Appendix C—Glossary

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alternative education school

A public elementary/secondary school that (1) addresses needs of students that typically cannot be met in a regular school, (2) provides nontraditional education, (3) serves as an adjunct to a regular school, or (4) falls outside the categories of regular, special education, or vocational education.

American Indian/Alaska Native

A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.

Asian/Pacific Islander

A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands. This includes, for example, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa. Includes Native Hawaiian.

averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR)

An estimate of the percentage of an entering high school class that graduates on time. See Appendix B—Methodology for more information.

Black

A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Bureau of Indian Education schools and districts

A school or district that is directly funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior.

charter school

A school that provides free public elementary and/or secondary education to eligible students under a specific charter granted by the state legislature or other appropriate authority, and designated by such authority to be a charter school. Charter schools can be administered by regular school districts, state education agencies, or chartering organizations. They are reported on the CCD by the type of district that administers them.

current expenditures

Funds spent operating local public schools and local education agencies, including such expenses as salaries for school personnel, student transportation, school books and materials, and energy costs, but excluding capital outlay, interest on school debt, payments to private schools, and payments to public charter schools.

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English language learner (ELL)

an individual who (1) was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English; or (2) comes from environments where a language other than English is dominant; or (3) is an American Indian or Alaska Native and who comes from environments where a language other than English has had a significant impact on their level of English language proficiency; and (3) who, by reason thereof, has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language to deny such individual the opportunity to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English or to participate fully in the larger U.S. society.

federal revenues

Include direct grants-in-aid to schools or agencies, funds distributed through a state or intermediate agency, and revenues in lieu of taxes to compensate a school district for nontaxable federal institutions within a district's boundary.

free and reduced-price lunch eligible

Number of students who are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program under the National School Lunch Act. In any school that reported 100 percent eligible students, the number is adjusted to prevent the identification of any individual student. Caution should be used when interpreting these data. Three states did not report free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, and others may not have included reduced price lunch students or may have reported participation instead of eligibility data.

full-time equivalent (FTE)

The amount of time required to perform an assignment stated as a proportion of a full-time position. It is computed by dividing the amount of time employed by the amount of time normally required for a full-time position. FTE is not a head count; for example, 2 half-time employees represent 1 FTE.

guidance counselors

Professional staff assigned specific duties and school time for counseling students and parents, addressing learning problems, evaluating student abilities, and assisting students in career and personal development.

high school completers

Students who completed the course of public elementary and secondary education offered by the school district and who received a high school diploma, or who met other requirements of completion as defined by state law or policy during the period October 2003 through September 2004. Does not include high school equivalency recipients.

Hispanic

A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

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Individualized Education Program (IEP)

As used here, refers to a written instructional plan for students with disabilities designated as special education students under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, Part B). Each plan includes a (1) statement of the child's present levels of educational performance, (2) statement of annual goals, including short-term instructional objectives, (3) statement of specific educational services to be provided and the extent to which the child will be able to participate in regular educational programs, (4) projected date for initiation and anticipated duration of services, and (5) appropriate objectives, criteria, and evaluation procedures and schedules for determining, on at least an annual basis, whether instructional objectives are being achieved.

instructional expenditures

Current expenditures for activities directly associated with the interaction between teachers and students, including teacher salaries and benefits, supplies (such as textbooks), and purchased instructional services.

instructional support staff

Includes instructional coordinators and supervisors and instructional aides.

library/media staff

Professional staff members who are assigned specific duties and school time for professional library and media service activities. Includes library/media specialists and support staff.

local education agency (LEA)

a government agency administratively responsible for providing public elementary and/or secondary instruction or educational support services.

local education agency (LEA) (district) administrators

Local education agency superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, and other persons with district-wide responsibilities such as business managers and administrative assistants.

local revenues

Include revenues from such sources as local property and nonproperty taxes, investments, and student activities such as textbook sales, transportation and tuition fees, and food service revenues.

