A Glossary of Acronyms And Terms from the New Jersey Department Of Education 2002

In response to feedback from people who have read publications and documents from the Department of Education, we have created a glossary of some of the frequently used acronyms and terms.

References to N.J.S.A. (New Jersey Statutes Annotated) can be checked on the Legislative Web site at www.njleg.state.nj.us. References to N.J.A.C. (New Jersey Administrative Code) can be checked on the department’s Web site at www.state.nj.us/education under administrative code. Additional information on all of the topics in this book is also available on the department’s Web site. Look in the overview of DOE programs on the home page.

Abbott Preschool Program Contract is the state-approved model agreement for preschool program services, with any modifications requested by the school district and approved by the DOE, between the school district and private providers, including Head Start.

Abbott School District refers to each of the following 28 urban school districts that were litigants in Raymond Abbott v. Fred G. Burke decided by the New Jersey Supreme Court on June 5, 1990 as follows: Asbury Park City, Bridgeton City, Burlington City, Camden City, East Orange City, Elizabeth City, Garfield City, Gloucester City, Harrison Town, Hoboken City, Irvington Township, Jersey City, Keansburg Borough, Long Branch City, Millville City, New Brunswick City, Newark City, City of Orange Township, Passaic City, Paterson City, Pemberton Township, Perth Amboy City, Phillipsburg Town, Pleasantville City, Trenton City, Union City, Vineland City, and West New York Town. The following school districts have been added to the original 28 Abbott school districts pursuant to statute: Neptune Township, Plainfield and Salem City.

AWSRD - Alternative Whole School Reform Design is a reform plan approved by the Commissioner of Education on the recommendation of the chief school administrator (CSA) and the school leadership council (SLC) which the school district has documented to be more effective than the implementation of a national whole school reform (WSR) model.

CAPA Team - Collaborative Assessment and Planning for Achievement Team consists of educational practitioners, parents and other individuals assembled, trained, and assigned by the Commissioner and the chief school administrator to implement the CAPA process in low-performing schools to bring about school improvement. The process was formerly known as the Performance Assessment Team (PAT).

CES-District - Continuously Enrolled Students-District is a statistical subgroup of those students who were enrolled in the school district by July 1, 2001 or earlier; took the current New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge 4 (NJ ASK4), Grade Eight Performance Assessment (GEPA) or High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA); and were enrolled in more than one school in the school district after July 1, 2001. Any student enrolled in an Abbott school after July 1, 2001 who transferred directly from another school in the same school district is categorized as one of "Continuously Enrolled Students—District."

Child Care Center Provider is a child care center or Head Start program licensed by the Department of Human Services.

Community and Parent Involvement Specialist is the school district staff member charged with furthering family/school partnerships for the preschool program. The specialist coordinates systematic community and parent involvement plans and activities.

CSA - Chief School Administrator is a term that refers to a district superintendent, including Abbott school districts or the state school district superintendent in the case of a state-operated school district.

Demonstrated Need is an obstacle to improved student performance that is documented by evidence.

DEOA - Discretionary Education Opportunity Aid (formerly known as Abbott Supplemental Aid) is that portion of education opportunity aid sought by an Abbott district for supplemental programs that must be approved by the Commissioner.

ECAC - Early Childhood Education Advisory Council is a representation of community stakeholders interested in the education and welfare of preschool-age children, organized by the school district to participate in community–wide planning by the school district and to review progress towards full implementation of high-quality preschool programs.

ELAS - Early Learning Assessment System is an ongoing performance-based assessment process that measures the child’s progress in meeting the Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality.

ELC - Education Law Center is the legal entity that represents the Abbott districts in all court proceedings and oversees the actions taken to carry out the court’s decisions.

EOA - Education Opportunity Aid is state funding based on the New Jersey Supreme Court order in Abbott v. Burke that calls for spending for regular education in each Abbott school district that equals the average per-pupil spending of New Jersey school districts in the "I" and "J" categories of the District Factor Groups. It is to be used by Abbott school districts to implement regular or foundational education and Abbott reforms, programs and services.

Evidence-based Research applies rigorous, systematic and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid findings, including empirical methods that draw on observation and/or experiment; rigorous quantitative and/or qualitative data analyses; and measurements and/or observational methods.

Full-Time Family Worker is an individual hired by the child care center provider at a ratio of one full-time family worker to every 45 children.

LST - Local Support Team includes department staff assigned by the Commissioner to work with Abbott school districts in implementing Abbott programs and services that are supported by Abbott Division central office staff.

Needs Assessment is a continuous process of evaluation of the obstacles and deficiencies that prevent students from achieving early literacy and the CCCS in all grades and obtaining a high school diploma. The needs assessment must identify what the school and district will do to overcome the documented obstacles and present the evidence that the proposed practices will improve student achievement.

NJ SMART - New Jersey Standards Measurement and Resource for Teaching is a student registration system being developed by the department to collect student-level data.

Preschool Intervention and Referral Team is a team of specialists charged by the school district to work with administrators, staff, parents, and other professionals to enhance general education preschool classes, assist teaching staff in meeting students’ individual needs, and help decrease the number of referrals for special education.

POP - Preschool Operational Plan means the three-year operational plan submitted by the school district to the department on or before November 15 of each year and updated annually, which includes how the school district will deliver the Abbott preschool programs and services in accordance with the New Jersey Supreme Court mandates.

SBA - School Business Administrator is a member of the professional staff who holds an appropriate certificate and is authorized to perform duties at the district level in the areas of financial budget planning and administration.

SLC - School Leadership Council (formerly known as School Management and Improvement Team or SMIT) is a collaborative school-based planning and decision-making group.

Standards-based Reform is the process by which schools and school districts work to align school district and/or school curriculum to the CCCS and assure that instructional practice and professional development are effective and driven by the curriculum.

WSR - Whole School Reform is the school-based implementation of a coherent design for the school that includes curriculum, instruction, organization and management so that all students attain high standards.

WSR Model - Whole School Reform Model approved by the Commissioner, also called Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) models in NCLB. There are numerous approved WSR models that are described on the Abbott Implementation Web site at http://www.nj.gov/njded/abbotts/wsr/models.htm

APA - Alternate Proficiency Assessment – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates the participation of all students with disabilities in statewide assessments. States must develop and conduct alternate assessments for students who cannot participate in the general statewide testing program. The Alternate Proficiency Assessment is used as the statewide test for students with severe disabilities. These results are calculated for AYP.

CRT – Criterion-referenced Tests are intended to measure how well a person has learned a specific body of knowledge and skills – the CCCS. The state assessments are CRTs.

GEPA – Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment had its first administration in March 1999. The GEPA took the place of the Grade 8 Early Warning Test (EWT), which had been administered to eighth graders since March 1991. The GEPA is intended to provide information about student progress toward mastery of the skills specified by the Core Curriculum Content Standards in language arts literacy, math, and science.

HSPA – High School Proficiency Assessment replaced the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in spring 2000 and is used to determine student achievement of the knowledge and skills in the NJ CCCS for language arts literacy and math. Passing all sections of the test is a requirement for receiving a high school diploma.

LAL – Language Arts Literacy integrates all of the verbal skills that are needed for critical thinking and communication.

NAEP – National Assessment of Educational Progress measures educational achievement of American students in a wide variety of subjects and the changes in achievement over time. The program also provides scores for subpopulations defined by demographic characteristics and by specific background characteristics and experiences.

NCES – National Center for Education Statistics is the branch of the U.S. Department of Education that collects and reports statistics about schools in all 50 states.

