K-12 Education Abbreviations
96 abbreviations · part of Education & Academic Abbreviations
Abbreviations used in American elementary, middle and high schools: grade levels, school governance, special education under IDEA and Section 504, programs for English learners and gifted students, curriculum standards, career and technical education and school funding. Special education and English learner terminology varies by state, so entries note local names used in places such as Texas, California and New York. Parents meeting these terms in letters or IEP meetings can always ask staff to spell them out.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 504 plan | Section 504 plan | Plan that provides accommodations to a student with a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, such as extra test time, preferential seating… |
| ADA | Average daily attendance | Measure of the average number of students attending school each day over a period, used by California, Texas and some other states as the basis for school funding. |
| ARD | Admission, Review and Dismissal committee | Name used in Texas for the team that determines a student's special education eligibility, writes the IEP and makes placement decisions, equivalent to the IEP team in… |
| AVID | Advancement Via Individual Determination | College readiness program that places students, often those who would be the first in their families to attend college, in an elective class teaching note-taking… |
| AYP | Adequate yearly progress | Accountability measure under the No Child Left Behind Act that required schools to meet annual targets on state tests for all students and subgroups, aiming for 100… |
| BIP | Behavior intervention plan | Written plan, often part of an IEP or 504 plan, that describes positive strategies, supports and consequences to reduce a student's problem behavior and teach… |
| BOE | Board of education | Elected or appointed governing body of a school district that sets policy, approves budgets, hires the superintendent and oversees curriculum. |
| BTSN | Back-to-school night | Evening event early in the school year when parents visit classrooms, meet teachers and hear about curriculum, expectations and grading. |
| CAS | Creativity, activity, service | Core requirement of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in which students spend about 18 months on experiences in the arts and creative thinking, physical… |
| CCSS | Common Core State Standards | Academic standards in English language arts and mathematics for kindergarten through grade 12, released in 2010 by the National Governors Association and the Council of… |
| CEP | Community Eligibility Provision | Federal option that lets high-poverty schools and districts serve free breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting individual applications. |
| CSE | Committee on Special Education | New York State name for the district team that evaluates students, determines eligibility and develops IEPs for school-age children. |
| CST | Child study team | New Jersey term for the school-district team, typically a school psychologist, learning disabilities teacher-consultant and school social worker, that evaluates… |
| CTE | Career and technical education | Courses and programs that prepare students for careers in fields such as health sciences, information technology, construction, agriculture, culinary arts and… |
| DE | Dual enrollment | Arrangement in which high school students take college courses, at a college or at their high school, and earn credit toward both a high school diploma and a college… |
| DHH | Deaf and hard of hearing | Term for students with hearing loss, used for school programs, teachers of the deaf and services such as sign language interpreters, captioning and amplification systems. |
| DOK | Depth of Knowledge | Framework developed by researcher Norman Webb in the late 1990s that classifies the cognitive complexity of tasks and test items into four levels: recall, skills and… |
| EB | Emergent bilingual | Term for students learning English while continuing to use their home language, popularized by scholar Ofelia García and adopted in Texas law in 2021 in place of… |
| ECHS | Early college high school | High school, often located on or partnered with a college campus, where students take college courses from ninth grade and can earn up to an associate degree or two… |
| ED | Emotional disturbance | IDEA disability category for students with long-term emotional or behavioral conditions, such as anxiety, depression or difficulty maintaining relationships, that… |
| EL | English learner | Federal term in the Every Student Succeeds Act for a K-12 student whose native language is not English and whose difficulties with English may prevent meeting state… |
| ELA | English language arts | School subject covering reading, writing, speaking, listening and language conventions such as grammar and vocabulary. |
| ELD | English language development | Instruction specifically designed to develop English learners' listening, speaking, reading and writing in English, often delivered in a daily dedicated block. |
| ELL | English language learner | Student who is learning English and whose English proficiency is not yet sufficient for full participation in regular instruction. |
| ENL | English as a New Language | New York State's official term for English instruction for English language learners, replacing ESL under 2015 regulations known as Part 154. |
| EOC | End-of-course exam | State test taken at the end of a specific high school course, such as Algebra I, Biology or US History, rather than at the end of a grade. |
| EOG | End-of-grade test | Annual state assessment in reading, math and science given in North Carolina to students in grades 3 to 8 at the end of the school year. |
| ES | Elementary school | School serving the youngest grades, usually kindergarten through 5th grade, though some include 6th grade or prekindergarten. |
| ESL | English as a second language | Instruction in English for students whose first language is another language, provided through pull-out classes, push-in support, sheltered content classes or dedicated… |
| ESOL | English for speakers of other languages | Name for English language programs and teachers used in Florida, Georgia, Maryland and many other states, and the standard term for adult English courses in the UK and… |
