Definitions
Special education, without the jargon.
The acronyms and terms most likely to come up at an IFSP or IEP meeting, an evaluation, or in a letter from the program or district.
Glossary
The terms.
- 504 Plan
- A plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for students with disabilities who don't qualify for an IEP but still need accommodations to access education.
- BIP
- Behavior Intervention Plan. A written plan describing how the school will respond to and support a child's specific behaviors.
- CST
- Child Study Team. The state-specific name for the multidisciplinary group that evaluates and case-manages students for special education — typically a school psychologist, social worker, and LDT-C.
- Due Process
- The formal legal process for resolving disputes between parents and the district about evaluation, eligibility, IEP content, or placement.
- ELL / EL / MLL
- English Language Learner / English Learner / Multilingual Learner. Different names for students whose first language isn't English. NJ DOE uses 'ML' (multilingual learner) in newer documents.
- ESL
- English as a Second Language. In New Jersey, a required program when 10+ students at a school are LEP.
- ESY
- Extended School Year. Special-education services delivered outside the standard school year (usually summer) when a child needs them to maintain progress.
- FAPE
- Free Appropriate Public Education. The federal entitlement under IDEA: every eligible child has the right to special-education services tailored to their needs, at no cost to the family.
- FBA
- Functional Behavioral Assessment. The evaluation that informs a BIP — what triggers a behavior, what the child gets out of it, what to change.
- FERPA
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Federal law protecting student records. Limits how the district can share information about your child.
- IDEA
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal law that funds and governs special education. Part B covers K-12 (age 3 through 21); Part C covers Early Intervention (under age 3). Citations on most special-ed documents trace back to 34 CFR §300 (Part B) or §303 (Part C).
- IEE
- Independent Educational Evaluation. An evaluation conducted by someone outside the district. If you disagree with the district's evaluation, you can request an IEE at the district's expense.
- IEP
- Individualized Education Program. The legal document that describes the special-education and related services a child with a disability will receive. Reviewed annually.
- IFSP
- Individualized Family Service Plan. The early-intervention version of an IEP, for children birth to age 3 (or up to age 5 in some NJ programs).
- LDT-C
- Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant. A specialized educator on the Child Study Team who evaluates academic learning and consults with teachers on instruction.
- LEP
- Limited English Proficient. Older federal/state term for students still acquiring English. Many districts now prefer 'EL' or 'MLL.'
- LRE
- Least Restrictive Environment. The federal preference that children with disabilities be educated alongside non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate.
- Manifestation Determination
- The meeting required when a school proposes to discipline a special-ed student for more than 10 days. The team decides whether the behavior was caused by the disability.
- Mediation
- An informal alternative to due process. A neutral mediator (in New Jersey, assigned through the NJ DOE) helps parents and the district reach agreement.
- NJEIS
- New Jersey Early Intervention System. The state program that delivers IDEA Part C — evaluations, IFSP development, and services for children under three with developmental delays or disabilities. Administered by the NJ Department of Health.
- Procedural Safeguards
- Your written rights under IDEA. Schools must provide this notice annually, in your native language, and at certain other moments (initial referral, complaint, etc.).
- PWN
- Prior Written Notice. The formal letter the school sends before proposing or refusing to change identification, evaluation, placement, or services. Triggers your procedural rights.
- Related Services
- Supports that help a child benefit from special education — speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, transportation, and others.
- Service Coordinator
- The NJEIS staff member assigned to a family from referral through transition. They schedule the evaluation, run the IFSP meeting, arrange direct services and interpretation, and stay with the family until the child ages out at three.
- Sight translation
- Oral rendering of a written document, on the spot, by an interpreter. Defensible for short, non-consequential text the family will also receive in writing. Not defensible as a substitute for written translation of IEPs, evaluations, consent forms, or any document the family signs or refers back to.
- TBE
- Transitional Bilingual Education. In New Jersey, a required program when 20+ students at a school speak the same non-English first language.
- Title VI
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prohibits discrimination by national origin in any federally funded program. In K-12 it requires meaningful language access — translated essential documents and trained interpretation — for families of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students.