SPED Acronyms and Concepts

Study Notes

Acronym Definitions in Special Education

LRE (Least Restrictive Environment): Ensures students with disabilities are placed in regular classrooms unless their disability severely hinders their ability to learn, even with aids. Example: An EBD student may benefit from a private school rather than a traditional middle school.
FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education): Guarantees all students in the U.S. an educational right requiring schools to provide special education, related services at no cost, accommodations, and an Individualized Education Program (IEP), while teaching in the least restrictive environment.
IEP (Individualized Education Program): Customized educational program for special education students, which includes current functioning levels, annual goals, progress measurement methods, services provided, classroom removal extent, and needed accommodations for assessments.
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act): Mandates free appropriate public education for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, placing responsibility on local public schools to offer necessary educational services at no cost to parents.
NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act): Enacted in 2001 to enhance K-12 education by increasing accountability for schools, requiring annual state tests in reading and math, improving student proficiency within 12 years, and ensuring qualified teachers in all subject areas.

Conditions and Legal Frameworks

SLD (Specific Learning Disability): Refers to disorders affecting language processing skills, leading to difficulties in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or math calculations.
ADD/HD (Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder): Affects attention control and impulse management, can be persistent through life, and varies by hyperactivity presence. ADD is characterized without hyperactivity.
Due Process: Part of IDEA, ensuring legal rights for students with disabilities, including record examination, independent evaluations, prior notice, and the possibility of impartial hearings and mediations.

Teaching Approaches and Collaboration

Universal Design (UDL): Teaching strategy promoting equal learning opportunities by designing flexible learning experiences to cater to individual student needs. It emphasizes multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement.
Collaboration: A cooperative framework where individuals work together equally to create positive changes in education, important in inclusive classrooms. Collaboration includes joint lesson planning and co-teaching strategies.

Description

Test your knowledge of key acronyms and concepts in Special Education with this flashcard quiz. Each card presents terms like LRE, ensuring you understand the important terminology used to support students with disabilities.