10 IEP Acronyms Every New Case Manager Needs to Know

Quick Answer

The 10 IEP acronyms every new case manager needs are PLAAFP (present levels), SDI (specialized instruction), LRE (least restrictive environment), FAPE (free appropriate public education), FBA (functional behavior assessment), BIP (behavior intervention plan), ESY (extended school year), PWN (prior written notice), IDEA (the federal law), and the ARD/IEP team (the meeting itself).

Special education runs on acronyms, and nobody hands new case managers a glossary on day one. Bookmark this before your first IEP season.

PLAAFP — Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

The section of the IEP describing what the student can currently do, academically and functionally, based on data. Every goal in the IEP should trace back to something stated here — see our full guide on writing a strong PLAAFP for more detail.

SDI — Specially Designed Instruction

Instruction that changes the content, methodology, or delivery of teaching to meet a student's unique needs — different from an accommodation, which changes access without changing instruction itself.

LRE — Least Restrictive Environment

The IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal to separate settings only when the nature of the disability makes general education, even with supports, not achievable.

FAPE — Free Appropriate Public Education

The core entitlement under IDEA: eligible students are entitled to special education and related services, provided at public expense, designed to meet their individual needs and enable meaningful educational progress.

FBA — Functional Behavior Assessment

A structured process for identifying the function (the "why") behind a behavior — typically through observation, interviews, and data review — that then informs the Behavior Intervention Plan.

BIP — Behavior Intervention Plan

The plan built from FBA findings that defines the target behavior, its function, a replacement behavior, and how it will be reinforced and measured. See our guide on the 5 things every BIP needs.

ESY — Extended School Year

Individualized special education services provided beyond the regular school year, when the IEP team determines a student would experience significant regression without them. Not the same as general summer school.

PWN — Prior Written Notice

The formal written notice a school must provide to parents whenever it proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, placement, or services — with specific required content under IDEA.

IDEA — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The federal law establishing the right to a free appropriate public education for eligible students with disabilities, and the source of nearly every procedural requirement covered in this glossary.

ARD/IEP team — the meeting itself

Depending on the state, called an IEP meeting or an ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) meeting — the formal meeting of the student's team (case manager, general education teacher, parents, and others) that develops, reviews, or revises the IEP.

FAQ

Are these acronyms the same in every state?

Most are standard federal terms from IDEA, but a few vary — for example, some states use "ARD meeting" instead of "IEP meeting," and specific evaluation timelines can differ slightly by state regulation on top of the federal floor.

Where can I find a full glossary of special education terms?

Your district's special education handbook or your state department of education's website typically maintains a more complete glossary — this list covers the 10 terms that come up most often in day-to-day case management.

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