Adapted Physical Education (APE) meets the needs of students who have a disability, chronic health problem, or other special need that precludes the student from participating in regular physical education instruction but who might be able to participate in physical education that is suitably adapted and, if applicable, included in the student's individualized education program (IEP).

Each year Texas reports to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on its performance in meeting identified State Performance Plan Indicator (SPPI) targets. This report is called the Part B Annual Performance Report (APR).

Auditory impairment is the partial or total inability to hear. Also known as hearing impairment, this condition includes permanent or fluctuating hearing problems. Auditory impairment can range from slight and mild to severe and profound. The Texas legislature has given directions to avoid using the terms "hearing impaired," "auditory impairment," and "speech impaired" in reference to a deaf or hard of hearing person, and to instead use "deaf" or "hard of hearing," as appropriate.

A written plan, also referenced as a Behavior Improvement Plan, that is developed as part of the individualized education program to address behavioral concerns affecting the student’s educational progress. It is based on a functional behavioral assessment of the problem behaviors, identifies events that predict these behaviors, includes positive interventions to change behaviors, and includes methods of evaluation.

Local education agencies (LEAs) receive determination level (DL) assignments from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in the Results Driven Accountability (RDA) system based on combined Indicator performance levels derived from the federally required elements and the state defined elements contained in each LEA's public RDA report.  The annual DLs regarding the performance of local education agencies (LEAs) fall into four categories: Meets Requirements, Needs Assistance, Needs Intervention, and Needs Substantial Intervention. 

The Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) system consists of two types of special education program monitoring.  The first is cyclical reviews, which the Texas Education Agency (TEA) conducts to determine compliance with federal and state laws for serving students with disabilities and to assist local education agencies (LEAs) in resolving specific issues or concerns that impact services and outcomes for students with disabilities.  The second is targeted reviews, where performance levels determined for each LEA will trigger differentiated levels of monitoring and enforcement by the agency to improve results-driven outcomes for students. The indicators will be used as a preventative diagnostic for LEAs to develop solutions for issues impacting results for students with disabilities. The performance levels identify the need for more in-depth analysis. LEAs that are identified as having an overall Determination level of 2, 3, or 4 will be asked to participate in a Targeted Support Review which will focus on the identified areas that require intervention.

A qualified examiner who primarily serves as a member of a multidisciplinary team and works closely with parents, teachers, and other school personnel in using a wide variety of instruments to assess and diagnose learning problems and evaluate academic skills of students.

End-of-Course (EOC) assessments are tests that measure the student's academic performance in core high school courses and become part of the graduation requirements. The EOC assessments for lower-level courses must include questions to determine readiness for advanced coursework. The assessments for higher-level courses must include a series of special purpose questions to measure college readiness and the need for developmental coursework in higher education.

Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) are practices, strategies, and/or programs whose effectiveness is supported by rigorous research which indicates that the practice, strategy, and/or program works.

Alternative dispute resolution that involves the use of a trained facilitator to assist an admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee in developing an individualized education program (IEP) for a student with a disability.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) makes annual determinations on the performance of local education agencies.  The determination levels are made using performance levels (PLs) assigned to the results-driven accountability (RDA) indicators and the four federally required elements (FREs) which are: 1) State Performance Plan (SPP) Compliance Indicators; 2) Valid, Reliable, and Timely Data; 3) Uncorrected Noncompliance; and 4) Financial Audits. 

Special education and related services that have been provided at public expense under public supervision and direction and without charge, meets the standards of the Texas Education Agency, includes an appropriate preschool, elementary school, or secondary school education in the state involved, and are provided in conforming with the individualized education program (IEP).

A comprehensive initial evaluation that consists of data gathered from multiple sources for a student suspected of having a disability and being considered for special education and related services. The evaluation covers all areas related to the suspected disability, including: health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, adaptive behavior, and motor abilities.

The method by which eligible, experienced special education teachers may demonstrate competency in each core academic subject area they teach on the basis of a high objective uniform state standard of evaluation. This standard must be one that, among other requirements provides objective coherent information about the teacher’s attainment of core content knowledge in the academic subjects in which a teacher teaches.

A method of alternative dispute resolution that involves the use of a trained facilitator to assist an admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee in developing an individualized education program (IEP) for a student with a disability.

An evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the local education agency (LEA) responsible for the education of the child being evaluated. A parent has a right to request an IEE at public expense when the parent disagrees with an evaluation conducted or obtained by the LEA. The IEE must meet the same criteria the LEA uses for its own evaluations. The LEA does not have to pay for the IEE if it can show at a due process hearing that the LEA's evaluation is appropriate or if it can show that the IEE does not meet the LEA's criteria. The parent always has the right to get an IEE at the parent's expense. Regardless of who pays for it, the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee must consider any IEE that meets its criteria.

A written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed and revised by the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee, of which parents are active members. The IEP includes the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, participation in state and district-wide assessments, transition services, annual goals, special factors, special education, related services, supplementary aids and services, extended school year services, and least restrictive environment. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is now aligned with the important principles of No Child Left Behind in promoting accountability for results, enhancing the role of parents and improving student achievement through instructional approaches that are based on scientific research.

Instructional practices adapted to respond to the complex needs of students not meeting standard on state assessments in grades 3 through 12. Difficulties meeting state assessment standards in any academic subject area may or may not be related to the student’s area of disability.

An appropriate setting determined by the child’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee in which the child is placed for no more than 45 school days.  This setting enables the child to continue to receive educational services and participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and to progress toward meeting the goals set out in the individualized education program.

An option available to be used for resolving disagreements about a child's identification, evaluation, educational placement and the provision of a free appropriate public education. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will automatically offer mediation services to the parent and local education agency (LEA) when a due process hearing is requested. When both the parent and the LEA agree to participate, the TEA will provide a trained mediator to conduct the mediation. Mediation may not be used to delay or deny a parent a due process hearing or any other procedural safeguards.

MTSS focuses on intervention for the student struggling in academics, behavior, and/or social/emotional areas. Tiers are based on student need and levels of support are provided based on progress monitoring data. 

The written document that contains a full explanation of parental rights as guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, written in the native language of the parents and written in an easily understandable manner. A copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards (NPS) is available to the parents of the child with a disability and must be given to the parents only one time a year, except that a copy also must be given to the parents upon initial referral or parental request for evaluation, upon the first occurrence of the filing of a due process hearing, and upon request by a parent.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is a federal organization that supports programs that help educate children and youth with disabilities and provides for the rehabilitation of youth and adults with disabilities. OSERS provides a wide array of supports to parents and individuals, school districts and states in two main areas—special education and vocational rehabilitation.

The mission of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is to lead the nation's efforts to improve outcomes for children with disabilities, birth through 21, and their families, ensuring access to fair, equitable, and high-quality education and services. OSEP administers the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which authorizes formula grants to states under Part B, grants to lead agencies for the infants and families program under Part C, and discretionary grants under Part D to institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations to support grants for state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, personnel development, and parent-training and information centers.

Related services provided to blind or visually impaired children by qualified personnel to enable those students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community. In the state of Texas, O&M instruction must be provided by a certified orientation and mobility specialist who is certified by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals.

In Results Driven Accountability (RDA), a performance level (PL) is the result that occurs when a standard is applied to a local education agency's (LEA's) performance on an indicator. RDA indicators include a range of PLs, and each PL range has an established set of cut points. Throughout the RDA indicators, the higher the PL, the lower the LEA’s performance.

A group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Symptoms may include problems with using and understanding language, difficulty relating to people, objects, and events, unusual play with toys and other objects, difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings, and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns.

PLAAFP for the school-aged student summarizes the current strengths and needs of the student in both academic and functional performance areas. It must include how the student’s disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, regardless of the setting in which the student currently receives services. Additionally, it may describe the current instructional level of the student compared to the grade level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, and, if the student is below grade level, the PLAAFP also may describe the prerequisite skills the student needs in order to achieve grade-level proficiency.
PLAAFP for the preschool student summarizes the current levels of present performance related to the student’s developmental domains, functional performance, and pre-academic skills. It must include how the student’s disability affects the student’s participation in appropriate activities. Additionally, it may describe the student’s current developmental levels compared to the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines or district-adopted prekindergarten curriculum.

