Education Terminology Reference Guide
Educational terminology can be overwhelming with so many acronyms and buzzwords to remember. Here is a list of common terms and their meanings for your reference.
504
An accommodation plan that is developed by school teams for students who have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life events as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
ACT (American College Testing)
An entrance exam that measures students' college readiness.
AP (Advanced Placement Program)
A type of high school course that is sanctioned by the College Board that allows students who successfully pass the course and its standardized test the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school.
CCP (College Credit Plus)
Ohio program that allows students to earn college credit in high school through CCP courses. Lakota high schools offer some CCP courses in person with Lakota teachers. Students can also work directly with universities to take CCP courses not offered with the Lakota program of studies.
CTE (Career Technical Education)
Courses and programming that is offered to our students via our Career Technical Planning District Partner, Butler Tech. These courses are strongly tied to career pathways and focus instruction around more vocational concepts. Students also have options to complete fully high school programming in these subject areas by attending Butler Tech campuses in the last two years of their high school experience.
ELA (English Language Arts)
EL, ESL, ELL
EL - English Learner (as identified by state screener)
ESL - English as a Second Language (service for students identified as EL)
ELL - English Language Learner (now known as EL)
EOC ( End of Course Tests)
This battery of state tests is used for graduation eligibility and the state-district-school report card. The tests are administered in Fall or Spring when a student completes any of the following courses: English 10, Algebra, Geometry, Biology, American History, American Government.
HDT (High Dosage Tutoring)
High dosage tutoring is required for any student who has a Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan (RIMP).
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
An IEP is developed for a student if he/she qualifies as a student with a disability as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
KRA (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment)
An Ohio state assessment given to incoming Kindergarteners. This assessment includes ways for teachers to measure a child’s readiness for engaging with instruction aligned to the kindergarten standards.
LDP (Language Development Plans)
Created for students who are identified as English Learners to identify the necessary supports and accommodations.
LMS (Learning Management System)
Canvas is Lakota's LMS.
MAP Testing (Measures of Academic Progress)
This assessment measures reading and math.
MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support)
A systematic, supportive framework that helps educators identify students’ strengths, challenges, and personalized learning needs. Collaborative teams use evidence-based approaches to maximize resources and create responsive plans to guide instruction, interventions, and decisions.
OELPS/ OELPA (Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener or Assessment)
Administered to students to identify or assess an English Learner.
OST (Ohio State Tests)
The battery of state tests for grades 3-8 which include tests in Math, English Language Arts and Science
PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports)
PD (Professional Development)
To include training and professional growth opportunities for Lakota staff, including administrators, teachers and/or support professionals in their journey to positively impact student outcomes. These experiences can occur on PD days, before and after the school day and in the summer.
PI (Performance Index)
It is a measure of the average of the weighted performance levels (advanced, accomplished, proficient, basic and limited) on OST and EOC tests. The average will range between 30 and 120. This score is used to find the overall grade on the Achievement Component on the Report Card.
PL (Personalized Learning)
Tailoring the instructional environment to address the individual needs, skills and interests of the whole child, while developing a deep, personal connection to maximize student ownership of learning.
PLT (also know as T&E or WIN)
Personal Learning Time (PLT) or Tutorial & Enrichment (T&E) & What I Need (WIN).
RIMP (Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plan)
SEL (Social Emotional Learning)
The process through which people acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
STEM/ STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
An acronym for the category of courses and learning related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEAM has generally replaced STEM as the more common acronym as it adds the Arts to STEM.
T&E (also known as PLT or WIN)
Tutorial & Enrichment (T&E) or Personal Learning Time (PLT) & What I Need (WIN).
Title I
This is a federal program that provides funding targeted to academically at-risk students for academic support. Eligibility for funding is determined by economically disadvantaged percentages.
Value Added Growth Index (VA or EVAAS)
The average difference between what a student actually achieves on an OST or EOC and what they are projected to achieve, divided by the standard error.
WEP (Written Education Plan)
A WEP is created for students that are receiving gifted services. The WEP includes the course goal for the student and the method for reporting progress towards the course goal.
WIN (also known as PLT or T&E)
What I Need (WIN) or Personal Learning Time (PLT) & Tutorial & Enrichment (T&E),