Aussie Acronyms

Internet Acronyms

mnemonic techniques

Educational Acronyms

An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from the first letter (or first few letters) of each word in a phrase or title. Sometimes, the newly combined letters create a new word that becomes a part of everyday language. An example of this is the acronym radar.

 

 

ATM	is an abbreviation for 'automated teller machine.'
AWOL	Absent Without Official Leave (or Absent Without Leave) Seargent don't know where he went, he's totally AWOL.
B.Y.O. or (BYOB)	often seen on invites to parties. It stands for "bring your own bottle / booze"; you are invited to a party, but you should bring your own drinks.
CIA	(Central Intelligence Agency)
CODVID-19	CoronaVirus
CTA	Call to action Don't forget to include a CTA at the end of your blog.
DVD	Digital Video Disk
DINK	Double Income no Kids
DIY (or D.I.Y)	stands for "do it yourself". The term used by various communities that focus on people (called 'do-it-yourselfers' or 'DIYers') creating or repairing things for themselves without the help of paid professionals.
ESL	English as a Second Language Mary moved to Japan to teach ESL to second graders.
ETA (not E.T.A)	stands for "estimated time of arrival". It is the time when a form of transport (like a train or plane) is expected to arrive in a place.
ETD	The opposite of ETA is ETD ("estimated time of departure").
i.e. / E.g.	These two abbreviations are easily confused and both used when writing: I.e. (or i.e. / I.E.) stands for "id est" (Latin for "That is (to say)" or "in other words"). E.g. (or e.g. / E.G.) stands for "exempli gratia" (Latin for "for example").
FBI	(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
IMAX	Image Maximum We saw MI:6 in the local IMAX theatre.
GMO	Genetically modified organism I only buy organic food free from GMOs.
LASER	Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation Our cat loves to chase a little red LASER beam.
NATO	The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Let's hope NATO always remains intact.
P.S (or PS)	stand for "post script" and is used at the end of written letters to add extra information.
RADAR	Radio Detection and Ranging The police officer used RADAR to catch them speeding.
SCUBA	Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus We gathered our SCUBA gear and dove into the Atlantic.
SEO	Search engine optimization Make sure your latest blog post has all the important SEO elements.
SWAT	Special Weapons and Tactics The Los Angeles Police Department dispatched their SWAT team.
TASER	Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle She hit the attacker with her TASER.
UNICEF	The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNICEF appointed a new chairman of the board.
WASP	White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Many citizens in the Colonial Era were WASPs.
WOKE	alert to injustice in society, especially racism

 

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        An acronym (mnemonic techniques) to help you remember the sequence of colours

 

 

Order of colours in the rainbow, or visual spectrum:
(Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)
Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.

i.e. List Order Mnemonics

This is certainly one of the most popular mnemonic techniques.

Order of taxonomy in biology:
(Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)
Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach.

Order of geological time periods:
(Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Recent)
Cows Often Sit Down Carefully. Perhaps Their Joints Creak?
Persistent Early Oiling Might Prevent Painful Rheumatism.

Order of Mohs hardness scale, from 1 to 10:
(Talc, Gypsum, Calcite, Fluorite, Apatite, Orthoclase feldspar, Quartz, Topaz, Corundum, Diamond)
Toronto Girls Can Flirt, And Other Queer Things Can Do.

The order of sharps in music, called the "circle of fifths":
(F, C, G, D, A, E, B)
Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.
And in reverse for flat keys the mnemonic can be neatly reversed:
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.

The notes represented by the lines on the treble clef stave (bottom to top):
(E, G, B, D, F)
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.
And the notes represented by the spaces between the lines:
(F, A, C, E)
Furry Animals Cook Excellently. Or just the word FACE

The notes represented by the lines on the bass clef stave (bottom to top):
(G, B, D, F, A)
Good Boys Do Fine, Always.
And the notes represented by the spaces between the lines:
(A, C, E, G)
All Cows Eat Grass.

The order of planets in average distance from the Sun:
(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

My Very Easy Method: Just Set Up Nine Planets.

(Pluto is sometimes no longer recognised as a planet)

 

Aussie Slang

• Avo	Avocado
• Arvoo	Afternoon
• Barby	(abr.) Barbieue BBQ
• Bottle-o	Drive through beverage retailer
• Bogan	A very uncouth individualh
• Breaky	Breakfast
• Doco	Documentary
• Dodge	Considered of low quality, or untrustworthydoubtful
• Doona	Bed cover or quilt
• Dunny	Outside toilet
• Fair Dinkum	Honest, genuinene
• Footy	but sometimes NRL, and other times soccer. It’s all very confusingUsually AFL, but sometimes NRL, and other times soccer. It’s all very confusing
• G’Day	Hello
• Garbo	Garbage collectorector
• Good onya	Well done
• Macca’s	McDonald’s
• Mozzie	Mosquito
• No worries!	Expression don't panic
• Relos	Relatives
• Sanga	Sandwich
• Schoolies	End of school celebrationsl
• Servo	Petrol station
• Shout	To buy drinks for everyone
• Sickie	A day taken off work, but not necessarily because of illness from work
• Snags	Sausages
• Ta!	Thank you
• Thongs	flip flops
• Uni	University
• Yakka	Hard work