Educators who provide dyslexia instruction are called PDIs. They are not required to hold a specific license or be certified as a special educator when serving a student who also receives special education and related services if that provider is the most appropriate person to offer dyslexia instruction. These educators must at a minimum have additional documented dyslexia training aligned to 19 TAC §74.28(c) and must deliver the instruction with fidelity. This includes training in critical, evidence-based components of dyslexia instruction such as phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllabication, orthography, morphology, syntax, reading comprehension, and reading fluency. In addition, they must deliver multisensory instruction that simultaneously uses all learning pathways to the brain, is systematic and cumulative, is explicitly taught, uses diagnostic teaching to automaticity, and includes both analytic and synthetic approaches. 

A student evaluation that is conducted by the local education agency (LEA) to determine the educational or related service needs of the child after a previous evaluation. If the child's parents or teacher request a reevaluation, it must occur not more frequently than once a year unless the parent and the LEA agree otherwise, and at least once every three years unless the parent and the LEA agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary.

Any student who has a hearing impairment that severely impairs processing linguistic information through hearing, even with a recommended amplification, and which adversely affects educational performance must be eligible for consideration for the RDSPD, subject to the recommendations of the student’s admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee.

Research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) are a set of research-based practices that highlight common misconceptions in the teaching field. They cover topics that sometimes require conceptual or philosophical changes to how we approach instruction and form a set of practices that are supported by research and should be present in classrooms, regardless of available instructional materials. These strategies are based in the science of how students best learn math and reading in K-12 classrooms. 

Results Driven Accountability (RDA) is an automated data system that reports annually on the performance of local education agencies (LEAs) in selected program areas (bilingual education/English as a second language, career and technical education, certain federal Title programs, and special education).

For purposes of determining the timeline for an initial admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee meeting, school day does not include a day that falls after the last instructional day of the spring school term and before the first instructional day of the subsequent fall school term.

The School Health and Related Services (SHARS) program allows Texas local education agencies (LEAs) and shared service arrangements (SSAs) to request reimbursement for Medicaid health-related services. The admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee determines SHARS services. Services must be medically necessary and reasonable to ensure that children with disabilities are able to participate in the educational program.

Instruction adapted, as appropriate, to the needs of the eligible child under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which may include the content, methodology or delivery of instruction; addressing the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and ensuring access of the child to the general curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the local educational agency that apply to all children.

The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) was created by the Texas Legislature in 1995 to recognize public school educators as professionals and grant educators the authority to govern the standards of their profession. The board oversees all aspects of the preparation, certification, and standards of conduct of public school educators.

Texas is required to develop a six-year performance plan that evaluates efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA).  The State Performance Plan (SPP) illustrates how Texas will continuously improve upon this implementation, and includes updates through the Annual Performance Report (APR) submitted each February to the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

The purpose of the Strategic Support Plan (SSP) is to guide local education agencies (LEAs) through the process of prioritizing Results Driven Accountability (RDA) indicators contributing to low performance and to assist in the LEA's area(s) of growth to improve student outcomes. When implemented with fidelity, the SSP assists in identifying district goals to support root causes of low performance and is used by the LEA as a tool in the continuous improvement process to prioritize essential program elements.

The Student-Centered Transitions Network (SCTN) creates pathways for a successful adult life for students with disabilities. 

When the parents of a child with a disability are not known or cannot be located, or when the child is a ward of the state, the local education agency (LEA) must assign an individual to act as a surrogate or substitute parent for that child. The surrogate parent works to ensure the rights of the child are protected. The surrogate parent cannot be an employee of the Texas Education Agency, the LEA, or any agency that is involved with the education or care of the child.

As of September 1, 2016, programs and services previously administered or delivered by the former Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) have been transferred by the Texas Legislature to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) or the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS).

The Texas Sensory Support Network (TxSSN) ensures the provision of support to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with sensory impairments, their families, and the professionals who serve them, through collaboration with appropriate agencies and organizations, for the education of students under 21 years old who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. This network provides information and strategies for development of communication, mobility, tactile skills, and environmental adaptations. It also addresses diagnosis, evaluation, and educational programs for services to students in their home communities in support of the comprehensive statewide education plan for this student population. 

Tiered Interventions using Evidence-Based Research (TIER) is a project funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The goal is to provide educators, caregivers, and other educational stakeholders with the knowledge and materials to ensure appropriate implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) in every school across Texas.

A distinctive student identification number assigned to a student by the Texas Education Agency.

An admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee member who disagrees with the individualized education program (IEP) is entitled, but is not required, to write a statement regarding the basis for the disagreement. The written statement of the basis for the disagreement must be included in the IEP.