Impairment, Physical Impairment, Sensory Impairment, and Specific Learning Disability.
Accommodations:
Alterations that enable a student to work around a disability without a change to the curriculum. For example, preferential seating in each class, or taking a test orally rather than writing down answers.
Modifications:
Changes/adaptations to what is being taught or expected of a student with a disability, which makes it possible for the student to participate in a classroom with students who do not have disabilities. For example, modifying the test so that it is shorter, has a word bank, or does not have an essay component.
There are two concrete ways to think about the difference between accommodations and modifications. Accommodations generally take place in the general education setting and are implemented by the classroom teacher. Modifications generally take place outside of the general education setting and are implemented by a special education teacher. An illustration of this would be the difference between wearing glasses (accommodations) and having lasik surgery (modification). In one, you are using a tool to access your improved sight, in the other you are changing your eye to improve your sight. I can not take credit for this example, it was used by our Assistant Principal for Student Services in a meeting and it just works so well to explain!
Other educational terms that are used:
Assistive Technology (AT):
Technology devices that are used to help students perform tasks that would otherwise be too difficult or impossible for them. For example, using a voice to text program to write an essay.
Assessment:
An evaluation used to identify a student's strengths, weaknesses and progress.
Inclusion:
The opportunity for students with disabilities to learn alongside peers without disabilities in general education classrooms.
Interventions:
Instructional or social/emotional methods or supports designed to target the student's educational needs.
Response to Intervention (RTI):
The process by which the success of an intervention is examined and modified depending on the student's needs.
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP):
A plan specifically targeting previously identified undesirable or disruptive behaviors that the student demonstrates in the classroom or school setting.
Hopefully this is helpful and will set the stage for our next few blog posts which will look at 504 plans and IEPs in more detail, explain the process for determining eligibility for each, and what to expect if you request an evaluation/assessment for your child.
Happy January!
--Dr. J
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