Additional definitions

In this chapter: The term “authorizing committees” means the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives. The term “combination of institutions of higher education” means a group of institutions of higher education that have entered into a cooperative arrangement for the purpose of carrying out a common objective, or a public or private nonprofit agency, organization, or institution designated or created by a group of institutions of higher education for the purpose of carrying out a common objective on the group’s behalf. Except as otherwise provided, the term “critical foreign language” means each of the languages contained in the list of critical languages designated by the Secretary in the Federal Register on August 2, 1985 (50 Fed. Reg. 31412; promulgated under the authority of section 212(d) of the Education for Economic Security Act (repealed by section 2303 of the Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988)), as updated by the Secretary from time to time and published in the Federal Register, except that in the implementation of this definition with respect to a specific title, the Secretary may set priorities according to the purposes of such title and the national security, economic competitiveness, and educational needs of the United States. The term “Department” means the Department of Education. The term “diploma mill” means an entity that— lacks accreditation by an accrediting agency or association that is recognized as an accrediting agency or association of institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in section 1002 of this title) by— The term “disability” has the same meaning given that term under section 12102(2) of title 42. Except as otherwise provided, the term “distance education” means education that uses one or more of the technologies described in subparagraph (B)— For the purposes of subparagraph (A), the technologies used may include— The term “early childhood education program” means— a program that— is— The term “elementary school” has the same meaning given that term under section 7801 of this title. The term “gifted and talented” has the same meaning given that term under section 7801 of this title. The term “local educational agency” has the same meaning given that term under section 7801 of this title. The term “new borrower” when used with respect to any date means an individual who on that date has no outstanding balance of principal or interest owing on any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under subchapter IV. The term “nonprofit” as applied to a school, agency, organization, or institution means a school, agency, organization, or institution owned and operated by one or more nonprofit corporations or associations, no part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. The term “poverty line” means the poverty line (as defined in section 9902(2) of title 42) applicable to a family of the size involved. The term “school or department of divinity” means an institution, or a department or a branch of an institution, the program of instruction of which is designed for the education of students— The term “secondary school” has the same meaning given that term under section 7801 of this title. The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Education. The term “service-learning” has the same meaning given that term under section 12511(23) 11 See References in Text note below. of title 42. The term “special education teacher” means teachers who teach children with disabilities as defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The term “State educational agency” has the same meaning given that term under section 7801 of this title. The term “State” includes, in addition to the several States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States. The term “Freely Associated States” means the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The term “State higher education agency” means the officer or agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of higher education. The term “universal design” has the meaning given the term in section 3002 of title 29. The term “universal design for learning” means a scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice that—