In today’s world advancements in technology, education, and in all industries are evident. With advancement comes new words to our vocabulary. How many of us 10 years ago knew, much less understood what a web site was or what it would do for us. My point being is that the terms we use are changing, and in education we use terms that are familiar to the educational environment, but not necessarily to the parents and the community. Many times we in education, speak in acronyms. Although, we try very hard to be cognizant of using these acronyms when speaking to parents, please understand it becomes second nature to us. It is not our intention to confuse or be insensitive; using acronyms is a way to survive the mandates of the educational world. To prove my point, a list of educational acronyms is available from the Texas Education Agency. Fortunately, the acronyms we use are connected with certain subjects, for example when talking about school finance the acronyms are very different than the acronyms used by teachers. Therefore, parents can learn the acronyms one time and it will generally carry you through your child’s educational years. With that said, the state assessment system acronym has changed 4 times since I began my career from TABS, TEAMS, TAAS, TAKS and soon, EOC will be the new state assessment for high school students. What are some of the basic acronyms to learn as parents? Listed below are some terms and acronyms that will help take the mystery out of teacher and administrative “speak”: ADA – Average Daily Attendance; AEIS – Academic Excellence Indicator System; ARD – Admission, Review and Dismissal, AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress; CIP – Campus Improvement Plan; CRCG – Community Resource Coordination Group; CTE – Career and Technology Education; DAEP – Disciplinary Alternative Education Program; DAP – Distinguished Achievement Program; DIP – District Improvement Plan; ECI – Early Childhood Intervention; ESC – Education Service Center; FIRST – Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas; GPC – Grade Placement Committee; IEP – Individual Education Plan; LEA – Local Education Agency; LEP – Limited English Proficient; LPAC – Language Proficiency Assessment Committee; PEIMS – Public Education Information Management System; RHSP – Recommended High School Program; RTI – Response to Intervention; SBEC - State Board of Educator Certification; SBDM – Site Based Decision Making; SBOE – State Board of Education; SSI – Student Success Initiative; TAC – Texas Administrative Code; TAKS – Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills; TEC – Texas Education Code; TEA – Texas Education Agency; TEKS – Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills; TPRI – Texas Primary Reading Inventory; and one of the most important, WADA – Weighted Average Daily Attendance. Have a good week, San Saba! Please call my office if you have any questions about this article or any other question about school happenings – 325/372-3144. Don’t forget to check the website regularly for new updates – www.san-saba.net