| ESSER | Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund | Federal pandemic relief money for K-12 schools, totaling about $190 billion across three laws passed in 2020 and 2021, used for ventilation, tutoring, summer school… |
| ESY | Extended school year | Special education services provided beyond the regular school year, usually during summer, for students whose IEP team determines they would otherwise lose critical… |
| FAPE | Free appropriate public education | Central right under IDEA and Section 504 guaranteeing students with disabilities a public education at no cost to families, designed to meet their individual needs. |
| FBA | Functional behavioral assessment | Process for identifying why a student engages in challenging behavior, using observations, interviews and data on antecedents, behaviors and consequences (ABC data). |
| FBLA | Future Business Leaders of America | Career and technical student organization for business education in high schools, middle schools and colleges, known for competitive events in accounting, marketing… |
| FCS | Family and consumer sciences | School subject and field, formerly called home economics, covering nutrition and cooking, personal finance, child development, housing, textiles and career skills. |
| FRL | Free and reduced-price lunch | Eligibility status for school meals under the National School Lunch Program, available free to children from households at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty… |
| GATE | Gifted and Talented Education | California's name for programs serving gifted students, once supported by a dedicated state grant that was folded into general funding in 2013. |
| GT | Gifted and talented | Programs and services for students identified as having high ability or achievement, such as pull-out enrichment, advanced classes, acceleration and magnet schools. |
| HOSA | HOSA-Future Health Professionals (originally Health Occupations Students of America) | Career and technical student organization for high school and college students interested in health careers, offering competitive events in areas such as medical… |
| HS | High school | Secondary school covering grades 9 to 12 in most US districts, ending with the high school diploma. |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | Federal special education law that, in school practice, determines eligibility evaluations, IEPs, related services such as speech and occupational therapy, discipline… |
| IEE | Independent educational evaluation | Evaluation of a student by a qualified examiner who does not work for the school district, which parents may request at public expense if they disagree with the… |
| IEP | Individualized Education Program | Legally binding written plan, required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), that sets out special education services, measurable annual goals… |
| IFSP | Individualized Family Service Plan | Plan for infants and toddlers from birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities, created under Part C of IDEA. |
| ISD | Independent school district | Name for public school districts in Texas, where they are governed independently of city and county governments and have their own taxing authority. |
| JHS | Junior high school | School serving grades 7 and 8, or 7 to 9, between elementary and high school. |
| JROTC | Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps | High school program sponsored by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force that teaches leadership, citizenship and military history through classroom… |
| K-12 | Kindergarten through 12th grade | The span of publicly funded primary and secondary education in the United States, Canada and some other countries, covering 13 years from kindergarten to the end of… |
| K-8 | Kindergarten through 8th grade | School or program serving kindergarten through eighth grade in a single building, combining elementary and middle school. |
| LEA | Local educational agency | Federal legal term for a public body that runs schools locally, usually a school district, though some charter schools and county or regional agencies also qualify. |
| LEP | Limited English proficient | Older federal term for students or adults whose English skills limit their ability to learn or access services, largely replaced in K-12 education by "English learner"… |
| LRE | Least restrictive environment | IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal to separate classes or schools only… |
| ML | Multilingual learner | Asset-based term for students who are learning English while developing other languages, adopted by WIDA and a growing number of states and districts in place of EL or… |
| MS | Middle school | School serving early adolescents, typically grades 6 to 8, between elementary and high school. |
| MTSS | Multi-tiered system of supports | Schoolwide framework that organizes academic, behavioral and social-emotional supports into tiers, with universal instruction for all students and targeted and… |
| NBCT | National Board Certified Teacher | Teacher who has earned advanced certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, founded in 1987, by completing four components including… |
| NGSS | Next Generation Science Standards | K-12 science standards released in 2013, based on the National Research Council's 2012 Framework for K-12 Science Education. |
| NHS | National Honor Society | Honor society for high school students, founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, that selects members based on scholarship, service… |
| NJHS | National Junior Honor Society | Middle school honor society, founded in 1929 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, recognizing students for scholarship, service, leadership… |
| NSLP | National School Lunch Program | Federally assisted meal program that provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children in public and nonprofit private schools. |
| OHI | Other health impairment | IDEA disability category covering chronic or acute health conditions, such as ADHD, epilepsy, diabetes, heart conditions or Tourette syndrome, that limit strength… |
| PBIS | Positive behavioral interventions and supports | Framework for teaching and reinforcing expected behavior schoolwide, with clear rules, acknowledgment systems, data on office referrals and tiered interventions for… |
