2021 Back-to-School Topical Guide
The Associated Press has compiled a style guide of essential words, phrases and definitions related to the return to classes. Terms are from the AP Stylebook, usage in AP stories and Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition.
school choice
An umbrella term for education strategies that give parents the option of enrolling children in schools other than the assigned district public school, often using public funding. Advocates praise it as a way to save children from those public schools that are struggling. Opponents note that it diverts money from those same schools. Avoid using the general term when possible; specifics are better: The teachers union objects to the charter school bill; a proposed school voucher bill will be debated next week.
School choice options include:
charter schools: Publicly funded, privately run, tuition-free public schools that operate independently of the local school district and with some autonomy over scheduling and curricula. Most charter schools are operated by nonprofit organizations but some states allow for-profit organizations to manage them.
A handful of states lack charter school laws and do not allow them. Like traditional public schools, charter schools receive public funding based on the number of students they enroll.
They operate under a charter or performance contract authorized, depending on state law, by local school districts, the state, a higher education institution or nonprofit organization.
magnet schools: Public schools outside of the neighborhood public school that offer specialized curricula and to which students must apply.
vouchers: Allocations of per-child public funding that can be used toward private-school tuition.
Education Savings Accounts: Government-authorized accounts into which public funds are deposited for families who withdraw their children from public school. They can be used for private-school tuition, online learning tutoring or approved higher education expenses.
home schooling (n.) home-schooler (n.) home-school (v.) home-schooled (adj.): An alternative to public or private school, typically conducted at home by a parent. Oversight of student evaluations, curricula and parental qualifications varies by state.
private schools: Operate independently of local, state or federal governments and without public money. Funding comes from student tuition, endowments, donations and grants from religious or other organizations.
Some schools are using alternatives to the traditional classroom model in their instruction. Among them:
distance learning or remote learning: An alternative to in-person classroom education. Student and instructor are physically separated and students complete much of the coursework online. Popular in adult education and for college-level courses.
online learning: Lessons are conducted via the internet, with or without an instructor present. It can either supplement or replace in-person learning at every level of education, from prekindergarten through college. Students may complete single lessons or courses online, or in the case of online schools, an entire curriculum.
blended learning or hybrid learning: Any combination of in-person and online instruction. For example, a student may attend school in person three days a week and receive remote instruction the other two.
concurrent instruction or concurrent teaching: When teachers simultaneously instruct both students who are in the classroom and students who are attending remotely.
synchronous instruction: Occurs when a teacher engages students online live, in real time. Avoid the term; if used in a direct quotation, explain it.
asynchronous instruction: Lacks a live component; lessons and lectures may be prerecorded for students to access online when they choose. Avoid the term; if used in a direct quotation, explain it.
virtual school: A school that does not have a physical building; students and teachers interact from separate locations.
ABCs
But single-letter grades get apostrophes: an A, two B's and three C's.
academic degrees
If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone's credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase such as: Fatima Kader, who has a doctorate in psychology.
Use an apostrophe in bachelor's degree, a master's, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.
Also: an associate degree (no possessive).
Use such abbreviations as B.A., M.A., LL.D. and Ph.D. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome. Use these abbreviations only after a full name — never after just a last name.
When used after a name, an academic abbreviation is set off by commas: John Snow, Ph.D., spoke.
Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and follow it with the abbreviation for the degree in the same reference.
Advanced Placement courses and exams
College-level high school courses and exams. AP classes and AP exams are acceptable on second reference.
ACT
Use only the initials in referring to the previously designated American College Testing.
back-to-school, back to school
He bought back-to-school supplies. She went back to school.
blackboard, chalkboard, whiteboard
book titles
Capitalize and enclose in quotes the names of books, poems, plays, films and songs. Capitalize without quotes books that are primarily references, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias and almanacs.
bus, buses
The vehicles carrying kids to and from school. Not busses, which are kisses.
classroom
College Board
Not-for-profit organization that administers the SAT and Advanced Placement, or AP, exams, which assess college-level high school courses.
