Common Terms
The following terms and abbreviations are commonly used in the ESA Program:
504 Plan: Administered by the US Department of Education (not State) to make sure Students have appropriate accommodations for their disability. While this qualifies a student for the ESA Program, it is not considered a diagnosis for special education and does not generate additional funding.
Applicant: Legal guardian of the Student who submits the ESA application.
IEP: Individual Educational Plan, based on an evaluation that is performed by the local school district. Parents can request an evaluation from either their District of Residence (DOR) or District of Attendance (DOA).
ISP: Individual Service Plan, written details of the supports, activities, and resources required for the individual to achieve personal goals and life skills goals. An ISP is not intended for educational goals therefore an ISP is not accepted by the ESA program.
LEA: Local Education Agency, commonly known as a School District or Charter School.
MCC: Merchant Category Classification; a four-digit code that categorizes types of spending (i.e., book stores, doctors, schools, camps, food, office supplies). ADE uses these code to determine appropriate education spending.
MET: Multidisciplinary Evaluation Team that performs evaluation reports for a school district.
PSD: Preschool Severe Delay; this is one of the diagnosis that requires a new evaluation in order to remain in the ESA Program. This diagnosis is only intended for children in preschool.
STO: School Tuition Organization program that provides a tax-credit scholarship for students with special needs that cannot be fulfilled by public school. Students accepting an STO do not qualify for the ESA Program, however if they choose to receive ESA funds instead, the 100-day public school requirement is reduced to 90 membership days or one semester of enrollment.