The Teaching Profession: Education Acronyms

IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

 This major education act was passed in 1990, stemming from an earlier 1975 act,
and guarantees the educational rights of students with disabilities. IDEA dictates
how public schools across the country provide special education and related
services to millions of students. At its core, this act ensures that students with
disabilities are granted the same educational opportunities as their peers who do
not have disabilities.
FAPE = Free Appropriate Public Education
 One of the provisions in IDEA is that all students are to receive a free and
appropriate education. This is an educational right for students with disabilities,
and it means that schools must provide students with disabilities an education
equal to that of non-disabled peers. This requires all schools to include adapted
instruction and necessary services to ensure students with disabilities receive the
college and career-ready skills necessary for their futures.
IEP = Individualized Education Program/Plan
 An individualized education program is a unique document created for each
student receiving special education. The document outlines the student’s unique
needs as well as the accommodations that will be put in place to help that student
learn in the public school setting. An IEP is created by a team and is the product of
an evaluation process which ascertains the needs, accommodations, and goals for
the student. IEPs are important tools to help all stakeholders ensure that each
special education student receives the supports they need to meet their
educational goals.

LRE = Least Restrictive Environment

 Like each of the acronyms above, this one relates to special education as well. The
least restrictive environment is defined by IDEA as the education environment in
which children with disabilities “Are educated with children who are non-
disabled” and should only be placed in a separate academic setting if “The severity
of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of
supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” This term
emphasizes the importance of helping students with disabilities still access
learning environments as closely related to their non-disabled peers as possible.

ESSA = Every Student Succeeds Act

 Here’s where the government’s acronyms get fun. In 1965, President Lyndon
Johnson signed ESEA into law – that’s the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act. This was the single biggest piece of legislation that promised the federal
government’s funding and involvement in education. ESSA – the Every Student
Succeeds Act – was signed into law by President Obama in 2015 as the latest
version of ESEA. ESEA has been reauthorized by the government eight times since
 1965, and ESSA is the latest reauthorization. You might know ESSA’s predecessor,
known as NCLB (No Child Left Behind).

ERIC = Education Resources Information Center

 Who is ERIC? ERIC is not a who, but a what. It is an online information database
where education professionals can find educational research. This database is
sponsored by the US Department of Education and serves as a crucial resource for
teachers to access the latest research that will help their pedagogy. ERIC is home
to more than a million citations of research, and also can provide full-text articles
on thousands of searchable topics.

BIP = Behavior Intervention Plan

 A Behaviour Intervention Plan is exactly as it sounds – a plan for helping a given

student control his own behaviour and redirect it in a more positive way. BIPs may
be part of a student’s IEP or 504 Plan, and they help stakeholders teach and reward
positive behaviours. If a student has a recurring detrimental behaviour, the IEP
team may create a BIP that lists appropriate steps for that student, his or her
teachers, and other professionals to take to improve the student’s behaviour, often
targeting not just the negative behaviour but the factors that may cause it.

BoE = Board of Education

 Each school is led by a Board of Education, consisting of members from the

community who represent the community’s interests for a given district. Board
members are typically, though not always, elected by the community. A Board of
Education is responsible for everything that happens within its school district,
including elements like the hiring of personnel, the managing of finances, and the
overseeing of standards. BoE may also refer to each state’s Board of Education,
responsible for overseeing education throughout the entire state.

FERPA = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

 This is an important federal law protecting the privacy of each student’s

educational records. Generally this law means that only parents and/or eligible
students at least 18 years of age may access their school records. Schools cannot
share a student’s records with anyone else without consent, except for in a few
circumstances such as when a student transfers to another school or with state and
local authorities who have warranted legal permission to view such records.

