GLOSSARY

Following is a glossary of common terms and acronyms used in the school and by LAUSD.

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S  T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

A

AAA - Additional Adult Assistants. Teacher & Classroom Aides.

API - Academic Performance Index. The API is a score on a scale of 200 to 1000 that annually measures the academic performance and progress of individual schools in California. On an interim basis, the state has set 800 as the API score that schools should strive to meet.

AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress. A term used in the No Child Left Behind Act.

B

BAC - Bilingual Advisory Council. See ELAC.

Beyond the Bell - The Beyond the Bell Branch Youth Services section provides an after school safe haven for children at LAUSD schools. Trained supervisors plan and conduct the program every school day from the time of school dismissal until 6:00pm. This program is provided free-of-charge to participants. It is Youth Services firm belief that every child and youth has a need and a right to participate, in the presence of a responsible, caring adult, in engaging activities that support achievement and promote social, emotional, and physical development beyond the regular school day.

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C

CAHSEE - California High School Exit Exam. Beginning with the graduating class of 2004, students in California public high schools will have to pass the California High School Exit Exam to receive a high school diploma. The School Accountability Report Card for that year will report the percentage of students completing grade 12 who successfully complete the California High School Exit Exam.

CST - California Standards Test. These tests measure students' progress toward mastering California's academic content standards in English-language arts, mathematics, history-social science, and science. Performance is measured at one of five levels: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic, with "proficient" marking the state's desired performance level for all students.

CAT 6 - California Achievement Test, 6th Edition. The CAT 6 is a basic skills test that assesses how California students rank against other students nationwide. In 2003, the CAT 6 replaced the Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition (SAT 9). Though the norm-referenced test continues to be a part of the API, it is no longer the sole assessment used to calculate the index.

CDE - California Department of Education. The state agency that coordinates the work of public schools.

CEAC - Compensatory Education Advisory Committee. Compensatory education funds supplemental services needed to raise the academic achievement level of K through 12 participants in basic and advanced skills. Additional support may be provided through professional development and health and guidance services. Parents of children being served have the opportunity to participate, through the Compensatory Education Advisory Committee, in the design and implementation of the program through activities such as developing parent policy and compacts; parent-teacher conferences; parent training and literacy; being classroom volunteers, tutors, aides, etc. The program receives federal funding from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA/Title I), Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (IASA), and the Economic Impact Aid--State Compensatory Education (EIA-SCE).

CELDT - California English Language Development Test.

Certificated - Person having a certificate in teaching.

Chandra Smith Consent Decree - The Chanda Smith Consent Decree was ordered by Judge Laughlin Waters on April 15, 1996, as the result of a negotiated settlement to the Chanda Smith v. Los Angeles Unified School District class action lawsuit. Two independent consultants concluded that the District was systematically out of compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The consultants found that the District was out of compliance in 23 areas of the Federal Law. In agreeing to settle, the district admitted it was in violation of federal and state laws that protect students with disabilities. The school district has begun a five-year overhaul of its special education system under a settlement approved by a federal judge.

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E

EIA-SCE - Economic Impact Aid-State Compensatory Education. See Title 1

ELA - English Language Arts.

ELAC - English Learners' Advisory Committee. (Formerly know as BAC - Bilingual Advisory Council.) The participants in these committees are parents of Limited English-Proficient (LEP) students and they participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the local school's program for LEP students. They advise the school on Bilingual funding issues since these programs receive state and district funding. Schools are responsible for providing at least eight meetings to inform parents of the academic program for LEP students and budget items that directly impact student learning.

ELD - English Language Development. A technique used to develop English language for English learners.

ELL - English Language Learners. This term is used to describe children who are learning English as their second language (formerly labeled ESL).

EO - English Only. A child who only speaks English is classified as English Only.

ESL - English as Second Language.

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G

GATE - Gifted and Talented Education. See LAUSD GATE website.

I

IFL - Institute for Learning.

IEP - Individualized Education Program. In order for a child to receive special services such as resource pull-out programs, the child must have an IEP. The IEP is the written plan that describes the child's abilities and needs, and the placement and services designed to meet the child's unique needs.

Instructional Plan - All the teaching strategies and student activities related to a specific learning goal.

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K

KAPOW - Kids and the Power of Work. A program of the National Child Labor Committee, is a national network of business and elementary school partnerships which introduces students to career awareness through professionally developed lessons taught by business volunteers in the classroom. In addition, students make one visit to the workplace to participate in hands-on activities. KAPOW lays a foundation for young students, introducing them to work related concepts and experiences that can be continually reinforced throughout the formative years. Learn more at www.kapow.org.

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L

LACESMA - Los Angeles City Elementary School Music Association.

LACOE - Los Angeles County Office of Education. Learn more at www.lacoe.edu.