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Glossary of words used in an IT exam
A
Account	Account for
ADSL	(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - A method for moving data over regular telephone lines that is much faster than a regular telephone connection. A common configuration of ADSL would allow a subscriber to download at speeds of up to 1.544 megabits per second, and upload at speeds of up to 128 kilobits per second.
Advise	Recommend or inform
Analyse	Look at and write about details of a passage thoughtfully
Analyse	State reasons for, report on. Give an account of; narrate a series of events or transactions
Analyse	Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications
Analyze	Take apart a concept or a process, and explain it step by step. You could encounter analysis questions in any discipline, from science to history. An analysis question is usually a long essay question.
Anonymous FTP	To connect to an FTP server without providing a personal login ID and password. Often permitted by large host computers who are willing to openly share some of their system files to outside users who otherwise would not be able to log in.
Applet	A small Java program that can be placed (embedded in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications in that they are not allowed to access files and serial devices (modems, printers, etc. on the local computer, and are prohibited from communicating with other computers across a network.
Apply	Use, utilise, employ in a particular situation
Archie	An early Internet search tool not used much since the advent of the Web Browser in 1994. It is an archive of filenames maintained at Internet FTP sites.
Argue	Make a case, based on appropriate evidence, for and/or against some given point of view
ARPANet	(Advanced Research Projects Agency Network - The precursor to the Internet. It was developed in the late 60's by the US Department of Defense as an experiment in wide-area networking that would survive a nuclear war.
ASCII	(American Standard Code for Information Interchange - The world-wide standard of code numbers used by computers to represent all the upper- and lower-case Latin letters, numbers, and punctuation. There are 128 standard ASCII codes, each of which can be represented by a 7-digit binary number, 0000000 through 1111111.
Assess	Make a judgement of value, quality, outcomes, results or size
AU	A common audio file format for UNIX systems (.au.
AVI	Audio/Video Interleaved - A common video file format (.avi. Video quality can be good at smaller resolutions, but files tend to be large.
B
Backbone	A high-speed line, or series of connections, that forms a major pathway within a network. This term is relative, as a backbone in a small network may be much smaller than non-backbone lines in a large network.
Bandwidth	The transmission capacity of the lines that carry the Internet's electronic traffic. The greater the bandwidth, the more data that can be moved at one time. Lack of bandwidth can impose severe limitations on the ability of the Internet to quickly deliver information.
Baud	The baud rate of a modem is how many bits it can send or receive per second.
BBS	Bulletin Board System - An online meeting and information system that allows people to carry on discussions, make announcements and transfer files. There are thousands of BBS's around the world, varying in size from those running on a single machine with only 1 or 2 phone lines, to massive networks such as CompuServe.
Binhex	BINary HEXadecimal - A method for converting non-text files into ASCII files. This is required because Internet email can only handle ASCII files.
Bit	Binary DigIT - A bit is the smallest unit of computerized data, comprised of either a 0 (off or a 1 (on. Bandwidth is usually measured in bits-per-second.
BITNET	'Because It's Time NETwork' or 'Because It's There NETwork' - A network of educational sites separate from the Internet. Listserv, the most popular form of email discussion groups, originated on BITNET.
Bookmark	A pointer to a Web site of interest. Within browsers, pages can be "bookmarked" for quick reference, rather than remembering and typing the complete URL in the address bar.
Bps	Bits per second - A measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A 28.8 modem can move data at 28,800 bits per second.
Browser	A software program that is used to view websites and other Internet resources on the WWW.
BTW	By The Way - A shorthand term appended to a comment in an online forum or email.
Byte	A set of bits that represent a single character. There are usually 8 bits in a byte.
C
Cache	A section of memory or the Hard Drive where data can be stored for rapid or frequent access.
Calculate	Ascertain/determine from given facts, figures or information
Certificate Authority	An issuer of Security Certificates used in SSL connections.
CGI	Common Gateway Interface - A programming language used to convert data gathered from a web page into another form. A CGI program might turn the content of a feedback form into an email message, or search a server's database with user-entered keywords.
cgi-bin	The most common directory to store CGI programs on a web server. The "bin" part of "cgi-bin" is an abbreviation of "binary", dating back to when programs were referred to as "binaries".
Choose (multiple-choice	Decide or select the most suitable from a number of different options
Clarify	Make clear or plain
ClariNet	A commercial news service dedicated to a wide range of topics that provides tailored news reports via the Internet. You can access ClariNet news within Usenet newsgroups.
Classify	Arrange or include in classes/categories
Client / Server	Computer technology that separates computers and their users into two categories. When you want information from a computer on the Internet, you are a client. The computer that delivers the information is the server. A server both stores information and makes it available to any authorized client who requests the information.
Comment	Provide a definition of a key term you’ve covered in class. This is usually a short essay type of question. (See Memorizing Terms
Comment	Explain and examine a written passage.
Comment	If a test question prompts you to comment on a fact or statement, you will need to explain the relevance of the fact or statement. For example, you could be prompted to comment on a particular amendment quoted in a government exam, or comment on a passage that is quoted on a literature exam.
Comment	Explain and examine a written passage.
Comment on	Make reference to and expand upon
Compare	If you are prompted to examine a topic, you will use your own judgment to explore (in writing a topic and comment on significant elements, events, or acts. Provide your opinion and explain how or why you came to your conclusions.
Compare	Find differences and similarities. Provide an answer that gives a “why” response. Provide a complete overview of the problem and solution for a particular issue or process. This is a typical form of question used in science exams.
Compare	Show likenesses and differences when you compare two events, theories, or processes. If you are expected to illustrate a topic, you should use examples to show or explain a topic. Depending on the subject matter, you might use words, drawings, diagrams, or behavior to illustrate an answer.
Compare	Interpretation of a subject calls for the ability to read between the lines and draw conclusions. You will be expected to explain the meaning of an act, action, or passage in an interpretation.
Compare	Show how things are similar and different
Complete	Finish an outlined task
Compression	Data files available for upload and download are often compressed in order to save space and reduce transfer times. Typical file extensions for compressed files include .zip (DOS/Windows and .tar (UNIX.
Consider	Reflect on and make a judgement/evaluation
Construct	Make; build; put together items or arguments
Contrast
Contrast	Used for showing differences between two processes or theories, a contrast question could appear on a literature exam, a history exam, a science exam, and more.
Contrast	Show how things are different or opposite
Cookie	A piece of information (login names, passwords, online "shopping cart" items, user preferences, etc. sent by a web server to a web browser and saved to the computer. These "cookies" can then be used at a later date to restore the information when the web server is accessed again. Cookies are usually set to expire after a predetermined amount of time.
Correlate	Demonstrate a mutual or complementary relationship
Create	Make, invent something
Critically (analyse/evaluate	Add a degree or level of accuracy depth, knowledge and understanding, logic, questioning, reflection and quality to analyse/evaluate
Cyberspace	This term was coined by author William Gibson in his novel Neuromancer. Cyberspace is currently used to describe the whole range of information available through computer networks.
D
Debate	Develop a logical (sometimes persuasive argument, giving differing views in response to a topic
Deduce	Draw conclusions
Define
Define	Provide a definition of a key term you’ve covered in class. This is usually a short essay type of question.
Define	State meaning and identify essential qualities
Definitions	in the glossary are generic and applicable across all courses. Teachers must note that some terms have a more course specific meaning that derives directly from the content and the language of the course.
Demonstrate	If you are asked to demonstrate, you must provide proof of your answer by using an example. A demonstration could be a physical action, a visual illustration, or a written statement.
Demonstrate	If you are asked to demonstrate, you must provide proof of your answer by using an example. A demonstration could be a physical action, a visual illustration, or a written statement.
Demonstrate	Show by example
Describe	Give a detailed picture to your reader using words.
Describe	Provide characteristics and features
Determine	Decide, find out
Diagram	Demonstrate your answer by drawing a chart or other visual element to illustrate your points.
Dial-In	An Internet account that connects a PC directly to the Internet. These accounts use a software application to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP and establish a TCP/IP link to the Internet. To access a dial-in connection, a PC needs either a modem to connect via a regular phone line or a terminal adapter (TA to connect via an ISDN phone line.
Discuss	When a teacher instructs you to “discuss” a topic, he or she is trying to determine whether you understand both sides of an issue. You will need to demonstrate that you know the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. You should pretend that you are having a conversation with a friend and voicing both sides.
Discuss	Write about, showing different possible opinions.
Discuss	Write about, showing different possible opinions.
Discuss	Identify issues and provide points for and/or against
Discussion Group	A section within USENET dedicated to a particular topic or interest. Discussion groups are also known as newsgroups.
Distinguish	Recognise or note/indicate as being distinct or different from; note differences between
DNS	Domain Name Server - A computer running a program that converts domain names into IP addresses and vice versa. Domain Name Servers (also known as Name Servers are the backbone of the Internet.
Domain Control Panel	A password access section of our site that Domain Registrants and Partners use to make domain modifications, receive proprietary scripting code, and use our management system. Each panel's content is different and will depend on your status in relation to Registrars.com.
Domain Name	A unique name that identifies an Internet site. A domain name is the Internet's way of translating a numeric IP address into an easy-to-remember combination of words and numbers. A given machine may have more than one domain name, but a given domain name points to only one machine. For example, the domain names "example.com", "mail.example.com" and "sales.example.com" can all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more than one machine.
Download	The process of transferring data from a remote computer to a local computer. When you copy a file from a computer on the Internet to your computer, you are "downloading" that file.
Draw (diagrams etc.	An instruction, as in draw a circle
E
Email	Electronic Mail - Messages sent from one person to another via the Internet. Email can also be sent to a large number of addresses at once through a Mailing List.
Enumerate	Enumerating is providing a list in a particular order. When you enumerate a list of items, you may need to specify why items go in a particular order.
Enumerate	Enumerating is providing a list in a particular order. When you enumerate a list of items, you may need to specify why items go in a particular order.
Ethernet	The common method of networking computers in a LAN, or Local Area Network. An Ethernet connection will handle about 10,000,000 bits per second.
Evaluate	Make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of
Examine	Read, and then write about in detail.
Examine	If you are prompted to examine a topic, you will use your own judgment to explore (in writing a topic and comment on significant elements, events, or acts. Provide your opinion and explain how or why you came to your conclusions.
Examine	Inquire into
Explain	Make clear, giving details.
Explain	Provide an answer that gives a “why” response. Provide a complete overview of the problem and solution for a particular issue or process. This is a typical form of question used in science exams.
Explain	Make clear, giving details.
Explain	Relate cause and effect; make the relationships between things evident; provide why and/or how
Explore	Investigate, search for or evaluate
Extract	Choose relevant and/or appropriate details
Extrapolate	Infer from what is known
F
FAQ	Frequently Asked Questions - An FAQ is a document that lists and answers the most common questions on a particular subject. It is considered good netiquette (the Internet's code of conduct to check for FAQs and read them.
Finger	An Internet tool for locating people on other sites. Finger can also be used to give access to non-personal information, but the most common use is to see if a person has an account at a particular site. The most famous finger site was a Coke machine at Carnegie-Mellon University that students had wired to the Internet. They could then finger the machine and find out how many bottles remained and how long they had been in the machine so they wouldn't walk all the way there and find an empty machine or warm soda.
