Assistive Technology Device
"Assistive technology device" means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability.

Child with a Disability
"A child with a disability" means a child evaluated as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment including deafness, a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment including blindness, emotional disturbance, a developmental delay, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, or an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, multiple disabilities, intellectual gifted ness, or a functional delay. If it is determined, through an appropriate evaluation that a child has one of the disabilities identified above, but only needs a related service and not special education, the child is not a child with a disability under IDEA.

Department
"Department" means the Tennessee Department of Education.

Educational Placement
"Educational placement" means the instructional environment in which special education is provided to a child eligible for special education but does not mean the specific classroom or school to which a child is assigned.

A Child Eligible for Special Education
"A child eligible for special education" means a child who meets the definition of a child with a disability AND who cannot be educated appropriately in the general school program without the provision of special education.

Evaluation
"Evaluation" means a procedure used to determine whether a child has a disability and the nature and extent of the special education and related services that the child needs. The term means procedures used selectively with an individual child and does not include basic tests administered to or procedures used with all children in a school, grade or class."

Evaluation/Re-evaluation Report
As used in these rules, this term refers to a summary of evaluation/re-evaluation results obtained in the process of collecting information to determine if the child is a child with a disability or continues to be a child with a disability.

Extended School Year (ESY) Services
"Extended school year (ESY) services" mean special education and related services that:

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
"Free appropriate public education (FAPE)" means special education and related services that:

• Are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge to the parents or student;
• Meet the standards of the Department,
• Include preschool, elementary school, or secondary school education in Tennessee; and
• Are provided in conformity with an individualized education program (IEP).

Functional Behavior Assessment FBA)
"Functional behavior assessment (FBA)" is a process for analyzing the reason why students engage in certain behaviors. The FBA examines the context (antecedents and consequences) in which behavior occur. The process provides educators an opportunity to develop effective intervention plans as part of the IEP for the students with disabilities.

General Curriculum
"General curriculum" refers to the curriculum approved by the State Board of Education.

IDEA
"IDEA" is an acronym for the Individual with Disabilities Education Act.

IEP
"IEP" is an acronym for individualized education program. An IEP is a written plan for a child eligible for special education that is developed, reviewed, and/or revised in an IEP team meeting.

IEP Team
The "IEP team" is a group of individuals responsible for determining the eligibility of a child and for developing or reviewing/revising an IEP for a child eligible for special education.

Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
"Independent educational evaluation (IEE)" means an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner not employed the local school system which is responsible for the education of the child.

Initial Referral
"Initial referral" means a request for a comprehensive evaluation for special education and related services under IDEA.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
LRE provides an assurance that:

• To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children without disabilities; and
• Special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the general education environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannon be achieved satisfactorily.

LEA
"LEA" is an acronym for "local education agency", also known as the local school system.

Native Language
"Native language" means the following:

• The language normally used by that individual, or, in the case of a child, the language normally used by the parents of the child;
• In all direct contact with a child (including evaluation), the language normally used by the child in the home or learning environment; and
• For an individual with deafness or blindness, or for an individual with no written language, the mode of communication is that normally used by the individual (such as sign language, Braille, or oral communication).

Parent
"Parent" is defined as meaning:

• A natural or adoptive parent of a child;
• A guardian, but not the State if the child is a ward of the State;
• A person acting in the place of a parent (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare);
• A surrogate parent who has been appointed in accordance with the regulations; or,
• A foster parent with whom the child has lived for a year or more.

Personally Identifiable Information
"Personally identifiable information" means:

• The name of the child, the child's parent, or other family member;
• The address of the child;
• A personal identifier, such as the child's social security number or student number; or,
• A list of personal characteristics or other information that would make it possible to identify the child with reasonable certainty.

Related Services
"Related services" mean transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as required to assist a child eligible for special education to benefit from special education. It includes:

• speech-language pathology and audiology services;
• psychological services;
• physical and occupational therapy;
• recreation including therapeutic recreation;
• early identification and assessment of disabilities in children;
• counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling;
• orientation and mobility services;
• medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes;
• school health services;
• social work services in schools; and
• parent counseling and training.

Supplementary Aids and Services
"Supplementary aids and services" means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in general education classes or other education-related settings to enable children eligible for special education to be educated with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.

Weapon
"Weapon" means a weapon, device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for or readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such term does not include a pocket knife with a blade less than 2.5 inches in length.