PLN = Professional Learning Network

 And now for a non-government term. A Professional Learning Network, or PLN, is

a handy way of identifying the fellow educators a given teacher is connected to
either in real life or online. A PLN is a customized, personalized set of
professionals who help an individual learn and grow in their craft. This might
include individuals in a teacher’s department, school, district, at conferences,
within education organizations, or via social media. Teachers should develop their
own PLN to leverage the ideas, resources, and materials of others.
General Acronyms
Teachers use these acronyms to discuss academics, behavior, or what’s going on in the
wider world of education.
AYP: Adequate Yearly Progress is each school’s progress according to the federal
No Child Left behind (NCLB) act. AYP tracks standardized test data in math, reading, and
science. According to NCLB, all students in public schools must be proficient in reading
and math by the 2013-14 school year. Schools that do not meet AYP towards that goal
must notify parents and face sanctions.
1. DEAR: Drop everything and Read (or IR for Independent Reading) is a time
during the school day when children read silently. (For some of the benefits of IR
and DEAR, click here.)
2. ELL: Students who are English Language Learners do not speak English at home
and are learning English at school.
3. ESEA: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the federal law for K-12
education, it was reauthorized into NCLB in 2002.
4. FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that
protects access to student records. It's important that parents know about laws like
these and how their children's rights might be affected.
5. KWL: A Know, Wonder, Learned graphic organizer helps kids brainstorm and
activate prior knowledge before a lesson, form questions to shape their learning,
and reflect on their learning after the lesson. (For more info and ideas on this
topic, click here.)
6. NCLB: No Child Left Behind is the federal law that currently governs education.
The focus of NCLB is on measuring student achievement using test data and
holding schools and districts accountable for student results. (Read more about
this controversial law, click here.)
7. RtI: Response to Intervention is a problem-solving process in which a school
team uses data to assess students’ individual needs and provide interventions to
support students who are struggling.
8. SEL: Social Emotional Learning curriculums or programs that help students
learn life skills including managing emotions, developing positive relationships,
and making good decisions, among others. (For ten reasons SEL is important for
schools, click here.)
9. SES: Under NCLB, schools that are not making AYP must provide Supplemental
Education Service tutoring programs.
10. SST: Student Study Teams or Student Services Teams are meetings of school staff
that are focused on addressing student needs, including discussing interventions
and making decisions about student needs.
For Special Education
You’ll come across these acronyms if your child is being evaluated for or has a disability
that affects his school experience.
1. 504 Plan: A 504 Plan is written for a child who has a disability that impacts his
access to the curriculum in some way. The goal of a 504 Plan is to provide the
student with accommodations and modifications in school that allow him to fully
access the general curriculum. (Get info on the difference between IEPs and 504
Plans.)
2. ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act is a 1992 law that prevents
discrimination on the basis of disability by any public institution, including
schools.
3. ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that’s
characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, hyperactivity, or a combination of
those characteristics that is out of the normal range for the child’s age.
4. BIP: A Behavior Intervention Plan is a plan that’s focused on changing a
students’ behaviors, whether that’s keeping hands to himself or turning in
homework on time. A BIP may be written in a child’s into an IEP or an informal
plan between a child, parent, and teacher.
5. FBA: A Functional Behavior Assessment is an analysis of a child’s behavior that
considers the antecedents of the behavior, the behavior and the consequences.
6. FAPE: Each child is guaranteed a Free Appropriate Public Education, according
to the law. An “appropriate education” may be any combination of general classes,
special education interventions, specialized services (Speech, OT), or home
instruction.
7. IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that
guarantees education to all students with disabilities.
8. IEP: An Individual Education Plan (or program) is written for a child who is
eligible to receive special education services. It includes a description of the child’s
strengths, educational needs, the services the school is going to provide, and
educational goals.
9. LRE: Students with disabilities are to be educated in the Least Restrictive
Environment, or the classroom environment that provides them with the most
exposure and access to the general education classroom and curriculum as
possible.
10. OT: Occupational Therapy is provided to students who have fine motor or
sensory integration difficulties in school.
11. SLP: A Speech Language Pathologist works with students who have trouble with
articulation or language expression (grammar, syntax).
12. SLD: Students who are identified as having a Specific Learning Disability have
average or above average intelligence but struggle to learn in school.
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS USED IN
EDUCATION