Firewall	A combination of hardware and software that separates a LAN into two or more parts for security purposes. A firewall is commonly used to separate a network from the Internet.
Flame	Originally, to "flame" meant to debate in a passionate manner, often involving the use of flowery language. More recently, flame has come to refer to any kind of derogatory or inflammatory comment, no matter how witless or crude.
Flame War	When an online discussion degenerates into a series of personal attacks against the debaters, rather than a discussion of their positions, it is referred to as a flame war.
FQDN	Fully Qualified Domain Name - The official name assigned to an individual computer. Organizations register names, such as "example.com", then assign unique names to their computers, such as "mail.example.com".
Freeware	Software that is available for download and unlimited use without charge.
FTP	File Transfer Protocol - A common method of moving files between two Internet sites. Most FTP sites require a login name and password before files can be retrieved or sent.
G
Gateway	Hardware or software set up to translate between two different protocols. For example, Prodigy has a gateway that translates between its internal email format and Internet email format. Another definition of gateway is any mechanism for providing access to another system. For example, AOL might be called a gateway to the Internet.
GIF	Graphics Interchange Format - A graphics file format commonly used on the Internet to provide images on Web pages. GIF images are 8-bit (256-color graphics).
Gigabyte	A thousand (technically 2^10 or 1024 Megabytes).
Gopher	A searching tool that was once the primary tool for finding information on the Internet before the WWW became popular. Gopher is now buried under massive amounts of WWW pages.
H
Helper Application	A program allowing you to view multimedia files (images, audio, video that your web browser cannot handle internally. The file must be downloaded before it will be displayed. There are some plug-ins that allow you to view the file over the Internet without downloading it first.
Hit	A "hit" is a single request from a web browser for a single item from a web server. For example, a page displaying 3 graphics would require 4 hits one for the HTML document, and one for each of the 3 graphics. "Hits" are often used as a rough measure of load on a server; however, because each hit can represent a request for anything from a tiny document to a complex search request, the actual load on a machine from a single hit is impossible to define.
Home Page (or Homepage	Originally, a home page was the web page that your browser is set to use when it starts up. The more common definition refers to the main web page for any business or personal site.
Host	Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is common to have one host machine provide several services, such as WWW and USENET.
HTML	HyperText Markup Language - The language used to build hypertext documents on the WWW. They are nothing more than plain ASCII-text documents interpreted (or rendered by a web browser to display formatted text and fonts, color, graphic images, and links.
HTTP	HyperText Transfer Protocol - The protocol for moving hypertext (HTML files across the Internet. This requires a HTTP client program on one end and a HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most important protocol used on the WWW. http://www.example.com/examples.html. The most common use of a URL is to enter it in a web browser to access that page on the Internet.
Hypertext	Text in a document that contains a link to other text. Hypertext is used in Windows help programs and CD encyclopedias as well as web pages to link and reference related information across documents.
I
Illustrate	Show with examples.
Illustrate	If you are expected to illustrate a topic, you should use examples to show or explain a topic. Depending on the subject matter, you might use words, drawings, diagrams, or behavior to illustrate an answer.
Illustrate	Similar to 'explain' (see above, but requires the quoting of specific examples or statistics or possibly the drawing of maps, graphs, sketches, etc.
IMHO	In My Humble Opinion - A shorthand term appended to a comment in an online forum or email. IMHO indicates that the writer is aware that they are expressing a debatable or dissenting view.
Information Superhighway	There is some debate about this term. Some claim it refers to the future, where everyone will have fast, easy access to the Internet and things such as video conferencing will be widely available. Others claim that the Internet as we already know it is the Information Superhighway.
Internet	The vast collection of inter-connected networks that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60's and early 70's.
internet created	Lower case I An internet is created any time 2 or more networks are connected together.
Internet Explorer	A web browser developed by Microsoft Corporation to compete with Netscape.
Interpret	Interpretation of a subject calls for the ability to read between the lines and draw conclusions. You will be expected to explain the meaning of an act, action, or passage in an interpretation.
Interpret	Draw meaning from
Intranet	A network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software found on the Internet, but is only for internal use. A company web server available only to employees would be an Intranet.
Investigate	Plan, inquire into and draw conclusions about
IP Number	Internet Protocol Number - A unique number consisting of 4 parts separated by dots. 123.45.678.9 could be an IP number. Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number. Most machines also have one or more domain names that are easier for people to remember.
IRC	Internet Relay Chat - A large multi-user live chat facility. There are a number of major IRC servers around the world that are linked to each other. Anyone connected to IRC can create a channel or chat room, and all others in the channel see everything that everyone types.
ISDN	Integrated Services Digital Network - A high-speed way to move data over existing phone lines. In theory, it can provide speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second; in practice, most people will be limited to 56,000 or 64,000 bits-per-second.
ISOC	Internet SOCiety - Based in Herndon, Virginia, the Internet Society promotes the Internet and coordinates standards. You can visit their site (http://www.isoc.org/ to learn more or become a member.
ISP	Internet Service Provider - A business that provides access to the Internet and WWW in some form, usually for pay.
J
Java	A network-oriented programming language invented by Sun Microsystems specifically designed for creating programs that can be downloaded to your computer from a web page and immediately run. Using small Java programs ("applets", Web pages can include features such as animations, calculators and other fancy or interactive tricks.
JDK	Java Development Kit - A software development package from Sun Microsystems containing the basic tools needed to write, test, and debug Java applications and applets.
JPG	Joint Photographic Experts Group - The name of the committee that designed the photographic image-compression standard. The format (.jpg is optimized for compressing full-color or grayscale photographic images, and does not work well for line drawings or black-and-white images. JPG images are 24-bit (16.7 million color graphics.
Justify	If you are asked to justify something, you will be expected to use examples or evidence to show why (in your opinion it is correct. You must provide reasons for your conclusions and opinions.
Justify	Support an argument or conclusion; give reasons for your statements or comments
K
Kilobyte	A thousand (technically, 2^10 or 1024 bytes.
L
Label (and annotate)	Identify by placing a name or word used to describe the object or thing
LAN	Local Area Network - A computer network restricted to a limited area, usually the same building or a floor of a building. Office computers are typically connected to a LAN.
Leased-line	Refers to a telephone line that is rented for an exclusive 24-hour, 7-days-a-week connection from your location to the Internet. The highest speed data connections require a leased line.
List	Lists are used in every discipline. In list questions you must provide a series of answers. If you are expected to memorize a certain number of items for an exam, be sure to remember how many there are in total. (See Dates and Lists
List	Provide a series of related words, names, numbers or items that are arranged in order, one after the other
List server	The most common kind of mailing list. List servers originated on BITNET, but are now common on the Internet.
Login	The user- or account-name used to gain access to a computer system. Also, the act of entering or "signing on" to a computer system.
Lurking	To read through mailing lists or newsgroups and get a feel of the topic before posting your own messages. It is considered good netiquette to "lurk" a while before joining an online discussion.
M
Mailing List	An email-based discussion group. Sending one email message to the mailing list sends email to all other members of the group. Mailing lists are usually joined by subscribing, and can be left by unsubscribing.
Make notes	Write out key ideas in point form, not sentences.
Masking	To conceal a web site's URL in some manner, normally by using a domain name. For example, if a URL shows up as "http://www.example.com/" but the web site is actually located at "http://www.somewhere-else.com/example/", that URL is said to be "masked".
Megabyte	A million bytes or a thousand (technically 2^10 or 1024 kilobytes.
MIDI	Musical Instrument Digital Interface - A high-quality audio file format (.mid.
MIME	Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - The Internet standard for attaching non-text files to standard email messages. Non-text files can include graphics, spreadsheets, word-processor documents, sound files, etc. An email program is said to be "MIME Compliant" if it can both send and receive files using the MIME standard.
Mirror	To "mirror" something is to maintain an exact copy of it. The most common use of the term on the Internet refers to "mirror sites" which are FTP or web sites that maintain exact copies of material originally stored at another location. Another common use of the term "mirror" refers to writing information to more than one hard disk simultaneously to prevent its loss or destruction.
Modem	MOdulator, DEModulator - An electronic device that lets computers communicate with one another, much as telephones work with people. The name is derived from "modulator-demodulator" because of their function in processing data over analog phone lines. Terminal Adapters are often (and mistakenly referred to as modems.
Mosaic	The first web browser that was available for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX machines with the same interface for each. The popularity of the WWW began with Mosaic.
MPEG	Motion Picture Experts Group - A video file format (.mpeg offering excellent quality in a comparatively small size. Video files found on the Internet are frequently stored in the MPEG format.
Multimedia	A combination of media types in a single document, such as text, graphics, audio and video.
Multiple Choice	A selection of questions with alternate answers (pick one)
MX Records	MX Records are required to be able to send email to domain names (email@example.com, rather than the actual mail server (email@mailserver.example.com. There are other methods for forwarding messages from a domain to a mail server, but MX Records are the preferred method.
N
Name	Provide a word or term used to identify an object, person, thing, place etc. (something that is known and distinguished from other people or things
NCSA	National Center for Supercomputing Applications - One of the five original centers in the Supercomputer Centers Program and a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was founded in 1986, and is responsible for developing Mosaic, the web browser responsible for launching the multibillion dollar dot-com explosion.
Netiquette	The desired mode of manners and conduct for the Internet.
Netizen	A term referring to a citizen of the Internet, or someone who uses networked resources. The term connotes civic responsibility and participation.
Netscape	A web browser created by Netscape Communications Corporation. The Netscape browser was originally based on the Mosaic program developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA. It provided major improvements in speed and interface over other browsers, but also engendered debate by being the first to create browser-specific elements for HTML.
Network	A network is created any time 2 or more computers are connected together to share resources. When 2 or more networks are connected, it becomes an internet.
Newsgroup	The name for a discussion group on USENET.
NIC(1)	Networked Information Center - (Networked Information Center - Any office that handles information for a network can be referred to as an NIC. The most famous of these is the InterNIC, the original ofice of domain registration . Another definition of NIC is Network Interface Card, which plugs into a computer and adapts the network interface to the appropriate standard.
NIC(2) (Network Information Center -	a unique ID Code issued by Registrars.com to identify contact persons associated with a domain name. There can be up to 3 NIC handles per domain, referred to as 'ADMIN / TECH / BILL', each having its own area of responsibility.
NNTP	Network News Transfer Protocol - The protocol used by client and server software to move a USENET posting over a TCP/IP network. Most common web browsers use an NNTP connection to participate in newsgroups.
Node	Any single computer connected to a network.
O
OC-3 and OC-12	High-speed data links capable of transferring data at 155 and 622 Megabits-per-second respectively. OC-3’s and OC-12’s are replacing T-3’s as the backbones of the Internet.
Online	When someone is connected to the Internet, they are considered "online".
Order	Place itens in an appropriate order
