Special Education Terms in Utah

What special education terms does Utah use?

Utah uses largely standard federal IDEA terminology in its special education system, with a few notable state-specific terms. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) — previously called the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) before the 2019 reorganization under Utah Code Title 53G — is the state educational agency (SEA) responsible for special education oversight. Local school districts are referred to as Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Utah, consistent with federal terminology. The Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB), established under Utah Code § 53G-15-901, is a unique statewide educational institution serving students with sensory disabilities; it functions differently from school districts. Utah uses the term 'Developmental Delay' (consistent with federal IDEA) for children ages 3-8 and does not use alternative state terminology for standard disability categories. Utah's statewide assessment is called RISE (Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment), and the alternate assessment is the DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps). The Utah State Office of Rehabilitation (USOR), under the Utah Department of Workforce Services, is the VR agency involved in transition planning. Utah uses the standard federal IDEA terms: IEP (Individualized Education Program), LEA (Local Education Agency), SEA (State Education Agency), FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education), LRE (Least Restrictive Environment), and PLAAFP (Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance).