Glossary of Special Education Acronyms & Terms
The disability community is full of acronyms that people constantly use in writing and conversation, and it’s important to know what those acronyms stand for.
AAC | Alternative Augmentative Communication
AACTE | American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
AASL | American Association of School Librarians (related: ALA)
AASTE | Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence
ABA | Applied Behavioral Analysis
ABC | Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
ABE | Adult Basic Education – a component of adult education. ABE is instruction in the basic skills below the 9th-grade level.
ABEA | Adult Basic Education Authorization-The authorization is a state-issued credential for adult educators in Colorado. It is the minimum professional standard for instructors in Colorado adult education programs that receive AEFLA funding.
ABI | Acquired Brain Injury
ACCESS | Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners
ACEE | Association of Colorado Educational Evaluators
ACSN | Advisory Council for School Nutrition
ACT | American College Test
ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD | Attention Deficit Disorder
ADE (now RISE) | Automated Data Exchange
ADHD | Attention Deficit/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADL(s) | Activities of Daily Living
ADR | Alternative Dispute Resolution
AEC | Alternative Education Campus
AEFLA | Adult Education and Family Literacy Act – Title II of the Workforce Investment Act.
AEI | Adult Education Initiatives – an office within the Division of Innovation, Choice, and Engagement at the Colorado Dept. of Education. (formerly Adult Education and Family Literacy Office or AEFL)
AFDC | Old acronym for Aid to Families with Dependent Children, which was replaced with TANF.
AFT | American Federation of Teachers is one of two teacher unions; the other is NEA, and at the Colorado level, CEA.
AIM | Accessible Instructional Materials
AIR (formerly NCREL) | American Institutes for Research
AIR | Annual Implementation Review
AITQ | Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality
ALA | American Library Association
ALJ | Administrative Law Judge
ALMIS | America’s Labor Market Information System – National databases to permit the seamless transfer of labor market information within and between states in a standardized format.
AMAO | Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives
AP | Advanced Placement
APE | Adaptive Physical Education
APF | Annual Performance Factor
APR | Annual Performance Report
APRP | Advanced Placement Reimbursement Program
APUSH | Advanced Placement U.S. History
ARD | Admission, Review, and Dismissal Committee
ARM | Administrator’s Reference Manual
ARP | American Rescue Plan
ARRA | American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
ASAA | Advancing Student Academic Achievement
ASCENT | Accelerating Schools through Concurrent Enrollment
ASCLA | Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
ASD | Autism Spectrum Disorders
ASE | A component of adult education. ASE is instruction in basic skills at or above the 9th grade level (9-12).
ASHA | American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASL | American Sign Language
ASMT | Assessment
ASP | Afterschool Snack Program
AT | Assistive Technology
ATA | Assistive Technology Act
ATE | Association of Teacher Educators
AU | Administrative Unit
AUA | Administrative Unit of Attendance
AUD | Auditing
AVP | Area Vocational Program
AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress
BAAC | Building Accountability Advisory Committees
BABNP | Breakfast After the Bell Nutrition Program
BD | Behavioral Disorder
BEAR | Basic Early Assessment in Reading
BEP | Behavior Education Program
BEST | Basic English Skills Test -The BEST is designed to test the listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills of limited English-proficient adults.
BEST | Building Excellent Schools Today
BIA | Bureau of Indian Affairs
BIE | Bureau of Indian Education
BIP | Behavioral Intervention Plan
BOCES | Board of Cooperative Educational Services — Frequently BOCES are a group of smaller districts that band together to use their collective for a better use of funds. Also known as BOCS.
BOCS | Board of Cooperative Services. Also known as BOCES.
BOE | Board of Education
BVI | Blind/Visually Impaired
C (at the end of a school district name) | Consolidated.