NJASK (3 & 4) The New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge 4
(NJ ASK 4) measures student achievement in the knowledge and critical thinking skills defined by the NJ CCCS in language arts literacy, math, and science. In 2003, NJ ASK 4 replaced the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA) previously administered to New Jersey's fourth graders. NJ ASK 3 was officially administered in language arts literacy and math for the first time in 2004 to satisfy the testing mandate in NCLB to begin testing at grade 3. Tests for grades 5, 6, and 7 will be added in 2006 to complete the testing progression from grades 3-8.

NRT – Norm-referenced Tests compare test takers to each other on a given set of criteria that are not aligned with state standards. The tests are used to report percentages who pass or fail. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a federal norm-referenced test.

SCASS – State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards was created by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to help states design assessments in a variety of subject areas.

SRA – Special Review Assessment is an alternative assessment that provides students with the opportunity to exhibit their understanding and mastery of the HSPA skills in contexts that are familiar and related to their experiences. The SRA content is linked to the HSPA test specifications. This is necessary in order to ensure that students who are certified through the SRA11 have demonstrated the same skills and competencies at comparable levels as students who pass the written test.

TIMSS - Third International Mathematics and Science Survey is an international comparative study designed to provide information about educational achievement and learning contexts for the participating countries in mathematics and science in grades 7 and 8.

ELS - English Language Services are designed to improve the English language skills of students with limited English proficiency. These services are provided in school districts with less than 10 students of limited English proficiency in addition to the regular school program.

ELL – English Language Learners are pupils whose native language is other than English and who have difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English language as measured by an English language proficiency test. Thus, they require bilingual or ESL programs in order to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English.

ESL - English as a Second Language programs in K-12 education require a daily developmental second language program of up to two periods of instruction based on student needs. The programs offer listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing in English using second-language teaching techniques. The teachers also incorporate the cultural aspects of the students’ experiences into their ESL instruction.

LEP - Limited English Proficient is defined in N.J.A.C. 6A:15-1.2 as pupils whose native language is other than English and who have difficulty speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English language as measured by an English language proficiency test. Thus, they require bilingual or ESL programs in order to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English.

NJTESOL/NJBE - New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Education is a chapter of the two national associations. This professional organization has been established for educators concerned with the teaching of English as a second language and bilingual education.

Alternative Education Program – is a non-traditional learning environment that addresses the individual learning styles and needs of students at risk of school failure or mandated for removal from general education. It is based upon an Individualized Program Plan and New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards and has been approved by the Commissioner of Education, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:16-9.

BRFSS - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is an ongoing telephone survey sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that monitors changes in adult health-related behaviors, health problems and use of health care.

CDC- DASH - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health.

CE – Character Education encompasses school-wide climate enhancements, infusion of core ethical values into the curriculum, and teaching strategies that help young people develop positive character traits such as respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, citizenship and caring.

C-SAP - Center for Substance Abuse Prevention is a federal office that provides information on alcohol and drug abuse research and programs.

CSL - Community Service Learning is a discretionary grant program with the Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) providing cognitive skills learning and community service activities for adjudicated juveniles.

D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education is a law enforcement-delivered curriculum in drug and violence prevention education.

EVVRS – Electronic Violence and Vandalism Reporting System collects records of individual incidents of violence, vandalism, weapons use and substance abuse from districts over the Internet. Offender and victim information is also included in the EVVRS.

GCADA - Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse is a state-level coordinating body whose membership includes state agency representatives and public members with an interest in drug and alcohol prevention and intervention services.

HRDI - Human Resources Development Institute is a state agency that provides training in management, leadership, customer service, diversity, and technology, primarily for public employees.

IEHP – Individualized Emergency Healthcare Plan is a plan written by a certified school nurse that specifies the delivery of accommodations and services needed by a student in the event of an emergency

IHP – Individualized Healthcare Plan is a plan written by a certified school nurse that details accommodations and/or nursing services to be provided to a student because of the student’s medical condition based on medical orders written by a physician.

I&RS - Intervention and Referral Services is a building-based multidisciplinary team process established to identify and address the full range of academic, behavior and health problems in the general education program.

IPP - Individualized Program Plan is an instructional program for non-handicapped pupils.

JDC - Juvenile Detention Center offers county education programs under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC).

JRRI - Juvenile Risk Reduction Initiative is a discretionary grant program with the Juvenile Justice Commission providing substance abuse and violence prevention education to adjudicated juveniles.

NJSBHS – New Jersey Student Behavior Health Survey is a statewide survey on student health behaviors and related issues administered every two years by the Department of Education.

NSP – Nursing Services Plan is a plan that describes in detail the nursing services to be provided throughout the school district based on the needs of its students, potential emergency situations, basic nursing services requirements and the assignment of health services staff to provide those services.

OPSS - Office of Program Support Services within the NJ Department of Education is responsible for health-related initiatives and other student support programs.

OSDFS - Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools within the United States Department of Education.

RGC - Residential Group Centers are community-based programs operated by or under contract with the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) for pupils in state custody.

SAC - Substance Awareness Coordinator is a certified school staff member who coordinates the district’s comprehensive substance abuse prevention and intervention program, which includes in-service training, curriculum, program and policy development, and intervention, counseling and referral services (N.J.S.A.18A:40A-18).

SBYS – School-based Youth Services is a program of student prevention, intervention and treatment services of the NJ Department of Human Services.

SDFSCA - Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act is Title IV, Part A of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It provides funds to districts to implement comprehensive and science-based alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention programs and activities.

SEL – Social Emotional Learning is the process through which children and adults develop the skills, attitudes, and values necessary to acquire social and emotional competence.

UCCA – Unified Child Care Agency is a county-based agency designated by the NJ Department of Human Services (NJDHS) to oversee the coordination of childcare service delivery for DHS-administered programs.

CCP - Certified Childcare Professional is a credential earned by teachers for their knowledge of early childhood development and their skills in working with young children. The credential means that the candidate has, at a minimum, 180 clock hours of continuing education credit and 720 hours of classroom experience and has passed the exam.

CCP – Certified Childcare Professional is a credential that can be obtained by staff working in early childhood education settings.

CDA - Child Development Associate is the national credential for early care and education teachers who have met the CDA competency standards or 120 clock hours of formal education through an agency or organization with expertise in child development or early childhood teacher preparation. Only the Council for Professional Recognition can award a CDA credential.

CDA - Child Development Associate is a credential that can be obtained by an assistant teacher’s working in early childhood education settings.

Community Providers are early childhood agencies in the community that contract with the Abbott districts to provide the mandated early childhood programs for three- and four-year-olds.

Creative Curriculum is an early childhood education curriculum developed by Teaching Strategies that applies child development and learning theories to an education environment that focuses planning around indoor and outdoor interest areas.

Curiosity Corner is an early childhood education curriculum developed by the Success for All Foundation that fosters cognitive, linguistic, social, physical, and emotional development of three- and four-year-olds in a theme-based environment.

Developmental Screening is an assessment that screens preschool children by quickly sampling their skills across areas of language, reasoning, gross motor, fine motor and social development. It is required that all three- and four-year-old children in Abbott districts, whether or not enrolled in an Abbott preschool program, be administered an initial screening device, such as the Early Screening Inventory (Meisels et al., 1997). This information is never used to determine or deny placement. Screening is always the first step in the assessment process as it does not provide enough information to identify children as needing special education services.

DFD – Division of Family Development is a division within the Department of Human Services with responsibility for childcare and welfare reform among other programs.