Order	Provide a chronological or value-based answer by listing several items (terms or events in correct placement. You could be asked to place events in a certain order on a history exam, or you could be asked to put a scientific process in the correct order. (See Method of Loci
Organise	Put your ideas together in a clear and structured way.
Outline	Provide a brief summary of what you are going to do
Outline	Provide an explanation with headings and subheadings. This is a common instruction word found on literature exams.
Outline	Sketch in general terms; indicate the main features of
P
Packet	A chunk of data. The TCP/IP protocol breaks large data files into smaller "packets" for transmission over the Internet. When the data reaches its destination, the protocol makes sure that all packets arrived without error.
Packet Switching	A method of moving data around the Internet that allows many people to use the same lines at the same time. In packet switching, all data being transferred from a machine is broken into packets, with each packet having the address of its origin and destination. This enables packets from different sources to be simultaneously transferred, sorted and directed on the same line.
Password	A code used to gain access to a locked system. Effective passwords should contain both letters and non-letters and not be common or easily guessed words.
Persuade	Encourage someone else to think in a certain way.
Ping	A program for determining if another computer is presently connected to the Internet.
Pixel	Shorthand for "picture element", a pixel is the smallest unit of resolution on a monitor. It is commonly used as a unit of measurement.
PKZIP	A widely available shareware utility that allows users to compress and decompress data files.
Plan	Organise your ideas before starting a piece of writing.
Plug-in	A small piece of software that adds features to a larger software application. Common plug-ins are those for web browsers (RealAudio, QuickTime, etc. or graphics programs (Kai's Power Tools, DigiMarc, etc.
POP	"Point Of Presence" or "Post Office Protocol" - A Point of Presence usually refers to a city or location where a network can be connected to. For example, if an Internet company says they have a POP in Vancouver, this means they have a local telephone number in Vancouver and/or a place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second definition, Post Office Protocol, refers to the way email software (such as Eudora retrieves mail from a mail server. Almost all SLIP, PPP or shell accounts come with a POP account as well.
Port	3 definitions - First and most frequently, a port is where information goes into and/or out of a computer, such as the serial port on a PC. Secondly, a "port" often refers to the number appearing after the colon (: in a domain name, such as http://www.example.com:7000/. Thirdly, to "port" something refers to translating a piece of software from one computer platform to another (for example, from Windows to Macintosh.
Posting	A single message entered into a newsgroup, mailing list, or other communications system.
PPP	Point to Point Protocol - The protocol that allows a computer to use a phone line and a modem to make TCP/IP connections and connect to the Internet.
Predict	Suggest what may happen based on available information
Prepare (e.g. in Accounting)	Take the necessary action to put something into a state where it is fit for use or action, or for a particular event or purpose
Present	Show your information.
Present (an argument )	Offer or convey something such as an argument or statement to somebody formally; a discussion that offers different points of view on an issue or topic; debate
Propose	Put forward (for example a point of view, idea, argument, suggestion for consideration or action
Protocol	Computer rules that provide uniform specifications so that all computer hardware and operating systems can communicate with each other.
Prove
Prove	To prove an answer, you must use evidence (this could be numbers or reasoning to solve a problem. Tests that require proof normally appear on science or math exams.
PSTN	Public Switched Telephone Network - The regular telephone system.
Q
QuickTime	A common video file format created by Apple Computers. Video files found on the Internet are often stored in this format, and require a browser plug-in to be viewed (.mov.
R
Recall	Present remembered ideas, facts or experiences
Recommend	Provide reasons in favour
Recount	Retell a series of events
Register	To pay a software company for a product to receive the full working copy. Registration is most often required for shareware programs, which may be partially disabled or contain "nags" until registered.
Relate	Relate could mean a few different things on an exam
Relate	1 You could be asked to show a relationship between two events or items by discussing their similarities; or 2 You could be required to provide a written account of something (as in literature.
Respond to	Provide an answer; reply
Review	If a test question prompts you to review a process or event, you should recall and repeat all the most important elements or facts that you learned about a specific topic in essay form.
RFC	Request For Comments - The process for creating a standard on the Internet and the name of the result. New standards are proposed and published online, as a Request For Comments. Any new standards that are established retain the acronym RFC. For example, the official standard for email is RFC 822.
Robot	A program that automatically searches the WWW for files and catalogues the results.
Router	A computer or software package that handles the connection between 2 or more networks. Routers spend all their time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing through them to decide which route to send them on.
RTFM	Read The F***ing Manual - A commonly used abbreviation in online forums and email, in response to foolish questions or questions already answered in the FAQ. A repository of FAQs can be found at http://rtfm.mit.edu/.
S
Search Engine	A tool for locating information on the Internet by topic. Popular search engines include Yahoo, AltaVista, and HotBot.
Security Certificate	Information that is used by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection. Security Certificates contain information about its ownership, issuer, valid dates, and an encrypted "fingerprint" that can be used to verify the contents of the certificate. In order for an SSL connection to be created, both sides must have a valid Security Certificate.
Select	Choose somebody or something from among several
Server / Client	A computer or software package that provides a specific kind of service to client software on other computers. The term can refer to a particular piece of software (such as a WWW server or to the machine that the software is running on (such as a mail server. A single server machine may have several different server software packages running on it.
Shareware	Software that is available on a limited free trial basis. Some shareware applications are fully featured products, while others may have disabled features to encourage purchase of the full ("registered" version.
Shell Account	A software application that allows use of another machines' Internet connection. Users do not have a direct Internet connection; instead, an Internet connection is made through a host computer's connection.
Show	Give information; illustrate
Signature File	An ASCII text file containing the text for someone's signature. Most email programs will automatically attach a signature file to all messages sent, eliminating the need to repeatedly type a closing.
Site	A single web page or a collection of related Web pages.
Sketch	A picture or diagram that is done quickly, roughly; a brief outline
SLIP	Serial Line Internet Protocol - A standard for using a telephone line (or serial line and a modem to connect a computer to the Internet. SLIP is gradually being replaced by PPP.
SMTP	Simple Mail Transport Protocol - The main protocol used to send email on the Internet. STMP consists of a set of rules for how the sending and receiving programs should interact.
SNMP	Simple Network Management Protocol - A set of standards for communicating with devices connected to a TCP/IP network, such as routers, hubs, and switches. Software for managing devices via SNMP is available for every kind of commonly used computer and is often bundled along with the device they are designed to manage.
Spam (or Spamming	To send a message or advertisement to a large number of people who did not request the information, or to repeatedly send the same message to a single person. "Spamming" is considered very poor Netiquette. CAUCE (The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email is an organization dedicated to removing spam from the Internet.
SQL	Structured Query Language - A specialized programming language for sending queries to databases. Each application will have its own version of SQL-implementing features unique to that application, but all SQL-capable databases will support a common subset of SQL.
SRS	Shared Registry Server - The central system for all accredited registrars to access and register/control domain names.
SSL	Secure Sockets Layer - A protocol designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted, authenticated communication across the Internet. SSL is used mostly, but not exclusively, in communications between web browsers and web servers. A URL that begins with "https" instead of "http" indicates an SSL connection will be used.
Standard English	The type of language used in formal situations.
State	Express the main points of an idea or topic, perhaps in the manner of 'describe' or 'enumerate' (see above
Subscribe	To become a member of a mailing list, newsgroup, or other online service.
Summarise	Express, concisely, the relevant details
Synthesise	Put together various elements to make a whole; gather all ideas and combine them into a complex whole; combine all parts
Sysop	SYStem OPerator - Someone responsible for the physical operations of a computer system or network. A System Administrator (or Sysadmin decides how often system maintenance should be performed, and the Sysop performs those tasks.
T
T-1	A leased-line connection capable of transferring data at 1,544,000 bps. At maximum capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds.
T-3	A leased-line connection capable of transferring data at 44,736,000 bps. This is fast enough to view full-screen, full-motion video, which requires a transfer rate of at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second.
TAR	Tape ARchive - A compression format commonly used in the transfer and storage of files on UNIX computers (.tar.
TCP/IP	Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol - This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is not available for every major computer operating system. To connect to the Internet, a computer must have TCP/IP software.
Telnet	An Internet protocol allowing a PC to connect to a host computer and use that computer as if you were locally connected. This often provides the ability to use all the software and capabilities of the host computer.
Terabyte	A thousand (technically 2^10 or 1024 Gigabytes.
Terminal Adapter	An electronic device that interfaces a PC with a host computer via an ISDN phone line. They are often called "ISDN modems"; however, because they are digital, Terminal Adapters are not modems at all.
Terminal Server	A special-purpose computer with places to plug in several modems on one side, and a connection to a LAN or host machine on the other side. The terminal server does the work of passing connections on to the appropriate node. Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services if connected to the Internet.
Thread	An ongoing message-based conversation on a single subject.
TIFF	Tag Image File Format - A popular graphic image file format (.tif.
Trace	To trace an event or process, go over it in detail and explain it step by step. You could trace an event that occurred in history or you could trace a process in science.
Trolling	The act of deliberately posting false or inflammatory information in order to start a flame war or cause aggravation to others.
U
UNIX	The most common operating system for servers on the Internet. UNIX systems are designed to be used by many people at the same time and have TCP/IP built in.
Upload	The process of transferring data from a local computer to a remote computer. When you copy a file from your computer to a computer on the Internet, you are "uploading" that file.
URL	Uniform Resource Locator - The standard method of giving the address for any resource on the WWW. A URL might look like this
USENET	A distributed bulletin board system that runs on news servers, UNIX hosts, online services and bulletin board systems. Collectively, USENET is made up of all the users who post to and read newsgroup articles. The USENET is the largest decentralized information utility available today.
UUENCODE	Unix to Unix Encoding - A method for converting files from Binary format to ASCII text so that they can be sent across the Internet via email.
V
Veronica	Very Easy Rodent Oriented Net-wide Index to Computerized Archives - Developed at the University of Nevada, Veronica is a constantly updated database of the names of almost every menu item on thousands of gopher servers.
W
WAIS	Wide Area Information Servers - A commercial software package that allows the indexing of huge quantities of information, then makes those indices searchable across networks and the Internet. A prominent feature of WAIS is the ranking (scoring of the search results, according to how relevant the hits are. See Also
WAN	Wide Area Network - Any internet or network that covers an area larger than a single building or campus.
WAV	Waveform Audio - A common audio file format for DOS and Windows computers (.wav.
WINSOCK	A Microsoft Windows DLL file that provides the interface to TCP/IP services and allows Windows to use web browsers, FTP programs, and other Internet-related programs.
WWW	World Wide Web - The technical definition of the WWW is the global network of hypertext (HTTP servers that allow text, graphics, audio and video files to be mixed together. The second, more loosely used definition is the entire range of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS, and other such tools.
Z
ZIP	A compressed file format (.zip. Many files available on the Internet are compressed or "zipped" in order to reduce storage space and transfer times.

