IEP glossary in plain English

The words and acronyms you will meet in meetings and paperwork. Where a federal rule applies we name it, so you can look up the exact wording.

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504 plan: A written plan for access and accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, separate from an IEP. A 504 plan covers students with a disability who need accommodations to take part in school on equal terms, even when they do not need specially designed instruction. It comes from a civil rights law, not from IDEA, and the procedures differ from IEP procedures.

A

Accommodation: A change in how a student learns or shows learning, without changing what is being taught or expected. Examples are extra time, a quiet room, or having text read aloud. An accommodation changes the route, not the destination. A modification, by contrast, changes the expectation itself.
Annual goal: A measurable target the team expects the student to reach within the IEP year. Under the federal rule, an IEP must include measurable annual goals designed to meet the child's disability-related needs and to help the child take part in the general education curriculum. A good goal says who does what, how well, and how it will be measured.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)
Assistive technology: Any item or tool that helps a student with a disability do something they could not do, or do it more easily. It can be low tech, such as a pencil grip, or high tech, such as a speech-generating device. If the IEP team decides a student needs it to receive a free appropriate public education, the school must provide it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.105

B

Baseline: Where the student is now on a skill, measured before a goal begins. A baseline is the starting number. Without one, nobody can tell later whether a goal was met. It usually appears in the present levels section.
Behavioral intervention plan (BIP): A written plan that describes how adults will prevent and respond to a behavior that interferes with learning. A BIP is usually built from a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). It lists the behavior, what seems to trigger it, what skills will be taught instead, and how staff will respond.

C

Case manager: The school staff member who coordinates a student's IEP and is usually your day-to-day contact. The federal rule does not use the title, and districts assign the role differently. It is often a special education teacher or a related service provider. Ask your district who serves in that role for your child.
Child Find: The duty of every state to look for and evaluate children who may have disabilities and need special education. Child Find applies to children who live in the state, including those who are homeless, in private schools, or who move often. It is one reason parents can ask for an evaluation at any time.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.111
Comparable services: Services similar to those in the current IEP of a child who transfers, which a new school must provide at first. When a child with an IEP transfers during the school year, the new school provides comparable services, in consultation with the parents, until it adopts the existing IEP or develops a new one. The federal rule does not define "comparable," so parents often ask the new school to describe the services in writing.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.323(e), (f)
Consent (parental consent): Your written agreement, after you have been fully informed, before certain actions such as a first evaluation or first services. The school must get your informed consent before an initial evaluation and before first providing special education services. Consent is voluntary and you can ask questions before you give it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.300

D

Due process complaint: A formal request for a hearing about identification, evaluation, placement, or the services a child receives. A due process complaint starts a legal process that can end in a hearing before an impartial officer. Deadlines apply and vary by state, so families usually talk to a special education attorney or a parent center before filing.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.507

E

Eligibility: The team's decision that a child has a qualifying disability and needs special education because of it. Eligibility has two parts: the child has a disability in one of the categories listed in the law, and, because of that disability, needs special education and related services. Having a diagnosis alone does not settle it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.306
Evaluation: The set of assessments and information gathering used to decide if a child has a disability and what the child needs. An initial evaluation must be completed within 60 days of receiving parental consent, or within the timeframe your state sets, whichever applies. The evaluation must look at all areas of suspected disability.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.301
Extended school year (ESY): Special education services provided beyond the regular school year, such as in summer, when the IEP team decides a child needs them. ESY is for children who need services to receive a free appropriate public education, often because of significant loss of skills over breaks. It is decided individually, not by a blanket rule.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.106

F

FAPE: Free appropriate public education: the promise that eligible children get special education at no cost to families. FAPE means special education and related services provided at public expense, under public supervision, that meet state standards and are provided in line with an IEP. It is the central right under IDEA.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.17
FBA (functional behavioral assessment): A process for working out why a behavior happens and what it gets the student. An FBA gathers information such as when and where a behavior happens, what comes before and after it, and what need it may be meeting. The findings guide a behavior plan.
FERPA: The federal privacy law for student education records. FERPA gives parents the right to inspect and review their child's education records and to ask for corrections. IDEA adds its own records rules for special education.

