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Educational Terms

21ST Century Skills – skills needed to be successful in a job and life in this century (e.g. critical thinking and reasoning, problem solving, information/communication literacy, creativity, perseverance, cooperative work, open mindedness, life skills, and more). 

504 Plans – Educational plans for students with medical issues

AEP – Advanced Education Plan

AU – Administrative Unit

BCBA – Board Certified Behavior Analyst

CAS – Colorado Academic Standards

CASEL – Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning

CLD – Culturally and Linguistically Diverse learners

CO-SLAW – Colorado Opioid Support in Larimer and Weld counties

CPI – Crisis Prevention Intervention: nonviolent strategies for managing difficult situations and disruptive behavior.
Curriculum Cross Walk – a process to determine if there are gaps between a curriculum(s) and standards and other expectations (e.g. GOs)

CTE – Career and Technical Education

DEAR – Drop Everything And Read: a strategy where everyone (students and adults) reads for the same time period.

DOK – Depth of Knowledge

DPF – District Performance Framework: Distinction. Accredited. Improvement. Priority Improvement. Turnaround. Insufficient Data.

EBL – Emerging Bilingual Learners (aka ELD or ELL)

EBRW – Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

ELA – English/Language Arts

ELC – Exercise Learning Center

ELD – English Language Development

ELL – English Language Learners

ESSA – Every Student Succeeds Act: federal law that governs K-12 policy including annual testing in grades 3-8 plus grade 11 to achieve state standards (aka ESEA)

FCS – Family and Consumer Sciences

F/RL – Free or Reduced Lunch

FTE – Full-time Equivalent (a unit of staff positions)

ICAP – Individual Career and Academic Planning 

IDEA – Individuals with Disability Education Act 

IEP – Individualized Education Plan

LCSW – Licensed Clinical Social Worker

MSL - Measures of Student Learning 

MTSS – Multi-tiered System of Support: a systemic, continuous-improvement framework in which data-based problem solving and decision-making is practiced across all levels of the educational system for supporting students)

PBIS – Positive Behavioral Intervention Strategies

PD – Professional Development

PROPS – Personal attributes as a teacher, Routines in the classroom, Outcomes, Planning, Subject.

QPR – Question, Persuade. Refer. Used for suicide prevention.

READ Plans – For students with significant reading deficiencies.

RP – Restorative Practices.

Sandbox Goal - A goal for which we do not yet have a clear measure but on which we still work.

SEL – Social and Emotional Learning

SIP – School Improvement Plans.

SIPPS – Systemic Instruction in Phonological awareness, Phonics, and Sight words.

SLO – Student Learning Objectives

SpEd – Special Education

SPFs – School Performance Frameworks; used for accreditation: Performance. Improvement. Priority Improvement. Turnaround. Insufficient Data.

SS – Social Studies

SSP – Student Success Plans

StratOp – Strategic Operations Action Teams created to advance the outcomes of the Estes Thrives Neighborhood Learning Conversations

SWD – Students with Disabilities

TIC – Technologies of Information and Communication: technologies that provide access to communication.

TVI – Teacher of Visually Impaired

UIP – Unified Improvement Plan required in Colorado to assure continuous student improvement and manage performance

Tests and Scoring:

Formative assessments – formal and informal assessments (including diagnostic) used by teachers to guide/modify day-to- day instruction .

Benchmark assessments – nationally normed tests given in the fall, winter, and spring to assess learning and guide instruction.

  • MAPS/NWEA - Measures of Academic Progress, provided by Northwest Evaluation Association. 
    • Math – used in grades 2-10.
    • Reading – used in grades 2-10.
    • Science – used in grades 6-10.
    • Language usage – used in grades 3-8, mainly in lower grades as written expression is emphasized more in upper grades.
  • Uses RIT scores and percentile ranking.
    • RIT scores - a stable scale showing growth over time, analogous to marking height on a growth chart.
    • Percentile rank – shows achievement compared to a specific group – e.g. a grade, cohort group. For example, a 50%ile means that a student scored as well or better than 50 out of every 100 students taking the test; a 61%ile means that a student scored as well or better than every 61 students out of 100 who take the test.

  • Summative assessments – evaluative assessments of student learning given at the conclusion of a defined instructional period

  • PSAT – Preliminary SAT given in grade 10 to prepare students for taking the SAT and to qualify for National Merit Scholarships.

    • Tests math, reading, and writing for a possible total score of 320-1520.

  • SAT – Scholastic Achievement Test given to seniors to qualify for college admission now used in Colorado instead of the ACT. 

    • Tests math and evidenced-based reading/writing for a possible total score of 400-1600.

  • Accuplacer – a computerized test that assesses reading, writing, math, and computer skills used by counselors to place students in college courses that match their skills.

  • ACT – American College Testing given to qualify for college admission

  • ASVAB – Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery – a military entrance exam given to determine enlistment eligibility and job training eligibility.

  • CMAS – Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests of standards in reading, English language arts, math, science, and social studies given in spring in grades 3-8 and grade 10

  • DIBELS - Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills given in grades K-3 to assess phonemic awareness and fluency

  • WIDA – World-class Instructional Design and Assessment to determine language level of ELL. ACCESS is the collective name for WIDA’s suite of summative English language proficiency assessments.