DHS – Department of Human Services partners with the Department of Education in implementing the Abbott early childhood education program. DHS is responsible for licensing community childcare providers and funding wrap-around services in those providers.

DYFS – Division of Youth and Family Services is a division within DHS with responsibility for childcare licensing, child protection, and child welfare, among other programs.

ECERS-R – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised is designed to assess group programs for children of preschool through kindergarten age and is used to evaluate each component of the preschool classroom from the quality of interactions, materials and activities to the way in which the classroom is arranged.

Family Worker is a position required in every Abbott early childhood education program in a community provider setting. There must be one family worker for every 45 children and their families being served by the center. The family worker works with the center and the parents to ensure that the parents and their children obtain necessary health and social services.

Full-day/Full-year preschool programs are required in every Abbott district. Programs must be made available for ten hours a day, 245 days a year for a minimum of 180 school calendar days. A program must include at least a six-hour educational component meeting NJDOE requirements and a four-hour wrap-around services component meeting DHS licensing requirements. The remaining 65 days must meet DHS requirements for the ten hours of service.

High/Scope Preschool Curriculum is an early childhood education curriculum developed by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation that encourages children to make choices about materials and activities throughout the day that foster developmentally important skills and abilities.

Master Teacher is a position required in every Abbott early childhood education program. There must be at least one master teacher for every 20 early childhood education classrooms to coordinate early childhood education programs and assist in the provision of early childhood education professional development. Master teachers that specialize in supports for English Language Learners and inclusion of children with special needs are also provided.

NAEYC - National Association for the Education of Young Children, based in Washington, DC, is an organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.

NJAEYC – New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children is an affiliate group of the NAEYC.

P-3 – Preschool through Grade 3 Endorsement is a credential that, as of September 1, 2001, is required for any new preschool teacher in an Abbott district in either a district program or a community provider setting.

Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality is a document containing guidelines for creating developmentally appropriate preschool learning environments that promote early literacy and other important goals. The guidelines support and prepare young children to meet New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards when they enter kindergarten.

Wrap-around Services in Abbott early childhood education programs consist of activities held during the four hours before and/or after the required six-hour educational component during the ten-hour full-day program. They also are provided through the summer program.

AAO - Affirmative Action Officer must be appointed from among the certified staff in every school district.

CEP – Comprehensive Equity Plan is a three-year plan developed by districts and charter schools specifically to ensure that an equal educational opportunity is available to all students through identification and correction of discriminatory and inequitable practices prohibited by state and federal law (N.J.A.C. 6A7-1.3)

EEO - Equal Educational Opportunity means the creation of environments that enable the provision of a thorough and efficient education as defined by the state’s Core Curriculum Content Standards, differentiated instruction, formative assessments aligned to the CCCS and high expectations for teaching and learning in a public school district. It requires the elimination of prejudice and other forms of discrimination in the policies, practices and curricula of the district, as evidenced through the narrowing of the achievement gap and when all students and staff enjoy equal access to all programs and benefits provided by or offered within the public schools of the district (N.J.A.C. 6A7-1.3).

GEAC – Gender Equity Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the NJDOE regarding policies, procedures, and programs relating to career education and lifelong learning for males and females.

NRCR – Nontraditional Career Resource Center is a program funded by the NJDOE and housed at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Its mission is to bridge the education and workforce development communities to increase awareness and opportunities for students in grades 7-12 who are interested in nontraditional careers.

ACT - Abbott Consortium for Technology was originally formed to meet the needs of the Abbott districts in submitting applications for the Universal Service Fund (e-rate program). Each Abbott district sends at least one representative to regularly held meetings to discuss mutual needs, challenges and solutions for educational technology activities.

ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a connection-oriented service that transmits simultaneous voice, data and video traffic at high speeds. It allows the flexibility to assign the bandwidth needed to send information when it is needed and for as long as it is needed.

AUP - Acceptable Use Policy is a written agreement, signed by students, their parents, and teachers, outlining the terms and conditions of Internet use in schools. It states acceptable uses of online materials, rules for online behavior, and access privileges. It also covers penalties for violations of the policy. Anyone using a school's Internet connection signs an AUP, which is kept on file as a legally binding document.

Bandwidth - is data speed through a connection, measured in bits-per-second (BPS).

E-rate - Education Rate discount is available under a federally funded program called the Universal Service Fund (USF).

ETTC - Educational Technology Training Center is a county-based resource center that offers educators professional development opportunities. Funded by federal and state funds, the ETTCs contain demonstration technology equipment and offer training programs to assist teachers in implementing the Core Curriculum Content Standards.

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language is a programming coding language used to create sites on the World Wide Web.

IDLS - Interactive Distance Learning Service is offered by Bell Atlantic and provides two-way, full-motion audio and video and allows the interconnection of multiple locations. This service allows communication among other IDLS sites either within a county or a specifically defined region for communication.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network increases the bandwidth of a normal telephone line, making it capable of simultaneous delivery of voice and data services over a single telephone line. It is designed to provide a standard interface to customer equipment such as computers, telephones, facsimile machines, and routers.

ISP - Internet Service Provider is a business that acts as an intermediary between the Internet and the connecting individual or agency.

ITV - Interactive Television or distance learning classroom systems provide full-motion interactive video within the classroom.

LAN - Local Area Network connects computers, modems and printers within a local area such as a school.

SMDS - Switched Multi-megabit Data Service is a connectionless high-speed data transmission service used for Internet access and connecting LANs over a wide area.

URL - Uniform (or Universal) Resource Locators are similar to an address or phone number of the sites on the Internet. Each site has a unique locator. The URL for the NJDOE is www.state.nj.us/education

USF - Universal Service Fund is a federally funded program in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 designed to provide affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries in the United States by providing discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal connections.

WAN - Wide Area Net is a network capable of transmissions over large geographic areas among computers, modems, and printers.

WWW - World Wide Web is an Internet browsing system that allows for point and click navigation of the Internet.

Additional space is space in excess of the facilities efficiency standards (FES).

Adjusted Gross Square Footage is the gross square footage of a facility less excluded spaces.

Approved Area for Unhoused Students is the product of the area allowance per FTE student times the number of unhoused students.

Approved LRFP or Approved Plan is a Long-Range Facilities Plan that conforms to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 6A:26-2 et seq. and that has been determined by the Commissioner to ensure that, over the next five years, the school facilities are educationally adequate to support the achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Area Allowance per Full-time Equivalent (FTE) student is 125 square feet for preschool through grade 5; 134 square feet for grades 6 through 8; and 151 square feet for grades 9 through 12.

Area cost allowance is used in determining preliminary eligible costs of school facilities projects, and it must be the figure based on the year of approval of the school facilities project.

Authority refers to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), including the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation, a subsidiary of the authority created in 2002 to carry out the authority’s responsibilities under EFCFA, except the power to incur indebtedness.

Capital Maintenance is intended to extend the useful life of a school facility, including upgrades and replacements of building systems, such as structure, enclosure, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems. It can be considered to be part of a school facilities project.

Capital Project is a school facilities project, other capital project or land acquisition project.

Community Design Feature is any area, room, equipment, recreational area or playground included in a demonstration project that is to be used in common by students of the district and by residents of the community.

Debt service, as defined by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, means payments of principal and interest upon school bonds and other obligations issued to finance the purchase or construction of school facilities, additions to school facilities, or the reconstruction, remodeling, alteration, modernization, renovation or repair of school facilities, including furnishings, equipment, architect fees and the costs of issuance of such obligations. It also includes payments of principal and interest upon bonds issued to fund or refund such obligations, and upon municipal bonds and other obligations that the Commissioner approves as having been issued for such purposes. Debt service pursuant to the provisions of P.L. 1978, c.74 (N.J.S.A. 18A:58–33.22 et seq.), P.L. 1971, c.10 (N.J.S.A. 18A:58–33.6 et seq.) and P.L. 1968, c.177 (N.J.S.A. 18A:58–33.2 et seq.) is excluded.

Demonstration project is a school facilities project selected by the State Treasurer for construction by a redevelopment entity pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-6.

Educational Adequacy for purposes of a school facilities project, is the suitability of a facility for the provision of instruction that will enable students to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards and meet the facilities efficiency standards combined with the requirements of N.J.A.C. 6:26-5.

EFCFA - Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act was passed in July 2000 and initiated the state’s long-term substantial school construction program in accordance with the provisions of the act.

Excess Costs refer to the additional costs, if any, which must be borne by the district for a school facilities project resulting from design factors that are not required to meet the facilities efficiency standards and not approved pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5(g) or are not authorized as community design features included in final eligible costs pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-6(c). Excess costs are to be distinguished from the additional costs arising out of design factors that are required to meet the facilities efficiency standards and that are either approved or authorized by N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5 or -6.

Excluded Space is an existing space not contained in the facilities efficiency standards that delivers programs and services aligned to the Core Curriculum Content Standards, provides support services directly to students, or would be structurally or fiscally impractical to convert to other uses contained in the facilities efficiency standards.

Feasibility Study is a pre-construction evaluation undertaken by a district to determine whether, because of health and safety or efficiency, it would be more feasible to replace rather than renovate a school facility.

FEC - Final Eligible Costs for a school facilities project to be constructed by the authority are those that are determined by the Commissioner pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5(h) (1); or, for other projects, determined pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5(h) (1) or N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-6.

FES - Facilities Efficiency Standards are developed by the Commissioner of Education for early childhood, elementary, middle, and high schools. These standards determine the extent to which a district's construction project qualifies for state aid. They represent the instructional and administrative spaces that are educationally adequate to support the achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards.

FTE – Full-time Equivalent, for purposes of a Long-Range Facilities Plan or school facilities project, a full-time equivalent student is calculated as follows: in ECPA districts, each student in grades kindergarten through 12 is counted at 100% of the actual count of students. Two students in half-day programs are equal to one FTE.

Functional Capacity means the number of students that can be housed in a building in order to have sufficient space for the building to be educationally adequate for the delivery of programs and services necessary for student achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. Functional capacity is determined by dividing the adjusted gross square footage of a school building by the minimum area allowance per FTE student for the grade-level students contained in the building.

Lease Purchase: Lease purchase is an alternative way for a school district to finance the purchase of equipment or construction of improvements or additions to school facilities. It is an agreement that cannot exceed 5 years, except for the lease purchase of buses which cannot exceed 10 years, during which the district leases equipment or school facilities with the option of purchasing the leased property during or upon termination of the lease and with credit toward the purchase price of all or part of the rental payments. The lease agreement must contain a provision making payments subject to the annual appropriation of funds or contain an annual cancellation clause. Lease purchase of equipment does not need the Commissioner’s approval. Lease purchase of construction of additions and renovations requires Commissioner or voter approval, as applicable. Payments of principal and interest for lease purchase agreements are part of the general fund budget. (N.J.S.A. 18A:20-4.2).

Local Portion is the amount of school bonds issued as local funding for school facilities projects funded under N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-9 or N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-10.

Local Share is the total cost of the project less the state share as determined by applicable law.

Local Unit is a county, municipality, district board of education, or any other political subdivision or entity authorized to construct, operate and maintain a school facilities project and to borrow money for those purposes pursuant to law.

Local Unit Obligations refer to school bonds, notes, refunding bonds, refunding notes, lease obligations and all other obligations of a local unit that are issued or entered into for the purpose of paying for all or a portion of the costs of a school facilities project.

LRFP - Long-Range Facilities Plan must be submitted to the Commissioner by a district pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-4 and N.J.A.C. 6A:26-2 et seq. and approved by the Commissioner in order for the district to be eligible for state facilities aid for construction projects.

New Construction is a school facilities project that consists of new school facilities and/or additions to school facilities.

Non-Abbott District includes all districts not included in the definition of an Abbott district in N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-3.

Non-authority Project is a school facilities project of a district with a district debt service aid percentage less than 55% that elects not to have the EDA oversee the project.

PEC - Preliminary Eligible Costs are the initial eligible costs of a school facilities project as calculated pursuant to the formulas set forth in N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-7, that include the costs of construction and other allowable costs.

Pre-development Activities must be undertaken prior to submitting a school facilities project application to the department for approval and calculation of preliminary eligible costs. Such activities may include site analysis, acquisition of land, remediation, site development, feasibility studies, design work, acquisition of and design work for temporary facilities, and preliminary approval of the demonstration project.

Programmatic Model is a list of each general instructional space, specialized instructional space, administrative and support space, and the sizes and numbers of the space that would constitute a school facility adequate to support the achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards by the projected student enrollment.

Rehabilitation is a school facilities project consisting of the reconstruction, remodeling, alteration, modernization, or repair of a school facility that does not increase the gross square footage of the school facility.

School Enrollment includes the number of FTE students who, on the last school day prior to October 16 of the current school year, are recorded in the registers of the school.

School Facilities Project is new construction necessary to meet the housing needs of unhoused students, or rehabilitation for the purpose of keeping a school facility functional.

State Share is the state's proportionate share of the final eligible costs of a school facilities project as determined pursuant to applicable sections of the law.

Temporary Facility is a facility used for educating students on a temporary basis while awaiting completion of a school facilities project that will permanently house students, including temporary classroom units (TCUs) or leased spaces or facilities.

Total Costs are, in the case of a school facilities project which is to be constructed by the authority or a redevelopment entity or financed pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-15, the final eligible costs plus excess costs, if any. In the case of a school facilities project that does not fit the description above, the total cost of the project is determined by the district.

UCC – Uniform Construction Code is state code that contains the standards that govern the construction, alteration, renovation, rehabilitation, maintenance, occupancy and use of buildings and structures, including school facilities.

Unhoused Students are the students in excess of the functional capacity of a school facility and a community provider facility that offers early childhood education programs for preschool, calculated pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:26-2.2(c).

ACC - Application Control Center is responsible for providing the department’s centralized control function for receipt of official grant documents. Among the various functions of the ACC are the receipt and evaluation of proposals and applications; grant agreement approvals and awards; oversight of the grantee report tracking system; award modification review and approval process; and award closeout.

AMP – Appropriation Management Plan is a comprehensive planning document developed annually by program offices for each appropriation received by the NJDOE. Each AMP includes a description of the appropriation, timelines, proposed use of funds, and program description. Each AMP must be approved by the Commissioner prior to the distribution of grant funds. The approved AMPs provide the necessary information to develop and distribute a pre-announcement of the availability of subgrant funds to be used for specific educational purposes.

Continuation Grant is a discretionary grant in which funds are provided on a non-competitive base to those agencies that were funded in year 1 of a multi-year grant program. Grantees must be certified by the program office as eligible to continue based on performance.

Cooperative Agreement is a document developed jointly by NJDOE and the targeted agency to provide specified services. No evaluation is required.

