NYSTCE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
◉ Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEIA). Answer:
federal law that governs the education of children with disabilities
◉ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Answer: U.S.
legislation granting educational rights to people with cognitive,
emotional, or physical disabilities from birth until age 21; initially
passed in 1975, it has been amended and reauthorized in 1997 and again
in 2004. IDEA operates under six basic principles: zero reject,
nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation, free and appropriate
public education, least restrictive environment, due process, and parent
and student participation in shared decision making with regard to
educational planning.
◉ Child Find. Answer: A function of each state, mandated by federal
law, to locate and refer individuals who might require special education
◉ Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Answer: Special
education and related services that (a) have been provided at public
expense, under public supervision and direction and without charge; (b)
meet the standards of the state educational agency; (c) include an
appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary school education in the
state involved; and (d) are provided in conformity with the
individualized education program
,◉ Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Answer: a legal requirement
that children with special needs be assigned to the most general
educational context in which they can be expected to learn
◉ Continuum of Services. Answer: matching the needs of the student
with an appropriate placement on an individual basis
◉ Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Answer: a legal document
defining the educational program and related services for a specific
student who has a disability
◉ Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Answer: a written
document similar to an IEP that focuses on the family and the child's
natural environment
◉ Vocational Rehabilitation Act. Answer: prohibits discrimination on
the basis of physical or mental disabilities
◉ Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Answer: helps
ensure the privacy of educational records such as IEPs
◉ Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Answer: increases the
accountability of schools with respect to the academic progress of
students with disabilities
, ◉ Committee on Special Education (CSE). Answer: stores student
special education records, opens all initial referrals and assigns a CSE
case number for public school students. The CSE also manages all
special education issues for non-public schools (private, parochial) and
charter schools
◉ Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). Answer: for
children between the ages of 3 and 5
◉ Procedural Safeguards. Answer: provisions of IDEA designed to
protect students and parents in the special education process
◉ Due Process. Answer: refers to principles that attempt to guarantee
the rights of citizens
◉ due process hearing. Answer: A procedure to resolve a conflict
between school and family over the evaluation, program, or placement
of a student with a disability
◉ age of majority. Answer: the designated age at which an individual is
recognized as an adult
◉ prereferral assessment. Answer: to help students who are struggling in
the general education setting before referring them for special education
assessment
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS
◉ Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEIA). Answer:
federal law that governs the education of children with disabilities
◉ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Answer: U.S.
legislation granting educational rights to people with cognitive,
emotional, or physical disabilities from birth until age 21; initially
passed in 1975, it has been amended and reauthorized in 1997 and again
in 2004. IDEA operates under six basic principles: zero reject,
nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation, free and appropriate
public education, least restrictive environment, due process, and parent
and student participation in shared decision making with regard to
educational planning.
◉ Child Find. Answer: A function of each state, mandated by federal
law, to locate and refer individuals who might require special education
◉ Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Answer: Special
education and related services that (a) have been provided at public
expense, under public supervision and direction and without charge; (b)
meet the standards of the state educational agency; (c) include an
appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary school education in the
state involved; and (d) are provided in conformity with the
individualized education program
,◉ Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Answer: a legal requirement
that children with special needs be assigned to the most general
educational context in which they can be expected to learn
◉ Continuum of Services. Answer: matching the needs of the student
with an appropriate placement on an individual basis
◉ Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Answer: a legal document
defining the educational program and related services for a specific
student who has a disability
◉ Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Answer: a written
document similar to an IEP that focuses on the family and the child's
natural environment
◉ Vocational Rehabilitation Act. Answer: prohibits discrimination on
the basis of physical or mental disabilities
◉ Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Answer: helps
ensure the privacy of educational records such as IEPs
◉ Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Answer: increases the
accountability of schools with respect to the academic progress of
students with disabilities
, ◉ Committee on Special Education (CSE). Answer: stores student
special education records, opens all initial referrals and assigns a CSE
case number for public school students. The CSE also manages all
special education issues for non-public schools (private, parochial) and
charter schools
◉ Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). Answer: for
children between the ages of 3 and 5
◉ Procedural Safeguards. Answer: provisions of IDEA designed to
protect students and parents in the special education process
◉ Due Process. Answer: refers to principles that attempt to guarantee
the rights of citizens
◉ due process hearing. Answer: A procedure to resolve a conflict
between school and family over the evaluation, program, or placement
of a student with a disability
◉ age of majority. Answer: the designated age at which an individual is
recognized as an adult
◉ prereferral assessment. Answer: to help students who are struggling in
the general education setting before referring them for special education
assessment
