To help our IDEA families become more comfortable with the IDEA culture and our frequently used terms, we have created this IDEA Glossary of Terms! In no time, you will be using these terms on your campus and with your scholar!  

• Academy or AC– Academy is a school on an IDEA campus for scholars in grades Pre-K – 5. 

• AR (Accelerated Reading) Zone – Libraries for our Academy schools are known as AR Zones. 

• BOY (Beginning of Year) – This is a term we frequently use to describe the beginning of the next academic year. 

• APO (Assistant Principal of Operations) – The APO manages campus operations for each IDEA site (two schools) and is responsible for achieving operational excellence across non-instructional areas, including front office management, student information systems, child nutrition, transportation, health services, business office, facility maintenance, new construction management, technology coordination, student recruitment and enrollment.    

• API (Assistant Principal of Instruction) –IDEA Assistant Principals of Instruction (APIs) are instructional leaders who manage, coach and develop the teachers at their school to achieve ambitious results with students. They monitor the progress of students to ensure ALL students are on-track for college.  

• College Preparatory (CP) – College Preparatory is a school on an IDEA campus for scholars in grades 6-12. 

• Give Me 5 – When scholars are asked to “Give Me 5”, they are being asked to stop what they are doing, hold up an open hand in the air, and to listen to all directions. 

• ELA (English Language Arts) – A series of courses that aims at developing the student’s comprehension and capacity for use of written and oral language 

• RISE (Reaching Independence Through Support and Education) – RISE is a course within our Special Education Program. It is designed to provide scholars with the resources and support they need to become active members of society based on their individual strengths and abilities. 

• Royal Readers – The Royal Readers Program is a district-wide reading incentive program for students in grade levels 1-8. The goal of Royal Readers is to foster further reading development, growth, and a life-long love for reading at IDEA Public Schools. 

• SIS (Student Information Systems) Coordinator – The SIS Coordinator organizes all of the campus operations tasks including but not limited to tracking attendance and enrollment. 

• Team & Family – We refer to our scholars, parents, teachers, leaders, community members, and anyone else who is commitment to the success of our scholars as Team & Family. The collective phrase is one of our core values and is used frequently.