Discretionary Formula Grant is a grant in which funds are provided equitably to all agencies of a specific type (e.g., county vocational schools, institutions of higher education with teacher preparation programs, etc.). This type of grant program may be used when the enabling legislation does not clearly specify which agencies are eligible, does not provide a formula for disbursement of funds and clearly provides discretion to the grantor agency (NJDOE) regarding such disbursement issues. NJDOE may use its discretion to determine which types of agencies, the total amount of funds to be distributed, the intent of the funding, the allowable uses for the funds and the formula that would be applied. All of the agencies of that type would receive funds in accordance with the formula after submission/approval of an application for funds or the cooperative agreement.

Discretionary Grant is a grant made in support of an individual project in accordance with legislation which permits the grantor agency (NJDOE) to exercise judgment in selecting the project, the grantee and the amount of the award. Applicants may or may not compete for these funds.

DGA – Discretionary Grant Application contains information applicable to all discretionary grant programs, provides advice to facilitate the preparation of a well-considered, complete application, and includes directions for completing the standard application forms.

EDGAR - Education Department General Administrative Regulations, issued by the USDOE, contain portions of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99) that address the administrative requirements for grantees.

Entitlement Grant is a grant in which funds are provided to specified grantees on the basis of a specific formula, prescribed in legislation or regulation, rather than on the basis of an individual project review. The formula is usually based on such factors as population, enrollment, per capita income or specific need. Applicants do not compete for these funds.

Limited Competitive Grant is a discretionary grant in which funds are provided on a competitive basis and which is open to agencies with specific characteristics (e.g., high needs districts, districts with Title I schools in need of improvement, institutions of higher education with teacher preparation programs, etc.) as determined by the enabling legislation. Applications are evaluated and scored by a reader panel according to specified selection criteria.

NGO – Notice of Grant Opportunity is a document specific to a grant program designed to solicit applications from eligible applicants. It contains three sections that detail the state’s goals and purposes; the eligible agency’s guidelines for constructing a project consistent with the state’s goals; and general application guidance that links the applicant to the Discretionary Grant Application on the NJDOE Web site.

OMB Circulars - Office of Management and Budget Circulars provide federal guidance for the administration of grants, cost principles, and audit requirements. Federal regulations require that state departments of education treat federal and nonfederal sources of funds in a consistent manner and in accordance with state law. To meet this requirement, the NJDOE applies the provisions of the federal OMB Circulars uniformly to all contractors, regardless of the source of funds.

Open Competitive Grant is the most common form of discretionary grant in which funds are provided on a competitive basis and which is open to all eligible agencies as determined by the enabling legislation. Applications are evaluated and scored by a reader panel, according to specified selection criteria.

REAP – Rural Education Achievement Program refers to federal formula grant programs that are designed to help rural districts. The two programs are the Small Rural Schools Grant Program, which is administered directly by the USDOE, and the Rural and Low-Income School Program, administered by NJDOE.

Targeted Grant is a discretionary grant in which funds are provided on a non-competitive basis to an agency (or agencies) with unique qualifications such that no other agency can provide the specified services. The grant may be awarded through the NGO process or by issuing a Cooperative Agreement.

AR - Alternate route is an alternate certification process adopted in 1985 that permits qualified individuals who have not completed a teacher training program to earn instructional licenses while teaching in schools under a program of mentoring, supervision, evaluation, and formal instruction. It allows people to enter teaching after they have worked in other careers.

Approved Program is a department-approved planned program of professional preparation for educators at an institution of higher education.

Career Cluster is one of the vocational-technical program areas recognized nationally and recognized by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Certificate refers to one of three types of credentials – instructional, educational services and administrative -- that the Board of Examiners issues which permits an individual to serve as a teaching staff member. The Board of Examiners issues a separate endorsement for each subject area that falls under a specific type of certificate. The endorsement must be considered part of that certificate.

CE - Certificate of Eligibility is a credential with lifetime validity issued to persons who have completed degree, academic study and applicable test requirements for certification. The CE permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in positions requiring certification.

CEAS - Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing is a credential with lifetime validity issued to persons who have completed degree, academic study, applicable test requirements and traditional professional preparation programs for certification. The CEAS permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in positions requiring certification.

Coherent Sequence of Courses is a sequence of at least 30 semester-hour credits of college-level coursework in a subject field that includes study at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Dual Content Major is any college major that combines two of the Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Endorsement refers to the specific subject area in which a certificate holder is authorized to serve.

Mentor Teacher is a New Jersey-certified experienced teacher who is assigned to provide support and guidance to a novice teacher.

NASDTEC - National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.

NCATE - National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education is a national professional accrediting body for educator preparation.

Novice Teacher is any full-time or part-time teacher who has not completed one year of full-time teaching under a standard state teaching certificate.

Provisional Certificate is a two-year certificate issued to candidates who have met the requirements for initial employment and are employed as part of a state-approved district training program or residency leading to standard certification.

PTP - Provisional Teacher Program consists of 30 or 34 weeks of full-time, on-the-job support, supervision, and evaluation by school-based professionals as part of the teacher certification requirements. For alternate route teachers, the program includes formal instruction.

Standard Certificate is a permanent certificate issued to a person who has met all certification requirements.

SLE - Structured Learning Experience is any experiential, supervised educational activity designed to provide students with exposure to the requirements and responsibilities of specific job titles or job groups, and to assist them in gaining employment skills and making career and educational decisions.

TEAC - Teacher Education Accreditation Council is a national professional accrediting body for educator preparation.

Technology Discipline Major is any college major that concentrates on the application of scientific principles to solve problems. Majors including, but not limited to, engineering, computer science, information technology, design technology, aviation technology, military technology or industrial technology are acceptable technology discipline majors.

Vocational-technical Education is an organized educational program that offers a sequence of courses that provides individuals with the academic and technical knowledge and skills that individuals need to prepare for further education and for careers in current or emerging employment sectors. It includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills of individuals.

AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools not making AYP for any of the state assessments for two consecutive years are designated as in need of improvement. New Jersey has taken a proactive measure to inform schools not making AYP after one year by designating them as Early Warning to assist them in identifying areas in need of attention and to make any necessary adjustments to prevent not meeting AYP for another year.

DINI – District in Need of Improvement means that the entire district did not meet the requirements for making adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years.

Early Warning for Unsafe Schools The Unsafe School Choice Option policy sets forth a provision for schools being designated as persistently dangerous when they meet the objective criteria for three consecutive years. New Jersey has taken a proactive measure to inform schools meeting the criteria for this designation after two consecutive years in an effort to assist them with reducing the number of violence incidents and subsequently avoiding the designation of persistently dangerous.

ESEA - Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the principal federal law enacted in 1965 affecting education from kindergarten through high school. This law provided guidance and funds to schools throughout the United States. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 reauthorizes ESEA. Prior to NCLB, the education reauthorization was called Improving America’s Schools Act.

HQT – Highly Qualified Teacher under NCLB requires that any teacher hired after the first day of the 2002-2003 school year to teach in a Title I, Part A program must be "highly qualified." In addition, the law requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to have a plan to ensure that all teachers in the LEA teaching subjects in the Core Curriculum Content Standards be "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The requirements can be found at http://www.nj.gov/njded/profdev/nclb/

HOUSE -- High Objective Uniform State Evaluation (HOUSE) Standard establishes the federally sanctioned alternate criteria by which veteran teachers can demonstrate that they satisfy the highly qualified requirement in New Jersey.

NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was signed into law on January 8, 2002. It reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), the main federal law regarding K-12 education. The four main pillars of NCLB are: accountability; flexibility and local control; enhanced parental choice and a focus on what works in the classroom. NCLB requires state governments and educational systems to help low-achieving students in high-poverty schools meet the same academic performance standards that apply to all students.