 

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Educational Acronyms a Glossary of Teacher Terms

Active Literacy:	The integration of critical language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing into the daily curriculum in every class.
Alignment:	Agreement or coherence between the essential questions, content, skills, assessments, and the standards adopted by the district. Maps allow us to see three types of alignment: internal alignment, external alignment to standards, and cumulative alignment K-12.
Assessment Type:	The various kinds of assessments such as quiz, test, performance assessment, essay, etc. that allow students to demonstrate their learning.
Assessments:	Demonstrations of learning aligned to the benchmarks and standards that allow students to show you what they know. They are products and performances used as evidence of skill development and content understanding.
Ability grouping	Assigning students with similar skills to learning groups.
Absence	Any part of a school day when a student is not in school.
Academic Achievement	What a student has learned from classroom instruction.
Academic Advisor	The member of the teaching staff assigned to provide school advice and guidance to students.
Accountability	The expectation that schools and/or educators should be held responsible for improving student achievement and should be rewarded or sanctioned for their success or lack of success in doing so.
Accreditation	Official recognition that a person or an organization meets specific requirements to be able to deliver instruction.
Accuracy	The ability to correctly read, write, and solve problems.
Achievement Gap	A consistent difference in academic test scores between groups of students. The gaps most frequently referred to are those between white students and minority groups such as African-American and Hispanic students.
Achievement Tests	Tests used to measure how much a student has learned in various school subjects.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)	The minimum level of improvement established by the federal government, that public schools must achieve each year
.
Administrator	A school district employee, such as principal, director, or superintendent, who is responsible for directing and managing a school or program.
Advanced Placement (AP) Program	A series of high-level courses that high school students can take to earn college credits.
Advisory Group	A small group of students who meet regularly with a school staff member to discuss school work and requirements.
Advocate	(noun) Someone who acts on behalf of another person.
Advocate (To)	(verb) To support or speak in favor of an idea, issue, or person(s).
Affective	A term which refers to emotions and attitudes.
After-school Program	Programs run by schools and/or organizations that provide recreational and learning activities for students after the end of the regular school day or on the weekends.
Alignment	How well the skills and knowledge taught in schools match the requirements of state and/or federal learning standards.
Alternative Assessment	Any form of measuring what students know and are able to do other than traditional tests. Examples are oral reports, projects, performances, experiments, portfolios (collections of student’s work), and class participation.
Alternative School	A public school designed by a school district to serve students whose needs are not being met in the traditional public school environment.
American College Test (ACT)	The ACT is one of the two commonly used tests designed to assess high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.
Appeal	A request for a person or entity with greater authority to review and change an earlier decision.
Apprenticeship	A combination of on-the-job training (OJT) and related classroom instruction under the supervision of a trade professional.
Aptitude Tests	Tests that attempt to predict a person's ability to do something.
Articulation Agreement	An agreement between a high school or skill center and a community or technical college that allows the high school or skill center to offer college credit for a secondary career and technical education (CTE) course.
Assessment	Teacher-made tests, standardized tests, or tests from textbook companies that are used to measure a student's skills or knowledge.
Associate Degree	An award showing that a student has completed a two-year course of study in a community college.
Average	Usual, expected, or ordinary performance.
Average Daily Attendance (ADA)	The total number of days of student attendance divided by the total number of days in the regular school year.
AVID	AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and is a fourth-through twelfth-grade system to prepare students for four-year college eligibility. Schools that participate in AVID are required to meet staff training and membership requirements.
Benchmarks	Specific developmental statements regarding performance based standards. Benchmarks are usually defined in behavioral and observable terms.
Bi-level analysis	The examination of student work and performance data on two levels the subject matter concepts and skills and the requisite language capacity (e.g. linguistic patterns, three types of distinctive vocabulary, and editing and revising strategies.
Big Ideas	Are important core concepts, understandings, or theories. They go beyond discrete skills and focus on larger concepts, processes, or themes.
Bachelor’s Degree	An award that normally requires at least four years of full-time equivalent college courses.
Basic Skills	The fundamental skills needed to succeed in school and eventually in life. Historically, these skills have included the ability to read, write, and calculate (math).
Becca Bill	A Washington state law that requires school districts to take specific actions when students are absent. The law is RCW 28A.225.030.
Below Average	Under the usual, expected, or ordinary quality or performance.
Benchmark	The level of performance students should show by a particular point in their schooling.
Best Practices	Classroom instructional strategies that have been demonstrated and accepted by the professional community to improve student learning.
Bilingual Education	School program where two languages are used to teach the curriculum so that students gain knowledge of both languages.
Block Scheduling	Usually used in middle or high school, this scheduling allow student to have fewer classes per day and longer time in each class.
Bond Measure	An agreement by the citizens of a school district to repay the money borrowed by the school district for major construction or purchases, such as new school buildings, computers, or school improvements.
Boosters	A volunteer organization, usually parents and alumni, whose sole objective is to provide ongoing financial assistance in support of a schools’ extracurricular programs, for example athletic program boosters or music boosters.
Breakfast Program	A program using state and federal dollars to provide low-cost or free breakfasts to low income students.
Budget	The plan for how to spend the school’s or school district’s funds.
Bulletin	A printed news publication.
Bullying	Repeated negative behavior that a person uses to take advantage of someone with less power. A bully is someone who uses bullying behavior.
Coaching Protocols	Tools that include the critical criteria for exemplary products. They are used to sharpen focus and ensure quality work.
Concept	A relational statement that provides the focus and basis for acquiring knowledge. It is synonymous with the enduring understanding or big idea.
Content	Is the subject matter; key concepts; facts; topics; important information.
Consensus/Core Maps	Agreed upon curriculum identified by teachers and administrators that determines which elements must be consistently taught by all teachers in a course/or subject and where flexibility will be critical.
Curriculum Mapping	Is a systemic process that can improve student performance by sharpening the alignment of all aspects of the curriculum to reduce repetitions, gaps, and strengthen the articulation of skills.
Cadre	A group.
Calendar Day	Refers to all days of the week, including weekends and holidays.
Career and Technical Education (CTE)	Classes that allow students to get credit for training in a skill or trade while still in high school. CTE classes may be held on-site or at a skill center.
Categorical Funds	Funds from the state or federal government granted to qualifying school districts for specific programs and/or for particular groups of students.
Certificate of Individual Achievement	An official document available for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) who are unable to take the High School HSPE (with or without accommodations).
Certificated Staff	School employees who are required by the state to hold teaching certificates. Also referred to as Certified Staff.
Character Education	A method that teaches students about basic human values.
Charter School	A school that is run by a group of organizers other than the school board and free from most state and local regulations.
Classroom Management	The way a classroom is organized to make instructional time as productive possible for all students.
Class Size	The number of students enrolled in a school classroom.
Closed Campus	A school where students are not allowed to leave the school grounds during the school day without permission.
Cognitive	A term which refers to reasoning or intellectual capacity.
Cognitive Development	The changes in the way children think, process information, and learn as they grow up.
Cognitive Learning	The mental processes involved in learning, such as remembering and understanding facts and ideas.
Collaboration	Individuals working together to accomplish goals.
Collaborative Learning	An instructional strategy where students of different abilities and interests work together in small groups to solve a problem, complete a project, or achieve a common goal. Also known as Cooperative Learning.
College Readiness	The level of preparation a student needs to be ready to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in credit-bearing college course.
Community Schools	Schools that provide essential services, such as medical and dental services, nutrition classes, parent programs, and social services, for both students and families.
Community College	A two-year college, may also be known as a Junior College.
Competence Tests	Tests created by a school district or state that students must pass before graduating.
Complex sentences	Sentences with more than one clause or verbal phrase.
Comprehension	This is a term used to describe the interpretations, understanding, and meaning readers construct as they listen to and read stories.
Computer-assisted Instruction (CAI)	Educational programs delivered through the use of computers and educational software.
Conflict Management	A strategy that schools use to prevent and address conflict among students. It usually includes a set of expectations for behavior.
Conflict Resolution	A defined practice based on an understanding that there are various perspectives to address and solve a problem.
Constructivism	A learning theory that states that students learn by creating their own knowledge. Also known as Discovery Learning.
Contempt of Court	Someone who has willfully violated a court order can be judged to be in contempt of court.
Contempt Hearing	The court hearing where a judge determines whether or not someone is in contempt of court.
Content Standards	Standards that describe what students should know and be able to do in core academic subjects at each grade level.
Content-related Vocabulary	The words a student must know to communicate effectively about subject area material such as math, social studies, science, etc.
Context Clues	The words, phrases, and sentences surrounding an unfamiliar vocabulary word that help the student arrive at a possible definition.
Continuous Progress	A system of education in which individuals or small groups of students go through a sequence of lessons at their own pace, rather than at the pace of the entire classroom group.
Conditional Certificate	A temporary teaching certificate given to a person who has expertise in a particular subject and that has been hired by a school district because they cannot find a certificated teacher with an endorsement in that subject.
Core Academic Subjects	The academic subjects schools and districts require all students to take in order to be eligible for grade promotion and graduation.
Core Curriculum	The main body of knowledge that all students are expected to learn.
Credit	A unit of coursework given for satisfactory completion of the course.
Criterion-referenced Tests	Tests designed to measure how thoroughly a student has learned a particular subject compared to an established benchmark.
Critical Thinking	Logical thinking based on sound evidence.
Cultural Competence	A set of attitudes, awareness, knowledge, and skills that enables effective teaching in racially, culturally and socio-economically diverse classrooms.
Curriculum	The subject matter that is to be learned.
Curriculum Materials	Text, audio, video, and/or electronic media used to teach the curriculum of a school or subject area.
Cut Score	The minimum score needed to pass a test.
Cyber Schools	Educational institutions that offer most or all of their instruction by computer through the internet.
Diary Maps	A map where data are entered on an ongoing basis.   Periodically, whether every few weeks or trimester, you will stop and reflect on your work with learners and make an entry.
Differentiation	The process of modifying or delineating some aspect of instruction the content, process, product, and/or learning environment to address the needs of the learners.
Differentiated Professional Development	Is modified professional development based on the level of understanding of the learners.
Decoding	The process of translating individual letters or groups of letters into sounds so that the reader can pronounce a word.
Descriptive Sentences	Sentences that contain modifying words or phrases (adjectives and adverbs) and are more elaborate than simple sentences.
Detention	A disciplinary action that removes a student from the classroom to another designated space within the school.
Developmentally Appropriate	Curriculum and instruction that is based on the mental and physical development of the student.
Developmental Screening Tests	Tests used to identify students who may have physical, behavioral, and/or developmental disabilities or delays, or sensory impairments.
DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)	A testing tool that helps teachers determine at what level students in 6th grades Kindergarten through are able to read and write.
Differentiated Instruction	An instructional technique that includes various ways to teach content and assess learning. It is used to meet student needs and differences in readiness, interests, and learning styles.
Diploma	A certificate conferred by a high school, college, university or other educational institution as official recognition for the completion of a program of studies.
Direct Instruction	A teaching technique in which the teacher presents the content and students are expected to respond in a specific manner.
Discipline	All forms of corrective action or punishment used with students.
Distance Learning	Taking classes in locations other than the classroom or places where teachers present the lessons including online, DVD, or telecommuting.
Diversity	Diversity involves recognizing a variety of student characteristics including those of ethnicity, language, socioeconomic class, disabilities, and gender.
Dismissed	When a court case is dismissed, it ends.
DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment)	A tool teachers use to assess and record Kindergarten to 3rd grade students' reading development.
Dropouts	Students who leave high school before graduating.
Dual Credit	A course or program where high school students can earn both high school and college credits for the same course.
Dual-language Program	A school program designed to serve both language minority and language majority students at the same time. Students from two language groups receive instruction in both languages. Also known as Dual Immersion Program.
Due Process of Law	Ensures that a person will be notified and have an opportunity to be heard before any public entity can change her/his rights.
Dyslexia	Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.
Enduring Understanding	The important understandings that have lasting value beyond the classroom.
Entry Points	Possible openings or entrances where curriculum mapping can be integrated into the current structure or processes in a school and/or district. This allows it to become part of the system.
Essential Questions	Over-arching questions that focus based on a key concept, enduring understanding, and/or big idea to prompt inquiry.
Essential Maps	A revision of agreements that are made by teachers and administrators that determine which elements must be consistently taught by all teachers in the course and where flexibility will be critical.
EALR (Essential Academic Learning Requirement)	Washington State’s definition of what all students should know and be able to do as a graduate of public schools.
Early Childhood Education	The education of pre-school age children.
Electronic Media	The different electronic sources such as television, web pages, e-mail, CDs, etc. that may provide information or be used to share information.
ELL (English Language Learner)	A person learning English whose primary language is other than English.
Emergency Expulsion	Immediate removal of a student from school or class for an indefinite period of time.
Emergent Literacy	The view that reading and writing learning begins at birth and is supported by adult interactions.
Emotional Development	The ways in which individuals learn to interact in socially acceptable ways, establish and maintain relationships, and view themselves in positive ways.
Enrichment	Topics and activities that are not considered part of basic education.
