1964 Civil Rights Act

(1) Forbade discrimination on account of race, color, age, creed or national origin in any federally funded activity, (2) Authorized the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare to apply compliance procedures and reviews and to withhold funds, (3) Authorized the Department of Justice to sue in federal court to secure the desegregation of public facilities, (4) Authorized the U.S. Office of Education to provide financial assistance.

Academic Outcomes

Achievement in areas such as reading, mathematics, and science.  Reading outcomes may include measures of phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.  Math outcomes may include measures of content knowledge (number sense, properties, and operations; measurement; geometry and spatial sense; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra and functions) as well as an understanding of mathematical concepts, procedures, and problem solving.  Similarly, science outcomes may include measures of content knowledge (earth, physical, and life sciences) and an understanding of concepts, scientific investigation, and practical reasoning.

Academic Performance Index

(API) measures the academic performance and growth of schools. It is a numeric index (or scale) that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. A school's score on the API is an indicator of a school's performance level. The statewide API performance target for all schools is 800. A school's growth is measured by how well it is moving toward or past that goal. A school's API Base is subtracted from its API Growth to determine how much the school improved in a year.

Accommodation

A change in how a test is presented, in how it is administered, or in how the test taker is allowed to respond. This term generally refers to changes that do not substantially alter what the test measures. The proper use of accommodations does not substantially change academic level or performance criteria. Appropriate accommodations are made to provide equal opportunity to demonstrate knowledge.

Accountability System

Each state sets academic standards for what every child should know and learn. Student academic achievement is measured for every child, every year. The results of these annual tests are reported to the public.

Achievement Gap

The difference between how well low-income and minority children perform on standardized tests as compared with their peers. For many years, low-income and minority children have been falling behind their white peers in terms of academic achievement.

Adequate Yearly Progress

(AYP)  An individual state's measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. "Adequate Yearly Progress" is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts and schools must achieve each year.

Advanced Placement Program

(AP Program) A cooperative educational program between high school students and institutions of higher education that offers high school students the opportunity to complete college-level courses and earn college credit for them. The College Board, which administers the AP program, currently offers 33 courses and examinations in 19 subject areas including biology, calculus, and American history. Examinations are graded on a five-point scale, five being the highest possible score. College credit is earned by achieving a satisfactory score on an AP exam, usually a three or better. In addition, many college admission officials favor students who have completed AP coursework and have taken the exams.

Alternative schools

Term often used for small secondary schools designed to provide a nurturing environment for students considered at risk of academic school failure.

AP Program

See Advanced Placement Program.

API

See Academic Performance Index

Assessment

Another name for a test. An assessment can also be a system for testing and evaluating students, groups of students, schools, or districts. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools must administer tests in each of three grade spans: grades 3–5, grades 6–9, and grades 10–12 in all schools. Beginning in the 2005–06 school year, tests must be administered every year in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading. Beginning in the 2007–08 school year, science achievement must also be tested.

At-risk Students

AYP

See Adequate Yearly Progress

Benchmark

A detailed description of a specific level of student achievement expected of students at particular ages, grades, or developmental levels. Benchmarks are often represented by samples of student work. A set of benchmarks can be used as checkpoints to monitor progress in meeting performance goals within and across grade levels.

Bullying and Teasing

Direct or indirect physical or verbal behaviors which are attempts by an individual or group to assert power over another individual or group.  “Bullying” signifies ongoing abuse, whereas “teasing” is a one-time event. 

CAHSEE

See California High School Exit Exam

California Basic Educational Data System

(CBEDS)  Reports that contain statistics about schools, teachers, and students. CBEDS reports are collected from each school in the fall.

California Code of Regulations

(CCR) Regulations that have been formally adopted by approximately 200 regulatory agencies in the state, including the State Board of Education.

California English Language Development Test

(CELDT)  A test for students whose primary language—as reported by their parents—is not English. These students take the CELDT upon initial enrollment and annually thereafter until it is determined that they have mastered English. At that point they are reclassified as fluent English proficient (FEP) and are no longer counted as part of a school's English learner (EL) population. The CELDT evaluates listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

California High School Exit Exam

(CAHSEE) A state exam that California public high school students, beginning with the class of 2006, must pass in order to graduate. The exit exam is not a college entrance or honors exam. Instead, its purpose is to test whether students have mastered the academic skills necessary to succeed in the adult world. It is a pass-fail exam divided into two sections: English language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can take the test. Once students pass a section of the test, they do not take that section again.