PDS – Persistently Dangerous School is a public elementary or secondary school building (except for Regional Day Schools, Educational Services Commissions and Special Services School Districts) that meets the objective criteria established by NJDOE for three consecutive years and is part of an LEA that receives funds under NCLB. The most current available data from the Electronic Violence and Vandalism Reporting System (EVVRS) is used to identify persistently dangerous schools on or before July 31 of each year, in compliance with federal regulations (68-FR 16789).

SINI -- Schools in Need of Improvement is a designation based on adequate yearly progress. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is calculated using 40 primary indicators and one secondary indicator (attendance or high school graduation). Schools that do not meet the benchmark on one of the indicators for two consecutive years are designated as "in need of improvement." The 40 primary indicators are as follows: 95 percent participation rate in language arts literacy and math tests, as well as meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmark target for these subject areas. Data are then examined by looking at 10 subgroups.

SES – Supplemental Educational Services refers to extra academic instruction provided to income-eligible students who attend a Title I SINI. This extra help in LAL and math must be provided outside of the regular school day. SES is mandated by NCLB for students attending Title I schools in their second year (and beyond) of being designated in need of improvement. NJDOE maintains a list of approved schools and educational agencies that offer SES.

SESA – Supplemental Educational Services Agreement is used for parents of eligible children attending Title I schools to enter into a service agreement with a supplemental education service provider. Supplemental educational services provide extra academic assistance for eligible children. Students from low-income families who are attending Title I schools that are in their second year of school improvement (i.e., have not made adequate yearly progress for three or more years), in corrective action or in restructuring status are eligible to receive these services.

TTT – Troops to Teachers is a federal program that seeks to place experienced former military personnel as teachers in school districts that serve high concentrations of low-income families. TTT helps to relieve teacher shortages, especially in math, science, special education and other high-needs subject areas and assists military personnel in making successful transitions to careers in teaching.

USCO – Unsafe School Choice Option policy – (Title IX, Part E, Subpart 2, SEC. 9532) under NCLB, establishes the criteria and action necessary for school districts and the NJDOE to ensure a safe learning environment for students. Students attending a persistently dangerous public elementary school or secondary school, or who become a victim of a violent criminal offense, as determined by state law, while in or on the grounds of a public elementary school or secondary school that the student attends are provided with an option to transfer to a safe public elementary school or secondary school within the local educational agency.

NBPTS – National Board for Professional Teaching Standards establishes rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; develops and operates a national voluntary system to assess and certify teachers who meet these standards; and advances related education reforms for the purpose of improving student learning in public schools. The national board sets advanced standards in over 30 certificated fields.

NJHIRE – is the NJDOE’s Internet-based hiring system that helps to match teachers seeking jobs with districts seeking applicants.

NJPEP – NJ Professional Education Port - Virtual Academy (www.njpep.org) provides technology-based professional development opportunities and support for New Jersey educators anytime, anywhere. The state professional development standards are the building blocks for NJPEP. NJPEP assists with the understanding and implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards, as well as the aligned statewide assessments.

NJPTSB – New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards Board is an advisory board appointed by the Commissioner of Education to oversee the implementation of the continuing education regulations for teachers. Nineteen members comprise the board and include the following: ten classroom teachers; two college representatives, at least one of which represents a teacher education program; three district administrators; two members of local boards of education; and two members of the general public. The primary role of the board is to advise the Commissioner with regard to implementation of the professional development requirements for teachers.

PAEMST - Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching is a program that is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and identifies outstanding math and science teachers in each of four categories: elementary mathematics and science and secondary mathematics and science. Each Presidential honoree’s school receives a $7,500 grant to be spent under the honoree’s direction over a five-year period to improve math or science programs.

PDS – Professional Development Schools are collaborative school/university/community partnerships focused on improving the education of practicing and prospective teachers; strengthening knowledge and practice in teaching; and enhancing the profession by serving as models of school/university collaboration. These partnerships address student learning problems, shared teaching, collaborative research on the problems of educational practice, and cooperative supervision.

SAELP - State Action for Education Leadership Project is a national project to strengthen school leaders through the development of state-level policy and regulations that promote the recruitment, preparation, assessment/certification, development and retention of a diverse pool of school leaders whose primary mission is to enhance teaching, learning and student achievement. New Jersey was selected as one of fifteen states funded by the DeWitt-Wallace Funds to develop and pilot policies that would attract, develop and retain high-quality principals and superintendents, particularly for high needs schools.

SSI - Statewide Systemic Initiative is a collaborative arrangement among the National Science Foundation, Rutgers, the NJDOE and local districts intended to reform mathematics, science and technology education by supporting changes in K-16 education in those subjects, as well as planning and implementing professional development activities leading to the improvement of instruction. It also promotes building greater public understanding and the involvement of business and industry as active partners in these reforms.

Title II, Part A-The Improving Teacher Quality State Grant Program is federally funded under Title II, Part A of NCLB. It replaced and merged the old Eisenhower (Ike) Professional Development and the Class Size Reduction Grant programs under the Improving America’s Schools Act. Its purpose is to increase student academic achievement through strategies, such as improving teacher and principal quality, mainly through high-quality professional development and increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in the classroom, as well as highly qualified principals and assistant principals in schools.

CSPD - Comprehensive System of Personnel Development is a plan developed by districts to ensure an adequate supply of special education, regular education, and related-services personnel. The district must identify personnel needs and develop strategies to provide inservice to ensure that all staff members working with children with disabilities have the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the students’ needs.

CST - Child Study Team consists of a school psychologist, a learning disabilities teacher/consultant, and school social worker who are employees of the school district responsible for conducting evaluations to determine eligibility for special education and related services for students with disabilities.

FAPE - Free, Appropriate Public Education consists of special education and related services that are provided at public expense under public supervision and direction and without charge to the parents; meet state and federal requirements; include preschool, elementary, or secondary school education; and are provided according to an Individualized Education Program.

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the federal statute that mandates a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities. In New Jersey, that includes students who are ages three through twenty one.

IEP - Individualized Education Program is a written plan developed at a meeting that includes appropriate school staff and the parent(s). It determines the special education program for a student with disabilities through individually designed instructional activities constructed to meet the goals and objectives established for the student. It establishes the rationale for the student’s placement and documents the provision of a free, appropriate public education.

LRC – Learning Resource Center statewide network helps to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities ages 3-21 by providing professional development activities, technical assistance, and statewide dissemination of educational materials, practices, and techniques for educators, parents, paraprofessionals, child study teams, and administrators. The program is intended to influence the design and implementation of programs. The LRC Network includes two centers in the northern region, one center in the central region, and one center in the southern region of the state. Each LRC project consists of two program components -- program activities for educators and parents of students with disabilities ages 5-21 and program activities for educators and preschoolers with disabilities ages 3-5.

LRE - Least Restrictive Environment sets the standard that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities, are educated with children who are not disabled. It means that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of students with disabilities from the general educational environment should occur only when the severity of the disability is such that education in general education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

MKSD – Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf under the NJDOE provides educational and vocational services to deaf and multiply disabled deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth through twelfth grade. Residential services are provided to approximately one half of the students on a five-day-a-week basis.

RDS – Regional Day Schools are schools for the handicapped as authorized by the State Facilities for the Handicapped Bond Fund (chapter 149, laws of 1973). The eleven schools are managed by the local school districts under contract with the Department of Education.