CABE | Colorado Association of Bilingual Educators
CABO | Colorado Association of Business Officials
CACE | Colorado Association of Community Educators
CADI | Comprehensive Appraisal for District Improvement
CAEPA | Colorado Adult Education Professional Association
CAES | Colorado Association of Educational Specialists
CAI | Computer Assisted Instruction
CAL | Colorado Association of Libraries
CAL | Center for Applied Linguistics
CALET | Colorado Association of Leaders in Educational Technology
CAP | Client Assistance Program
CAP | Corrective Action Plan
CAP4K | Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (SB-212)
CAPD | Central Auditory Processing Disorder
CAPTA | Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
CAQSAP | Colorado Alliance of Quality School-Age Providers
CARES Act | Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
CAS | Colorado Academic Standards
CASAS | Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System. Standardized assessment instruments for assessing adult basic skills within a functional context.
CASASTART | Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows
CASB | Colorado Association of School Boards
CASBO | Colorado Association of School Business Officials
CASE | Colorado Association for School Executives
CASL | Classroom Assessment for Student Learning
CASL | Colorado Association of School Librarians
CASN | Colorado Association of School Nurses
CASPA | Colorado Association of School Personnel Administrators
CASSA | Colorado Association of Superintendents/Senior Administrators
CASSP |Colorado Association of Secondary School Principals
CATE | Colorado Association of Teacher Educators
CBA | Curriculum Based Assessment
CBLA | Colorado Basic Literacy Act – state law that ensures students are reading at grade level by third grade. Replaced with the READ Act.
CBO | Community Based Organization – a local organization that works with one specialized population or group of clients. (i.e.: youth, women, adult learners, ex- offenders).
CBT | Computer-Based Training – the dissemination of text for instruction via electronic means.
CBT | Computer Based Testing
CC | Closed Captioning
CCA | Capital Construction Assistance
CCAB | Capital Construction Assistance Board
CCB | Community Centered Board
CCHE | Colorado Council on Higher Education
CCHS | Colorado Coalition for Healthy Schools
CCIRA | Colorado Council of the International Reading Association
CCLC | Century Community Learning Centers
CCML | Colorado Council of Medical Libraries
CCR | Colorado Code of Regulations
CCRA | Colorado Comprehensive Reading Academy
CCRS | College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education
CCSG | Connecting Colorado Students Grant
CCSRI | Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement
CCSS | Common Core State Standards
CCSSO| Council of Chief State School Officers
CDA | Child Development Associate
CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDE | Colorado Department of Education
CDE/AEI | Colorado Department of Education, Adult Education Initiatives (formerly Adult Education and Family Literacy Office or AEFL)
CDEC | Colorado Department of Early Childhood
CDHE | Colorado Department of Higher Education
CDHS | Colorado Department of Human Services
CDL&E | Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
CDOT | Colorado Department of Transportation
CDPHE | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
CE | Concurrent Enrollment
CEA | Colorado Education Association, the state chapter of NEA – one of two teachers unions; the other is AFT
CEC | Council for Exceptional Children
CECFA | Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority – issues bonds for charter schools
CEDAR | Colorado Education Data Analysis and Reporting System
CEEC | Colorado Educator Excellence Center
CEI | Colorado Education Initiative (formerly Colorado Legacy Foundation)
CELP | Colorado English Language Proficiency
CELT | Center for Educational Leadership and Technology
CEMA | Colorado Educational Media Association (now: CASL)
CEP | Community Eligibility Provision
CF | Cystic Fibrosis
CFDA | Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance – now called Assistance Listings
C-FIRS | Colorado – Federal Integrated Review System
CFP | Consolidated Federal Programs
CFR | Code of Federal Regulations
CHADD | Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
CHCO | Children’s Hospital Colorado
CHIP | Children’s Health Insurance Program
CI | Cochlear Implant
CIFMS | Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System
CIMC-VH | Colorado Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Handicapped
CIPA | Children’s Internet Protection Act
CK | Core Knowledge
CLC | Colorado Libraries Collaborate! (formerly Colorado Library Card)
CLCS | Colorado League of Charter Schools
CLD | Culturally and/or Linguistically Diverse
CLF | Colorado Legacy Foundation (now Colorado Education Initiative)
CLiC | Colorado Library Consortium
CLICK | A listserv for the adult education and family literacy community in Colorado managed by the Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy
CLSD | Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant
CMAS | Colorado Measures of Academic Success
