Special Education Key Terms & Concepts

Key Terms & Concepts

• Special Education is defined as specially designed instruction, or special services or programs, and special transportation, provided at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. 

• Child Find: school districts are required to identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities residing in the school district, including those students with disabilities who are homeless, wards of the State, or attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disabilities.  

• Under state and federal law, school districts are required to provide students with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE). To provide a FAPE, a school district is required to ensure a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) is “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress that is appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances” in accordance with the United States Supreme Court decision of Endrew F. v. Douglas County.  

• An IEP is a written plan to meet the unique educational needs of a student with a disability. 

• Committee on Special Education (CSE)/Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE): Every school has a CSE and a CPSE. The CSE is responsible for developing the IEP for school-aged students, age 5 and over. The CPSE is responsible for developing the IEP for students between the ages of 3-5.  

• The Least Restrictive Learning Environment (LRE): an environment in which students with disabilities are educated with students who are not disabled, to the maximum extent appropriate. Special education programs and services must be provided in the LRE. Children with disabilities should only be removed from the regular school environment if aids and services are not sufficient to allow the child to be educated in a regular class. LRE applies to public or private institutions, or other care facilities.  

• A Section 504 plan ensures that children with disabilities receive accommodations to ensure access to the learning environment. Children who don’t have a disability requiring an IEP may still be entitled some accommodations under Section 504.  

This page was last updated on December 4, 2025.