Environmental Education	An educational practice that builds students’ awareness of the natural world and how to protect it.
Equal Access	Case law based on religious non-discrimination. It requires schools that allow extra-curricular, voluntary-participation student clubs to meet on school property to also allow extra-curricular school use to religious groups.
ESL (English as a Second Language)	English language instruction for students whose primary language is not English.
Evaluate	To conduct a careful appraisal or study of something and determine its worth or value.
Expenditure	All amounts of money paid out by a school system.
Experiential Education	Education that emphasizes learning from experiences rather than from lectures, books, and other secondhand sources and which may take the form of internships, service learning, school-to-work programs, field studies, or similar experiences.
Expulsion	Removal of a student from school, class, or sometimes district property for an indefinite period of time.
Extra-curricular Activities	Activities that are not part of the required curriculum and that take place outside of the regular course of study.
Fact Finding Hearing	A court procedure where a judge determines whether a legal case can be made against an individual.
Familiar Sounds	Sounds that students hear or speak in their primary language.
Family involvement in education	Another term for parent participation in the education of their children .
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)	A federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
Financial Aid	Grants, loans, and funds provided by the government for college expenses, such as college tuition, textbooks, and sometimes the living costs of students.
Fine Motor	Functions which require tiny muscle movements, for example, writing or typing.
Fluency	The ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression and comprehension.
Formative Assessment	A test that determines what students have learned at a particular time in order to plan further instruction. Also knows as Formative Test.
Free or Reduced-Price Meal	A federal program that provides breakfast, lunch, and/or after school snacks for students from low-income families.
Functional Illiteracy	The inability to read or write well enough to perform many basic, necessary tasks in daily life.
Guardian	Person legally placed in charge of the welfare of a minor or of someone incapable of managing her or his own affairs.
GEAR-UP	(Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) A federal grant program created to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in college.
Gender Bias	The idea that one gender or the other is short-changed by school practices and expectations.
General Educational Development (GED) Test	A high school equivalency test certifies that a person has the skills and knowledge equal to those of a high school graduate.
General Vocabulary	Words that are critical to understanding the main idea, events, characters, themes of a lesson.
Generalize	To arrive at a broad conclusion based upon a small piece of evidence. May also be referred to as Generalization.
Genres	A term used to classify literary and informational works into categories, such as biography, mystery, historical fiction, etc.
Gifted and Talented Program	A program that offers advanced coursework to students identified as being academically gifted or talented.
GLE (Grade Level Expectation)	The essential content or subject matter to be learned by students at a specific grade level.
Grade Point Average (GPA)	A system of scoring student achievement. Student's GPA is computed by multiplying the grade received in each course by the number of credits offered for each course, then dividing by the total number of credit hours studied.
Graduate	A student who has received a diploma for successfully completing a program or school’s course requirements.
Graduate School	University level school that provides instruction and degrees beyond the bachelor degree.
Graduation Requirements	The courses and number of credits required by a school district or the state to receive a high school diploma. The state provides a minimum set of requirements, and school boards can set additional graduation requirements for their school district.
Grant	Funds provided for students to attend college that do not have to be repaid.
Graphic Features	Maps, diagrams, graphs, charts, or pictures that help make the text meaningful and interesting to readers.
Graphing Calculator	A calculator with a larger display that draws and displays math functions and data.
Gross motor	Functions which require large muscle movements, for example, walking or jumping.
Guidance Counselor	School staff member who provides academic advice to students and their families, helps them address learning problems, and assists students in career and personal development.
Guided Practice	A teacher-led activity that the class completes together.
HUB	a connector or linchpin that connects all aspects of the school improvement process.
Head Start Program	A federally sponsored preschool program for children from low-income families.
Health Education	Curriculum that addresses physical, mental, emotional, and social health.
Hearing Examiner/Officer	The decision-maker in school discipline hearings.
Heterogeneous Grouping	The practice of grouping together students of varying abilities, interests, or ages for instruction.
Higher Education	Study beyond high school at a college or university that results in an associate, bachelor, or higher degree. Also known as Post-secondary Education.
Higher-Order Questions	Questions that require thinking and reflection rather than single-solution responses.
Higher-Order Thinking Skills	The ability to understand complex concepts and apply sometimes conflicting information to solve a problem that may have more than one correct answer.
High Frequency Words	High utility words which make up 50% of printed text, for example A, the, this, that, etc
Highly Qualified Teacher	Teachers are required by federal law (NCLB) to meet following three criteria to be considered highly qualified
	1) Holds at least a bachelor’s degree.
	2) Holds full state certification.
	3) Demonstrates subject matter knowledge and teaching skill in each core academic subject assigned to teach.
High School	Generally grades 9th through 12th
Homework	Regular assignments to be completed outside the classroom.
Honors Program	Courses a school or district designs and offers to students to challenge their learning beyond the regular curriculum.
ID Ten T	Refers to a stupid student (as student to write it down)
Individual Maps	Maps developed by an individual teach that reflect what they teach in their class or subject. They include essential questions, content, skills, and assessments.
Initiatives	Programs, projects, and/or ideas implemented by schools and/or districts to improve some aspect of the system.
Illiteracy	Lack of reading and/or writing skills.
Immersion	A program that teaches children to speak, read, and write in another language by instructing them in that language.
Inclusion	The practice of educating all children of various needs and capabilities in the same classroom.
Incomplete	A temporary grade stating that a student has not finished all class assignments at the end of a grading period.
Independent Study	An opportunity for students to conduct self-directed learning and receive credit.
Individualized Instruction Also called Individualized Education, Differentiated Curriculum, Individualized Education, or Differentiated Instruction.	A practice provides each student with the lessons and assignments according to her/his strengths and needs. Students work at their own pace to learn the material.
Inference	A conclusion reached after reading text and using past knowledge and experience to understand it.
Informal Knowledge	Knowledge about a topic that students learn through experience outside of the classroom.
Inquiry	A process in which students explore a problem, and create and work through a plan to solve the problem.
Inquiry-based Learning	An instructional method where students create questions about a phenomenon, fact, or piece of literature, and work to answer their questions through an exploration of the topic.
In Loco Parentis	Refers to an individual who takes on the parent role and responsibilities for a child without formally adopting him/her.
Integrated Curriculum	The practice of using a single theme to teach a variety of subjects.
Internship	Workplace learning that gives students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and learn new skills.
In-service	Continuing professional education for educators. Also known as Staff Development or Professional Development.
Instructional Aide	A school employee assigned to help teachers with the education of students. Also known as an Instructional Assistant, Para-educator, or Para-professional.
Interactive Learning	Occurs when the teacher or computer software adjusts the instruction in response to the learner’s needs.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum	A way to organize curriculum in which content is drawn from two or more subject areas to focus on a particular topic or theme. Also referred to as Multidisciplinary Curriculum, Integration, or Integrated Curriculum.
International Baccalaureate (IB)	IB courses are offered as part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, a rigorous two-year curriculum (geared primarily to students aged 16 to 19) that leads to a degree that is widely recognized internationally. It prepares students for a university education, with a specific focus on the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures.
Interpretation	The process of verbally communicating information from one language into another language keeping the intent and meaning of the original information.
K-12	Refers to Kindergarten through 12th grade education.
Kindergarten Entry Age	The age when children are eligible to enroll in Kindergarten, usually at least 5 years old.
Lessons	Organized instructional plans aligned to assessment targets. The concept of "planning backwards" suggests that you start your design work with the assessment targets and tasks fully described. Once that is accomplished, you design your lessons so students are fully instructed around the content and skills that will be called for in those assessments. It is a reverse of the model that asked for lesson plans and then later for assessment designs. The "backward planning" provides a clear lens for examining your instructional time to make certain that it is purposeful toward benchmarks and standards.
Like Group Reviews	Read Throughs that focus on a specific curricular area. For example, all of the teachers in the Language Arts Department might read through the course maps for their department to look for gaps, repetitions, and the articulation of skills.
Language Arts	Another term for English curriculum. The focus is on reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills.
Learner-centered Classroom	Classroom in which students are encouraged to choose their own learning goals and projects. Also known as a Student-Centered Classroom.
Learning Contract	An agreement between a student, teacher, parent (or other adult as a family member) detailing how the student will work toward specified learning objectives.
Learning Disability	A condition that interferes with a student’s ability to learn. Also known as a Learning Disorder.
Learning Styles	Differences in the way students learn best including through hearing, seeing, or doing the learning task.
Letter of Recommendation	A letter written by a teacher or other adult that supports a student’s application for a program, college, or a job.
Levy	(noun) An additional sum to property taxes within a school district for education-related expenditures. Residents of the school district vote on whether to pay these levy taxes.
Levy	(verb) To impose taxes.
LEP (Limited English Proficient) Students	Students who are reasonably fluent in another language but who have not yet achieved comparable skills in reading, writing, listening, or speaking English. Also known as English Language Learner (ELL).
Literacy	Ability to read and write. Also refers to other types of knowledge and skills such as scientific literacy, computer literacy, etc.
Literal	The common or ordinary meaning of words.
Local Revenues	The money a school district receives from local taxes, investments, and student activities.
Long-Term Suspension	Exclusion from school for more than 10 days.
Looping	A school practice where the teacher moves with his or her students to the next grade level, rather than sending them to another teacher the next school year.
Map	A visual method for projecting yearly plans as well as monthly plans for the classroom based on a calendar sequence from month to month that describes the scope of what is taught. Maps include essential questions, content, skills, and assessments.
Mixed Group Reviews	Read Throughs of maps that involve teachers from different curricular areas. These types of reviews can help provide a better understanding of the curriculum across the school and/or district. They can also be used to identify where specific cross curricular skills or specific school and/or district goals are included in the curriculum.
Mainstream	To place students with disabilities into regular classrooms with the supports defined in their Individualized Education Plan.
Magnet Schools	An alternative public school that often focuses on a particular area of study, such as performing arts or science and technology, in addition to the core curriculum.
Manipulatives	Any object, for example, blocks, toothpicks, or coins, that can be used to represent or model a problem situation or develop a mathematical concept.
McKinney-Vento Act	Federal legislation that provides educational services to homeless students which are equal to all other enrolled students, and ensures that homeless children and youth have equal opportunities to enroll in, attend, and be successful in school.
Measurement of Student Progress (MSP)	Beginning in the 2009-10 school year, the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) for grades 3rd through 8th will be replaced by the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to identify students’ abilities in math (grades 3rd through 8th), reading (grades 3rd through 8th), science (grades 5th and 8th), and writing (grades 4th and 7th). The testing window for the MSP will be in May beginning spring 2010.
Mediation	A strategy for conflict resolution which relies upon a neutral third party work to help parties arrive at an agreed upon compromise.
Mentor	To serve as a role model for another person.
MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement)	The MESA program assists academically disadvantaged students, especially students of color, girls, and students in poverty, by helping them to prepare for and successfully complete a 4•year college program
Middle School	Schools for students in the early adolescent years, generally grade 6th through grade 8th .
Modeling	The practice of demonstrating to the learner how to do a task, so that the learner can copy the model. It often includes thinking aloud or talking about how to work through a task.
Multi-age Classroom	A classroom that includes children from different grades.
Multi-disciplinary Curriculum	Generally refers to learning a particular topic area through the viewpoint of more than one subject.
Multiple Intelligences	A theory of intelligence developed in the 1980s by Howard Gardner that broadly defines intelligence beyond mathematical and linguistic, to include musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and intrapersonal.
Non-negotiables	The core elements that must be taught in the curriculum.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)	Also called “the Nation’s Report Card,” this federal test uses groups of students in grades 4th , 8th and 12th from around the country to measure progress in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the arts. Scores are reported nationally and by state, but not for individual students or schools.
Navigation 101	A program for students in grades 6th through 12th with the goal to help students make plans, set class schedules, and prepare for life beyond high school.
Neighborhood Schools	Public schools nearest to students’ homes as determined by school district attendance boundaries.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)	A federal law that requires yearly student testing, consequences for schools or districts that do not meet standards, and requires all teachers and assistants to be highly qualified.
Non-verbal Communication	Messages sent by way of gestures and other body language, and drawings.
Notice	Notification of an action that usually contains information about legal rights to appeal a decision.
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)	The primary state agency charged with overseeing K-12 education in Washington State.
Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO)	A state agency that helps resolve problems and disputes between families and schools. (www.waparentslearn.org)
Ombudsman	A person that helps resolve conflict or disputes.
On-Time Graduation rate	The number of students who started grade 9th in the fall of a particular year and are expected to graduate four years later.
Open-Ended Question	A question that can be answered in more than one way and may have more than one correct answer.
Outcomes	What students are supposed to know and be able to do.
Power Standards	The most important standards.
Professional/Implementation Development Map	Is an organizational tool that using the mapping format to develop a yearlong plan for implementation. It includes the training times, the essential questions, the content to be taught, the skills that participants should demonstrate, the products or evidence that will be produced during the training, and the assignment(s) that participants should complete prior to the next training.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)	A conceptual model developed by Richard DuFour and his colleagues for transforming schools. It focuses on the following principles A Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals; Collaborative Teams; Collective Inquiry; Action Orientations and Experimentations, Continuous Improvement, and Results Orientation.
