SECTION 1: THE SYSTEM FOR ADULT BASIC ... - SABES

COMMON ABBREVIATIONS IN ADULT EDUCATION: (Continued)
Even Start: Even Start is a comprehensive, federally funded, family literacy demonstration
program. Even Start has 5 required program components: adult education; age appropriate
education for children (0-7); parent and child time together (interactive literacy); parenting
education; and home visits to reinforce learning at home.
Family Literacy (FL): The Massachusetts Family Literacy Consortium defines family literacy
as coordinated learning among different generations in the same family, which helps both
adults, and children reach their full personal, social, and economic potential.
FTE: Full-time Equivalent – the percentage of the salary (or salaries) the grant is supporting.
GED (General Educational Development): Massachusetts High School Equivalency Diploma:
(commonly referred to as "the GED") is the credential earned for successfully meeting the score
requirements on the battery of five tests of General Educational Development.
GEDTS (GED Testing Service): Based in Washington, DC, this agency oversees the
development and administration of the GED tests worldwide.
GLE: Grade Level Equivalency
Homeless, Adult Education for the Homeless: ABE and or ESOL services for
undereducated and limited English proficient individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence.
IDC: (Indirect Costs) The Department of Education (DESE in MA) determines an indirect cost
rate for each city, town, or regional school district for application to state and federal grants and
contracts, unless prohibited by federal regulations. The rates are developed for school districts
as the maximum allowable rate for a given fiscal year.
INS: Immigration and Naturalization Services, branch of U.S.
IRCA: Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“the Amnesty Law”)
JTPA: Job Training & Partnership
LD: (Learning Disabilities) A learning disability is a neurological condition that interferes with a
person's ability to store, process, or produce information. Learning disabilities can affect one's
ability to read, write, speak, spell, compute math, reason and also affect a person's attention,
memory, coordination, social skills and emotional maturity.
LEA: Local Educational Agency
Learning Modalities: The different ways that information is taken in, for example, visual (with
eyes), auditory (with ears), tactile (through touch), and kinesthetic (through movement).
LEP: Limited English Proficient
Western Massachusetts Profiles of Regional Adult Literacy Programs, summer 2009 edition 186