Special Education Terms in Kansas

What special education terms does Kansas use?

Kansas uses terminology largely consistent with federal IDEA, but parents should be aware of several state-specific labels and organizational terms. Key Kansas terminology: (1) 'Unified School District' (USD) — Kansas's term for a local educational agency (school district); each USD has a number (e.g., USD 259 is Wichita Public Schools); (2) 'Special education cooperative' — a regional entity created by multiple USDs to jointly provide special education services, common in rural Kansas under K.S.A. 72-8233; (3) 'Infant Toddler Network' (ITN) — Kansas's Part C early intervention system for children birth to 3, administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF); (4) 'Evaluation Team' — Kansas's term for the multidisciplinary team that conducts evaluations (consistent with IDEA terminology but sometimes called a 'multidisciplinary team' or MDT in other states); (5) 'Kansas Assessment Program' (KAP) — the general state assessment system replacing CIZE and other prior assessments; (6) 'Kansas Alternate Assessment' (KAA) — the alternate assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities; (7) 'KSDE' — Kansas State Department of Education (the SEA in Kansas); (8) Kansas uses 'emotional disturbance' (not a state-specific variant); (9) 'Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports' (PBIS) is the state-adopted framework through MTSS; (10) 'Individual Education Program' is occasionally referenced as 'Individual Education Plan' in Kansas practice (both refer to the same document); (11) Kansas VR — Vocational Rehabilitation services for transition, administered through KDADS.