Projected/Projection Maps	A map that has been created prior to teaching a course or subject and then revised on an ongoing basis as the school year progresses.
Portfolios	Is a representative collection of a person’s work that serves as evidence of understanding.
Parent Involvement	The participation of parents in the education of their children.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)	A national, nonprofit organization, independent of the public school system that supports family involvement in schools and advocates for children. When student members are included, the name often becomes PTSA or Parent Teacher Student Association.
Parent Teacher Conference	A meeting where the parents and the teacher of a particular student discuss present and future academic progress.
Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)	A local, school-based, organization of parents, and others to support family and public involvement in the school and advocate for students.
Pedagogy	The art or profession of teaching.
Peer Mediation	Programs in which students are trained in conflict resolution and assist other students to work through problems without using violence.
Performance Assessment	A test that determines what students know through their ability to perform certain tasks.
Performance Criteria	The skills or knowledge that will be evaluated as a student completes a task.
Performance Tasks	Activities, exercises, or problems that require students to show what they can do.
Per-pupil Expenditures	Expenditures made by schools, a school district, or the state divided by the total number of students in the school, school district, or state.
Petition for Readmission	A request to have a student return to school before the end of an expulsion or suspension.
Phonemic Awareness	The ability to identify and combine individual sounds (phonemes) into spoken words.
Phonics	An instructional strategy used to teach reading. It helps beginning readers by teaching them letter-sound relationships and having them sound out words.
Picture Dictionary	A dictionary that defines words using pictures and graphics.
Placement Exam	A skills test given to new students to determine what class or courses are best for their abilities and interests.
Plank	A level indicating the policies of a particular political party, Protecting the Environment
Plonker	A nice term for an idiot
Policy	A piece of legislation, norm, or regulation.
Portable	A building, often with one or two rooms, that is used as a classroom and can be moved when it is no longer needed.
Portfolio	A collection of work that demonstrates and documents the student's learning progress over time. It might include writing samples, examples of math problems, and results of science experiments.
Prerequisite	A course that must be completed before a student is allowed to register for a more advanced course.
Primary Language	A student's first language. The language spoken at home.
Principal	The certificated hired by the Superintendent to manage the day-to-day business of the school, supervise and evaluate school staff.
Professional Development	Programs that allow teachers or administrators to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to perform their jobs successfully. Also known as Inservice.
Proficiency	The ability to do something at grade level.
Prompt	Pictures or words to which a student responds orally or in writing.
Pull-out Programs	The practice of providing instruction in small groups outside of the regular classroom in order to give particular students additional learning opportunities.
Pupil	A student.
Purge	An action to be done by an individual found to be in violation of a court order.
Quality Lenses	Are exemplary samples (e.g. maps, standards, etc.) from other schools and states that can serve as filters when developing quality Consensus maps.
Quick Write	An exercise where students quickly write down everything they know about a topic.
Quota	The number or amount constituting a proportional share.
Quotation	The repeated statement from a person or from text. When written, it is enclosed in quotation marks.
Quorum	The minimum number of members of a group required to be present at a meeting in order to make decisions for an organization.
Read Through Process	The process following the development of the maps in which the teachers become editors for the maps for the entire building.
Readability	The level of difficulty in a written passage.
Reference Tools	Materials for students to refer to in order to check spelling, word meaning, grammar, etc., such as picture dictionaries and/or bilingual dictionaries.
Remedial Class	Instruction, usually in addition to regular classroom learning, that provide additional time or attention for a student to learn what’s expected at their grade level.
Report Card	The record of student attendance and grades for each grading period and the entire school year. Student report cards are sent home for parent review each grading period.
Response to Intervention (RTI)	A tool that helps educators identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, provide evidence-based instructional strategies, monitor student progress, and adjust the interventions in response to students’ reaction to the intervention.
Rubric	A grading or scoring system that lists what work students must show to be proficient. Also called a Scoring Guide.
Running Start	A college preparation option that permits students in grades 11th and 12th to take courses on local community and technical college campuses and earn credit toward both high school graduation and a college degree.
School based Support Structures	Key programmatic structures that have a direct effect on curriculum, assessment, and instruction Schedule (daily, annual, long-term), grouping of students (within classrooms, throughout the institution, and by class size), grouping of personnel (into teams, departments, and roles).
Seven Essentials Strategies for Integrating Literacy	Are specific strategies for integrating critical language skills across the curriculum identified by Heidi Hayes Jacobs. The strategies include revising and expanding the role of all teaches so they incorporate speaking, reading, listening, and writing activities with all learners in all subjects; organizing vocabulary into three distinctive types (high-frequency words, specialized terminology, and embellishing words) with specific instructional approaches in every classroom; developing creative note taking strategies that cause students to extract and react to information; designing and employing a consistent editing and revising framework for writing K-12; assessing formal speaking skills through the use of discussion approaches; employing technical instruction to develop the human voice and body as communication instruments; and using curriculum mapping as the school- and district-wide tool for implementing and monitoring the use of these strategies.
Seven-Step Curriculum Mapping Review Process	The process or sequence developed by Heidi Hayes Jacobs for creating and analyzing curriculum maps in a school and/or district. The steps include Collecting the Data, The First Read Through, Small Like/Mixed-Group Review, Large Like/Mixed Group Review Comparisons, Determine Immediate Revision Points, Determine Points Requiring Some Research and Planning, and Plan for the Next Review Cycle.
Skills	Are the targeted proficiencies; technical actions and strategies.
Standards	Statements that reflect the larger outcomes that we expect all students to be able to demonstrate before they leave our school. Most State Departments of Education have already established standards. Districts often add to those standards based on their local needs.
Student Mapping	Digital portfolios.
Sanctions	Another word for punishment.
Scaffolding	An instructional technique in which the teacher breaks a complex task into smaller tasks and supports students as they learn, and then gradually shifts responsibility for learning to the students.
School-Based Management	A system of school governance by which many school level decisions are made by the individual school rather than at district or other agency level. Also known as Site-Based Management or Site-Based Decision Making.
School Board	The school board is formed by School Board Directors or members. They set goals and policy, hire and supervise the Superintendent, and manage the finances of the school district.
School Board Directors	Citizens who live within a school district and are elected by other citizens to be part of the school board of directors.
School Choice	The opportunity for families to choose which schools their children will attend.
School Culture	The values, cultures, safety practices, and organizational structures that cause a school community to function and react in particular ways. Also knows as School Climate or School Environment.
School Day	Any day, including a partial day, when students attend school for instruction.
School District	The organization responsible for providing free public education for school-age children residing within a specific area of a city, county, or state.
School-Family Partnership	Collaborative relationships between educators and family members based on mutual respect, trust, equality and shared goals that support and focus on student academic success.
School Improvement Plan (SIP)	The long-term plan schools create with staff and parents to ensure that all students are achieving at high levels.
School Improvement Status	The consequences faced by schools and districts that do not meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) required by No Child Left Behind federal legislation.
School Readiness	The basic background and knowledge that children are usually expected to have upon entering kindergarten.
School Records	Any information about a student kept by the school.
School-to-Work	A curriculum that integrates academic study with up-to-date career and technical education and work-readiness skills.
Scientifically-based Research	Research about educational programs and activities that uses systemic and objective procedures that provide results considered reliable and valid.
Section 504 Plan	Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 extended civil rights to people with disabilities. It allows for reasonable accommodations as necessary for each student. Services, accommodations, and program modifications for students who qualify under Section 504 are outlined in a document called “504 Plan.”
Self-correction	Student recognizes and corrects error without input from others.
Self-efficacy	Learners' beliefs about their capacity of succeeding when learning specific topics or tasks.
Self-esteem	An affective or emotional reaction to the self.
Sign Language	A way of communicating that uses signs made with the hands, facial expressions, and body movements.
Sight Vocabulary	Words that a reader can immediately read without having to decode. Also known as Sight Words.
Snow Day	Refers to a day that schools are closed because of unsafe winter weather. It can also refer to the day added to the school calendar that replaces the missed school time.
Social Studies	Includes the subjects of civics, geography, economics, history, and the skills of research, reasoning, and analysis that students should be able to use in their studies of these subjects.
Social Promotion	The practice of promoting students to the next grade whether or not they have accomplished the goals of their current grade.
Special Education	Instruction provided for students with disabilities according to the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (See also Special Education Glossary section of this publication)
Special Needs Students	Students who require special instructional programs to reach their learning potential.
Standardized Achievement Tests (SAT)	A test widely used as a college entrance examination. Also known as the SAT Reasoning Test (formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test).
Standardized Testing	A test provided in the same format for all who take it.
Standards	Statements of what students should know and be able to demonstrate.
Statute	A piece of legislation, law.
Story Elements	The critical parts of a story include character, setting, plot, problem, solution.
Student-centered Classroom	Classroom in which students are encouraged to choose their own learning goals and projects. Also known as Learner-centered Classroom.
Student Learning Plan (SLP)	A formal education document to provide regular communication to parents about the student’s continued academic progress and to assure that students are on track for high school graduation.
Student-led Conference	A variation of the parent-teacher conference in which the student prepares for the conference and leads it by showing the parents or family members samples of her work and discussing areas of strengths and weaknesses.
Student Study Team	A team of educators and school staff that comes together at the request of a classroom teacher, parent, or counselor to develop a support system to meet the needs of a particular student. Also referred to as a Multi-disciplinary Team or Student Intervention Team.
Student Teacher	A teacher in training whose practice teaching is supervised by certificated staff or teacher.
Substitute Teacher	A certified teacher who teaches classes when the regular teacher is absent.
Summary	A condensed form of a particular piece of information.
Summons	An official call or notice to attend court at a specific date and time for a particular purpose.
Superintendent	The person hired by the School Board to manage the day-to-day business of the school district. The superintendent evaluates other district administrators and principals.
Superintendent of Public Instruction	The individual elected by the state’s voters to lead the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
Supplemental Education	Additional instruction to basic education.
Suspension	A disciplinary action that removes a student from school for a definite period of time. Long-term suspensions last for more than 10 days; short term suspensions last fewer than 10 days.
Syllabus	An outline and description of a course.
Targeted Work Groups	Task forces that are organized flexibly to respond to specific emerging needs. When the work of the task force is completed, it is disbanded.
21st Century Skills	Are skills students need to be successful in the 21st century. They include cross-curricular skills and learning to learn skills.
Teacher Certification	Official state recognition that a person is meets state standards and is qualified to be a teacher in Washington’s public schools.
Team Teaching	An arrangement by which two or more teachers teach the same group of students.
Tenure	The legal provision that people in certain positions may be fired only for specific cause.
Thematic Units	A unit of study that uses a specific theme. Sometimes thematic units include all core subject areas.
Think, Pair, Share	A cooperative learning strategy where students first think about a topic, pair with another student to discuss their ideas, and then share with the whole class.
Title I	A federal program that provides funds to improve the academic achievement for educationally disadvantaged students who score below the 50th percentile on standardized tests.
Total Physical Response (TPR)	A language-learning approach that emphasizes the use of physical activity to increase vocabulary retention.
Tracking	A teaching practice that groups students to receive instruction according to their abilities.
Transcript	A copy of a student's permanent school record that shows courses taken, grades, graduation status, and attendance and often includes assessments such as PSAT, SAT, ACT. Also known as Student Records.
Transfer of Learning	The ability to take previously learned knowledge or skills and apply them to new situations.
Translation	The process of transcribing written information from one language into another language keeping the meaning and intent of the original information.
Truancy Petition	Paperwork submitted by a school district to juvenile court listing the number of school days missed by the student and the actions taken by the district to help the student return to school. This paperwork must be submitted before the student can be summoned to juvenile court for a hearing.
Truant Students	Youth ages 8 to 18 who do not attend school every day as required by Washington State law.
Tutor	Person who provides extra help for students with their schoolwork. A tutor may be another student or an adult.
Understanding by Design	Is a set of ideas and practices that helps you think more purposefully and carefully about the nature of any design that has understanding as its goal. It is based on the work of Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins and focuses on the principles of “Backwards Design”.
Unit	Curricular units aligned to standards that encompass some of the major areas of focus in a given developmental period. They include the essential questions, content and skills that will be addressed, specific lessons that will be used, and assessments that will be required.
Unpacking Standards	Process of clearly defining the critical content and skills embedded in a standard that students need to know and be able to demonstrate to show mastery of the standard.
Unit of Study	A segment of instruction focused on a particular topic.
University	An institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects in both undergraduate and postgraduate education.
WOKE	alert to injustice in society, especially racist
Y
Year-round Schooling	A school calendar that gives students shorter breaks throughout the year, instead of a traditional three-month summer break.
Z
Zero Tolerance	School district policy that defines specific punishment for students who break certain rules.

