ABA: Applied Behavioral Analysis
ADD or ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADR: Alternative Dispute Resolution
BIP: Behavior Intervention Plan - positive behavior interventions and supports incorporated in an IEP.
DOE/NHED: Department of Education/NH Education Department
ESY: Extended School Year (also known as summer school) - special education and related services provided to a child with a disability in addition to their school year program.
FBA: Functional Behavioral Assessment- an assessment of a child's behavior; serves as a foundation for the positive behavioral interventions and supports in a child's IEP.
FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education
IA: Instructional Assistant (also known as a rehabilitative assistance or paraprofessional)
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act - the Federal special education law
IEE: Independent Educational Evaluation - an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner not employed by the school district.
IEP: Individualized Education Plan - the document, developed by the IEP team, which describes the child's special education program.
ISP: Individual Service Plan - document describing services that an LEA has agreed to provide to a parentally-placed private school child with disabilities (also called a "service plan").
LD: Learning Disability
LEA: Local Education Agency - the local school district
LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
HQT: Highly Qualified Teacher-Highly Qualified Teachers: To be deemed highly
qualified, teachers must have: 1) a bachelor's degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they teach. (US Dept of Ed The highly qualified teacher provision is one of the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. (NH Rules pg 12)
NHSEIS: It is a computer-based special education data base and retrieval system that confidentially maintains personally identifiable data used for program development, monitoring, compliance, and reporting to the State Board of Education, the New Hampshire legislative bodies, and the U.S. Department of Education. (NH Rules pg 23)
PBIS: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
RTI: Response to scientific, research-based intervention - a general education initiative that may also be used as part of an assessment to determine if a child has a specific learning disability.
STO: Short-term objective - a component of the IEP (part of a child's annual goals).
WPN: Written Prior Notice – The document that must be given to parents when the IEP team proposes to initiate or change, or refuses to initiate or change, the identification, evaluation or placement of a child. The WPN is to be given after the decision is made, but before the change is put into effect. It must include:
- A description of the action (what) proposed or refused by the Team;
- An explanation of why the Team proposes or refuses to take the action;
- A description of any other options that the Team considered and the reasons why those options were rejected;
- A description of each evaluation procedure, test, record, or report (document) the Team used as a basis for the proposed or refused action;
- A description of any other factors that are relevant to the Team’s proposal or refusal;
- A statement that the parents of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards of this part of the regulations and, if this notice is not an initial referral for evaluation, how a copy of a description of the procedural safeguards can be obtained; and
- Resources parents may contact to get assistance in understanding these procedural safeguards.