Special Education Terms in Vermont
What special education terms does Vermont use?
Vermont generally uses standard federal IDEA terminology without significant state-specific renaming. Key Vermont terminology notes: Vermont uses 'supervisory union' (SU) — not 'school district' — as the primary LEA responsible for special education; Vermont uses 'Act 264' to refer to the education finance law that governs supervisory union responsibility for special education funding (now integrated into Title 16 V.S.A. § 4001 et seq.); Vermont uses 'Vermont Agency of Education (AOE)' rather than 'State Department of Education'; Vermont uses 'Series 2360' for its special education regulations; 'Developmental Delay' is used for children ages 3-9 consistent with IDEA; Vermont uses 'Alternate Portfolio Assessment' for the state's alternate assessment; Vermont uses 'MTSS' (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) rather than 'RTI' as the preferred framework term. Vermont does not rename disability categories as some other states do.
What Vermont Requires
Vermont uses 'supervisory union (SU)' as the LEA responsible for special education — individual schools within the SU are not the LEA (16 V.S.A. § 4001).
Vermont calls its special education regulations 'Series 2360' or 'VT AOE Rule 2360' — not 'Chapter' or 'Part' as in other states.
Vermont uses 'Vermont Agency of Education (AOE)' — not 'State Department of Education' or 'State Board of Education' — as the SEA.
Vermont uses 'Act 264' informally to refer to the education finance law governing special education obligations, codified at 16 V.S.A. § 4001 et seq.
Vermont uses 'Alternate Portfolio Assessment' for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as the alternate assessment.
Vermont uses 'MTSS' as the preferred framework term; RTI is referenced within MTSS as the data-based decision-making component.
Vermont does not rename federal disability categories — all 13 IDEA categories use federal terminology (VT AOE Rule 2360.5).