 

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Explanation for Student Compendium
File	Includes
Abbreviations	A shortened form of a word or phrase. ANU - Australian National University
Acronyms	An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from the first letter (or first few letters) of each word in a phrase or title. Sometimes, the newly combined letters create a new word that becomes a part of everyday language. An example of this is the acronym radar. Also includes Mnemonics
Adjectives	a word naming an attribute of a noun, such as sweet, red, or technical. Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words * Priest = Sacerdotal
Animals	Types of animals, Sounds the make, Where do they live, Collective names of animals Apes - gibber, Camel live in Australia, Sahara & Arabia, names = Bull - is called a heifer
Antonyms	a word opposite in meaning to another (e.g. bad - good ). Opposites = Absent - present
Big_Words for small	Small word with big word alternative Anger - Dudgeon * bold - Audacious
Characteristics	A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify them A partner in crime - accomplice
Church	Words pertaining to the church A passage between the pews in a church - Aisle
Commonly_confused_words	Similar sounding words with different meanings also Homonyms Council, an administrative or advisory body, do not confuse with counsel, advice or guidance.
Communication	All about communication see also A History of Communication
Computer_terms	All computer terms (ASCII, Binary, Unicode)
Countries	Names given to certain towns or countries includes facts about climate Aberdeen - The Granite City The Torrid Zone has the hottest climate Zinc - Mexico, U.S.A., Spain
Death	Words pertaining to death Occurring after death - posthumous
Diminutives	A diminutive person is short and small. A diminutive wordis a "cute" version of a word or name: for example, "duckling" is a diminutive of "duck" and Billy is a diminutive form of the name William Cask - casket
Famous_People	Famous world discoveries of countries continents, includes Australian discoverers Matthew Flinders -discovered Bass Strait. * Lord Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts in 1908
Figurative_Expressions	Explanation of a word, words in literal expressions denote what they mean according to common or dictionary usage Aloof -To keep to oneself and not mix with others.
Gender	Gender list of male female Actor - Actress
Geography	Countries of the world and Geographical facts The Circumference of the earth is approxinmately 24,800 miles.
Gods	List of gods and goddesses War - Mars
Government	Australian and UK government with words denoting government Australian Government
Grammar	Explains grammar syntax and verbs adjectives nouns etc. Explains various uses of nouns verbs etc.
Human_Relationships	The art of living together includes senses, elements, cardinal numbers, cardinal virtues THE ART OF LIVING - Consideration for the feelings of others
Inventions	Alphabetical list of the most important inventions Clock (pendulum) - Christian Huygens
Kings_Queens	List of kings and queens of Britain with facts and information EGBERT 827 - 839
Literary	Practical list of  words explained in a sentence or phrase A book in which the events of each day are recorded - Diary
Marriage	Words pertaining to marriage included anniversary gifts A hater of marriage - misogamist
Medical	Medical terms in use today A disease confined to a particular district or place - endemic
Metaphors	Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated
Miscellaneous	Sounds that things make, description of various venues or habitats, special calendar dates, Aussie slang words, Mnemonics All Fools' Day - 1st April - Aussie slang - sounds that things make etc.
Names	Names of persons or things, occupations, and a description of word meanings i.e. Terrestrial = Earth Various names explained Bird of night - Owl
Nature	Words connected to nature A four-footed animal - quadruped
Negatives	a word or statement that expresses denial, disagreement, or refusal That which cannot be pierced or penetrated - impenetrable
Nouns	Explanation of nouns, COMMON Nouns, PROPER Nouns, COLLECTIVE  Nouns and ABSTRACT Nouns. sit - seat (when to use Nouns)
Numbers	Numbers of animals things i.e. A number of Cattle = herd A number of fish taken in a net - catch, haul
Opposites	a person or thing that is totally different from or the reverse of someone or something else. Unable to read - il-literate
Other	Special days, Aussies slang and any other items not covered in this list Any other items that might be of interest
Patron Saints	List of Patron Saints St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland
Phobias	Noctiphobia - Fear of the night
Places	A list of places A place where bees are kept = apiary A place where fishes are kept - aquarium
Possessive_Case	The case which is used to show possession is called the possessive case or genitive case. In case of nouns, an apostrophe is used to show it. Is the case which denotes the owner or possessor
Prefixes	All Prefixes
Professions	List of various professions The commander of a fleet - Admiral
Proverbs	Famous proverbs A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A bad beginning makes a good ending.
Quotes	Serious Quotes and some Witty funny one liners Someone has glued my pack of cards together...I cannot deal with it!
Sayings	Famous sayings as a drowned rat. - as ancient as the sun—as the stars.
Science_and_Arts	List of words used in Science or Art An instrument for detecting earthquakes - seismograph
Scientific_Terms	Explanation of scientific items like barometer The science of land management - agronomics
Seven_Wonders	The seven wonders of the ancient world with explanations The Pyramids of Egypt
Similes	Words to use as a Simile which is a phrase that describes one thing in terms of another.  A simile usually begins with like or as. Archates - a good friend * Belt = to hit below the belt
Synonyms	List of words or phrases that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another  abandon....... desert, forsake, leave.
Thesaurus	Understanding words, Incorrect Use of Words, Thesaurus of Words :Thesaurus - abandon = abandoned, abandoning, abandonment, abandons affluent =having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value,words explained and incorrect use of words
UrbanMyths	The floor was dirt.  Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor."
War	Words used in war Nations carrying on warfare - belligerents
Weddings	Anniversary dates and wedding information
Words_to_Verbs	Words shown in noun or verb strong - strengthen
Zodiac_signs	Signs of the Zodiac

Please note there are some excellent links to assist with these pages

see at the end for the links for further information. 

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Page last updated 2nd March 2020