CNS | Central Nervous System
CoALL | Colorado Association of Law Libraries
CoALT | Colorado Alternate Assessment
COMMSTEP | Colorado Mathematics Middle School Teacher Enhancement Project
CoP | Committee of Practitioners
COP | Community of Practice
COPA | Children’s Online Protection Act
CoPINE | Colorado Parent Information Network for Education
COPMS | Colorado State Model Performance Management System
CORA | Colorado Open Records Act
CORE | Consortium on Reading Excellence
COSPRA | Colorado School Public Relations Association
COSLA | Chief Officers of State Library Agencies
CoSN | Consortium for School Networking
CoSPL | Colorado State Publications Library
COWD | Colorado Office of Workforce Development
CP | Cerebral Palsy
CPIR | Center for Parent Information and Resources
CPIRC | Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center
CPP | Colorado Preschool Program
CPRC | Community Parent Resource Center
CPRE | Consortium for Policy Research in Education
CRC | Colorado Resource Center
CRDC | Civil Rights Data Collection (formerly the Elementary and Secondary School Survey, E&S Survey)
CREA | Colorado Reading Excellence Act
CRF | Colorado Reading First
CRF | Coronavirus Relief Fund
CROWD | Completion, Recall, Open-ended, Wh- questions, and Distancing. Prompts used in dialogic reading.
CRS | Colorado Revised Statutes
CSAC | Commissioner’s Superintendent Advisory Council
CSAN | Colorado State Accountability Network
CSAP | Colorado Student Assessment Program
CSAPA | Colorado State Assessment Program Alternate
CSBASP | Colorado Student Before and After School Project
CSCC | Charter School Capital Construction
CSDB | Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind
CSEAC | Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee
CSHCN | Children with Special Health Care Needs
CSI | Charter School Institute
CSL | Colorado State Library
CSNA | Colorado School Nutrition Association
CSPD | Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
CSPTA | Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association
CST | Child Study Team
CST | Coordinated Support Team
CRD | Colorado Reading Directorate
CRRSA | Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act
CSP | Charter School Program
CSPR | Consolidated State Performance Report
CSR | Comprehensive School Reform – a federal grant for failing schools, formerly known as Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration
CSR | Class Size Reduction
CSRC | Colorado School Resource Center
CSRS | Child Safety Restraint System
CSSEAC | Charter Schools Special Education Advisory Committee
CSSI | Charter School Support Initiative
CSU | Colorado State University
CTAG | Closing the Achievement Gap
C-TAG | Closing the Achievement Gap
CTBS | California Test of Basic Skills
CTBL | Colorado Talking Book Library
CTOY | Colorado Teacher of the Year
CTLT | Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology
CVL | Colorado Virtual Library
CVSA | Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
CWEL | Child Welfare Education Liaison (CWEL)
DAC | District Assessment Coordinator
DARE | Data, Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation
DB | Deaf-Blind
DBO | Department of Business Officials
DCO | Deputy Commissioner’s Office
DD | Developmental Delay
DD Act | Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act
DHH | Deaf/Hard of Hearing
DI | Direct Instruction
DIBELS | Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy
DIG | District Improvement Grant
DISH | District and School Dashboard
DLI | Daily Language Instruction
DLM | Dynamic Learning Maps Consortia
DOC | Department of Corrections
DoDDS | Department of Defense Dependent Schools
DODEA | Department of Defense Educational Activity
DOT | Department of Transportation
DPER | Data, Program Evaluation and Reporting
DPF | District Performance Frameworks
DPL | Denver Public Library
DS | Down Syndrome
DSA | Data Sharing Agreement
DSM | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association
DSM-IV | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV
DSU | Data Services Unit
DTC | District Technology Coordinator
DU | University of Denver
DVR | Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
DWDB | Denver Workforce Development Board
DYS | Division of Youth Services (formerly DYC, Division of Youth Corrections)
EANS | Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools
EASI | Empowering Action for School Improvement
EBP | Evidence-based Practice
ECARE | Early Childhood At-Risk Enhancement
ECE | Early Childhood Education
ECEA | Exceptional Children’s Educational Act
ECHS | Early College High School
ECLC | Early Childhood Leadership Commission
ECS | Education Commission of the States
ECSE | Early Childhood Special Education
ECWD | Early Childhood Workforce Development (formerly Early Childhood Professional Development or ECPD)
ED | Emotional Disturbance
ED | U.S. Department of Education
EDAC | Education Data Advisory Committee
EDGAR | Education Department General Administrative Regulations
EDI | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
EDID | Educator Identifier Project. Purpose was to improve teaching and learning by linking student achievement data to the students’ teacher(s).
EDIS | Educator Identifier System
EDLG | Early Learning and Development Guidelines, Birth to 8
EE | Educator Effectiveness
EEO | Extended Evidence Outcomes
EF | Employment First – A federally mandated program designed to ensure that all able-bodied food stamp participants funded by the US Dept. of Agriculture clients are engaged in activities that will improve their employability.
EFL | Educational Functioning Level – The levels at which adult learners in AEFLA-funded programs are initially placed based on their ability to perform literacy-related tasks in specific content areas.
EHA | Education of the Handicapped Act (now IDEA)
EHCY | Education for Homeless Children and Youth
EHDI | Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
EI | Early Intervention
EIEP | Emergency Immigrant Education Program
EIS | Early Intervening Services
EL | Educator Licensing
EL | English Learner
ELA | English Language Acquisition
ELA | English Language Arts
ELAT | Early Literacy Assessment Tool
ELD | English Language Development
ELG | Early Literacy Grant
ELL | English Language Learner
ELPA | English Language Proficiency Act
ELU | Education Licensing Unit
EMAC | Emergency Management Assistance Compact
EOY | End of Year
EPSDT |Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
EQIT | Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care Initiative
E-rate | A discount telecom program from the US Government, the universal service fund
ERIC | Education Resources Information Center
ES | Elementary School
ESD | Extended School Day
ESEA | Elementary and Secondary Education Act (now called ESSA)
ESL | English as a Second Language
ESOL | English for Speakers of Other Languages
ESRA | Education Sciences Reform Act
ESSA | Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSER | Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief
ESSU | Exceptional Student Services Unit
ESY or EYS | Extended School Year or Extended Year Services
ET/IL | Educational Technology and Information Literacy
FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education
FAS | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FASD | Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
FAST | Field Analyst Services Team – now called School Auditing Office
FBA | Functional Behavioral Assessment
FBO | Faith-Based Organization – Organizations that have their charter from a particular church/religious affiliation.
FC | Facilitated Communication
FCC | Federal Communications Commission
FDA | Facilitated Data Analysis
FDK | Full-Day Kindergarten Facility Capital Construction
FELL | Former English Language Learner
FEOG | Full Educational Opportunity Goal
FEP | Fluent English Proficient
FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FFVP | Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
FHA | Functional Hearing Assessment
FMCSA | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FMVSS | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
FOIA | Freedom of Information Act
FPP | Financial Policies and Procedures
FRL | Free and Reduced Price Lunch
FRUMPS | Front Range Urban Media Professionals
FSCS | Federal-State Cooperative System
FSCP | Family, School, and Community Partnering
FTE | Full-Time Equivalent
FTL | Following the Leaders (program from the Education Leaders Council)
FVA | Functional Visual Assessment
FY | Fiscal Year – the fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30 the following year
GAO | Government Accounting Office
GE | General Education
GED (also known as HSE or High School Equivalency) | General Educational Development
GEER | Governor’s Emergency Education Relief
GEPA | General Education Provisions Act
GFM | Grants Fiscal Management (now Office of Grants Fiscal)
GIS | Geographic Information Services
GLE | Grade Level Expectation
GPRA | Government Performance and Results Act
GT | Gifted and Talented
HESTL | Highly Effective Schools through Libraries
