EDUCATION ACRONYMS

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In education, as in most specialized professions, educators use terms that may be unfamiliar to the general public. For example, most people associate the ABCs with the alphabet and having pep with energy. But if an educator uses these terms, they take on a new meaning. It's not surprising that parents and others new to public schools often feel confused. This list of the more commonly used acronyms or abbreviations and their meanings has been developed to assist everyone in public schools to communicate more effectively.

ABCs
The ABCs of Public Education is North Carolina's comprehensive plan to improve public schools. The plan is based on three goals: 1) strong accountability, "A," 2) mastery of basic skills, "B" and 3) localized control, "C." The ABCs was implemented in 1996-97. The model focuses on schools meeting growth expectations for student achievement as well as on the overall percentage of students who score at or above grade level. The model uses end-of-grade tests in grades 3-8 in reading and mathematics to measure growth at the elementary and middle school levels and end-of-course tests to measure growth at the high school level and at the middle school level where appropriate. Schools receive recognition based on student growth and the percentage of students' scores at or above grade level.

ACRE
Accountability and Curriculum Revision Effort. This describes all of the work underway by the NCDPI to implement the recommendations contained in the State Board of Education's "Framework for Change: The Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability" document. This document describes a new vision of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, student testing, and district and school accountability.

ACT
American College Test. An assessment taken by students as a precursor to college/university admission.

ADM
Average Daily Membership. The number of days a student is in membership at a school divided by the number of days in a school month or school year.

AP
Advanced Placement. A program that enables high school students to complete college-level courses for college placement and/or credit.

AYP
Adequate Yearly Progress. All public schools, in North Carolina and throughout the country, must measure and report AYP as outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind law. AYP measures the yearly progress of different groups of students at the school, district and state levels against yearly targets in reading and mathematics. Target goals are set for attendance and graduation rates as well. If a school misses one target, it does not make AYP.

CCRSG
Career & College: Ready, Set, Go! CCRSG is Gov. Bev Perdue's education initiative designed to spur public school innovation and is funded by federal Race to the Top grant funds. Grant funds focus on four "pillars" of work: great teachers and leaders, quality standards and assessments, turnaround of the lowest-achieving schools and data systems to improve instruction.

CECAS
Comprehensive Exceptional Children Accountability System. A secure web-based student information system for exceptional children that supports online case management, compliance monitoring, data analysis, and federal and state reporting requirements.

CEDARS [NC]
Common Education Data Analysis & Reporting System. CEDARS is North Carolina's PreK-13 State Longitudinal Data System. Once fully in place (July 2011), CEDARS will enable state, local and federal policymakers and service providers to make data-driven decisions based on analysis of trends and relationships between various educational factors and student performance over time.

CTE
CTE Career and Technical Education. CTE provides high school students the opportunity to take courses in eight program areas so that they can explore interests and careers while building and strengthening their career-specific knowledge and skills. The eight education program areas are: Agricultural; Business, Finance and Information Technology; Career Development; Family and Consumer Sciences;

EDDIE
Educational Directory & Demographical Information Exchange. EDDIE is the authoritative source for North Carolina public school information including LEA numbers, school numbers, administrative contacts, school types, grade levels, calendar types, program types and addresses. Information contained in EDDIE is populated by local districts and feeds multiple NCDPI systems including Accountability, NC WISE, and NC School Report Cards, and is used to meet federal reporting requirements. EDDIE replaced the School, Name and Address (SNA) file in April 2010.

ELL
English Language Learner. Student whose first language is one other than English and who needs language assistance to participate fully in the regular curriculum.

EOC
Tests designed to access the competencies defined by the NC Standard Course of Study (NC SCOS) for seven mandated courses: Algebra I, Algebra II, English I, Biology, Physical Science, Civics and Economics, and U.S. History along with the Writing Assessment at Grade 10. Tests are taken during the last two weeks of school for students on a traditional calendar and the last week of the course for students on the block schedule.

