ADD: Attention deficit disorder. A medical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. May impact a student's ability to stay focused in the classroom. Not always a noticeable condition, but a child may often appear to be daydreaming or not paying attention.
ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A medical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. A student with ADHD may have difficulty staying focused but may also exhibit frequent and persistent motor movement in addition to difficulty attending.
ARD: Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee. A committee made up of teachers, school staff and parents that reviews diagnostic information and determine eligibility for special education services. If a student is determined to meet the criteria for eligibility for services, this committee decides an appropriate plan for the student.
ASC: Academic Support committee. A committee of teachers and staff members who meet to discuss and monitor student performance when concerns have been raised by a classroom teacher or other school personnel.
AU: Autism disorder.
BIP: Behavior Intervention Plan. A student receiving special education services may have a BIP written to address specific behavioral concerns.
CEC: Campus Excellence Committee. A committee of parents, teachers, and community members who meet to discuss issues about the school's performance and operation.
CIP: Campus Improvement Plan. An annual plan required for each school in the state of Texas.
ELL: English language learners.
ESL: English as a second language. Sometimes also referred to as ESOL.
FERPA: Family Educational Right to Privacy Act. The federal legislation that requires information regarding students to be kept confidential and discussed only with parents, guardians or others with specific need to know or with appropriate permission.
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal legislation that governs special education.
IEP: Individual Education Plan. The plan written for special education students by the ARD committee.
IQ: Intelligence Quotient.
ISS: In-school suspension. A disciplinary consequence used for more serious behaviors requiring students to be removed from the regular classroom for a short period of time.
LEP: Limited English Proficiency.
LRE: Least restrictive environment. Also having to do with special education and the most appropriate placement for a child's education.
NCLB: No Child Left Behind. The federal legislation which authorizes Title I funds (and other Title programs) that also governs accountability and testing requirements for each state.
OSS: Out of school suspension. A disciplinary consequence for serious behavioral infractions where a student is sent home with a parent or guardian due to behavior issues at school.
PEIMS: Public Education Information Management System. The system used by the state of Texas to track public school student data.
PPCD: Preschool program for children with disabilities. A program for 3,4, and 5 year old students who have identified special education needs.
PreK: A regular education program for students who turn 4 before September 1st each year. There is specific criteria for qualifying for this program.
Reading support: Support provided for students in grades K-5 usually in a small group setting to help with decoding, fluency, comprehension and word analysis.
SSI: Student Success Initiative. The state of Texas requires all students in grades 3,5, and 8 to pass specific TAKS tests in order to be promoted to the next grade. The SSI has specific requirements for the school to identify and assist students in order to insure their success.
SSR: Silent Sustained Reading. A period of time when all students in a classroom read silently. May also be called other terms such as Drop Everything and Read" (DEAR).
STAAR: State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness
TEA: Texas Education Agency.
TEKS: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The required curriculum and standards for students in all grades and subjects grades PK-12.