HHFKA | Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
HI | Hearing Impaired
HIP | Helping Improve Parents
HKCS | Healthy Kids Colorado Survey
HLM | Hierarchical Linear Model
HIPPA | Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act
HKNC | Helen Keller National Center
HO | Hearing Officer
HoH | Hard of Hearing
HOSTS | Help One Student to Succeed
HOUSSE | Highly Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation
HQT | Highly Qualified Teacher
HS | High School
HSE | High School Equivalency (HSE) Testing Program (also known as GED)
IA | Instructional Assistant
IAES | Interim Alternative Educational Setting
IASA | Improving America’s Schools Act – 1994 federal law
IB | International Baccalaureate
ICAP | Individual Career and Academic Plan
ICC | Interagency Coordinating Council
ID | Intellectual Disabilities
IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA-B | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – Part B
IEE | Independent Educational Evaluation
IELCE | Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education – Federal grant funds, made available under AEFLA, to enable local programs to provide integrated English literacy and civics education services to immigrants and other limited English proficient populations. (Formerly EL/Civics)
IEP | Individualized Education Program
IES | Institute of Education Sciences
IFC | Intellectual Freedom Committee
IFSP | Individualized Family Service Plan
IHE | Institution of Higher Education
ILL | Interlibrary Loan
ILP | Individual Literacy Plan – the Colorado Basic Literacy Act requires an ILP for any student not reading at grade level by third grade
IMLS | Institute of Museum and Library Services
IMP | Interactive Mathematics Program
IMS | Information Management Systems
IPBS | Integrated Performance and Benchmarking System
IPS | Individualized Planning Sessions
IPST | Instructional Program Service Type
IPT | Idea Proficiency Test
IQ | Intelligence Quotient
IRA | International Reading Association
IRA | Inter-rater Agreement
IRI | Informal Reading Inventory
IRR | Inter-rater Reliability
ISBN | International Standard Book Number
ISP | Internet Service Provider
ISSN | International Standard Serial Number
ITA | Individual Training Accounts – Workforce Investment Act funds used to pay for training; or a voucher system established under WIA. It is part of the set of services available to those customers needing specific occupational skill attainment.
ITBS | Iowa Test of Basic Skills
ITCA | Infants and Toddlers Coordinators Association
ITP | Individualized Transition Plan
J (at the end of a school district name) | Joint, crosses county lines.
JBC | Joint Budget Committee
JT (at the end of a school district name) | Joint, crosses county lines.
LD | Learning Disability(ies)
LD | Learning Disabled
LD | Library District
LEA | Local Education Agency
LEP | Limited English Proficiency
LETRS | Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling
LINCS | Literacy Information and Communication System
LMA | Learning Media Assessment
LMC | Library Media Center School and Library Division (E-rate)
LMI | Labor Market Information – The cornerstone of Colorado’s delivery system for employment statistics.
LMS | Learning Management System (See CDE’s Moodle Learning Management System, also known as CDE LMS)
LM/Ts | Lesson Maps and Templates
LRE | Least Restrictive Environment
LRS | Library Research Service
LSTA | Library Services and Technology Act
MALDEF | Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
MALL | Metro Area Learning Leaders
MARC | Machine Readable Cataloging
MATES | Metro Area Transportation
MBQC | Malcolm Baldrige Quality Criteria – Named for the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, a national program to stimulate companies to become competitive in the area of quality management using leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resources, process management, and business results.