CBEDS

See California Basic Educational Data System

CCR

See California Code of Regulations

CELDT

(California English Language Development Test)  A test for students whose primary language—as reported by their parents—is not English. These students take the CELDT upon initial enrollment and annually thereafter until it is determined that they have mastered English. At that point they are reclassified as fluent English proficient (FEP) and are no longer counted as part of a school's English learner (EL) population. The CELDT evaluates listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Charter Schools

Public schools of choice that may have very traditional education programs or may have the same kind of underlying themes as found at magnet or alternative schools.  Charter schools are exempt from may local and state regulations that apply to traditional public schools.  These exemptions allow parents, teachers, community leaders, education entrepreneurs, and others greater flexibility to innovate, create, and provide students with increased educational options.  Charter schools must be sponsored by designated local, state, or other organizations charged with monitoring their quality and integrity while holding them accountable for academic results and fiscal practices.

Choice

A term used to describe the right of parents to be able to choose where to send their children to school. Parents and others who support school choice have spawned the charter school, school voucher, and other school reform movements. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), school districts must allow students to transfer out of consistently low-performing or persistently dangerous schools, as defined by the state.

Content-based English as a Second Language

This approach makes use of instructional materials, learning tasks, and classroom techniques from academic content areas as the vehicle for developing language, content, cognitive and study skills. English is used as the medium of instruction.

Corrective Action

When a school or school district does not make yearly progress, the state will place it under a "Corrective Action Plan." The plan will include resources to improve teaching, administration, or curriculum. If a school continues to be identified as in need of improvement, then the state has increased authority to make any necessary, additional changes to ensure improvement.

Desegregation

The process of ending racial segregation. Desegregation was long a focus of the civil rights movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), particularly desegregation of the school systems. Over 500 school districts still operate to some extent under a court-mandated desegregation decree.

Detracking

Disaggregated Data

"Disaggregate" means to separate a whole into its parts. In education, this term means that test results are sorted into groups of students who are economically disadvantaged, from racial and ethnic minority groups, have disabilities, or have limited English fluency. This practice allows parents and teachers to see more than just the average score for their child's school. Instead, parents and teachers can see how each student group is performing.

Distinguished Schools

Awards granted to schools when they make major gains in achievement.

Diversity

Dual Language Program

Also known as two-way or developmental, the goal of these bilingual programs is for students to develop language proficiency in two languages by receiving instruction in English and another language in a classroom that is usually comprised of half native English speakers and half native speakers of the other language.

Early Reading First

A nationwide effort to provide funds to school districts and other public or private organizations that serve children from low-income families. The Department of Education will make competitive 6-year grants to local education agencies to support early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool-age children, particularly those from low-income families.

ELD

See English Language Development

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA)  First enacted in 1965, ESEA is the principal federal law affecting K-12 education. The No Child Left Behind Act is the most recent reauthorization of the ESEA.

ELL

See English Language Learners.

English as a Second Language

(ESL)  A program of techniques, methodology and special curriculum designed to teach ELL students English language skills, which may include listening, speaking, reading, writing, study skills, content vocabulary, and cultural orientation. ESL instruction is usually in English with little use of native language.

English Language Development

(ELD)  English Language Development is a specialized program of English language instruction appropriate for the English learner (EL) student's (formerly LEP students) identified level of language proficiency. This program is implemented and designed to promote second language acquisition of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

English Language Learners

(ELL) Students with a primary language other than English who have a limited range of speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in English.  This term is often preferred over limited-English-proficient (LEP) as it highlights accomplishments rather than deficits

Equal Access

Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974

This civil rights statute prohibits states from denying equal educational opportunity to an individual on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin. The statute specifically prohibits states from denying equal educational opportunity by the failure of an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs.

Equity

The goal of equity is to achieve a high-quality education for all students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disabilities, or special needs. Studies show widespread inequities in financial support, classroom expectations, texts and technological resources, and quality of teaching, especially in inner cities and among poor populations. Because needs are greater in some situations than others, equal treatment is not necessarily equitable.

Equity Talent Banks

A local bank of experienced educators and researchers with expertise in equity-related fields.

ESEA

See Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

ESL

See English as a Second Language.

Fair

Without bias.  A fair assessment is one that is without bias (such as socioeconomic or ethnic) and reflects what a child has been given a chance to learn.

FEP

Fluent (or fully) English proficient.

Flexibility

Refers to a new way of funding public education. The No Child Left Behind Act gives states and school districts unprecedented authority in the use of federal education dollars in exchange for strong accountability for results.

GATE

See Gifted and Talented Education

Gender

A social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed roles that men and women are to follow; a biological definition based on reproductive capacity.

Gifted and Talented Education

(GATE)  Students who are enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school and are identified as possessing demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of high performance capability, are enrolled in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE). High performance capability is defined by each school district governing board. Each district shall use one or more of the following categories in defining the capability: intellectual, creative, specific academic, leadership, high achievement, performing and visual arts talent, or any other criterion proposed by the district and approved by the State Board of Education in the district's GATE application.