EOG
End-of-Grade. Tests in reading and mathematics that are taken by students in grades 3-8 during the last three weeks of the school year.

ESEA
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This is the principal federal law affecting K-12 education. When the ESEA of 1965 was reauthorized and amended in 2002, it was renamed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. In 2009, the program was again referenced as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

ESL
English as a Second Language. A program model that delivers specialized instruction to students who are learning English as a new language.

EVAAS
Education Value Added Assessment System. SAS® EVAAS™ for K-12 is a customized software system available to all NC school districts that provides diagnostic reports quickly to district and school staff. EVAAS tools provide a precise measurement of student progress over time and a reliable diagnosis of opportunities for growth that help to identify which students are at risk for under-achievement. By viewing easy-to-understand charts and graphs accessed via the Web, users can produce reports that predict student success, show the effects of instruction at particular schools, or reveal patterns in subgroup performance.

FRL
Free and Reduced Priced Lunch. Children qualify, based upon parent or guardian financial status, to receive either free or reduced priced lunch through a federal governmental program.

GETC
Governor's Education Transformation Commission. Gov. Bev Perdue established the GETC in September 2010 to provide oversight and consultation on the use of state Race to the Top funds and to coordinate the use of these funds to implement the Career & College: Ready, Set, Go! initiative across North Carolina.

IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This federal law, reauthorized in 2004, is designed to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living.

IEP
Individualized Education Program. The IEP is a written statement for a student with a disability that is developed, at least annually, by a team of professionals knowledgeable about the student and the parent. The plan describes the strengths of the child and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child, and when, where, and how often services will be provided. The IEP is required by federal law for all exceptional children and must include specific information about how the student will be served and what goals he or she should be meeting.

IPT
IDEA Proficiency Test. Test used to determine the appropriate assessment for limited English proficient students.

LEA
Local Education Agency. Synonymous with a local school system or a local school district, indicating that a public board of education or other public authority maintains administrative control of the public schools in a city or county.

LEP
Limited English Proficient. Students whose first language is one other than English who need language assistance to participate fully in the regular curriculum and the statewide assessment system.

NAEP
National Assessment of Educational Progress. Also known as the "Nation's Report Card," NAEP assesses the educational achievement of elementary and secondary students in various subject areas. It provides data for comparing the performance of students in North Carolina to that of their peers nationwide.

NCDPI
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The NCDPI administers the policies adopted by the State Board of Education and offers instructional, financial, technological and personnel support to all public school systems in the state.

NC WISE
North Carolina Window of Information for Student Education. This secure web-based tool provides educators with direct and immediate access to a full spectrum of data on a student's entire career in the North Carolina public school system.

NCCLAS
The North Carolina Checklist of Academic Standards is an alternate assessment designed to measure grade-level competencies of students identified as limited English proficient and some students with disabilities.

NCEES
The North Carolina Educator Evaluation System. A system used to evaluate the performance of all teachers, principals, assistant principals, instructional central office administrators and superintendents in order to promote effective leadership, quality teaching and student learning while enhancing professional practice that leads to improved instruction.

NCEXTEND1
The North Carolina EXTEND1 is an alternate assessment designed to measure the performance of students with significant cognitive disabilities using alternate achievement standards.

NCEXTEND2
The North Carolina EXTEND2 is an alternate assessment designed to measure grade-level competencies of students with disabilities using modified achievement standards in a simplified multiple choice format.

NCLB
No Child Left Behind. NCLB is the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and represents a sweeping change in the federal government's role in local public education. NCLB's primary goal is for all public school children to be proficient or above in reading and mathematics by 2013-14. Title I schools that do not meet certain student achievement standards face sanctions under this law.

PBIS
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support programs are a way to impact school learning environments by establishing and reinforcing clear behavioral expectations in order to support high student performance and to reduce behavioral problems. PBIS site schools work to integrate their Safe Schools Plans, character education efforts and strategies, and discipline efforts in order to make the schools caring and safe communities for learning.