McREL | Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
MD | Muscular Dystrophy
MD or MH | Multiple Disabilities or Multiply Handicapped
MDR | Manifestation Determination Review
MEP | Migrant Education Program
MET | Measures of Effective Teaching (Funded by Gates Foundation, study on how to evaluate teachers)
MGP | Median Growth Percentile
MLS | Master of Library Science
MNT | Multi-use Network
MOE | Maintenance of Effort
MOU | Memorandum of Understanding
MPAEA | Mountain Plains Adult Education Association
MPRRC | Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center
MS | Middle School
MSP | Mathematics and Science Partnerships
MTSS | Multi-Tiered System of Supports
N/D | Neglected or Delinquent
N/T | Nutrition/Transportation
NACSA | National Association of Charter School Authorizers
NAEYC | National Association for the Education of Young Children
NASBE | National Association of State Boards of Education
NASDSE | National Association of State Directors of Special Education
NASN | National Association of School Nurses
NAFEPA | National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators
NAEIR | National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources
NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress (Used to assess a sample of students in each state annually in 4th- and 8th-grade reading and math)
NAPT | National Association for Pupil Transportation
NARF | National Association for Reading First
NASDPTS | National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services
NASTID | National Association of State Title I Directors – now called ESEA Network
NCA | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
NCATE | National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
NCES | National Center for Educational Statistics
NCIP | National Children’s Internet Protection Act
NCLB(A) | No Child Left Behind Act (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reauthorized in 2015 as ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act)
NCTM | National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
NCST | National Congress on School Transportation
NEA | National Education Association
NECTAS | National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System
NEP | Non-English Proficient
NGS | New Generation System
NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NIH | National Institutes of Health
NIMAC | National Instructional Materials Access Center
NIMAS | National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard
NIMH | National Institute of Mental Health
NISO | National Information Standards Organization
NPRM | Notice of Proposed Rule Making
NPSO | National Post-School Outcomes Center
NRS | National Reporting System for Adult Education
NRS | Network and Resource Sharing
NSLP | National School Lunch Program
NSTTAC | National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
NTAC | National Technical Assistance Consortium
NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board
O & M | Orientation and Mobility Services
OAO | Operational Advice and Oversight
OCD | Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCLC | Online Computer Library Center
OCR | Office for Civil Rights
OCTAE | Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (formerly OVAE)
ODD | Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OELSR | Office of Early Learning and School Readiness
OES | Office of Educational Services
OESC | Office of Educational Services Council
OFPA | Office of Federal Program Administration
OHI | Other Health Impairment
OI | Orthopedic Impairment
OLE | Online Education
OLS | Office of Learning Supports
OMB | Office of Management and Budget – Clearance Packages
OMS | Office of Management Services
OOS | Out of Service
OPS | Office of Professional Services
OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education
OSERS | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services
OSPB | Office of State Planning and Budgeting
OSS | Office of Special Services, now known as Office of Federal Programs
OT | Occupational Therapy
OTL | Opportunity to Learn
OVAE | Office of Vocational and Adult Education (currently OCTAE)
P&A | Protection & Advocacy
PA | Phonemic Awareness
PACT | Parent and Child Together Time
PAIR | Program Accountability and Improvement Review (The on-site monitoring process used by Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy)
PALS | Peer-Assisted Learning System
PAMS | Planning and Management System
PARCC | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
Part B | Special Education – School-Aged Children (Ages 3-21)
Part C | Special Education Early Intervention – Birth through 2 Years Old
PASS | Plan for Achieving Self-Support
PBIS | Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
PBS | Positive Behavioral Supports
PC | Perceptual-Communicative Criteria
PCA | Personal Care Attendant
PCD | Perceptual Communicative Disorder
PCSGP | Public Charter School Grant Program
PCSP | Public Charter School Program
PD | Physical Disability
PD | Professional Development
PDAS | Professional Development and Academic Support
PDD | Pervasive Developmental Disorder (the term is no longer used; as of 2013, it’s included under the umbrella category of autism spectrum disorder)
PDD | Professional Development District
PDS | Professional Development School
PDSSP | Professional Development and School Support
PEBC | Public Education Business Coalition
PEAK | Parent Education and Assistance for Kids
PEBC | Public Education & Business Coalition (A nonprofit partnership of Colorado education and business leaders dedicated to developing the intellectual and scholarly practices of educators across the continuum of their professional lives so our schools are worthy of our students)
PEER | Prompts the child to say something about the book, Evaluates the response, Expands the child’s response, Repeats the prompt. Dialogic reading prompts.
PEI | Spanish acronym for the Individualized Education Program (Plan Educativo Individualizado)
PEP | Parents Encouraging Parents
Perkins Act | Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act
PGC | Prepared Graduate Competency
PI | Prevention Initiatives
PI’d | Postponed Indefinitely (legislative term meaning bill is dead)
PIE | Policy Innovators in Education Network
PII | Personally Identifiable Information
PIRC | Parent Information and Resource Center
PISA | Program for International Student Assessment
PITA | Priority Improvement or Turnaround. Refers to school and/or district’s annual ratings on the annual Performance Framework.
