A requirement of the individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the coordination of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth to age three years.  Similar to the individualized education program, which is required for the school-age children with disabilities.

The educational setting that most closely resembles a regular school program and also meets the child's special educational needs. 

The educational setting that most closely resembles a regular school program and also meets the child's special educational needs. 

Designed for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate meaningfully in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), even with accommodations; consists of a series of on-demand performance items that require the use of reading and math skills.

A federal mandate that all children with disabilities must receive appropriate educational programs, tailored to their unique needs, from which they receive educational benefit at no cost to families.

Knowledge and skills that some students with disabilities must be taught to achieve as much success and independence as they can in school, home, community, and employment settings.  Skills such as dressing, toileting, making a purchase, and preparing a snack are critically important component of the special education for many students with severe disabilities.

A comprehensive, multi-tiered, and standards-aligned approach that enables early identification and intervening for children at academic or behavior risk.

A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or perform mathematical calculations.

A statistical analysis used to measure the influence of a district and school on the academic progress rates of individual children and groups of children from year-to-year.

An approach comprised of intervention practices and organizational systems for establishing the social culture, learning and teaching environment, and individual behavior supports needed for students to achieve academic and social success.

The report submitted by the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Public Welfare to the U.S. Department of Education that provides compliance data and the results of special education for children with disabilities.

Refers to specialized services and supports designed to help families with children birth to age five who have developmental delays.

Provides learning experiences where students develop skills that are applicable and necessary for employment in specific career areas or postsecondary study.

A variety of instructional procedures that entail providing the learner with response prompts, cues, and other contrived supports and then gradually withdrawing those supports so the student can respond independently to naturally occurirng stimuli.

The measure by which schools, districts, and states are held accountable for meeting student performance standards in reading/ language arts, and math under the Title I of the No Child Left Behind Ac t of 2001; states must measure and report student progress on those standards yearly in grades 3 to 8 and in one grade in high school.

Repetitive body movement or object movement, such as hand flapping, watching the fingers wiggle, or rocking side to side, that may interfere with the child’s ability to “sit still” and pay attention or participate in meaningful activities. This behavior is common in many individuals with developmental disabilities; however, it appears to be most common in autism.

An abnormal sensitivity to touch indicated by avoidance or rejection of touching and handling.

A rhythm disorder characterized by the repetition of a sound, word, or phrase. Stuttering is perhaps the most serious.

A communication disorder characterized by difficulty understanding and/or producing language.

A frequency based measure of a student's active participation during instruction; measured by counting the number of observable responses made to an ongoing lesson or to curriculum materials.

A plan that is put in place to teach a child proper behavior and social skills. It should be positive in nature, not punitive.

A procedure in which reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior is withheld.

A type of formative evaluation consisting of frequent measures of a student's progress in learning the objectives that comprise the curriculum in which the student is participating.

A written agreement between two parties in which one agrees to complete a specified task, and in return, the other party agrees to provide a specific reward (e.g., a child agrees to complete a homework assignment by the next morning and the teacher allows the child to have 10 minutes of free time upon completion of the task).