I

IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the main federal law on special education. IDEA sets out what states and districts must do for eligible children from birth to age 21, including evaluations, IEPs, and parent rights. States add their own rules on top of the federal floor.
IEE (independent educational evaluation): An evaluation by a qualified examiner who does not work for the school. If you disagree with the school's evaluation, you have the right to ask for an independent educational evaluation at public expense. The school must either pay for it or file for a hearing to show its own evaluation was appropriate.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.502
IEP: Individualized Education Program: the written plan for a child's special education and related services. The IEP records the child's present levels, annual goals, services, accommodations, and how progress will be measured. It is developed by a team that includes the parents.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320
IEP team: The group that decides on a child's IEP, including you. The federal rule lists parents, at least one general education teacher, at least one special education teacher or provider, a district representative, a person who can interpret evaluation results, and others with knowledge or expertise. The child may attend when appropriate.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.321

L

Least restrictive environment (LRE): The idea that students with disabilities learn alongside students without disabilities as much as is appropriate. Removal from general education should happen only when the nature or severity of the disability means a child cannot be educated satisfactorily there, even with supplementary aids and services.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.114

M

Manifestation determination: A team review of whether a behavior that led to discipline was caused by, or directly related to, the child's disability. It is required in certain discipline situations, such as when a student may be removed from placement for more than ten school days. The outcome affects what discipline can follow.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.530(e)
Mediation: A voluntary meeting with a neutral person to help parents and the school reach an agreement. Mediation is available to resolve disagreements, including before a due process complaint is filed. It is free to families and cannot be used to delay your right to a hearing.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.506
Modification: A change to what a student is taught or expected to learn. A modification lowers or changes the expectation, such as fewer or different assignments. Because it changes expectations, teams usually discuss its effect on grading and on how the student will meet graduation requirements.

P

Parent center (PTI): A federally funded center that helps families of children with disabilities understand their rights. Each state has at least one parent training and information center. Services are free, and staff can explain the process and help you prepare for meetings.
PLAAFP (present levels): The section of the IEP that describes how the child is doing now. PLAAFP stands for present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. It describes strengths, needs, and how the disability affects involvement in the general curriculum, and it anchors the goals.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)
Placement: Where and with whom a child receives special education services. Placement decisions are made by a group that includes the parents and must be based on the IEP. A district must offer a range of options, often called a continuum of placements.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.116
Procedural safeguards notice: A document that explains your rights as a parent under IDEA. The school must give you a copy once a year, and at certain other times such as when you first ask for an evaluation or file a complaint. It also explains how to resolve disagreements.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.504
Progress report: A regular update on whether a child is on track to meet the annual goals. The IEP must state how progress toward the goals will be measured and when you will receive reports. Many districts send them as often as report cards, but the schedule is written in your child's IEP.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)
PWN (prior written notice): A written notice the school must give you before it changes, or refuses to change, your child's evaluation, placement, or services. The notice must explain what the school proposes or refuses, why, what options it considered, and what information it used. It must reach you a reasonable time before the action.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.503

R

Reevaluation: A new look at whether a child still qualifies and what the child needs now. Reevaluation must happen at least once every three years unless you and the school agree it is not needed. You can ask for one sooner, though not more than once a year unless you and the school agree.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.303
Related services: Supports a child needs to benefit from special education, such as speech therapy or transportation. The federal list includes speech-language services, occupational and physical therapy, counseling, transportation, and others. The list is not closed: what counts is what the child needs to benefit from instruction.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.34

S

Special education: Specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, that meets the unique needs of a child with a disability. It can happen in a classroom, at home, in a hospital, or elsewhere. Eligibility depends on both a qualifying disability and a need for specially designed instruction.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.39
Specially designed instruction (SDI): Teaching adapted to a child's needs, in content, method, or delivery. SDI is the heart of special education. It is not simply help with homework; it is instruction changed so the child can access the curriculum and meet the standards that apply to all children.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.39
State complaint: A written complaint to your state education agency saying a school has broken a special education rule. The state must investigate and issue a written decision within 60 days, unless there are exceptional circumstances. It is separate from due process and often faster and simpler.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.151-153
Stay-put: The rule that a child generally stays in the current placement while a formal dispute is pending. When a due process complaint is filed, the child generally remains in the current educational placement until the case is resolved, unless the parents and the state or district agree otherwise.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.518
Supplementary aids and services: Supports in the general classroom that let a child with a disability learn alongside peers. Examples include a classroom aide, a visual schedule, or adapted materials. They are one way a team tries to keep a child in the general classroom before considering a more separate setting.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.42

T

Transition services: A coordinated set of activities that helps a student move from school to adult life. Under the federal rule, the first IEP in effect when a student turns 16 must include measurable postsecondary goals and transition services. Many states start earlier, so check your state's rule.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(b)
Triennial: Another word for the three-year reevaluation. See reevaluation. The team reviews existing information and decides what new assessments, if any, are needed to decide whether the child still qualifies and what the child needs.

Z

Zero reject: A name for the principle that no child with a disability can be excluded from a free appropriate public education. The principle comes from the structure of IDEA and the Child Find and FAPE requirements. It means a school cannot refuse to serve a child because of the severity of the disability.