PL | Public Law
PL | Public Library
PLACE | Program for Licensing Assessments for Colorado Educators
PLC | Professional Learning Community
PLEP or PLP | Present Level(s) of Educational Performance or Present Level(s) of Performance
PP | Paraprofessional
PPA | Per Pupil Allocation
PPOR | Per Pupil Operating Revenue
PPR | Per Pupil Revenue
PREL | Pacific Regional Educational Labs
PS | Preschool
PSAT | Pre-Stanford Achievement Test
PsD | Preschool Disability
PSF | Public School Finance
PSFU | Public School Finance Unit
PSRP | Paraprofessionals and School-Related Personnel
PT | Physical Therapy
PTAC | Parent Technical Assistance Center
P-TECH | Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools in Colorado
PTI | Parent Training and Information Center
PTO | Parent-Teacher Organization
PTP | Personnel Technological Proficiency
PWR | Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness
QTC | Quality Teacher Committee
QZAB | Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
R (at the end of a school district name) | Reorganized
R2A | Read to Achieve
RAC | Regional Assistance Center
RAD | Reactive Attachment Disorder
RANDA | Colorado State Model Performance Management System
RDA | Results-Driven Accountability
RE | Research/Evaluation
RE (at the end of a school district name) | Reorganized
REA | Reading Excellence Act
READ Act | Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act
REAP | Rural Education Achievement Program
RF | Reading First
RFI | Request for Information
RFP | Request for Proposals
RISC | Re-Inventing Schools Coalition
RISE | Relevant Information to Strengthen Education
RITS | Record Integration Tracking System
RM | Results Matter
RPDC | Regional Professional Development Council
RS | Related Services
RSA | Regional Service Area
RST | Regional Service Team
RTI | Response to Intervention
RTTT | Race to the Top Fund (also known as Vision 2020)
§ | This symbol means “Section” as in “§ 300.7 Child with a disability” in the IDEA regulations
SA | Self-Assessment
SACPIE | State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education
SAGE | Service-learning and Geographic Engagement
SAR | School Accountability Report
SAR | Supervisory Assistance Review of a District’s Transportation Department
SAS | Supplementary Aids and Services
SASA | Student Achievement and School Accountability
SASID | State Assigned Student Identifier Numbers.
SAT | Stanford Achievement Test
SAU | Student Assessment Unit
SB | Spina Bifida
SBD | Student Biographical Data
SBE | State Board of Education
SBIC | School Bus Inspection Council
SBP | School Breakfast Program
SBRR | Scientifically Based Reading Research
SCASS | State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards
SCHIP | State Children’s Health Insurance Program
SDFSC | Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities
SDI | Safety and Discipline Indicators
SE | Special Education
SEA | State Education Agency
SEAC | Special Education Advisory Committee
SEC | Surveys of Enacted Curriculum
Section 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 619 | Special Education 3-5 Years Old
SED | Serious Emotional Disturbance
SEDL | Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
SEE | Special Educator Eligibility
SEFAC | Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee
SEP | Student Educational Plan- An individualized plan for instruction that assists a learner in achieving his/her goals.
