Educationese I: ESE, What Does that Mean?

As educators we have the tendency to use professional jargon and acronyms when talking to parents to show how knowledgable and wonderful we are.  Unfortunately, the parent usually doesn't know what many of these terms mean.  Many parents will pretend to act like they understand the term in order to not be embarrassed. This would be like asking a teacher who has never sat in a cockpit to understand the instrument panel on an F-16.

With this idea in mind, comes my series of Educationese blog posts which will be a regular weekly segment at School Bell Support.  In Educationese we will take a look at commonly used terms schools use and what they mean.  This week we look at the term ESE.

ESE stands for Exceptional Student Education.  When parents receive any documents with ESE on it panic sets in, "Will my child be labeled?, Is their brain not working right?, What did I do wrong?,  Is the government going to dissect my child?, "  My advice, just breath!  ESE designations cover a wide range of student needs.  Speech, Language Impaired,  Gifted, Leaning Disabled, Emotionally Behaviorly Disabled and Austism Spectrum are just a few designations that fall under the ESE umbrella. When the school recommends testing for ESE it could be for any of a wide range of concerns.  Some needs require more assistance than others.  Be aware it is through ESE funding that schools can get the services needed in order to provide for students specific learning needs.  If your child has a special need, this will be the avenue the school uses to get services for them. Remember nothing is done with your child regarding ESE evaluations or program placement without your consent.  The school keeps those parents informed and involved in the process.  While today we focused on the meaning of ESE, we will examine this topic more closely in future posts.