Common Core educational standards
First adopted by most states beginning in 2010, a uniform set of learning standards that established benchmarks for reading and math skills across grade levels from kindergarten through high school. The standards are intended to ensure college readiness. They were developed by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, not the federal government. Standards do not determine curriculum; those decisions are made by local school boards and educators.
courses
Capitalize proper noun elements or numbered courses: American history, English, Algebra 1, world history
curriculum (n.) curricula (plural)
dean's list
Lowercase in all uses: He is on the dean's list. She is a dean's list student.
dropout (n.), drop out (v.)
English language arts
Use the acronym ELA only in direct quotations.
enroll, enrolled, enrolling
Every Student Succeeds Act
The federal education law signed by President Barack Obama in 2015. The previous version of the law, the No Child Left Behind Act, was enacted in 2002. Both the No Child Left Behind Act and Every Student Succeeds Act reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. Use the abbreviations ESSA, NCLB and ESEA only in direct quotations; if used, explain the term.
events
Titles of special events, such as school fundraisers, are capitalized and enclosed in quotes.
GED
A trademark abbreviation for General Educational Development tests, a battery of five exams designed by the American Council on Education to measure high school equivalency. GED should be used as an adjective, not as a noun. Those passing the tests earn a GED diploma or certificate, not a GED.
GPA
Acceptable in all references for grade-point average.
grade, grader
No hyphen: first grader, seventh grader, 10th grader; also, first grade student, 11th grade classes; she is in the fifth grade.
graduate (v.)
Graduate is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from high school. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: He was graduated from high school. Do not, however, drop the word from: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Not: John Adams graduated Harvard.
half day, half-day
Friday is a half day of school. The half-day tests were challenging.
high school
No hyphen in high school student, high school teacher, etc.
hooky
Absence from school without a legitimate excuse is playing hooky.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The federal law that guarantees a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities. Use the acronym IDEA only in direct quotations.
K-12
The years of schooling from kindergarten through 12th grade graduation.
kindergarten, kindergartners, prekindergarten, pre-K
lectern, podium, rostrum
A speaker stands behind a lectern, on a podium or rostrum.
NCAA
Acceptable in all references for National Collegiate Athletic Association.
preschool
principal, principle
Principal is a noun and adjective meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance or degree: She is the school principal. He was the principal player in the trade. Money is the principal problem. In a business context, principal refers to the amount of money that is borrowed in a loan, as distinct from interest that is paid.
Principle is a noun that means a fundamental truth, law, doctrine or motivating force: They fought for the principle of self-determination.
PTA
Acceptable in all references for Parent Teacher Association.
public schools
Use a figure and capitalize when numbered: Public School 3. If a school has a commemorative name, capitalize it: Benjamin Franklin School.
room numbers
Use figures and capitalize room when used with a figure: Room 2, Room 211.
SAT
Use only the initials in referring to the previously designated Scholastic Aptitude Test or the Scholastic Assessment Test. The students scored above average on the SAT.
school
Elementary school, middle school, but preschool is one word.
school-age (adj.)
They have three school-age children.
school day, school year
Two words for any day or year that school is in session, either virtually or in person.
school resource officer
A sworn member of local law enforcement who is stationed on campus. They often are armed and in uniform. They are different from armed or unarmed security guards, who are not law enforcement officers. Avoid the abbreviation SRO unless in a direct quotation; if used, explain it.
schoolwork
One word.
standardized testing
Federal education law requires statewide administration of math and English language arts assessments in grades 3-8, and once in high school. States also must test students at least three times in science: once in grades 3-5, again in grades 6-9 and finally in grades 10-12.
STEM
Acceptable on first reference for science, technology, engineering and math, but spell out the full phrase shortly thereafter.
syllabus, syllabuses
teacher
One word for schoolteacher; others are three words without hyphens: grade school teacher, high school teacher.
teen, teenager
three R's
They are: reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic