SECTION 15: DEFINITIONS OF COMMON TERMS

ACCESS 

A right to view, make notes, and/or to have a copy of your child's record made with appropriate notice to school.

ALTERNATE SETTINGS 

Preschool programs that provide a variety of appropriate educational opportunities for the individual child with disabilities that may or may not include other children with disabilities. These programs may or may not be administered by the district

ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IEP 

A meeting held at least once a year to study and discuss your child's progress in school. The purpose of the annual review is to discuss your child's progress and make changes as necessary in your child's special education program and/or related services he/she is receiving.

ANNUAL GOALS 

Areas of accomplishment that can reasonably be reached by the child in a year as agreed upon by the CST, teacher and parent at the IEP conference.

BARRIER-FREE 

A setting which permits a person with disabilities to access the program and to operate independently with ease and little or no assistance.

CASE MANAGER 

A school district employee who coordinates meetings with you and appropriate school staff members. The case manager also serves as your contact when you have questions regarding your child's special education program and services.



CHILD STUDY TEAM (CST) 

The basic CST consists of a school psychologist a learning disabilities teacher-consultant, school social worker and, for preschool pupils, a speech-language specialist. 

CHILD STUDY TEAM EVALUATION

A way of collecting information about your child's special learning needs, strengths, and interests. An evaluation is used to help make decisions about whether your child is eligible for special education. The evaluation will include administering individual tests, observing your child, a review of records, talking with you and your child. The evaluation may include the following: an educational assessment, health appraisal, psychological assessment, social assessment, a speech/language assessment and any other pertinent medical evaluations.

DUE PROCESS 

Guidelines followed when the parent and the school cannot come to agreement about the identification, evaluation, program and related services and/or educational placement of a child.

FREE APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION (FAPE) 

A non-sectarian educational program meeting the requirements of a child's IEP, at public expense and no cost to parents.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA) 

A federal act assuring that children with disabilities will have available to them a free, appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and related services to meet their unique needs and to assure the rights of children with disabilities and their parents or guardians are protected.




IN-CLASS SUPPORT 

A program of instruction in which the general and special education teachers are collaboratively involved in planning and implementing special strategies, techniques, methods, and materials to address learning problems of pupils with educational disabilities engaged in the general education classroom lesson. Instructional responsibility for the pupil shall be shared between the resource center teacher and the general class teacher(s) as described in the pupil's IEP. Support instruction provided in the pupil's general class shall be at the same time and in the same activities as the rest of the class. 

INCLUSION 

Inclusion means integration of children with disabilities into the general education environment to the maximum extent possible and opportunities for interaction with non-disabled peers. The term inclusion refers to the commitment to educate each child, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the school and classroom he or she would otherwise attend. Inclusion involves bringing the support services to the child and requires only that the child will benefit from being in the class.

INFORMED CONSENT 

The parents with legal responsibility for educational decision-making, for the child, have been fully informed of all information relevant to the requested activity for which consent is sought, understands, and agrees in writing to the implementation of the activity. Informed consent must be given prior to an initial evaluation and all other evaluations and prior to the implementation of the initial IEP.



INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP) 

This is a written plan that details what the child will be taught and documents what will actually be provided to the child through special education and related services.

LEA 

Local Educational Agency or school district that will be responsible for your child's education at the township level.

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE) 

A setting which offers the child the maximum number of life experiences the child would have if there were no disabilities, but, does not imply that all children with disabilities should be placed in general classes.

MAINSTREAMING 

Mainstreaming is no longer used. Please refer to the term inclusion.

MEDIATION 

A process to resolve conflicts between a parent and district. Mediation is voluntary; either party may chose not to participate. Mediation is available at the state level. Mediation is encouraged, but is not a prerequisite to due process.

OBJECTIVE 

Small specific steps leading to the completion of each annual goal.

PRESCHOOL DISABLED 

Children ages three to five who have an identified disabling condition and/or a measurable developmental impairment who require and would benefit from special education and related services. 

PRESENT LEVELS OF EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE

A summary of your child's present level of academic, perceptual, motor, social, emotional, adaptive functioning, and health status.

PROJECT CHILD FIND 

Project CHILD FIND was established by the New Jersey Department of Education as a free public awareness and referral service to assist parents and professionals by identifying available early intervention, preschool/special education programs and special education programs throughout New Jersey. In addition, Project CHILD FIND develops and distributes information to the public about early intervention and special education services for children from birth through twenty-one years of age.

PUPIL RECORD 

Information related to an individual pupil maintained within the school system regardless of the physical form in which it is maintained. Material which is maintained for the purpose of second party review is a pupil record. Information recorded solely as a memory aid, not for the use of a second party, is excluded from this definition. 

RELATED SERVICES 

Related services are services which children with educational disabilities require to benefit from their education programs. Related services include the following: counseling the child, counseling or training the parents about the educational needs of their child, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, transportation or recreation, as well as other appropriate services which the child needs to benefit from an education as required by his/her IEP.


RESOURCE PROGRAM 

The term "resource room" has been amended to "resource program" to reflect the more flexible program options now available (see Appendix C). Resource programs offer small group instruction. Children may receive either support or replacement resource instruction in either a separate room or in a general classroom. The resource teacher shall hold certification as "teacher of the handicapped." The amount of time a child may receive resource instruction has been expanded to include up to the child's entire day for replacement or support instruction in the general classroom, and up to one-half of the pupil's instructional day in a separate resource room at the preschool disabled level.

SCAHS CASE MANAGEMENT (SPECIAL CHILD AND ADULT HEALTH SERVICES)

Case Managers assist families to access family centered, coordinated services for children with
disabilities and special health needs ages birth to 21, and those at risk for developmental delays.
There are 21 county-based case management units, providing a link for children with special
needs to services through local, state, and federal programs. Case management services include
the development of an individual service plan focusing on the medical, developmental,
educational, rehabilitative, and social/emotional status of the family and child, and appropriate
referral and periodic monitoring by a case manager. Referrals may include, but are not limited to the following: Medicaid Model Waiver programs, Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, preschool programs, camps, and local school districts.


SELF-CONTAINED CLASSROOMS 

Classrooms where children with disabilities receive educational programs with other children with disabilities. This program option allows intensive program strategies to be delivered that may not be possible in a general education classroom.

SPECIAL EDUCATION 

Instruction and needed related services modified or designed, at no cost to parents or guardians, to meet individual needs of a child with disabilities,
including instruction in classrooms, homes, hospitals, and other institutions.

TRANSITION MEETINGS 

A series of meetings and conferences are included as part of the transition process. These meetings include: Transition Information Meeting, Transition Planning Conference, Identification Meeting, Eligibility Meeting and the IEP Meeting. Each meeting is explained in detail within the contents of this booklet.

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