PEP
Personalized Education Plan. An individualized educational plan designed to improve a student's performance to grade-level proficiency.

PSAT
Pre-Scholastic Assessment Test. Normally taken by high school juniors as a practice test for the SAT. Some schools use the PSAT as a diagnostic tool to identify areas where students may need additional assistance or placement in more rigorous courses.

RttT
Race to the Top. RttT is a federal grant program that supports the efforts of NCDPI, local school districts and many charter schools to carry out the state's Career & College: Ready, Set, Go! initiative. This bold education reform effort is focused on college- and career-ready standards and assessments, data systems, great teachers and leaders, and school turnarounds. North Carolina is one of 12 recipients of RttT grant awards. Approximately half of the $400 million in RttT funding is being distributed to districts for their own initiatives that support North Carolina's Race to the Top plan through 2014.

SAT
The SAT is often taken by high school juniors and seniors as a precursor to college/university admission. It assesses a student's verbal, mathematical and writing skills.

SBE
State Board of Education. The State Board of Education is charged with supervising and administering "the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support." The Board consists of the Lieutenant Governor, the Treasurer, and eleven members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the General Assembly in Joint Session.

SCOS or SCS
North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The NC SCOS is the guiding document outlining what should be taught in North Carolina public school classrooms.

SEA
State Education Agency. Federal term for each state education department. SEA is another name for the NCDPI.

SIP
School Improvement Plan. A plan that includes strategies for improving student performance, how and when improvements will be implemented, use of state funds, requests for waivers, etc. Plans are in effect for no more than three years.

SLC [North Carolina]
Student Learning Conditions [Survey]. This survey provides middle and high school students with the opportunity to express their perceptions regarding the learning environment in their schools. Similar to the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, student responses will be utilized for school and district improvement efforts.

STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM curriculum emphasizes connections within and between the fields of mathematics and science; integrates technology; introduces and engages students in the engineering design process; cultivates creativity; and develops skills that drive innovation.

TIMS
Transportation Information Management System. The computer system used by North Carolina school districts for routing and scheduling school buses to ensure safe and efficient bus routes.

Title I
Title I is the largest federal education funding program for schools. Its aim is to help students who are behind academically or at risk of falling behind. School funding is based on the number of low-income children, generally those eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program. Many of the major requirements in the No Child Left Behind federal law are outlined in Title I - Adequate Yearly Progress, teacher and paraprofessional standards, accountability, sanctions for schools designated for improvement, standards and assessments, annual state report cards, professional development and parent involvement. Title I used to be known as Chapter I.

Title III
Title III is the section of No Child Left Behind that provides funding and addresses English language acquisition and standards and accountability requirements for limited English proficient students.

Title IX
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination in schools receiving federal funds, whether it is in academics or athletics.

TWC [North Carolina]
Teacher Working Conditions [Survey]. A biennial survey of all North Carolina public schools' licensed staff, the TWC survey provides educators with an opportunity to express their perceptions about working conditions at their schools. Information gathered from the survey is shared with school staff, district administrators, parents and the community for school improvement planning purposes. Survey results are available online at www.ncteachingconditions.org. In addition, the new evaluation instruments for superintendents, principals and teachers use TWC responses to reflect on the presence of working conditions in the school.

USED
United States Education Department. The USED provides federal assistance to state and local agencies primarily responsible for education and works to ensure both equal access (e.g., disadvantaged, disabled, at-risk students) and educational excellence. The department engages in four major types of activities: establishes policies related to federal education funds, administers distribution of funds and monitors their use; collects data and oversees research on America's schools; identifies major issues in education and focuses national attention on them; and enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in programs that receive federal funds (USED website).

Inquiries or complaints should be directed to:
Dr. Rebecca Garland, Associate State Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer
Academic Services and Instructional Support
6368 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6368
Telephone: 919.807.3200 :: Fax: 919.807.4065