School Day For purposes of determining the timeline for an initial admission, review, and dismissal 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.

School Year A school district must operate so that the district provides for at least 75,600 minutes of instruction per year for students.

Scientifically-Based Research Research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs.

Seclusion A behavior management technique in which a student is confined in a locked box, locked closet, or locked room that is designed solely to seclude a person and contains less than 50 square feet of space.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 A federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. Under Section 504, a free appropriate public education consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student's individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met.

Serious Bodily Injury Bodily injury which involves a substantial risk of death, extreme physical pain, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.

Services Plan A written statement that describes the special education and related services the local educational agency will provide to the parentally-placed private school child with a disability who has been designated to receive services, including the location of the services and any transportation necessary.

Shared Service Arrangements (SSA) School districts may enter into a written contract to jointly operate their special education programs. The contract must be approved by the commissioner. Funds to which the cooperating districts are entitled may be allocated to the districts jointly as SSA units or SSA funds in accordance with the agreement of the SSAs.

Short-Term Objectives/Benchmarks The intermediate steps of progress toward mastering the annual goal. They provide a means to monitor a student’s progress toward reaching the related annual goal. Benchmarks or short-term objectives are required to be included in the individualized education program (IEP) of a child who takes an alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards; however, they may be included in any student’s IEP.

Sign Language A form of manual communication in which hands, limbs, head, facial expression and body language are used to communicate a visual-spatial language without sound.

Special Education (SpEd) Specially-designed instruction at no cost to parents to meet the unique needs of the child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings, and includes instruction in physical education.

Special Factors Includes assistive technology, behavior, blind or visually impaired, communication needs, limited English proficiency, autism, deaf or hard of hearing.

Specially-Designed Instruction Instruction adapted, as appropriate, to the needs of the eligible child under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 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.

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) The state certified professional responsible for the diagnosis, prognosis, prescription, and remediation of speech, language, and swallowing disorders. A speech language pathologist evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty speaking, listening, reading, writing, or swallowing. The overall objective of speech language pathology services is to optimize individuals’ ability to communicate and swallow, thereby improving quality of life.

Speech or Language Impairment A communication disorder or a voice impairment that adversely affects the child's educational performance.

State Assessment The academic assessments required by state and federal law. A child with a disability will take the state assessment or an alternate state assessment as determined by the admission, review, and dismissal committee.

State Board of Education (SBOE) An elected 15-member board along with the commissioner of education who oversee the public education system of Texas in accordance with the Texas Education Code. Establishing policy and providing leadership for the Texas public school system are the responsibilities of the State Board of Education. By adopting policies and setting standards for educational programs, the Board provides the direction necessary to enable Texas public schools to prepare today’s schoolchildren for a successful future.

Student An individual who is or has been in attendance at an educational agency or institution and regarding whom the agency or institution maintains education records.

Student Success Initiative (SSI) The SSI grade advancement requirements apply to students enrolled in grades 5 and 8 who take the state assessment in reading and mathematics at grades 5 and 8. The goal of the SSI is to ensure that all students receive the instruction and support they need to be academically successful in reading and mathematics.

Summary of Performance (SOP) A review of the child’s academic achievement and functional performance which must include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child’s post-secondary goals.

Supplementary Aids and Services Includes aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes or other education-related settings to enable children with disabilities to be educated with non-disabled children to the maximum extent appropriate.

Supports for Personnel Training provided for educators who work primarily outside the area of special education, and who do not possess the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the individualized educational program developed for the child with a disability. The training must be based on scientifically-based research to the extent practicable.

Surrogate Parent 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 educational 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.

Harlandale Independent School District

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