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Glossary of terms
Pueblo City Schools offers this glossary to provide an explanation of terms, primarily educational, used in the district. For a broader list of educational terms, please refer to The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Adequate Yearly Progress: AYP stands for adequate yearly progress. It represents the annual academic performance targets
in reading and math that the State, school districts, and schools
must reach to be considered on track for 100% proficiency by
school year 2013-14.
Advanced Placement Courses: A comprehensive honors/advanced placement program is offered in Mathematics, English, Foreign Language, Science, Social Studies, Career and Technical Education and Health Occupations. Entry into honors classes is by invitation based on past performance and test results. A honors/AP course is a course that has higher expectations,
values scholarship, and emphasizes complex thinking skills. Honors/AP courses are designed to challenge the most academically competent students. Advanced Placement Examination preparation is available through honors classes.
Many colleges award course credit and/or advanced standing to students who earn a sufficient score (as determined by the college) on the AP exam. (See the course descriptions for the specific courses that provide AP preparation.) The tests are offered in the individual high schools on dates normally in May. The cost of the Advanced Placement Examination is the responsibility of the student.
Assessment: Another word for “test.” Under he federal No Child Left Behind law, tests are aligned with academic standards. Beginning in the 2002-03 school year, schools had to begin administering tests in each of three grade spans: grades 3-5, grades 6-9, and grades 10-12 in all schools. Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, tests had to be administered every year in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading. Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, science achievement must also be tested.
At-Risk/At-Promise: The former is the universally applied term to students who have not been adequately served by social service or educational systems and are at risk of educational failure due to lack of services, negative life events, or physical or mental challenges, among others. In Pueblo City Schools, we see this term as having a negative contation; therefore, we characterize our students as "At-Promise."
Audit:Under certain conditions, an additional class may be taken on an audit basis. No grade or credit is given. An audit course is included in the maximum class load allowed.
AYP: Adequate Yearly Progress refers to an individual state’s measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. “Adequate Yearly Progress” is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts and schools must achieve each year.
Business Meeting - The Pueblo City Schools' Board of Education meetings generally have three components: Closed Session, Work Session and the Business Meeting. Public comment is entertained during the Business Meeting. Actions taken at the Business Meeting are based on items that have been thoroughly discussed during a previous Work Session.
Categorical
CDE: Colorado Department of Education
Citizens’ Advisory Council: The State of Colorado, by law, requires all school districts to have a citizen's advisory council. Among other responsibilies, CAC members participate in the development and writing of committee reports and recommendations.
Closed Session: During a Closed Session, Board members can discuss only specific topics as defined by law. Personnel actions and student discipline situations are among the items that can be discussed during Closed Session. All Closed Sessions are posted and announced to the News Media.
Collaborative Decision-Making: All stakeholders in the learning process must be represented in the decision-making process at each site.
Collective Bargaining" The process of negotiations between the school district and its various employee groups.
Corrective Action: When a school or district does not make adequate yearly progress, the state will place it under a “Corrective Action Plan.” The plan will include resources to improve teaching, administration or curriculum. If a school continues to be identified as in need of improvement, then the state has increased authority to make any necessary, additional changes to ensure improvement.
Credit: A credit is the high school’s measure of course work completed. Two credits are given for successful completion of a course meeting one or more period every day for two semesters. Successful completion of a one-semester course equals one credit. Ten credits are typically earned in one school year.
ELL: English Language Learners
ELP: English Language Proficiency
Elective Courses: Courses that a student may select to complete a yearly schedule in relation to personal interests, aptitudes and future plans.
ESEA: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was first enacted in 1965, and is the principal federal law affecting K-12 education. The No Child Left Behind Act is the most recent reauthorization of the ESEA.
ESL: English as a Second Language is a program or techniques, methodology and special curriculum designed to teach ELL students English language skills, which may include listening, speaking, reading, writing, study skills, content vocabulary, and cultural orientation. ESL instruction is usually in English with little use of native language.
Highly Qualified Teacher: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that all teachers in core academic subjects must be highly qualified in the areas of teaching assignments. All teachers in programs supported by Title I funds or newly hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year must be highly qualified at the time of employment. Teachers are considered to be highly qualified if they 1) have a bachelor’s degree; 2) have a full State certification; and 3) have demonstrated subject-matter competence in the area(s) taught.
Minutes: The minutes are a written record of discussions held at each board as recorded by the Board Secretary. Minutes of Work Sessions and Business Meetings are public documents and may be inspected during normal business hours through prior arrangement with the office of the Board Secretary.
No Child Left Behind: NCLB was signed into law January 8, 2002. It is the latest revision of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The overall purpose of the law is to ensure that each child in
Policy: A policy is a formal statement of principles established by the Board of Education to provide guidance to the administration regarding the operation of the district.
Prerequisites: Requirements that must be fulfilled before a student may enroll in a particular course. These requirements may include specific courses, specific grade average, approval of the teacher, etc.
Public Hearing: A Public Hearing is a formal opportunity for the Board to receive public opinion on various subjects that may eventually require board action. Notices of public hearings are advertised through local media.
Public Comment: Public Comment is entertained during each regularly scheduled Business Meeting. For details, see the section of this brochure entitled “When can I speak during Board meetings?”
PEA: Pueblo Education Association
Repeated Courses: A course may be repeated; however a duplicate credit is not granted for repeated courses. The highest earned is used for credit and in determination of class ranking. Both original and repeated courses will appear on the transcript.
Required Courses: Specific courses a student must take and pass in order to graduate.
Resolution: A Resolution is a formal statement that specifies a course of action that is determined, decided and adopted by the Board of Education.
Work Session: The Work Session, which generally begins at 6 p.m., is the portion of the Board of Education meeting devoted to presentation of reports and background information intended for discussion by members of the Board of Education. No action is taken during a Work Session. Public comment is not entertained during the Work Session.