ABBREVIATION

DEFINITION

EXAMPLE

ANNUAL REVIEW

Individual yearly progress review of all students who have an Individual Educational Program. The student’s teacher attends this meeting.

Date indicated on page one of Individual Educational Plan.

APE

Adaptive Physical Education. A specially designed physical education program for students who have difficulty meeting with success in the regular physical education program.

If student displays significantly delayed gross motor skills, i.e., catching a ball, this skill would be developed through APE.

COGNITIVE

Intellectual Functioning. How a student reasons and processes information.

Problem solving, concept formation (measured by most tests of general intelligence.

CPSE

Committee on Preschool Special Education (ages 3-5)

Members: Chairperson, Psychologist, Educational Specialist, Parent Member

CSE

Committee on Special Education (ages 6-21)

Members: Chairperson, Psychologist, Educational Specialist, Parent Member

DISCREPEANCY

Comparison of scores a student obtains on individualized testing.
The differences between scores are analyzed and large discrepancies may suggest learning difficulties.

E.g., intellectual ability determined to be in average range. Math calculation score is significantly deficient at 2 percentile (50 percentile is average).

IST

Instructional Support Team—building level teacher assistance team.

Pre-referral intervention team suggests strategies for student success in mainstream, e.g., teacher allows student extra time to complete assignments as student works slowly.

LRE

Least Restrictive Environment. Committees on Special Education are required to make program recommendations that assure to the extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who are not disabled.

A Resource Room placement is considered to be less restrictive than a special class placement—student is with mainstream students for more of the school day.

OT

Occupational Therapy. Focuses on delays in fine motor areas.

Delayed pencil control

PROCESS DEFICITS

A significant weakness in the area of mental processing.

Auditory or visual memory.

PT

Physical Therapy. Focuses on significant delays in gross motor skills.

Difficulty ascending stairs

REFERRAL

A referral to the CSE due to suspicion of an educational disability, which is interfering
with a child’s ability to learn.

Teachers, parents, physicians, and guidance counselors may make referral.

RELATED SERVICE

One or more possible support services, which a student needs in order to benefit from his/her special educational program.

Speech/Language Services, Counseling, Occupational or Physical Therapy.

TEST MODIFICATIONS

Changes in testing procedures or formats, which provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in test situations and to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities.

Extended time for a student who processes information very slowly

WAIS-III

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised. Administered to students over the age of 16.

Obtains Full Scale Score (90-110 Average Range) and other subscale and subtest scores.

TRIENNIAL REVIEW

Complete review of student progress. Comes up once every three years.

Includes cognitive, academic, and social/emotional functioning. Includes formal and informal assessments.

WISC-III

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—3rd Edition. Administered to students from ages 6 to 16.

Obtains Full Scale Score (90-110 Average Range) and other subscale and subtest scores.