Glossary

Words contained in this glossary can be found throughout the English Learner Master Plan.

A Developmental English Proficient Test (ADEPT): A valid and reliable oral language development assessment aligned with the CELDT.
Academic Performance Index (API): A California state accountability measure that combines results from several state assessments. Each school in the state is assigned a numerical value from 200 to 1000 points. The API is also used to assign improvement targets.
Accelerated Language Academy (ALA): A program model with a structured English immersion instructional setting designed for students with less than reasonable fluency in English.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): A Federal accountability measure that uses the results from state assessments to set improvement targets as determined by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Alternative Assessment: An IEP team can determine that a student would benefit by taking an “alternative assessment” other than the ELPAC or SBA.
Ventura County Comprehensive Alternate Language Proficiency Survey for moderate-severe disabilities: An alternative assessment that can be offered to special education students in lieu of the CELDT.
Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs): Title III districts are accountable for meeting three annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for English learners. The first AMAO relates to making annual progress on the CELDT, the second relates to attaining English proficiency on the CELDT, and the third AMAO relates to meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) by the English learner subgroup at the LEA level.

Back to School Night (BTSN): BTSN is an event in the fall when parents return to their child’s school to learn about the instructional program, standards, and expectations for student learning.
Bilingual Authorization Spanish (BASP): The Bilingual Authorization Spanish (BASP) is another name for BCLAD (Bilingual, Cross-Cultural, Language and Academic Development). This authorization training process prepares teachers to meet the needs of English learners in all instructional settings, including bilingual programs in the state of California. Teachers in the Dual Language Immersion program all have either a BCLAD or a BASP.
(BICS) Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills: Language used in everyday social interactions.
Bilingual, Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD): A credential or certificate which authorizes a teacher to provide ELD, SDAIE and primary language instruction. The Bilingual Authorization Spanish (BASP) is another name for BCLAD (Bilingual, Cross-Cultural, Language and Academic Development). Teachers in the Dual Language Immersion program all have either a BCLAD or a BASP.
Biliteracy Attainment Award: An award given to students in the Dual Language Immersion program who have met district establish criteria for proficiency in Spanish.
Bridging: Students at this level continue to learn and apply a range of high‐level English language skills in a wide variety of contexts, including comprehension and production of highly technical texts. The “bridge” alluded to is the transition to full engagement in grade‐level academic tasks and activities in a variety of content areas without the need for specialized ELD instruction.

California Alternate Assessments (CAA): The California Alternate Assessments ensure that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities achieve increasingly higher academic outcomes and leave high school ready for postsecondary options.
California English Language Development Test (CELDT): A state assessment given to initially identify English learners in California public schools and to assess growth in English language proficiency on an annual basis in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
California Common Core ELD Standards: The new standards for English Language Development (ELD) instruction approved by the state of California during the 2012-2013 school year. These standards define English language development instruction.
California Science Test (CAST): The California Science Test is a state-approved assessment in science given to 5th Grade students in California public schools which measures a student’s knowledge of the California standards.
(CALP) Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: A cognitively demanding level of oral and written language proficiency needed for literacy and academic achievement.
CELDT Annual Assessment Results: Annual report listing the overall and sub-test CELDT scores for English learner students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD): A state credential or certificate which authorizes a teacher to instruct students using ELD and SDAIE.
Cultural Proficiency (Lindsey, Robins, & Terrell, 2003): The knowledge, skills, and attitudes and beliefs that enable people to work well with, respond effectively to, and be supportive of people in cross-cultural settings.

District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC): A district-level advisory committee with parent representatives from each school that advises the district on programs and services for English learners.
Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program: A program option whose goal is to build bilingualism and biliteracy. Content subjects in the first years are taught primarily in Spanish. The percentage of instruction in English increases each year until 50% of the instruction is in English and the other 50% is in Spanish beginning in Fourth Grade and continuing through Sixth Grade.

Emerging: Students at this level typically progress very quickly, learning to use English for immediate needs as well as beginning to understand and use academic vocabulary and other features of academic language.
Expanding: Students at this level are challenged to increase their English skills in more contexts, and learn a greater variety of vocabulary and linguistic structures, applying their growing language skills in more sophisticated ways appropriate to their age and grade level.
English Language Development (ELD): Systematic, daily, leveled, standards-based instruction in the English language for students who have been identified as English learners.
English Language Mainstream (ELM) Program: A program option designed for students with reasonable fluency in English.
English Learner (EL): A classification used in California to identify a student who is not currently proficient in English and whose primary language is not English. An EL student is referred to as a Limited English Proficient (LEP) in federal law.
English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC): A site-level committee that advises the principal and school staff on programs and services for English learners.
English Only (EO): A student with a primary language of English and no other language is evident.

Federal Program Monitoring (FPM): A state review process focused on determining whether a district’s programs are in compliance with federal and state law and regulations.
Formative Assessment: Formative assessments are on-going exams, observations, and/or reflections that are given in order to improve instruction and provide students with feedback throughout the learning process.

Gifted and Talented Education (GATE): A program/designation for students who have demonstrated excellence or capacity for excellence far beyond that of their peers according to district established criteria.