CCCS - Core Curriculum Content Standards were first adopted by the State Board of Education in 1996 and revised and readopted by the Board in October 2004. The standards are reviewed and revised every five years. They articulate the common expectations for student achievement throughout the 13 years of public education and include the following nine areas:

Standard 1: Visual and Performing Arts
Standard 2: Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
Standard 3: Language Arts Literacy
Standard 4: Mathematics
Standard 5: Science
Standard 6: Social Studies
Standard 7: World Languages
Standard 8: Technological Literacy
Standard 9: Career Education and Consumer, Family, and Life Skills.

CCWR - Cross-Content Workplace Readiness standards were one of the original standards areas adopted by the State Board in 1996. They have been replaced by two new standards areas: Technological Literacy and Career Education and Consumer, Family, and Life Skills.

CPIs – Cumulative Progress Indicators provide the specific content or skills to be taught at specific grade levels and are cumulative -- that is, the progress indicators begin at a foundational or basic level and increase in complexity as the student matures.

Strands are organizational tools that help teachers locate related content and skills.

Grade Level Clusters establish the exit benchmark level for the CPIs. They may be grade-specific (e.g., by the end of grade 1, end of grade 2) or across several grades (e.g., K-4 or by the end of grade 4; 5-8 or by the end of grade 8).

State and national organizations associated with the nine Core Curriculum Content Standards can be found under each of the areas at http://www.nj.gov/njded/aps/cccs/

Adjusted for Inflation as applied to a local district’s spending growth limitation means taking the greater of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 2.5 percent (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–5).

Annual Audit is the audit of financial statements and schedules presented in the CAFR as required by N.J.S.A. 18A:23-1 et seq. The annual audit must be performed in accordance with standards required by the applicable authoritative or regulatory agencies and established in the documents issued by those agencies. An annual audit is performed by a public school accountant pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:23-8 et seq.

ASSA - Application for State School Aid is the data collection document submitted by districts for the purpose of calculating state school aid, with the exception of transportation aid which is submitted via the District Report of Transported Resident Students.

Base Budget means the district board of education’s school budget that contains a net budget at its adjusted spending growth limitation that is submitted to voters for approval in April. The base budget does not include separate additional spending proposals that a district may submit to voters or to the board of school estimate for approval also (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–5).

CAFR - Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is the official annual report of a governmental unit that includes all funds and account groups. The report summarizes the activities and operations performed by all units that constitute the reporting entity. The combined financial position and results of operations are presented as if there were a single operating unit.

CCSA - Core Curriculum Standards Aid is the amount of state aid that is distributed to school districts for general fund expenses to ensure that each district can provide a thorough and efficient system of education consistent with the CCCS (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–12-15).

CEIFA - Comprehensive Educational Improvement and Financing Act, passed in 1996, established for the first time a substantive definition of the constitutional guarantee of a thorough and efficient system of public education through the establishment of Core Curriculum Content Standards and efficiency standards. CEIFA guarantees an appropriate level of funding to ensure that each child has the opportunity to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards and requires accountability for the appropriate expenditure of public funds.

Certificated Staff Collection is an annual collection by the NJDOE of all certificated staff in every school as of October 15. The data are used in the School Report Card, the highly qualified teacher report, and the Comparative Spending Guide, as well as federal collections.

Comparative Spending Guide is the annual report of comparative financial statistics of school districts compiled and published for general distribution by the Department of Education pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A: 4–30.

CPI - Consumer Price Index refers to the average annual increase, expressed as a decimal, in the consumer price index for the New York City and Philadelphia areas during the fiscal year preceding the schools’ prebudget year as reported by the United States Department of Labor (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3).

CSA - Chief School Administrator means the superintendent or administrative principal of a local district as set forth in N.J.A.C. 6:3-2.1, or the state district superintendent in the case of a state-operated school district.

CTSA - Coordinated Transportation Services Agency refers to an agency that provides coordinated transportation services pursuant to the Regionalized Public Transportation Services Act, Chapter 53, P.L. 1997. The law requires the Commissioner to publish a list of CTSAs to help encourage district utilization.

DEPA - Demonstrably Effective Program Aid is state aid that is allocated to individual schools with low-income pupils to provide effective programs that have been shown to enhance the teaching/learning process, improve school governance, and provide students with collaborative learning environments and health and social service programs (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-18).

DFG - District Factor Grouping is a system that provides a means of ranking schools by their socioeconomic status (SES). The grouping designation is based on information available from the census and includes the following: percent in community with no high school diploma; percent with some college; occupations; income; unemployment; and poverty. There are eight groupings starting with A which designates the lowest socioeconomic level and includes B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I, and J. These groupings allow comparison of districts with similar profiles for purposes of state aid and assessment information.

DRTRS - District Report of Transported Resident Students is the data collection document submitted by boards of education for the calculation of state transportation aid and the district's transportation efficiency rating.

ECPA - Early Childhood Program Aid is state aid that is distributed to all school districts with high concentrations of low-income students for the purpose of providing full-day kindergarten and half-day preschool classes and other early childhood programs and services (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–16).

EMP - Educationally Meritorious Programs, as defined in CEIFA, are programs established through state resources and are research-based programs or services that have demonstrated effectiveness. They are also programs that have been evaluated and proven successful in promoting high student achievement in any type of district, regardless of socioeconomic conditions. Such programs or services directly support student achievement of the Core Curriculum Content Standards and demonstrate fiscal and administrative efficiency.

Efficiency Standards are applied to school districts and are contained in the biennial report on the "Cost of Providing a Thorough and Efficient Education" (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–4b).

Fall Survey is a data collection submitted annually by each district to NJDOE in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:7A-11, setting forth enrollment as of October 15 of the school year and other information concerning the district.

FMP - Facilities Management Plan refers to a strategy developed by a district that outlines its plans for repairing physical infrastructure deficiencies, educational adequacy deficiencies, and capacity deficits of the district’s school buildings. Efficient use and responsible ongoing maintenance of school facilities are integral components. All Abbott districts are required to develop comprehensive five-year facilities management plans. All other districts are currently required to submit less comprehensive facilities plans every five years.

GAAP - Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are those established by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board as prescribed by the State Board. All school districts must use the GAAP accounting system (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, and N.J.S.A. 18A:4–14).

LEA - Local Education Agency is defined by 20 U.S.C. 8801 as a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a state for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, any public elementary or secondary school in the state. It can also refer to such combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in a state as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools. Local school districts are often referred to as LEAs in grant or funding documents.

LEASE PURCHASE: Lease purchase is an alternative way for a school district to finance the purchase of equipment or construction of improvements or additions to school facilities. It is an agreement that cannot exceed 5 years, except for the lease purchase of buses which cannot exceed 10 years, to which the district leases equipment or school facilities, and gives the district the option of purchasing the leased property during or upon termination of the lease, with credit toward the purchase price of all or part of the rental payments. The lease agreement must contain a provision making payments subject to the annual appropriation of funds or contain an annual cancellation clause. Lease purchase of equipment does not need commissioner approval. Lease purchase of construction of additions and renovations requires Commissioner or voter approval, as applicable. Payments of principal and interest for lease purchase agreements are part of the general fund budget. (N.J.S.A. 18A:20-4.2).

Local Share is the amount of funding that a local district can raise relative to other local districts based on property wealth and income levels and is used in determining the amount of Core Curriculum Standards Aid that a district will receive, if any.

Low-income Pupils refer to those pupils from households with a household income at or below the most recent federal poverty guidelines available on October 15 of the prebudget year multiplied by 1.30 (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3).

Net Budget means the sum of the net T&E budget, which includes the elements listed under the net T&E budget below, plus the portion of the district’s local levy approved by the community that is above the district’s maximum amount allowed within the T&E range (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3).