LAT - Language Appraisal Team.

LAUSD - Los Angeles Unified School District. Learn more at www.lausd.k12.ca.us

LEAP - 1. Local Education Agency Plan.
2. Los Angeles Educational Achievement Partnership.


LEP - Limited English-Proficient. This term is used to describe ELL children who are learning English as their second language (formerly labeled ESL).

LRE - Least Restrictive Environment. LRE refers to the full continuum of placement options available to students with disabilities. The purpose of this plan is to articulate the process of bringing LAUSD into compliance with respect to the Least Restrictive Environment mandates of the law. (See Chandra Smith Consent Decree). The LRE must be determined based upon individual student needs and by a team comprised of people who have expertise as well as experience with the student, including the parents and the student, when appropriate.

LRESF - Least Restrictive Environment Support Facilitator.

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N

NCLB - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Initiative started by President Bush to improve education by setting accountability standards. Learn more at Wikipedia.

Norm Day - All classrooms assignments are tentative through Norm Day (usually at the beginning of October). Classroom norms at 20 students per teacher at grades K-3 and 34 students per teacher at grades 4-5 are state guidelines and drive the number of teacher positions allotted. Based upon enrollment, students may be reassigned to a different classroom after the beginning of the school year.

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O

OCR - Open Court Reading

P

Parent Compact - The Parent Compact is a pledge between the parent, student and teacher indicating how we will support each other in success for all students.

PATH - Parents and Teachers Helping. The organization at Castlebay to raise additional funds for the school. We do not have a PTA or PTSA.

PRNC - Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. They are certified by the City of Los Angeles to represent our neighborhood in matters to the City Council. They have given the school 36 new computers in the computer lab and a new projector. They meet on the first Tuesday of the month at Shepherd of the Hills Church.

PSA - Pupil Services & Attendance.

PTA - Parent Teacher Association.

PTSA - Parent Teacher Student Association.

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R

RSP - Resource Specialist Program. RSP is designed for students with learning problems who are able to spend the majority of their school day in regular classrooms. All potential RSP students are assessed to determine their eligibility and academic disabilities. When a student becomes eligible for the Resource Specialist Program, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed to meet his or her special needs.

Rubric - A measurement tool, based on specific criteria, used to assess performance on a task or activity.

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S

SARC - School Accountability Report Card.

SAS - School for Advanced Studies. The Advanced Studies Program was developed to meet the increasing demand for high level academic programs which meet the educational needs of gifted and highly achieving learners. The overall program goal is to provide a program with high quality content and performance standards within the classroom setting.

School Improvement - The purpose of the School Improvement is to improve the local school's total instructional program by assessing the skills and knowledge of students and by providing supplemental services that meet their needs. Each participating school has a state-mandated School Site Council (SSC) composed of the principal, staff, parents, and community members and, at the secondary level, students. The council is a decision-making body in (1) operating procedures and bylaws, (2) selecting and maintaining membership, (3) developing the school plan and budget for Board of Education approval, and (4) evaluating the annual progress of educational improvement under the school plan. The School Improvement Program receives funding from the state.

SDC - Special Day Class. See SDP.

SDP - Special Day Program. These programs serve students who cannot participate in general education classes for a majority of the school day. These classes are provided on general education sites. As appropriate, students enrolled in special day classes interact with their general education peers through academic, non-academic and extracurricular activities.

SLC - Small Learning Community.

SLD - Specific Learning Disability.

SSC - School Site Council. See School Improvement.

SSP - 1. Safe School Plan
2. Single School Plan

STAR - Standardized Testing and Reporting. Through the STAR Program, students in grades 2-11 are tested annually in various subject areas. Currently, the STAR program includes California Standards Tests (CST) in English Language Arts and Mathematics in grades 2-11, and Science and History-Social Science in grades 9-11; and the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (Stanford 9), which tests Reading, Language, Mathematics (Grades 2-11), Spelling (Grades 2-8), and Science and History-Social Science (Grades 9-11) only.

Stanford 9 (SAT 9)- Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition. Tested Reading, Language, Mathematics (Grades 2-11), Spelling (Grades 2-8), and Science and History-Social Science (Grades 9-11). Replaced in 2003 by the CAT 6.

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T

Title 1 - The purpose of the Title I and EIA-SCE ( Economic Impact Aid-State Compensatory Education) is to meet the educational needs of low-income children and the needs of children in local institutions for neglected or delinquent children. The goal of Title I is to improve teaching and learning for at-risk students . Title I provides schools with money to provide extra resources to help improve instruction so that all children are given the same opportunity to meet the challenging State academic standards. Through a collaborative effort, the school staff, parents/guardians, students, and community ensure the needs of the students are being met. Funded by the Federal Government.

Y

Youth Services - See Beyond the Bell.

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