Home Language Survey (HLS): A questionnaire, required in California public schools, to be completed by parents at the time of registration, which elicits information about the language background of the child, to determine the primary language of the student.
Home School Compact: A document that outlines how parents/guardians, the entire school staff, and students will share responsibility for improved student academic achievement.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP): A plan that specifies the goals, objectives, and programs offered for a special education student. It also identifies the learning disability.
Initially Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP): A language classification given to students with a primary language other than English who demonstrated fluency on the ELPAC upon initial testing.
Instructional Reading Level (IRL): The Instructional Reading Level is calculated after a student completes a STAR Reading Assessment. The STAR Reading measures reading comprehension and skills for independent readers.
Inter-district transfer: For students living outside the AESD attendance area who are requesting to enroll in an AESD school. Usually requires approval by both the resident district and the receiving district.
Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs): The Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Blocks are one of the two district types of interim assessments made available by the SBA. They are short online assessments that measure one or more targets.
Intradistrict transfer: A request by the parent to transfer a child from the AESD resident school (home school) to another non-resident school within AESD attendance area.

Local Educational Agency Plan (LEA Plan): Required for all local educational agencies (districts) for receiving federal funding, the LEA Plan describes the actions that district will take to ensure certain Eprogrammatic requirements are met, including student academic services designed to increase student achievement and performance, coordination of services, needs assessments, consultations, supplemental services, services to homeless students, and others as required. In addition, LEA Plans summarize assessment data, school goals and activities from the Single Plans for Student Achievement developed by the LEA’s schools.

Mainstream English: The general program option for students who are English Only, Initially Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP), or Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP).

Native English Speaker: A student whose native language is English according to the responses indicated on the student’s Home Language Survey completed by the parent/guardian at the time of enrollment.

Parental Exception Waivers: A form which is requested and signed by parents or legal guardians of English learners annually to waive the requirement to be placed in an instructional program that is “overwhelmingly” in English (i.e. – Accelerated Language Academy, English Language Mainstream programs, or Dual Language Immersion programs)
Primary Language (L1): The language that has been identified as the student’s native or home language.
Primary Language Instruction: Primary language instruction consists of directed lessons in and through the primary language. This instruction makes use of grade-level materials in the primary language (textbooks, audio-visuals, electronic media, and internet resources) that meet state content standards.
Primary Language Support: Different than Primary Language Instruction in that it does not include directed lessons, assignments, or assessments in the primary language but may be provided used to support students within an ALA or ELM setting as a means of increasing access to core curriculum taught in English.
Principals’ Assurances Checklist: A checklist of the deadlines and duties for the principals to facilitate the needs of English Learners.
Professional Learning Community (PLC): A conceptual model that focuses on the following questions to improve student achievement: What do we want students to learn? How will we know they have learned it? How will we respond when learning has not occurred? How will we respond when learning has already occurred?
Proposition 227: A 1998 California ballot measure requiring children to be taught in classrooms where the instruction was “overwhelmingly” in English, unless students had approved Parental Exception Waivers.

Reclassification (formerly known as Redesignation): A process that is used to determine whether a student has met all of the established district criteria for determining proficiency in English. A reclassified student moves from an English learner to Reclassified Fluent English Proficient and often results into a change in program design
R-30 Language Census Report: A state-required annual census of each school which reports the numbers of English learners and Fluent English Proficient students by primary language, annual reclassifications, instructional programs and services, and staffing information of those providing instruction to English learners.
Reasonable Fluency: A level of English proficiency as determined by a student’s listening and speaking CELDT scores at an early advanced stage or higher.
Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP): A classification given to students who were once identified as English Learners who have met all of the district’s criteria to be considered Fluent English Proficient (FEP).
Research-Based Lesson Design: A model of Explicit Direct Instruction accompanied with English Learner scaffolds or strategies that make the content comprehensible for students (see section on SDAIE in Chapter 2).

Scaffold: A support or strategy provided at a rigorous academic level making instructional input comprehensive.
School Site Council: A group of teachers, parents, administrators, and interested community members who work together to develop and monitor a school’s improvement plan. It is a legally required decision-making body for any school receiving federal funds.
School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA): A plan approved by the School Site Council which outlines the goals, actions, timelines, and budgetary resources for continuous school improvement.
Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA): A state-approved assessment in English language arts y mathematics given to students in California public schools which measures a student’s knowledge of the Common Core State standards.
Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE): A methodology used by teachers to make the academic content comprehensible to English learners.
Structured English Immersion (SEI): An instructional model, designed for English learners with less than reasonable fluency in English. Core content is taught in English using SDAIE methodology to make the academic content comprehensible to English learners.
Student Success Team (SST): A team consisting possibly of the classroom teacher, parents/guardians, administrators, resource teacher, and school psychologist (as needed) to discuss academic and/or behavioral concerns and interventions for individual students using the Response to Instruction and Intervention model.
Summative Assessment: An assessment that is given at a pre-determined time. The goal of summative assessments is to judge student competency after an instructional phase is complete (SBA, CAST, CAA).

Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA): An experienced teacher who steps outside the classroom to take on a specialized role

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