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magnet school

Regardless of the source of funding, a magnet school or program is a special school or program designed to attract students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds for the purpose of reducing, preventing, or eliminating racial isolation and/or to provide an academic or social focus on a particular theme.

migrant students

A migrant student as defined under 34 CFR 200.81:

1. is younger than 22 (and has not graduated from high school or does not hold a high school equivalency certificate); and
2. is a migrant agricultural worker or a migrant fisher or has a parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migrant agricultural worker or a migrant fisher; and
3. performs, or has a parent, spouse, or guardian who performs qualifying agricultural or fishing employment as a principal means of livelihood; and
4. has moved within the preceding 36 months to obtain or to accompany or join a parent, spouse, or guardian to obtain, temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing work; and
5. has moved from one school district to another; or in a state that is composed of a single school district, has moved from one administrative area to another within such district; or resides in a school district of more than 15,000 square miles, and migrates a distance of 20 miles or more to a temporary residence to engage in a fishing activity. (Provision E currently applies only to Alaska.)

other staff

Includes support staff for local education agencies, schools, student support services and other areas, such as data processing, health, and transportation.

outlying areas

Include: American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

per-pupil expenditures

Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary education in a state divided by the student membership. The numbers reported here, based on membership, can be expected to be smaller than per-pupil expenditures based on average daily attendance because membership counts are generally larger than average daily attendance.

public school

An institution that provides educational services and has the following characteristics:

• has one or more grade groups (prekindergarten through grade 12) or is ungraded;
• has one or more teachers to give instruction;
• is located in one or more buildings or sites;
• has an assigned administrator;
• receives public funds as primary support; and
• is operated by an education agency.

pupil/teacher ratio

The ratio of pupils to teachers in a school district, based on the total number of pupils (student membership) and the total full-time-equivalent (FTE) number of teachers reported in the schools associated with the school district. The pupil/teacher ratio does not represent class size, but rather is a district-level measure of pupils and teachers.

pupils in membership

Count of all students whose names have been entered on the roll, minus those whose names have been withdrawn, on or before the closest school day to October 1. Membership counts at the district level may include students for whom the district is providing educational services through some other agency or institution.

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regular school

A public elementary/secondary school that does not focus primarily on vocational, special, or alternative education. It is possible for a regular school, as it is for a vocational, special, or alternative education school, to have no students in membership.

regular school district

Agency responsible for providing free public education for school-age children residing within its jurisdiction. This category excludes local supervisory unions that provide management services for a group of associated school districts; regional education service agencies that typically provide school districts with research, testing, and data processing services; state and federally operated school districts; and other agencies that do not fall into these groupings.

revenues

Additions to assets that do not incur an obligation that must be met at some future date, do not represent exchanges of fixed assets, and are available for expenditure by the local education agencies in the state. Revenues include funds from local, intermediate, state, and federal sources.

school administrators

Staff members whose activities are concerned with directing and managing the operation of a particular school.

schools having membership

Schools at which students are counted for administrative purposes, even though the students may attend one or more other schools for all or part of their school day.

special education school

A public elementary/secondary school that (1) focuses primarily on special education, including instruction for any of the following: hard of hearing, deaf, speech impaired, health impaired, orthopedically impaired, mentally retarded, seriously emotionally disturbed, multi-handicapped, visually handicapped, deaf and blind; and (2) adapts curriculum, materials, or instruction for students served.

state revenues

Includes both direct funds from state governments and funds in lieu of taxation. Revenues in lieu of taxes are paid to compensate a school district for nontaxable state institutions or facilities within the district's boundary.

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teacher

A professional school staff member who instructs students and maintains daily student attendance records.

Title I school

A Title I school is a school designated under appropriate state and federal regulations as being high poverty and eligible for participation in programs authorized by Title I of P.L. 107-110.

Title I schoolwide

A program in which all the students in a school are designated under appropriate state and federal regulations as eligible for participation in programs authorized by Title I of P.L. 107-110.

vocational education school

A public elementary/secondary school that focuses primarily on vocational, technical, or career education, and provides education and training in one or more semiskilled or technical occupations.

White

A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.

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