 ABA Applied Behavioral Analysis

 ACT ACT (formerly American College Testing) Exam
 AD Athletic Director
 ADA Americans with Disabilities Act (also Average Daily Attendance)
 ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
 ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
 AESOP Automated Substitute Placement & Absence Management
 AFT American Federation of Teachers
 AH Auditorally Impaired
 AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
 AM Accelerated Math
 AMAOs Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives
 AP Advanced Placement (also Assistant Principal)
 APA Administrative Procedures Act
 APE Adaptive Physical Education
 AR Accelerated Reader
 ARC Accountability Report Card
 ARRA American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009
 ASL American Sign Language
 ASVAB Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
 AT Assistive Technology
 AU Autistic/Autism
 AUP Acceptable Use Policy (Internet)
 AVA American Vocational Association
 AYP Adequate Yearly Progress

 BD Behavior Disorder
 BDR Bill Draft Request
 BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs
 BIC Behavior Intervention Class
 BIP Behavior Intervention Plan
 BMP Behavior Management Plan
 BOT Board of Trustees

 CA Chronological Age
 CASE Council of Administrators of Special Education
 CBA Curriculum-Based Assessment
 CBE Credit by Exam
 CCBD Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders
 CCSS Common Core State Standards
 CSN College of Southern Nevada
 CD Cognitive Delay
 CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 CE Character Education
 CEC Council for Exceptional Children
 CELL California Early Literacy Learning
 CFR Code of Federal Regulations
 C&I Curriculum & Instruction
 CLS Comprehensive Life Skills
 CP Cerebral Palsy
 CPS Child Protective Services
 CRT Criterion Referenced Test
 CSE Committee on Special Education
 CSR Class Size Reduction
 CST Child Study Team
 CTE Career and Technical Education

 DB Deaf/Blind
 DCFS Division of Child and Family Services
 DD Developmentally Delayed
 DEAR Drop Everything and Read
 DI Direct Instruction
 DO District Office
 DOE Department of Education (State)
 DOG Daily Oral Geography
 DOL Daily Oral Language
 DOM Daily Oral Math
 DPH Due Process Hearing
 DPP District Performance Plan
 DRA Developmental (or Diagnostic) Reading Assessment
 DRD Dyslexia and Related Disorders
 DSA Distributive School Account

 EAHCA Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

 EAP Employee Assistance Program
 EBD Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
 EC Early Childhood (also Extra-Curricular)
 ECSE Early Childhood Special Education
 ED Emotionally Disturbed (also U.S. Department of Education)
 EDGAR Education Department General Administrative Regulations
 EDSA Enhanced Data Submission Application (Bighorn)
 EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
 EH Emotionally Handicapped
 EHA Education for the Handicapped Act
 EI Early Intervention
 ELA English Language Arts
 ELD English Language Development
 ELL English Language Learner (used interchangeably with ESL and LEP)
 EMR Educable Mentally Retarded
 EMRB Employee Management Relations Board
 ePAR Electronic Personnel Action Request
 ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

 ESD Extended School Day

 ESEA Elementary and Secondary Education Act
 ESL English as a Second Language
 ESS Early Success Screening
 ESY Extended School Year
 ETS Educational Testing Service
 EYP Extended Year Program
 EYS Extended Year Service

 FAPE Free Appropriate Public Education

 FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
 FAS Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
 FBA Functional Behavioral Assessment
 FBLA Future Business Leaders of America
 FCCLA Family Career Community Leaders of America
 FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (AKA Buckley
Amendment)
 FRL Free and Reduced-Price Lunch
 FSP Family Support Plan
 FTE Full Time Equivalent
 FY Fiscal Year

 GATE Gifted and Talented Education

 GBC Great Basin College
 GE General Education
 GED General Education Diploma
 GEPA General Education Provisions Act
 GO Graphic Organizer
 GPA Grade Point Average
 GTE Gifted & Talented Education