Highly Qualified Teacher

(HQ Teacher) According to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a teacher who has obtained full state teacher certification or has passed the state teacher licensing examination and holds a license to teach in the state; holds a minimum of a bachelor's degree; and has demonstrated subject area competence in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches.

High-stakes Test

A test that results in some kind of consequence for those who score low, some kind of reward for those who score high, or both. For example, students who pass a high school exit exam typically receive a diploma, while students who fail do not.

HQT

See Highly Qualified Teacher.

Informed Parental Consent

The permission of a parent to enroll their child in an ELL program, or the refusal to allow their child to enroll in such a program, after the parent is provided effective notice of the educational options and the district's educational recommendation.

Intervention Programs

In general, programs that provide extra support and resources to help improve student or school performance.

Language Proficiency

Refers to the degree to which the student exhibits control over the use of language, including the measurement of expressive and receptive language skills in the areas of phonology, syntax, vocabulary, and semantics and including the areas of pragmatics or language use within various domains or social circumstances. Proficiency in a language is judged independently and does not imply a lack of proficiency in another language.

Lau v. Nichols

A 1974 Supreme Court case which mandated that schools serving students from different national origin backgrounds are required to: (1) identify national origin students, (2) design a program to address the needs of these student populations, (3) evaluate the effectiveness of the program on an on-going basis, and (4) teach ELLs the content of the appropriate grade level curriculum in a student’s native language while the national origin student is learning English.

LEA

See Local Education Agency

LEP

See Limited English Proficient

Listserv

A communication tool that offers its members the opportunity to post suggestions or questions to a large number of people at the same time. When you submit a question or something that you want to share to the listserv, your submission is distributed to all of the other people on that list.

Local Education Agency

(LEA) is a public board of education or other public authority within a State which maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state.

Longitudinal Data

Data that are tracked over time, for example achievement data for a specific student or group of students. In education, the ability to track students as they progress through the school system is seen as important for evaluating the contribution schools, specific programs, and teachers make to student performance, and for accurately tracking the progress of specific subgroups of students.

Low-performing Schools

Schools, almost always located in urban or low-income rural areas, in which an unacceptably low proportion of students meet established standards, as indicated by test scores. Also called failing schools.

Magnet schools

A public school that draws students interested in specific subjects such as academics or the arts from the surrounding region (typically a school district or a county). Magnet schools were originally started in the hope that their geographically open admissions would end racial segregation and decrease de facto segregation of schools in poorer areas by offering a more enticing educational program.

Maintenance Bilingual Education

(MBE) is also referred to as late-exit bilingual education, is a program that uses two languages, the student's primary language and English, as a means of instruction. The instruction builds upon the student's primary language skills and develops and expands the English language skills of each student to enable him or her to achieve proficiency in both languages, while providing access to the content areas.

Migrant Education

Special federal funds for districts with students who are children of migrant workers.

Multicultural Education

Schooling that helps students understand and relate to cultural, ethnic, and other diversity, including religion, language, gender, age, and socioeconomic, mental, and physical differences.

Multiple Measures

An approach that relies on more than one indicator to measure a student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Measures can include grades, teacher comments, collected samples of a student’s work, and standardized test scores. Similarly, multiple measures can be used to evaluate school and school district performance. These might include students’ standardized test scores, graduation rates, and dropout rates.

NAEP

See National Assessment of Educational Progress or Nation’s Report Card.

Nation’s Report Card

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, U.S. history, geography, civics, the arts, and other subjects.

National Assessment of Educational Progress

(NAEP) is also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, U.S. history, geography, civics, the arts, and other subjects.

National Origin

Birthplace, ancestry, culture, or linguistic characteristics common to a specific ethnic group.

NCLB

See No Child Left Behind.

Newcomer Program

Newcomer pro-grams are separate, relatively self-contained educational interventions designed to meet the academic and transitional needs of newly arrived immigrants. Typically, students attend these programs before they enter more traditional interventions (e.g., English language development programs or mainstream classrooms with supplemental ESL instruction).

Norm-Referenced Assessment

An assessment in which an individual or group’s performance is compared to a larger group. Usually the larger group is representative of the cross-section of all U.S. students.

OCR

See OCR.

Office for Civil Rights

The (Office for Civil Rights) enforces several Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education.

Open Enrollment

A form of choice in which parents can ask to have their child attend any school in the district or, even, in a different district entirely, through “inter-district choice.” 

Parent/School Compact

Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a written agreement of shared responsibility that defines the goals and expectations of schools and parents as partners in the effort to improve student achievement.

Public School Choice

Students in schools identified as in need of improvement will have the option to transfer to better public schools in their districts. The school districts will be required to provide transportation to the students. Priority will be given to low-income students.

Race

A categorical term used to describe social groups sharing general physical characteristics such as skin color, hair, and facial features.  However, there is no absolute racial group, as variation of these characteristics exists within each group, and similar features can appear in other groups.

