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Glossary Terms Starting With: A
Glossary	Description
AAC or Alternative Augmentative Communication	Any device, system, or method that improves the ability of a student with communication impairment to communicate effectively.
Academic Learning Time	The period during which an instructional activity correlates with a student's readiness to learn, and results in actual learning.
ACCESS Program	A program under the direction of PDE, in which school districts who provide medical related services to Medicaid-eligible students with disabilities as part of the students' IEPs are reimbursed for a portion of their expenditures. For more information, contact your intermediate unit or www.leaderservices.com.
Accommodations	Accommodations are adaptations to a task that do not change what is assessed and do not alter the difficulty level of the math- or reading-related components. Each accommodation is based on the specific needs of the student. Occasionally, an accommodation is implemented on a group basis.
Act 126	A state law that allows for comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment information to be provided to the Juvenile Probation Office (JPO) and Office of Children and Youth (OCY) if certain conditions exist. Informed consent or a "good cause court order" must be provided, along with a court order showing adjudicated or alleged adjudicated status, to access this information. This act facilitates collaborative planning for families at risk of losing their children permanently, and overrides strict drug and alcohol confidentiality laws when invoked.
Act 212	The Early Intervention Services System Act of 1990 that provides for early intervention services for eligible young children in Pennsylvania.
Adaptive Keyboards	These are alternative keyboards that allow students who experience difficulty with conventional keyboard configurations to use computers. These products are available in different sizes and layouts. They can often be purchased with a key guard to prevent accidental key activation.
Adaptive Pointing Devices	Adapted mice, track balls, and joysticks represent input devices that require two actions: cursor movement and a click. Some products use a separate switch to act as the click to prevent accidental activation. In some products, a pause can be used in place of a click. Additional input devices include the use of a camera to track the user's eye movements or to track a specific target. Touch screens can also replace the mouse for cursor control.
Adaptive Reasoning	The capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation, and justification.
Administrator's Actions	The administrator's actions are descriptions of the actions (cues) performed by the assessor for each task as they administer the PASA.
Age of Beginners	The minimum age established by the school district for admission to the district's first grade.
Aimline	A goal line based on expected rate of progress that is created by drawing a line from the baseline to the target.
Allocated Time	The total time in the school day or school year.
Alphabetic Principle/Phonics	The basic concept that letters represent segments of speech. Students are taught letter names, the relationships between letters and sounds, an understanding that these relationships are systematic and predictable, and the use of these relationships to read and write words.
Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)	AACs are any device, system or method that improves the ability of a student with communication impairment to communicate effectively.
American Sign Language (ASL)	A visual-gestural language produced on the hands, face, and body. It is not derived from spoken language and it differs from English in vocabulary, grammar, and inflection. Non-manual markers, such as use of space, facial expression, body movement, body posture, directionality, and rate of sign, contribute to the meaning of the message. ASL is used in the United States and in some parts of Canada.
Antecedent	Any event that precedes a behavior (e.g., teacher tells the student to do his or her work).
Aphasia	Childhood or developmental aphasia is a disorder characterized by difficulty learning language in the absence of a cognitive deficit, sensory and physical deficits, severe emotional disturbances, environmental factors, or brain damage.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)	The science and discipline devoted to understanding and improving human behavior by applying basic behavioral principles to learning and teaching.
Apraxia	Verbal apraxia is a motor speech disorder characterized by difficulty with sequencing and organizing motor or muscle movements, specifically for the production of speech. It may also be described as the impaired ability to motor-plan. Muscle weakness is not associated with apraxia. Apraxia is different from a traditional articulation problem.
Articulation	The movement of mouth, lips, tongue, and voice mechanism to produce speech sounds. Poor articulation may be due to the improper movement of lips, tongue, or other articulators. Articulation also refers to the clarity of sounds in speech.
Assessment	Collecting and analyzing information to make judgments about the learning progress of individuals or groups; also, techniques, devices, or instruments used to collect evidence, ranging from formal and standardized to criterion referenced to alternative to informal. Another word for test. Under No Child Left Behind, tests are aligned with academic standards. Beginning in the 2002-03 school year, schools were required to administer tests in each of three grade spans: grades 3-5, grades 6-9, and grades 10-12 in all schools. Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, tests must be administered every year in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading. Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, science achievement will also be tested.
Assessment Anchors	The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) developed the Assessment Anchors for grades 3 through 8 and 11. Assessment Anchors focus, or anchor, the Pennsylvania Academic Standards into more manageable units. The Assessment Anchors include eligible content, which identifies how deeply teachers must cover given content for mastery and success on the PSSA.
Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS)	A curriculum-based assessment, tracking system, and curriculum guide that is based on the analysis of verbal behavior. A scope of skills to assess and teach students who have severe communication and other important skill deficits.
Assistive Technology (AT)	Any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of students with disabilities.
Assistive Technology Expo	The Assistive Technology Expo is an annual PaTTAN-sponsored event that is held at various locations throughout Pennsylvania, usually in late fall. At the Expo, there is a wide variety of assistive technology on display, and manufacturers provide presentations and answer questions about their equipment.
AT	Assistive Technology
AT Interventions	This refers to the use of assistive technology to provide access to reading, writing, and other instructional areas.
AT or Assistive Technology	Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of students with disabilities.
Audiogram	This is a graph used to designate the student's response to sound. Symbols are used to plot an individual's ability to hear pitch and loudness of tones and environmental sounds, and to comprehend spoken language.
Audiology	The identification of students who are deaf and hard of hearing, and the delivery of services provided by an audiologist.
Augmentative Communication	Non-speech techniques used to supplement or augment a student's oral speech, which allows them to use and develop their language. These may include natural gestures, sign language, photographs and other kinds of pictures, spelling out words on alphabet displays, as well as electronic speech generating devices.
Aural Reading	The gathering of information from audio taped materials and books.