 HCPA Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of 1986

 HDP Habitual Discipline Problem
 HHS U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
 HI Health Impaired (also Hearing Impaired)
 HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
 HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
 HMO Health Maintenance Organization
 HO Hearing Officer
 HOTS Higher-Order Thinking Skills
 HQT Highly Qualified Teachers
 HSE High School Equivalency
 HSPE High School Proficiency Examination
 ID Intellectually Disabled
 IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
 IEE Independent Educational Evaluation
 IEP Individualized Educational Program
 IEPT Individualized Education Program Team
 IFSP Individualized Family Service Plan
 ID Intellectual Disability
 IGA Intergovernmental Agreement
 IHE Institution of Higher Education
 IHO Impartial Hearing Officer
 IL Independent Living
 iNVest Investing in Nevada’s Education, Students and Teachers
 IPEDS Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems
 IQ Intelligence Quotient
 IRA International Reading Association
 ISA Interagency Services Agreement
 ISS In-School Suspension
 ITBS Iowa Test of Basic Skills
 ITED Iowa Tests of Educational Development
 ITP Individual Transition Plan
 IU Intermediate Unit

 K-12 Kindergarten through 12th Grade

 KTEA Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement
 KWL Know, Want to Know, Learned

 LA Language Arts
 LAS Language Assessment Scales
 LCB Legislative Council Bureau
 LCE Legislative Committee on Education
 LD Learning Disabled
 LEA Local Education Authority (e.g., a Nevada school district)
 LEP Limited English Proficient
 LLD Language Learning Disabilities
 LRBI Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions
 LRE Least Restrictive Environment
 LSST Local School Support Tax

 MAP Measures of Academic Progress

 MBD Minimal Brain Dysfunction
 MCR Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
 MD Multiple Disabilities
 MDR Manifestation Determination Review
 MDT Multidisciplinary Team
 MH Multiply Handicapped
 MIS Management Information System
 MOU Memorandum of Understanding
 MPE Managed Performance Empowerment
 MPR Multi-Purpose Room
 MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging
 MU Multiply Impaired

 NAC Nevada Administrative Code

 NACS Nevada Academic Content Standards
 NAEA National Art Education Association
 NAEP National Assessment of Educational Progress
 NAESP National Association of Elementary School Principals
 NASA Nevada Association of School Administrators
 NASB Nevada Association of School Boards
 NASS Nevada Association of School Superintendents
 NASSP National Association of Secondary School Principals
 NBCT National Board Certified Teacher
 NBPTS National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
 NC Non-Categorical
 NCASA Nye County Association of School Administrators
 NCATE National Council for Teacher Education
 NCCAT-D Nevada Comprehensive Curriculum Audit Tool for District
 NCCAT-S Nevada Comprehensive Curriculum Audit Tool for Schools
 NCCTA Nye County Classroom Teachers Association
 NCES National Center for Education Statistics
 NCHS National Center for Health Statistics
 NCLB No Child Left Behind (Act of 2001)
 NCLD National Center for Learning Disabilities
 NCSD Nye County School District
 NCSSO Nye County Support Staff Organization
 NDE Nevada Department of Education (also NDOE)
 NDO Northern District Office (also TDO)
 NDPC National Dropout Prevention Center
 NEA National Education Association
 NEIS Nevada Early Intervention Services
 NELIP Nevada Early Literacy Intervention Program
 NEPF Nevada Educator Performance Framework
 NERA Nevada Education Reform Act of 1997
 NERC Nevada Equal Rights Commission
 NGSS Next Generation Science Standards
 NHS National Honor Society
 NIAA Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association
 NICHD National Institute for Child Health and Human Development
 NIH National Institutes of Health
 NILD National Institute for Learning Disabilities
 NIMH National Institutes of Mental Health
 NIMS National Incident Management System
 NMA Nevada Mining Association
 NPEF Nevada Educator Performance Framework
 NPEP Nevada Proficiency Examination Program
 NPRI Nevada Policy Research Institute
 NRS Nevada Revised Statutes
 NRT Norm-Referenced Test
 NSBA National School Boards Association
 NSEA Nevada State Education Association
 NSF National Science Foundation
 NSHE Nevada System of Higher Education
 NSPF Nevada School Performance Framework
 NSTA National Science Teachers Association
 NTTSI Nevada Tahoe Teacher Stem Institute
 NWEA Northwest Evaluation Association

 OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

 OCR Office for Civil Rights
 ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder
 OH Orthopedically Handicapped
 OHI Other Health Impaired
 OJT On-the-job Training
 OMB Office of Management and Budget
 OSEP Office of Special Education Programs
 OSES Office of Special Education Programs
 OSERS Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services
 OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
 OT Occupational Therapist

 PA Personnel Action (form)

 PAC Parent Advisory Committee
 PD Professional Development
 PDD Pervasive Development Disorders
 PDF Portable Document Format
 PE Physical Education
 PEBF Public Employee Benefit Program
 PERS Public Employees Retirement System
 PL Public Law
 PLAN Pre-American College Test (Pre-ACT)
 PLC Practical Life Class
 PLP Personal Learning Plan
 PO Purchase Order
 PPD Progressive Plan of Discipline
 PSAT Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test
 PT Physical Therapist
 PTA Parent Teacher Association
 PTO Parent Teacher Organization
 PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 RFA Request for Applications

 RFP Request for Proposals
 RIF Reduction in Force
 RPDP Regional Professional Development Program
 RS Reading Street
 RTI Response to Intervention
 RTTT Race To The Top Grant Program (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009)
 SAC School Advisory Council
 SAGE Student Achievement Gap Elimination
 SAIN System of Accountability Information for Nevada
 SAP Student Assistance Program
 SASI School Administration Student Information
 SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test
 SBAC Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
 SBDM Site-Based Decision Making
 SBE State Board of Education
 SCAAN Skills and Competencies Alternate Assessment of Nevada
 SCC Self Contained Classroom
 SDO Southern District Office (Pahrump)
 SE/SN Student Education/Student Workbook
 SEA State Education Authority (e.g., NDE)
 SED Serious Emotional Disturbance
 SES Socio-Economic Status
 SESS Special Education Support Services
 SH Speech Handicapped
 SID Severe Intellectual Disability
 SIOP Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
 SIP School Improvement Plan
 SIS Student Information System
 SIT Student Intervention Team
 SL Speech and Language
 SLC Small Learning Community
 SLD Specific Learning Disability
 SLP Speech and Language Pathologist
 SNABC Southern Nevada Anti-Bullying Council
 SNRPDP Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
 SOTM Student of the Month
 SPED Special Education
 SPP School Performance Plan
 SRLE Safe and Respectful Learning Environment
 SRO School Resource Officer (also State Review Officer)
 SS Social Studies
 SSA Social Security Administration
 SSI Supplemental Security Income
 SSR Sustained Silent Reading
 SST Student Success (or Study) Team
 STEM Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
 STEPUP Stem Teacher Enhancement and Preparation for Underserved
Populations
 SWBA Students Will Be Able to

 TA Tentatively Agreed (pertaining to negotiations)

 TB or TBI Traumatic Brain Injury
 TBA To Be Announced
 TBD To Be Determined
 TDO Tonopah District Office
 TE/TM Teacher’s Edition/Teacher’s Manual
 TESL Teaching English as a Second Language
 TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
 TLC Teachers and Leaders Council
 TMR Trainable Mentally Retarded
 TOSA Teacher on Special Assignment
 TRO Temporary Restraining Order
 TSF Transition Services Facilitator
 TTY Teletypewriter
 TW Teacher Will

 USC United States Code

 USDOE U.S. Dept. of Education

 VH (VI) Visually Impaired

 VICA Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (Skills USA)
 VR Vocational Rehabilitation

 WICHE Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

 WIDA World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (also model for Measure
of Developing English Language)
 WISC Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
 YRBS Youth Risk Behavior Survey