Glossary of Terms, 2002-03

At-risk
A student at-risk of dropping out of school is one who is under age 21 and who meets one or more of the following criteria:

1) is in prekindergarten, kindergarten or grades 1, 2, or 3 and did not perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year;

2) is in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 and did not maintain an average equivalent to 70 on a scale of 100 in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum (language arts, math, science, and social studies) during a semester in the preceding or current school year or is not maintaining such an average in two or more subjects in the foundation curriculum in the current semester;

3) was not advanced from one grade level to the next for one or more school years;

4) did not perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument administered to the student under Texas Education Code (TEC) Subchapter B, Chapter 39, and who has not in the previous or current school year subsequently performed on that instrument or another appropriate instrument at a level equal to at least 110 percent of the level of satisfactory performance on that instrument;

5) is pregnant or a parent;

6) has been placed in an alternative education program in accordance with TEC §37.006 during the preceding or current school year;

7) has been expelled in accordance with TEC §37.007 during the preceding or current school year;

8) is currently on parole, probation, deferred prosecution, or other conditional release;

9) was previously reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to have dropped out of school;

10) is of limited English proficiency, as defined by TEC §29.052;

11) is in the custody or care of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services or has, during the current school year, been referred to the department by a school official, officer of the juvenile court, or law enforcement official;

12) is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11302, and its subsequent amendments; or,

13) resided in the preceding school year or resides in the current school year in a residential placement facility in the district, including a detention facility, substance abuse treatment facility, emergency shelter, psychiatric hospital, halfway house, or foster group home.

Bilingual
Bilingual indicates that the student is participating in a state-approved bilingual education program. The program must be a full-time program that provides dual-language instruction for learning basic skills in the primary language of limited English proficient (LEP) students. In addition, the program must provide for a carefully structured and sequenced mastery of English language skills.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]

Career and Technology
A student may be enrolled in a state-approved Career and Technology education program either as an elective, as a participant in the district's career and technology coherent sequence of courses program, or as a participant in the district's tech prep program.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]

Dropout
A dropout is defined as a student who is enrolled in school at some time during the school year but either leaves school during the school year without an approved excuse or completes the school year and does not return the following year. A student reported to have left school for any of the following reasons was considered a dropout for accountability purposes:

Economically disadvantaged
An economically disadvantaged student is defined as one who:

1) is eligible for free meals under the National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Program;

2) is eligible for reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Programs; or

3) has another economic disadvantage including: a) is from a family with an annual income at or below the official federal poverty line, b) is eligible for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or other public assistance, c) received a Pell Grant or comparable state program of need-based financial assistance, d) is eligible for programs assisted under Title II of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), or e) is eligible for benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977.

English as a second language
English as a second language indicates that a student is participating in a state-approved English as a second language (ESL) program. An ESL program in Grades PK-8 is a program of intensive instruction in English from teachers either certified or endorsed in ESL who use second language acquisition information to teach LEP students. An ESL program in Grades 9-12 is a program of intensive instruction in English from teachers trained in recognizing and dealing with language differences.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]

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Ethnicity
Students in Texas may be classified as:

1) American Indian or Alaskan Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through affiliation or community recognition.

2) Asian or Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, Polynesian Islands, Micronesian Islands, Melanesian Islands, or Philippine Islands.

3) Black, not of Hispanic origin: A non-Hispanic person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

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

5) White, not of Hispanic origin: A non-Hispanic person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.

Gifted and talented
A gifted and talented student is one who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment, and who:

1) exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;

2) possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or,

3) excels in a specific academic field.

Immigrant
An immigrant student is one who

1) is aged 3 through 21;

2) was not born in any state in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia;

3) has not been attending school in the United States for more than three full academic years.

Limited English proficient (LEP)
A student is classified as limited English proficient when 1) a language other than English is used as the primary language in the home and 2) the student's English language proficiency is determined to be limited by a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) or as indicated by a test of English proficiency. Most students identified as limited English proficient receive bilingual or English as a second language instruction, although not all do.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards, 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §89.1225]

Migrant
A migrant student is one who is a migratory agricultural worker (or whose parent, spouse, or guardian is a migratory agricultural worker) and who, in the preceding 36 months, in order to obtain temporary employment in agriculture or fishing, or to accompany a parent, spouse, or guardian to obtain such employment: 1) has moved from one school district to another, or 2) 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 in order to engage in a fishing activity.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]

Overage
A student is considered overage if his or her age on September 1 is higher than the grade level plus five years. For example, first graders older than six years of age on September 1 are classified as overage.
[Source: Grade-Level Retention in Texas Public Schools, 2002-03]

Special education
Special education is a program that serves students with disabilities. Special education programs include special education instructional and related services programs and general education programs using special education support services, supplementary aids, and other special arrangements.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]

Title I
Title I students are students participating in a program authorized under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is designed to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.
[Source: 2002-2003 PEIMS Data Standards]