Glossary for school-based documentation

The words and acronyms you will meet in IEPs, privacy rules, and billing paperwork. Where a federal rule applies we name it. Entries marked as practice terms are not defined in the federal rules.

A

Accommodation: A change in how a student learns or shows learning, without changing what is expected. Examples are extra time, a quiet space, or having directions read aloud. In session notes, record the accommodation used and whether it worked, not only that it was offered.
Annual goal: A measurable target the IEP team expects the student to reach within the IEP year. The IEP must include measurable annual goals tied to the student's disability-related needs. Your session data are what show whether the goal is being met.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)

B

Baseline: Where the student is on a skill before the goal begins. A baseline is the starting number. Without one, later data have nothing to be compared with. It usually appears in the present levels section.

C

Caseload: The group of students a clinician serves. Practice term. Caseload size and composition are set by state rules, district policy, and staffing, which is why this site does not state a number.
Consult service: Time a clinician spends supporting staff or the student's program rather than working directly with the student. Practice term. Districts define consult, collaboration, and direct service differently, and the IEP should say which applies and how much. Check how your district records each type.

D

Data sheet: A form for recording trials, ratings, or observations during a session. Practice term. A good data sheet matches the way the goal is written, so that the numbers on the sheet can be compared directly with the goal.
Direct service: Services delivered by the clinician to the student, individually or in a group. Practice term. The IEP states the frequency, location, and duration of services, and the service log should record what was actually delivered against it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)
Disclosure (FERPA): Letting someone other than the record's source see or receive information from a student's education records. FERPA defines disclosure as permitting access to, or releasing, transferring, or otherwise communicating personally identifiable information from education records to a party other than the one that provided or created the record, by any means.Federal rule: 34 CFR 99.3

E

Education record: A record directly related to a student and maintained by the school or someone acting for it. Under FERPA, records are education records if they are directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for it. There is a narrow exception for a maker's sole-possession notes used only as a personal memory aid and not shown to anyone else. Session notes kept for the file are generally not in that category, so write each one as if the family may read it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 99.3

F

FERPA: The federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA gives parents and eligible students rights to inspect and review education records and limits who may see them without consent. IDEA adds its own confidentiality rules for special education records.Federal rule: 34 CFR Part 99

I

IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the main federal special education law. IDEA sets out what states and districts must do for eligible children, including evaluations, IEPs, and related services. States and districts add their own rules on top of the federal floor.
IEP: Individualized Education Program: the written plan for a student's special education and related services. The IEP records present levels, annual goals, services, and how progress will be measured. Your documentation shows what happened against it.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320

M

Make-up session: A session held to replace one that was missed. Practice term. Whether and how missed sessions are made up depends on district policy and, in some cases, on the IEP. Record the original date, the reason it was missed, and the date and length of the replacement.
Medicaid in schools: Medicaid payment for covered health-related services delivered in schools, including some services in a student's IEP. According to CMS guidance, Medicaid can pay for covered services listed in an IEP when the student is Medicaid-eligible and the service is otherwise reimbursable. Coverage, documentation, and billing rules differ by state, so this site explains general principles and points you to the official sources.Federal rule: CMS school-based services guidance

P

Payer of last resort: The idea that Medicaid pays after other liable payers, with exceptions. CMS describes Medicaid as the payer of last resort. For services in an IEP, CMS guidance sets out how third-party liability works for the state agency. Rules on private insurance differ for services outside an IEP, so check your state Medicaid agency.
PII (personally identifiable information): Information that identifies a student directly or indirectly. FERPA lists examples: the student's name, parents' or family members' names, addresses, personal identifiers such as a student number, indirect identifiers such as date or place of birth, and information that could let a reasonable person in the school community identify the student with reasonable certainty. A note can identify a student without using the name.Federal rule: 34 CFR 99.3
PLAAFP (present levels): The section of the IEP that describes how the student is doing now. PLAAFP stands for present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. It anchors the goals and is where baselines usually live.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)
Prior written notice: A written notice the school must give parents before it proposes or refuses to change identification, evaluation, placement, or services. It states the action, the reasons, the information relied on, and other options considered. Service changes that you recommend usually reach the family through this notice.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.503
Progress report: A regular update on whether a student is on track to meet the annual goals. The IEP must state how progress toward the goals will be measured and when parents will receive reports. Your data feed these reports.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)

R

Related services: Supports a student needs to benefit from special education, such as speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. The federal list includes transportation, speech-language pathology and audiology, interpreting, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, early identification and assessment, counseling, orientation and mobility, medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes, school health and school nurse services, social work in schools, and parent counseling and training.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.34

S

Service delivery statement: The part of the IEP that says when services start and how often, where, and for how long they are provided. The IEP must include the projected date services begin and their anticipated frequency, location, and duration. This is the standard your service log is compared with.Federal rule: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)
Service log: A record of the services actually delivered, by date and length. Practice term. A service log lets someone compare what the IEP promised with what happened, including missed sessions and make-ups.
Session note: A short record of one session: what happened, what the data showed, and what comes next. Practice term. A useful note is brief, specific, and written for a reader who was not in the room.
SOAP note: A common four-part note format: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan. Practice term borrowed from clinical settings. School versions vary, and your district may require its own form. The four parts are a way to keep reports, measurements, interpretation, and next steps separate.