| PBL | Project-based learning | Teaching approach in which students learn by working over an extended period on a complex question or real-world project, ending with a public product or presentation. |
| PD | Professional development | Training and learning activities for teachers and staff, such as workshops, coaching, conferences and collaborative planning, often required to maintain a teaching… |
| PE | Physical education | School subject that teaches movement skills, fitness, sports and healthy habits, usually as gym class. |
| PLAAFP | Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance | Section of an IEP describing a student's current skills, strengths and needs in academic areas and in functional areas such as communication, behavior and daily living. |
| PLC | Professional learning community | Team of teachers who meet regularly to analyze student data, plan instruction and share strategies, guided by questions about what students should learn and how to… |
| Pre-K | Prekindergarten | Early education program for three- and four-year-olds in the year or two before kindergarten, offered by public schools, Head Start and private providers. |
| PSEO | Postsecondary Enrollment Options | Minnesota's dual enrollment program, created in 1985, that lets high school juniors and seniors take college courses tuition-free for both high school and college credit. |
| PTA | Parent Teacher Association | Volunteer organization of parents, teachers and staff at a school that raises funds, runs events and advocates for students. |
| PTC | Parent-teacher conference | Scheduled meeting between a teacher and a student's parents or guardians to discuss progress, grades, behavior and goals, typically held once or twice a year. |
| PTO | Parent Teacher Organization | Independent parent-teacher group at a single school that, unlike a PTA, does not belong to a state or national association and pays no dues to one. |
| PTSA | Parent Teacher Student Association | PTA unit, common at middle and high schools, that includes students as voting members alongside parents and teachers. |
| PWN | Prior written notice | Written notice a school district must give parents whenever it proposes or refuses to change a child's identification, evaluation, placement or special education… |
| RSP | Resource Specialist Program | California special education service in which students with IEPs spend most of the day in general education and receive targeted support from a resource specialist… |
| RTI | Response to intervention | Multi-tier approach in which schools screen all students, provide increasingly intensive instruction to those who struggle (Tier 2 small groups and Tier 3 individual… |
| SDC | Special day class | California special education placement in which students with more intensive needs spend the majority of the school day in a separate classroom taught by a special… |
| SDI | Specially designed instruction | Adapted content, teaching methods or delivery of instruction that addresses a student's disability-related needs so the student can access the general curriculum. |
| SEA | State educational agency | Federal legal term for the state agency responsible for supervising public elementary and secondary schools, usually the state department of education. |
| SEI | Sheltered English immersion | Program model in which English learners are taught subject content in English using simplified language, visuals and structured supports, rather than through bilingual… |
| SEL | Social-emotional learning | Instruction and school practices that build skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making, the… |
| SIOP | Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol | Research-based model for planning and delivering sheltered content lessons to English learners, organized around eight components such as lesson preparation, building… |
| SLD | Specific learning disability | IDEA disability category for disorders in basic psychological processes that affect reading, writing, spelling or math, including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. |
| SLP | Speech-language pathologist | Professional who evaluates and treats communication and swallowing disorders, including articulation, language, fluency (stuttering) and voice problems. |
| SPED | Special education | Specially designed instruction and related services for students with disabilities, provided free in US public schools under IDEA. |
| SRO | School resource officer | Sworn law enforcement officer assigned to work in one or more schools, combining security duties with mentoring and education. |
| SST | Student study team | General education problem-solving team, common in California, that meets with teachers and families to plan interventions for a struggling student before or instead of… |
| STEAM | Science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics | Extension of STEM that integrates the arts and design into science and engineering education, emphasizing creativity, design thinking and interdisciplinary projects. |
| STEM | Science, technology, engineering and mathematics | Umbrella term for the four disciplines treated as a group in education policy, workforce planning and funding, from elementary robotics clubs to university degree lists. |
| SY | School year | Year of instruction in K-12 education, usually running from August or September to May or June and written with both calendar years, as in SY 2026–27. |
| TAG | Talented and gifted | Name for gifted education programs in Oregon, Iowa and several other states and districts. |
| TK | Transitional kindergarten | Free public school grade in California between preschool and kindergarten, now open to all four-year-olds. |
| UDL | Universal Design for Learning | Framework for designing lessons and curricula that offer multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression, so that learners with different needs… |
| USD | Unified school district | School district, common in California and Kansas, that runs both elementary and high schools under one board, instead of separate elementary and high school districts. |
| WIDA | WIDA (originally Wisconsin, Delaware, Arkansas) | Consortium based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that develops English language development standards and the ACCESS for ELLs proficiency test used by more than… |