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Glossary of Education Terms
Ed. Code
Education Code. State law that pertains to the California educational
system. School Improvement is covered in Sections 52000-52039.
Proficiency standards are covered in Sections 51215-51225.
EIA
Economic Impact Aid. The state funding source
for State Compensatory Education (SCE) and-Bilingual Education
for Limited and Non-English Speaking pupils (LEP).
Entitlement
The amount of money a school district receives to operate a categorical
program for one fiscal year.
ESEA
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. An act that was passed
by Congress in 1965. There were many sections of the act known
as titles. Each title or chapter is concerned with some aspect
of education.
ESEA, Title l
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1994. Federal legislation
provides over and above financial assistance to LEAs to meet
special instructional needs in the basic curriculum areas of
educationally disadvantaged pupils in public and nonprofit, private
schools.
ESEA, Title ll
Eisenhower Professional Development Program.
ESEA, Title IVA
Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
ESEA, Title VI, Innovative
Programs
Funds that may be used for a wide variety of purposes that lead
to school reform and innovation.
ESL
English as a Second
Language
FEP
Fluent English
Proficient
Fiscal Year
For the state, the fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30
of any particular year. The federal fiscal year begins October
1 and ends September 30.
Full-Time Equivalent
The ratio of time expended in a part-time position to that of
a full-time position.
Funding Sources
District, state, federal or private appropriations or grants
which provide money for educational programs.
GATE
Gifted And Talented
Education. Schools with School Improvement Programs are
required to address the needs of gifted and talented pupils as
part of their program plan.
IASA
Improving America's
Schools Act. The federal act that reauthorized
ESEA, among other programs.
Indirect Cost
Those expenses which are usually attributed to cover the business
administrative cost of a program.
Instructional Aides
Term used in the Education Code to cover persons employed to
assist classroom teachers and other certificated personnel in
the performance of their duties and in the supervision of pupils
and in instructional tasks which, in the judgment of the certificated
personnel to whom the instructional aide is assigned, may be
performed by persons not licensed as a classroom teacher (13599.3).
LEA
Local Education Agency. A board of education or some other legal
entity having authority and decision making responsibility over
public education in a district or county.
LEP
Limited English Proficient.
Miller-Unruh Program
A state-funded program to improve reading skills of primary age
students. Funds for this program are used to obtain specialist
teachers of reading.
PQR
Program Quality
Review. An on-site evaluation of programs by the school
and state-trained consultants, designed to provide assistance
to schools in improvement I of the instructional program.
Proficiency Standards
Local governing boards are required to adopt minimum standards
for basic skills and after June 1980, no student shall receive
a high school diploma if he or she has not met those standards.
If a student does not demonstrate sufficient progress, the principal
is required to arrange a conference among the student (in secondary
schools), parent, teacher, and principal. Additional instruction
in basic skills shall be provided for any student who does not
demonstrate sufficient progress towards mastery of basic skills.
R30-LC
Language Census Report 30. LC 30 is a language census report
submitted by each school district to CDE every year in April
based on March I enrollment.
Regulations
Rules that usually explain or expand on some part of the law.
Regulations are published, for example, in the Federal Register
and the California Administrative Code Title 5.
RSP
Resource Specialist Program. Provides instruction to Special
Education students who are in the regular classroom program for
a minimum of 50% of the day.
SAC
School Advisory Council. A committee with responsibility for
providing advice on specific programs such as SCE or Bilingual.
The SSC is not an advisory committee. The function of the SAC
is performed by the DAC in a district with one attendance area.
The SAC may choose to have the SSC perform its function.
SB 813
The comprehensive school finance bill of 1983 which significantly
changed the funding formulas for School Improvement.
SBCP
School-Based Coordinated Program The School-Based Coordination
Act of 1981 was enacted to allow schools to coordinate the resources
of several state-funded categorical programs. The identification
of a single program, such as School Improvement, as a School
Based Coordinated program permits the Site Council to plan staff
development days and the district to be reimbursed for full average
daily attendance.
SCE
State Compensatory Education. A program
that follows the guidelines of Title I that is-funded by Economic
Impact Aid.
SIP
School Improvement
Program. A school program, including objectives and activities,
designed to meet the education needs of pupils.
SSC
School Site Council.
Parents, students (in secondary schools), teachers, the principal,
and others as specified by School Improvement law responsible
for developing a School Improvement plan, establishing the School
Improvement budget, periodically assessing the school program
and annually reviewing the implementation of the plan (See also
SAC).
SST
Student Study
Team. A school-based team of teachers, administrators,
and specialists designed to review needs of students who are
having difficulty in school or who are at risk, in order to modify
their school program or refer for specialized assistance.
Supplant
To replace or to be used instead of (e.g., Title I funds may
not be used to supplant state or local funds for education).
Supplementary
Additional, over and above, or what is already required.
Title I
See ESEA, Title I.
Waiver
A formal request from
a local district governing board to the State Board of Education
to set aside a state regulation or law for a specific school.
Many requirements of the Education Code and Title 5 regulations
could be waived if the State Board determines that failure to
do so would substantially inhibit implementation of School Improvement
at a school. The State Board of Education is not empowered to
waive any of the requirements of federally funded programs.
