I went on a tour of PS 11 in Brooklyn last week (my Zoned school) and will go on a tour of Community Roots this week (a Charter School). On the tour, it occurred to me that I didn’t know what half of the terms meant that were being mentioned. I thought I knew the difference between a magnet and charter school and what a parent coordinator did, but apparently not! I thought a Parent Coordinator just helped parents out out of the goodness of their heart. Of course not- they are full-time paid employees. I am so midwestern!  I turned to InsideSchools handy glossary to look some of them up.

Cap:  Number of students allowed per classroom, as established in union contracts with school employees. When the classroom reaches capacity, the class is closed or “capped.” Sometimes an entire school is capped, because the overall capacity is reached.

Charter school:  A school established by a charter granted by the chancellor, the State University of New York or the Board of Regents of the State of New York. Charter schools receive taxpayer funding for each child and are required to admit students by lottery, with preference given to students who live in the geographical district. Charter schools operate independently of the local district office and are free from most Department of Education regulations with the exception of standardized testing. Charters are issued for five years and can be revoked if the school fails to perform as promised.

District 75:  A citywide special education district that serves 20,000 severely disabled students and operates special programs and schools across the city.

Dual language:  Programs in which students learn in two languages. Dual language immersion programs have classes in which half the students are native speakers of English, and half speak another language. Classes are taught in each language on alternative days or weeks, and the children are expected to become fluent in both. These programs shouldn’t be confused with bilingual or English as a Second Language classes, designed to teach English to non-English speakers.

Early Intervention:  Services to very young children birth to age three who have developmental or physical problems such as cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional and or adaptive delays.

Gifted and Talented:  Also known as G&T. School or program for what the Department of Education describes as “exceptional students.” Students are selected to enter kindergarten through 2nd grade G&T classes based on the results of two tests: the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) and the BSRA (Bracken School Readiness Assessment ). The tests are administered by the department in schools. Students in upper grades may be selected for G&T classes based on their standardized test results, an interview, audition, grades or other criteria. Some gifted programs are open to students who live outside the program’s school zone or district. G&T programs often teach material that is one or two years above the students’ grade level.

Magnet schools: Schools that receive government funds for special programs that could attract students from many neighborhoods and thereby achieve racial integration. Offerings range from studies in music to programs in law.

Parent coordinator:  Full-time employee, required at every school, to handle parent outreach, encourage development of parent organizations, address parent concerns and make the school parent-friendly. Parent coordinators work on-site and are hired by the principal.

Placement Exception Request:  Permission, given by the Department of Education, that allows students to transfer from their zoned school to another school in or out of district. Also referred to as a variance.

Unzoned:  These schools serve students from a whole district or even all boroughs, and accept children by special application or lottery. Also referred to as option, choice, or magnet schools.

Whole Language:  Method of teaching reading that downplays sounding out words, instead encouraging children to learn whole words through the context in which they are used. Often children are not given Dick-and-Jane-style readers, but “real” books.

Writing Process:  Method of teaching writing, developed by Columbia University’s Teachers College. Children learn, often before they can read, to express themselves in print by stringing together whatever letters they know that sound like the word: “hsptl” for “hospital” for example. Later, kids learn to revise and refine their work. They write about topics that interest them, and read and critique other students’ work.

Zoned school:  A neighborhood school for all students who live in a designated area. A student’s zone is determined by the address where he or she lives. Each district sets the zone boundaries.

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