SEPAC | Special Education Parent Advisory Council
SES | Supplemental Educational Services
SFA | School Finance Act
SFA | School Food Authority
SFSP | Summer Food Service Program
SI | Sensory Integration
S/I | Supplemental/Intervention
SIED | Significant Identifiable Emotional Disability
SIG | State Improvement Grant
SILC | Supporting Inclusive Learning Communities
SIMR | State-Identified Measurable Results for Children with Disabilities
SIP | State Implementation Plan
SIP | School Improvement Plan
SIP | State Improvement Plan
SLD | Specific Learning Disability
SLD | School and Library Division (E-rate)
SLDS | Statewide Longitudinal Data System
SLI | Speech/Language Impairment
SLIC | Significant Limited Intellectual Capacity
SLO | Student Learning Objectives
SLP | Speech/Language Pathologist
SMART | Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent
SMART | Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Research-based, Time-phased
SMP | Special Milk Program
SOA | School of Accountability
SOP | State Operated Program
S/P | Severe/Profound
SPDG | State Personnel Development Grant
SPED | Special Education
SPF | School Performance Frameworks
SPGP | School Professional Grant Program
SPL | State Publications Library
SPL | Student Performance Level
SPOA | Specific Power of Attorney
SPP | State Performance Plan
SRO | School Resource Officer
SRSA | Small Rural School Achievement
SSAE | Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment
SSAS | Statewide System for Accountability and Support
SSDI | Social Security Disability Income
SSI | Supplemental Security Income
SSIP | State Systemic Improvement Plan
SSN | Significant Support Needs
SSRG | Safe Schools Reopening Grant (SSRG)
SST | Student Study Team
SST | School Support Team
SSTEP | School Support Team Evaluation Program
SSW | School Social Work Services
STAR | Standardized Test for Assessment of Reading
STAR | State Top Achievement Recognition
STC | School to Career
STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Mathematics
SW | Schoolwide
SWAAAC | Statewide Assistive, Augmentative Alternative Communication
SWAP | Southwest Assessment Partners
SWAP | School to Work Alliance Program
SWCC | Southwest Comprehensive Center
SWD | Students with Disabilities
SWIFT | Statewide Interlibrary Loan Fast Track
SWP | Schoolwide Program (Schoolwide at CDE means that non-Title I students are included)
TA | Targeted Assistance (Title I)
TA | Technical Assistance
TABE | Tests of Adult Basic Education
TABOR | Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights
TAC | Transportation Advisory Council
TA&D | Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
TANF | Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
TAP | Transition Action Plan
TAS | Targeted Assistance School
TASSIE | Title I Accountability Systems and School Improvement Efforts
TBI | Traumatic Brain Injury
TCAP | Transitional Colorado Assessment Program
TCPU | Transportation, Communications and Public Utilities
TDD | Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
TDG | Teacher Development Grants
TDIP | Targeted District Improvement Partnership
TIE | Technology in Education (now InnEdCO, Innovative Education in Colorado
TIG | Tiered Intervention Grant
TIMSS | Third International Mathematics and Science Study
TIR | Teacher in Residence
TLAP | Technology Literacy Assessment Program
TLCC | Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (formerly TELL Colorado)
TLF | Technology Leadership Forum
TLCF | Old acronym for Technology Literacy Challenge Fund which has been replaced by E2T2 –Enhancing Education through Technology
TLU | Teaching and Learning Unit
TMH | Trainable Mentally Handicapped (no longer used)
TMR | Trainable Mentally Retarded (no longer used)
TNTP | The New Teacher Project
ToD | Teacher of the Deaf
TOSA | Teacher on Special Assignment
TOT | Training of Trainers
TOY | Colorado Teacher of the Year
TP | Transition Plan
TS | Tourette Syndrome
TS GOLD | Teaching Strategies GOLD™
TSCP | Technical Support Consultant Program
TSDL | Teacher-Student Data Link
T-TA | Training and Technical Assistance
TTE | Temporary Teacher Eligibility
TTY | Teletypewriter (phone system for the deaf)
TVI | Teacher of Students Who Are Visually Impaired
TWWIIA | Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
UCD | University of Colorado at Denver
UIP | Unified Improvement Planning
UNC | University of Northern Colorado
UPK | Universal Preschool
USAC | Universal Service Administrative Company
USDA | United States Department of Agriculture
USDE | United States Department of Education
USDOE | United States Department of Education
USDOT | United States Department of Transportation
VD | Visually Disabled
VI | Visual Impairment
Voc Ed | Vocational Education
VR | Vocational Rehabilitation
W-APT | WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test for Kindergarten
WBPD | Web-based Professional Development
WDC | Workforce Development Council
WIA | Workforce Investment Act
WIB | Workforce Investment Boards
WIC | Women, Infants and Children (Special Supplemental Food Program)
WIDA Consortium | World-Class Instruction Design and Assessment
WIOA | Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
WISE | Web-based Inquiry Science Environment
WRAT | Wide Range Achievement Test
WSCC | Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child
WWC | What Works Clearinghouse
504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – a civil rights statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability
21stCCLC | 21st Century Community Learning Centers
2e | Twice Exceptional or Twice-Exceptional