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K

List of Acronyms

L

List of Acronyms

Learning Disability: A condition that interferes with a student’s ability to learn. Often found in children of normal intelligence, learning disabilities may lead to a student’s difficulty in listening, speaking, writing, spelling, or performing mathematical calculations.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): The educational placement for students with disabilities that is as close to the regular classroom as feasible. Required by the federal IDEA law, LRE means that students with disabilities should be educated with children who are nondisabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular education environment should occur only if the nature or severity of the disabilities is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Lexile: A standard score that matches a students' reading ability with difficulty of text material. A Lexile can be interpreted as the level of book that a student can read with 75% comprehension. Also referred to as the Lexile Score or Lexile Measure.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Student: A student whose first language is not English and who has not yet mastered English. Also referred to as English language learner.
 
Local Education Agency (LEA): A local school system pursuant to local board of education control and management.

Longitudinal Data Systems: The means by which a state may track a single student’s achievement history across multiple years, across different schools and school districts, and possibly into college or the workforce.

M

List of Acronyms

Magnet School: A school with strong emphasis in a particular subject area (i.e. music, science, drama, math). Students may be selected for admission through an application process rather than being assigned based on residence.

Mainstreaming: The practice of placing students with disabilities into regular classrooms. Also referred to as inclusion.

Medium-Stakes Test: An assessment for which a reward or consequence is determined by the outcome. These tests do not carry the gravity of high-stakes tests.

Merit Pay: Any of a number of plans to pay teachers based on their demonstrated competence in teaching, rather than on their number of years in the profession. Also referred to as performance pay.

Migrant Education Program: A national program that provides supplemental educational services to eligible migrant children in the United States. The Migrant Education Program is designed to support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs for migratory children to help reduce the educational disruptions and other problems that result from repeated moves.

Multicultural Education: An educational philosophy and curriculum that incorporates content knowledge and exposure to material outside that of the Western European tradition. Some multicultural education models highlight subjects from diverse cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender perspectives. Others represent an immersion in one culture, ethnicity, or race.

N

List of Acronyms

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): A national testing program administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education and referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card.” Since 1969, NAEP tests have been administered periodically in reading, math, science, writing, history, and geography. The primary NAEP assessment allows for regional and state-by-state comparisons of the reading and mathematics attainment of 4th and 8th grade students.

National Board Certification: A rigorous program for classroom teachers administered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards that includes performance-based assessments and peer review. Some state and local school systems reward National Board Certified teachers with additional pay. Teachers voluntarily apply for national certification, which complements, but does not replace, state licensing.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS): Nonprofit organization created in 1987 to advance education reform and establish high standards for teachers. NBPTS administers the National Board Certification program to assess and certify teachers in accordance with these standards.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act: A federal law passed in 2001 that is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The far-reaching legislation includes a number of measures designed to foster gains in student achievement and to hold states and schools more accountable for student progress. NCLB includes federal mandates for annual student testing, academic progress, and teacher quality.

Non-Traditional Student: Refers to a student in an educational program for which they do not meet the  typical characteristics of students within the program. This may refer to adult education students in high school level programs. It is also an accountability measure under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement of 2006, which tracks the number of students that participate in and complete a career technical education program of study for a career that is not typically pursued by that person’s gender.

Norm-Referenced Test (NRT): A standardized test designed primarily to compare the performance of students with that of their peers nationally. Such tests do not generally measure how students perform in relation to a state’s own academic standards.

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