Acronym
Term
Definition
ACT
American College Testing
AYP
Adequate Yearly Progress
ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD
Attention Deficit Disorder
CHOICE
Choice
Differentiated Instruction
Differentiated Instruction
Disaggregated Data
Disaggregated Data
Dual Enrollment
Dual Enrollment
ESEA
Elementary and Secondary
Education Act
ESL
English as a Second Language
ELL
English Language Learners
E-Rate
Education Rate
FERPA
Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act
FAPE
GPA
Frree, Appropriate Public
Education
Grade Point Average
Growth Models
Growth Models
Higher Order Thinking Skills
Higher Order Thinking Skills
Highly Qualified Teachers
Highly Qualified Teacher
IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act
Individualized Education Program
College Entrance Exam to determine
students’ preparedness for college
Measurement by which schools, districts
and states are held accountable for
student performance
Civil Rights law mandating rights and
protections for people with disabilities
Disorder characterized by the inability to
concentrate and in some cases,
impulsiveness and hyperactivity
Reform movement focused on affording
parents the right to choose which school
their child attends
Teaching students at various levels of
skill and knowledge within the same
classroom
Examination of students’ achievement
data or test scores by separating out data
for specific groups
Courses allowing students to receive both
high school and college credit
simultaneously
Act focuses on children from high-poverty
communities and students at risk of
educational failure
Instruction for English-language learners
that focus on English immersion
Students enrolled in U.S. schools who
speak a language other than English and
have not mastered English
Rate administered by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to
pay for telecommunications services for
K-12 schools and public libraries
Federal law that protects the privacy of
student records in schools receiving
federal funding by requiring written
permission to release educational data.
Grants students with disabilities a “free,
appropriate public education”.
Calculation of students’ standings based
on classes taken and grades received
An accountability system based on the
academic growth students show from
year to year
Skills that involve the ability to think and
evaluate complex ideas
A teacher that is certified and has
demonstrated proficiency in his/her
subject matter
Grants handicapped students the right to
a “free, appropriate public education
Educational blueprint agreed on by
parents and educators for a student with
IEP
Instructional Coach
Instructional Coach
IB
International Baccalaureate
LRE
Least Restrictive Environment Act
LEP
Limited-English Proficient
Students
LEA
LEF
Local Education Agency
Local Education Fund
N-Size
N-Size
NAEP
National Assessment of
Educational Progress
NCLB
No Child Left Behind Act
OCR
Office for Civil Rights
P-16/P-20 Councils or
Initiatives
P-16/P-20 Councils or Initiatives
Peer Coaching
Peer Coaching
Performance Based
Assessment
Performance Based Assessment
PLC
Professional Learning Community
PISA
Program for International Student
Assessment
PSAE
Prairie State Achievement Exam
RTI
Response to Intervention
disabilities
Full-time/Part-time teacher who works
with colleagues individually or in a group
to improve teaching practices
Program of rigorous coursework and
examinations based on internationally
developed curriculum
Mandate that a child with disabilities be
educated in the regular classroom or least
restrictive environment
Students enrolled in U.S. schools who
speak a language other than English and
have not mastered English
Local School Districts
Community-based advocacy
organizations that work to engage the
public in the mission of public schools
Number of children belonging to a
subset…subgroup normally used to group
students by test scores
National testing program administered by
the National Center for Education in
Reading, Math, Science, Writing, History
& Geography
Measures designed to improve
achievement and accountability in
schools, including ensuring schools are
making “adequate yearly progress” in
student achievement as well as
employing highly qualified teachers
Office that investigates discrimination
complaints involving schools and students
Council or effort seeking to advise state
governments and shape policy on how to
integrate a student’s education beginning
in pre-school through college
Two or more teachers working in
collaboration and confidential fashion to
improve each other’s practice
Method requiring students to perform
hands-on tasks such as writing or
conducting an experiment as an
alternative to multiple-choice, machine
scored tests
Collaborative teams, usually teachers,
working interdependently to improve
learning for all students
Standardized international
science/mathematical exams by which
achievement from various nations is
compared
Measures the achievement of grade 11
students reading, mathematics, science,
and writing.
Educational process of providing
targeted, scientifically validated
Safe Harbor Provisions
Safe Harbor Provisions
Scaffolding
Scaffolding
School Choice
School Choice
Scientifically Based
Research
Scientifically Based Research
Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973
SEL
Social and Emotional Learning
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering
and Math
SES
Supplemental Educational
Services
Tenure
Tenure
Title I
Title I
Title IX
Title IX
Title VII of the Elementary
and Secondary Educational
Act
Value Added
Title VII of the Elementary and
Secondary Educational Act
Web 2.0
New generation of Internet Use
What Works Clearinghouse
What Works Clearinghouse
Wiki
Wiki
Zero Tolerance Policy
Zero Tolerance Policy
Value Added
instruction in a student’s areas of
weakness
Provides a second chance to schools by
allowing schools credit for making
adequate yearly progress as long as
more students maintained/moved up in
proficiency in the current year than in the
preceding year
Metaphor to describe support that
teachers (and in some cases peers) offer
students when learning a new concept
Proposal that allows children to attend
schools outside their local district
boundaries
General team used to refer to studies that
use randomized controlled trials or other
very rigorous research
Section of law the prohibits discrimination
against people with disabilities by
agencies that receive federal funding
School based program aiming to teach
students to manage their emotions by
practicing empathy, caring and
cooperation
Educational priority focusing on these
subjects for business leaders and a
growing cadre of American educators
Mandate where schools that fail to make
adequate yearly progress three years in a
row must offer supplemental, educational
services , free tutoring to low income
students in the district
Job security to teachers who have
successfully completed a probationary
period on the job
Federal government’s flagship aid
program for disadvantaged students
Law that bars gender discrimination in
education facilities that receive federal
funds
Federal program created to make limited
English-proficient students proficient in
the English language
Statistical method for determining the
impact of a teacher or school
Term coined to reflect the new generation
of Internet use
Online clearinghouse supported by the
U.S. Department of Education
Internet site that allows anyone with
access to it the ability to add or edit
content on the site
Practices in place in some schools and
districts that exact strict discipline in
cases where students violate policies
concerning weapons and drugs.