Meaning of Educational Words

The words, abbreviations, and acronyms used in education can be puzzling to parents. We have attempted to define the words that are used most often. If you come across a word, abbreviation, or acronym not included here, please let us know and we will add it. If you don’t know what it means, chances are there are many of us as confused as you are.

Assessment: Process of gathering information from a variety of sources that reflects how well students are achieving the expectations in the Ontario Curriculum.
Class Size Reduction: A plan to reduce each primary class to no more than 23 students and to maintain 90% of primary classrooms at 20 students or fewer. Why? Students in smaller classes get more attention, do better and are more likely to succeed in high school and beyond. Track Cornell Village Public School class sizes.
Combined Classes: Combined classes group children from two or more consecutive grades in one classroom. Schools combine classes for a variety of reasons. This includes organizing classes to meet student learning needs and combining grades to balance class size. All classrooms include students with a range of skills and abilities. Combined classes are neither better nor worse than single-grade classes. They are simply one of the many ways schools meet students’ academic and social development needs. Read more about combined classes.
Curriculum Documents: Curriculum documents define what children are taught in Ontario public schools. They detail the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop in each subject at each grade level. By developing and publishing curriculum documents for use by all Ontario teachers, the Ministry of Education sets standards for the entire province. Read more about the Ontario Curriculum.
CVPS: Cornell Village Public School
EA—Education Assistant: Staff who support students who have specific needs, whether physical learning, or behavioural.
ELL—English Language Learners: A program for students who are learning English at the same time as they are learning the curriculum and developing a full range of literacy skills. Students are withdrawn from their regular class for 1-2 periods at first. Eventually, as their English gets better, they are only monitored. Learn more about English Language Learners (PDF 3.93 MB).
EQAO—Education Quality and Accountability Office: An agency of the Ontario Ministry of Education and is responsible for conducting assessments in Grades 3, 6 and 9. Learn more about the EQAO.
ESD—English Skills Development: Programs and services to help English Language Learners achieve success as they learn the language and content of their grade’s curriculum.
ESL—English as a Second Language: Programs and services to help English Language Learners achieve success as they learn the language and content of their grade’s curriculum.
Evaluation: Process of judging the quality of students’ work on the basis of established criteria and assigning a value.
Grading: Process of assigning a letter or numerical grade for a term or semester based on student performance related to the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum. The professional judgment of the teacher is essential to this process.
IEP—Individual Education Plan: An IEP is a written plan, a working document which describes the strengths and needs of an individual exceptional pupil, the special education program and services established to meet that pupil’s needs, and how the program and services will be delivered. It also describes the student’s progress. Read more about the Individual Education Plan in YRDSB (PDF 45 KB).
Intermediate Division: Grades 7 through grade 10.
IPRC—Identification, Placement, and Review Committee: School boards are required to establish IPRCs in order to identify those students who need special education programs and services. Learn more about Identification, Placement, and Review Committees (PDF 257 KB).
Junior Division: Grades 4 through grade 6.
Mark—Level 4: The student has demonstrated the required knowledge and skills. Achievement exceeds the provincial standard. Letter grade (grades 1 to 6): A+, A, A-. Percentage mark (grades 7 and 8): 90-100, 85-89, 80-84.
Mark—Level 3: The student has demonstrated most of the required knowledge and skills. Achievement meets the provincial standard. Letter grade (grades 1 to 6): B+, B, B-. Percentage mark (grades 7 and 8): 77-79, 73-76, 70-72.
Mark—Level 2: The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills. Achievement approaches the provincial standard. Letter grade (grades 1 to 6): C+, C, C-. Percentage mark (grades 7 and 8): 67-69, 63-66, 60-62.
Mark—Level 1: The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills in limited ways. Achievement falls much below the provincial standard. Letter grade (grades 1 to 6): D+, D, D-. Percentage mark (grades 7 and 8): 57-59, 53-56, 50-52.
Mark—R or Below 50: The student has not demonstrated the required knowledge and skills. Extensive remediation is required. Letter grade (grades 1 to 6): R. Percentage mark (grades 7 and 8): below 50.
Mind Map: Mind mapping incorporates graphics, colour, pictures and key words on one piece of paper. Students learn to make these maps with the central idea or topic they are studying at the centre, with branches drawn to represent minor ideas or components. One very powerful way to make connections is to mind map the information.
OSR—Ontario Student Record: The record of a student’s educational progress through schools in Ontario. The Education Act requires that the principal of a school collect information “for inclusion in a record in respect of each pupil enrolled in the school and to establish, maintain, retain, transfer and dispose of the record.” The act also regulates access to an OSR and states that the OSR is “privileged for the information and use of supervisory officers and the principal and teachers of the school for the improvement of instruction” of the student. Read more about the Ontario Student Record.
Primary Division: Grade 1 through grade 3.
RR—Reading Recovery™: Reading Recovery™ is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-on-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders. The expectation is that Reading Recovery™ will bring Grade 1 students who need it to the average performance for their class in a short period of time. Students receive a 30 minute one-on-one session for 16-20 weeks with a specially trained teacher. Learn more about the Reading Recovery™ program in the YRDSB.
Rubric: A rubric is a scoring scale used to evaluate student performance based on task-specific criteria. It explains to students the standards against which their work will be judged. With key criteria made explicit, students can use the information to develop, revise, and judge their own work. Read more about rubrics.
School Advisory Council: A forum through which parents and other members of school communities can contribute to improving student achievement and school performance. Ontario government regulations confirm the advisory role of school councils and clearly state that their purpose is to improve student achievement and enhance the accountability of the education system to parents. School councils are able to make recommendations to their principals and school boards on any matter. Principals and school boards, in turn, must consult with school councils on a variety of matters that affect student learning. They must also consider recommendations made by school councils and report back to the councils on how they plan to act on their advice. Get involved in the CVPS School Advisory Council.
SPCI—School Plan for Continuous Improvement: A plan developed in collaboration with students, staff and parents that addresses the strengths and areas of needed improvement of Cornell students. The SPCI is made up of curriculum goals, indicators of success, and strategies (actions and activities) planned to achieve the goals. View CVPS’s School Plan for Continuous Improvement.
Senior Division: Grades 11 and 12.
Special Education: Under Ontario’s Education Act, every exceptional student is entitled to special education programs and services to meet his or her needs. In York Region, the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) is a legally mandated committee of the Board and includes three appointed trustees. It plays a vital role in ensuring that exceptional students receive appropriate educational services. SEAC may make recommendations. Learn more about Special Education in the YRDSB.
SERT—Special Education Resource Teacher: Special Education Resource Teachers develop, implement, and evaluate the components of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) in consultation with classroom teachers, parents and students. Learn more about what a Special Education Resource Teacher does (PDF 107 KB).
Student-Led Conferences: Conferences between the parent and student where the student explains what he/she has been learning, what he/she has achieved, and what they plan to do during the next term. Read more about Student-Led Conferences.
SSC—Student Support Center: A withdrawal service for students who need extra support in language arts and/or math.
Supply Teacher: A teacher who stands in for a teacher who is absent.
YRDSB: York Region District School Board: the school board to which Cornell Village Public School belongs. Visit the YRDSB Web site to learn more.

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