Special Education Terms in Mississippi
What special education terms does Mississippi use?
Mississippi uses largely standard federal IDEA terminology in its special education system, with fewer state-specific terms than some other states. Key terminological notes: Mississippi uses 'Mississippi Department of Education' (MDE) or its Office of Special Education to refer to the state education agency; the local education agency is the school district (referred to as the 'LEA'). Mississippi uses the federal term 'Emotional Disturbance' (not a state alternate like Minnesota's 'EBD') and 'Intellectual Disability' (standard federal term adopted after Rosa's Law). Mississippi uses 'Developmental Delay' as the non-categorical early childhood eligibility term for children ages 3-9. For assessments, Mississippi uses 'MAAP' (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) for the general state assessment and 'MAAP-A' for the alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards. SLD identification using a problem-solving or tiered-intervention approach is referred to as 'Response to Intervention' (RTI) or 'problem-solving model' in Mississippi guidance, consistent with the federal framework. Mississippi's one-party recording consent law (Miss. Code Ann. § 41-29-531) is a significant practical distinction that parents and districts should be aware of.
What Mississippi Requires
MDE / Office of Special Education: Mississippi's state education agency and special education oversight body (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-1).
MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program): Mississippi's state assessment for grades 3-8 and high school; accommodations must be approved by MDE for use on MAAP (MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
MAAP-A: Mississippi's alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities (MS Sp. Ed. Regs.; 34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)(ii)).
Emotional Disturbance (ED): Mississippi uses the standard federal IDEA term — no state-specific alternate name (34 CFR 300.8(c)(4); MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
Intellectual Disability (ID): Mississippi uses the current federal term following federal Rosa's Law adoption — not the older term 'Mental Retardation' (34 CFR 300.8(c)(6); MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
RTI/Problem-Solving Model: Mississippi's terminology for the multi-tiered intervention and data-collection process used as an alternative to the discrepancy model for SLD identification (MS Sp. Ed. Regs.; 34 CFR 300.307).
Key Timelines
MAAP-A eligibility: IEP team must make the alternate assessment determination at each annual IEP, documenting why the student cannot participate in the MAAP (34 CFR 300.320(a)(6)(ii); MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
Developmental Delay classification: may be used for children ages 3-9; IEP teams should consider transitioning to a categorical label before age 9 to ensure continuity of services (34 CFR 300.111(b); MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).