Reading First

A national initiative aimed at helping every child in every state become a successful reader.

Reasonable Accommodation

Adjustments within a school site that allow an otherwise qualified student with a disability to perform the tasks required.  Usually applies to students eligible for protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Resegregation

Renewal of segregation in a school district after a period of desegregation.  Normally applied to districts that are adjudicated to have “unitary status” and subsequently released from a court-ordered desegregation effort.

School Climate

The sum of the values, cultures, safety practices, and organizational structures within a school that cause it to function and react in particular ways.  Also called school culture.

School Culture

The sum of the values, cultures, safety practices, and organizational structures within a school that cause it to function and react in particular ways.  Also called school climate.

SDAIE

See Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English.

SEA

See State Educational Agency.

Sex

See “Gender”

Sexual Harassment

Behaviors such as sexual advances, gestures, and jokes; Displaying sexually explicit drawings, pictures, and written materials; and spreading rumors about others’ sexual activity.

Sheltered English Instruction

An instructional approach used to make academic instruction in English understandable to ELL students. In the sheltered classroom, teachers use physical activities, visual aids, and the environment to teach vocabulary for concept development in mathematics, science, social studies, and other subjects.

Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English

(SDAIE) is an approach to teach academic courses to English learner (EL) students (formerly LEP students) in English. It is designed for nonnative speakers of English and focuses on increasing the comprehensibility of the academic courses typically provided to FEP and English-only students in the district.

Standardized Test

A test that is in the same format for all takers. It often relies heavily or exclusively on multiple-choice questions. The testing conditions—including instructions, time limits, and scoring rubrics—are the same for all students, though sometimes accommodations on time limits and instructions are made for disabled students. Reporting of scores to parents, students, or schools is the same. The procedures used for creating the test and analyzing the test results are standardized.

Standards

Degrees or levels of achievement. The "standards movement" began as an informal effort grown out of a concern that American students were not learning enough and that American schools did not have a rigorous curriculum. The U.S. Congress adopted this concept more formally with its 1994 reauthorization of the federal Title I program.

State Educational Agency

(SEA) is the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of public elementary and secondary schools.

Structured English Immersion

The goal of this program is acquisition of English language skills so that the ELL student can succeed in an English-only mainstream classroom. All instruction in an immersion strategy program is in English. Teachers have specialized training in meeting the needs of ELL students, possessing either a bilingual education or ESL teaching credential and/or training, and strong receptive skills in the students' primary language.

Submersion Program

 A submersion program places ELL students in a regular English-only program with little or no support services on the theory that they will pick up English naturally. This program should not be confused with a structured English immersion program.

Supplemental Services

Students from low-income families who are attending schools that have been identified as in need of improvement for two years will be eligible to receive outside tutoring or academic assistance. Parents can choose the appropriate services for their child from a list of approved providers. The school district will purchase the services.

Title I

The first section of the ESEA, Title I refers to programs aimed at America's most disadvantaged students. Title I Part A provides assistance to improve the teaching and learning of children in high-poverty schools to enable those children to meet challenging State academic content and performance standards, Title I reaches about 12.5 million students enrolled in both public and private schools.

Title VI

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act provided that “no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

The Bilingual Education Act, Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), recognizes the unique educational disadvantages faced by non-English speaking students. Enacted in 1968, the Bilingual Education Act established a federal policy to assist educational agencies to serve students with limited-English-proficiency by authorizing funding to support those efforts. In addition to providing funds to support services to limited-English-proficient students, Title VII also supports professional development and research activities. Reauthorized in 1994 as part of the Improving America's Schools Act, Title VII was restructured to provide for an increased state role and give priority to applicants seeking to develop bilingual proficiency. The Improving America's Schools Act also modified eligibility requirements for services under Title I so that limited-English-proficient students are eligible for services under that program on the same basis as other students.

Tracking

The practice of dividing students for instruction according to their perceived abilities.

Transferability

A new ESEA flexibility authority that allows states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to transfer a portion of the funds that they receive under certain Federal programs to other programs that most effectively address their unique needs to certain activities under Title I.

Transitional Bilingual Education Program

This program, also known as early-exit bilingual education, utilizes a student's primary language in instruction. The program maintains and develops skills in the primary language and culture while introducing, maintaining, and developing skills in English. The primary purpose of a TBE program is to facilitate the ELL student's transition to an all English instructional program while receiving academic subject instruction in the native language to the extent necessary.

Two-Way Bilingual Programs

Also known as two-way immersion programs, two-way bilingual programs place language majority and language minority students together in the same classroom where they receive instruction in all content areas in both languages.

Voucher

A promise of payment from the state for all or part of a student’s education expenses at a school of the student’s choice. This term is generally used for the certificates or promises that governments provide public school students so they can attend private schools of their choice.