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Glossary

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires the annual determination of whether schools, districts, and states have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward the goal of having all students meet rigorous state academic standards by the 2013-2014 school year. Each year, the performance of all students in the school and district, as well as subgroups of students, is measured against annual performance targets. In a school, if all groups meet the statewide participation and academic achievement targets in English/language arts and mathematics, and the school meets the statewide target for either attendance in elementary and middle schools or graduation rates for schools with grade 12, the school is designated as meeting AYP. If all students or any subgroups of students in a school does not meet the targets, or does not make sufficient progress toward the targets, the school is designated as not meeting AYP. The same requirements apply to each district and to the state.

Bond

Money borrowed to pay for a school district expenditure. Typically, the money is used for capital expenditures, such as the purchase of buses or remodeling a building. The goal in borrowing is to spread the cost out over a period of years and lessen the cost to taxpayers in any one year. By definition, a bond is a written promise to pay a specified sum of money, called the face value or principal amount, at a specified date in the future (the maturity date), together with periodic interest at a specified rate.

Budget

A financial plan that outlines estimates of proposed expenditures for a fiscal year, along with the proposed means to pay for them.

Buses, Buildings & Food

Student transportation, building maintenance, heat, light, custodians, cafeteria.

Business Services & Technology

Information technology, personnel, curriculum research and evaluation, printing educational materials.

Central Administration

Staff salaries, benefits and supplies in the superintendent's office, or for other education leaders not located at specific schools.

Chalkboard Project

An initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon, Chalkboard is sponsored by a growing list of independent Oregon foundations working to improve K-12 public schools. The founding five foundations include: The Collins Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, JELD-WEN Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and The Oregon Community Foundation. The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation joined Foundations for a Better Oregon in late 2007.

Full Time Equivalent

One FTE equals one full-time position or two half-time positions.

Local Option

Provides school districts with a way to seek additional property taxes within the Ballot Measure 5 limit of $5 per $1,000 of assessed value. Voter approval is required. The duration may be for 1-5 years for operating purposes, or up to 10 years for a capital project.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is often called the "Nation's Report Card." It is the only measure of student achievement in the United States where you can compare the performance of students in your state with the performance of students across the nation or in other states. NAEP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, has been conducted for over 30 years. The results are widely reported by the national and local media.

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. Proposed by President Bush shortly after his inauguration, NCLB was signed into law on January 8th, 2002. NCLB is built on four principles: accountability for results, more choices for parents, greater local control and flexibility, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research.

Northwest Regional Education Laboratory

The Northwest Regional Education Laboratory is a private nonprofit that measures progress in the success of teachers and learners who put our research and training to work. NWREL provides research-based products, technical assistance, and training to improve educational systems and learning. NWREL conducts programs and projects within four Centers of Excellence. Services include classroom teaching and learning; improving schools and districts; school, family, and community; and research, evaluation, and assessment. NWREL’s Parental Information and Resource Center partnered with the Chalkboard Project to provide student achievement data for the expansion of Open Books.

Oregon Parental Information and Resource Center (ORPIRC)

The Oregon Parental Information and Resource Center provides resources, information, and training to educators and family members throughout Oregon, with a focus on Hispanic and low-income families, to create meaningful school-family partnerships for youth success.

Principal's Office

Principals, vice-principals, secretaries, and the supplies and equipment they use to perform their jobs.

School Improvement Fund

The School Improvement Fund (SIF) is established by the state to support areas directly related to increasing student achievement. School districts, education service districts, and other eligible programs have flexibility within the grant guidelines for determining specific evidenced-based areas that will lead to school improvement.

Sub-groups

Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the subgroups identified for determining AYP are Students with Disabilities; Limited English Proficient; Economically Disadvantaged; and the major Racial/Ethnic groups in the state: White, Black. Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic. State assessment results are also disaggregated for Talented and Gifted (TAG) students and migrant students.

Title I Federal Program

Provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Federal funds are currently allocated through four statutory formulas that are based primarily on census poverty estimates and the cost of education in each state.