Net T&E budget as defined by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, is the sum of the T&E program budget, early childhood program aid, demonstrably effective program aid, instructional supplement aid, transportation aid, and categorical program aid received pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–19 through 22, 28 and 29.

Prebudget Year means the school fiscal year preceding the year in which the school budget is implemented (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3).

QAAR - Quality Assurance Annual Report is a report provided by the chief school administrator to the public which includes the following: implementation of school-level plans, achievement of performance objectives, school report cards, professional development activities, condition of school facilities, status of mandated program reviews, and community support data.

Resident Enrollment means the number of pupils other than preschool pupils, postgraduate pupils, or postsecondary vocational pupils, who, on the last school day prior to October 16 of the current year, are residents of the district.

SCCSA - Supplemental Core Curriculum Standards Aid is the state aid for poor districts that supplements CCSA to lessen the impact on the local tax rate. (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–17).

School Report Card is prepared and disseminated annually to parents and other interested taxpayers within each local school district on the NJDOE Web site. The report card for each school building in the state contains information about student enrollment, test scores, attendance, and graduation rates, as well as information about teaching and administrative staff and district-level finance (N.J.S.A. 18A:7E–2). One of the major sources of information for the report card is the annual report card data collection.

SEA - State Education Agency is a state-level entity such as the New Jersey Department of Education that is authorized under federal law to administer federal funds directed to education in the state.

Spending Growth Limitation, as defined by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, is the annual rate of growth permitted in the net budget of a school district, county vocational school district, or county special services school district as measured between the net budget of the prebudget year and the net budget of the budget year as calculated pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–5d.

T&E - Thorough and Efficient refers to New Jersey’s constitutional provision that all children have a right to a "thorough and efficient system of free public school."

T&E amount, as defined by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, means the cost per elementary pupil of delivering programs and services, including extracurricular and co-curricular activities that enable all students to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards. The standards constitute a thorough regular education, according to the assumptions of reasonableness and efficiency contained in the "Report on the Cost of Providing a Thorough and Efficient Education."

T&E Program Budget, as defined by N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3, is the sum total of core curriculum standards aid, supplemental core curriculum standards aid, stabilization aid, designated general fund balance, miscellaneous local general fund revenue and that portion of the district’s local levy that supports the district’s T&E budget.

T&E range means the range of regular education spending that is considered thorough and efficient based on the needs of each individual district (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–3).

Thoroughness Standards refers to the Core Curriculum Content Standards as approved by the State Board of Education on May 1, 1996, including all subsequent revisions to the standards that are adopted by the state board (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–4a).

Weighted Resident Enrollment means the differentials in costs based on the efficiency standards established for providing education at the kindergarten, elementary school (grades 1 through 5), middle school (grades 6 through 8) and high school levels (grades 9 through 12) that are determined by dividing the elementary cost per pupil into each category. The weights are applied to resident enrollment in each category (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–12), (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–4b), (N.J.S.A. 18A:7F–13).

Zero-based Budgeting refers to a type of budgeting procedure that analyzes and justifies costs from a base of zero, versus the previous year’s balance, in order to improve fiscal efficiency. Zero-based budgeting is an essential part of whole school reform.

AYES - Automotive Youth Employment Services is a school-to-work transition strategy that forges a partnership among automotive manufacturers, educators at high schools and vocational/technical schools, public sector agencies, and participating dealerships. The schools help students learn the basic concepts, and the dealerships/retail facilities provide the work environment where those concepts are applied. Integration of high school classroom studies and on-the-job experience are the core of AYES.

ESIP - Extraordinary Standards Incentive Program recognizes and rewards occupational programs in comprehensive high schools and county vocational schools that achieve the standards established by the Department of Education’s Guidelines for the Measurement of Occupational Competencies. The ESIP identifies districts in which 80 percent of the district’s occupational program completers take the appropriate certification or licensing examination in cosmetology, licensed practical nursing, heating/ventilation/air conditioning and/or drafting, and automotive technology.

GED – General Educational Development tests are intended for persons who have missed their first opportunity to complete a high school program of instruction. To qualify for a state-issued high school diploma, candidates must receive a minimum passing score on individual GED tests in mathematics, science, social studies, writing skills and interpreting literature and the arts. The GED testing program is jointly supervised by the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education and the NJDOE.

IDEAS – The Incentives for Demonstrating Excellence in Academic Standards program is designed to identify effective ways to teach skills and knowledge all students will need in the workplace. Educators interested in developing unique approaches to integrating the Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards into their curricula may apply for the IDEAS program. A stipend is awarded to each winning submission and one winner is selected from each county. The New Jersey Department of Education collaborates with the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence and the New Jersey Education Association, is again participating in a program.

OVAE - Office of Vocational and Adult Education (USDOE) Within the U.S. Department of Education, the OVAE is responsible for the Adult Education Act and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. These programs provide millions of dollars annually to support New Jersey’s adult literacy and vocational education programs.

Perkins Act – The Carl D. Perkins Vocational & Technical Education Act provides federal funding for secondary, postsecondary and adult vocational education programs. This program also provides grants to states for the development of multiyear Tech Prep programs leading to a two-year associate’s degree or a two-year certificate.

PVS - Private Vocational Schools offer nondegree postsecondary occupational training and retraining programs. The training may be financed personally by the student, through funds provided by a variety of state agencies, through federal loans and grants, or a combination of these sources.

SETC – NJ State Employment & Training Commission is mandated to develop and assist in the implementation of a state employment and training policy. The goal is to create a coherent, integrated system of employment, training, and education programs and services that, in concert with the efforts of the private sector, will provide each citizen with equal access to the learning opportunities needed to attain and maintain high levels of productivity and earning power.

Tech Prep/Two Plus Two Program is also known as a "2 + 2", Tech-Prep requires articulation between secondary and postsecondary institutions to provide a logical course of study leading to preparation for the postsecondary educational experience. In some cases, college credits or advanced placement is given for advanced work done in the secondary school.

VEDS - Vocational Education Data System is a computerized system of student performance data, as well as psychographic and demographic information, as required by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act of 1998.

VSO - Vocational Student Organizations are an integral part of vocational-technical education instructional programs. They are a valuable tool for implementing New Jersey’s Core Curriculum Content Standards. VSOs are co-curricular and provide professional development opportunities for teachers and advisors as part of their activities. VSOs provide students with the opportunity to enhance their occupational, employability and leadership skills through a variety of activities, such as conferences, award programs, and competitive events. These organizations conduct activities and events at the local, state and national levels. New Jersey’s vocational student organizations include the following:

WDPP - Workforce Development Partnership Program is a unique program funded by New Jersey and administered by the Department of Labor to retrain workers by redirecting a percentage of the unemployment insurance revenue to provide individual job training grants to dislocated workers and customized training grants to companies seeking to upgrade the quality of their workforces. The program is regarded as a national model for providing skills training.

WIA – Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) provides funds for workforce investment activities through statewide and local workforce investment systems. Activities are designed to increase the employment, retention, earnings, and occupational skill attainment of participants in efforts to improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the nation.

WIB - Workforce Investment Board involves local partnerships of private and public sector participants that provide coordinated planning, policy guidance, and oversight for all workforce readiness programs in their designated areas.

YTTW - Youth Transitions to Work is a state-funded program that promotes work-based learning and the establishment of linkages among secondary schools, postsecondary and registered apprenticeships. A key goal of this program is to establish new apprenticeships designed to train young people for high-skill, high-wage, labor-demand occupations.