GLOSSARY OF

TERMS

• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a series of performance goals that every school, school system, and the state as a whole must achieve within time frames specified in law in order to meet the 100% proficiency goal of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. AYP applies to all public schools, including Title I and non-Title I schools. Non-Title I schools must meet AYP for No Child Left Behind, but they are not subject to the rewards and sanctions under Title I.

• Choice - The choice option is given to parents to transfer their child from a "Needs Improvement" (NI) Title I school to another school in the district that is not in NI status. Parents may select from a list of schools the school district provides as "receiving schools" that may take transfers.

• Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCTs) are used in Georgia to measure mastery of the state's Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) and results will determine Adequate Yearly Progress for elementary and middle schools. AYP for the upcoming school year will be based on results of the spring 2003 CRCT given in grades 4, 6 and 8 in the areas of Reading, Language Arts, and Math. For the 2003-04 school year, an average of the results on the CRCT in grades 3-5 and 6-8 in English/Language Arts and Reading combined and Mathematics will be used to determine AYP.

• ESEA stands for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. No Child Left Behind revises this federal legislation governing public schools.

• Needs Improvement (NI) status is assigned to schools that do not make Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more consecutive years.

• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 - This federal legislation authorizes an accountability program for the nation's schools and reforms in Title I schools. The law went into effect Jan.8, 2002.
• Subgroup - One of several groups of students that may be in a school. These subgroups are monitored for academic achievement. Subgroups include: economically disadvantaged, migrants, special education, limited English proficient, and ethnicity (Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, White and Multiracial).
• Supplemental Services are research-based extended-day programs that are proven to increase student achievement. These may include opportunities provided by the school system or by private providers. The services are free, up to limits set by law, to students eligible for free or reduced lunch in schools that have not met AYP for two years.
• Title I provides federal support for schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families. The DeKalb County School System currently has 70 Title 1 schools.