GLOSSARY of terms and abbreviations
8 WEEK ADVANTAGE - 8-Week Advantage is a college schedule designed with student success in mind . Courses in NWTC programs are offered in eight-week sessions . Each academic year will include a total of five 8-week sessions : two 8-week sessions in fall , two 8-week sessions in spring , and one 8-week session in summer .
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ( AP ) - Speak with your counselor about AP opportunities at your high school .
ADVANCED STANDING ( AS ) - Course taught by high school teachers using high school curriculum determined to be a close match to an NWTC course . See page 6 for more details .
BLACKBOARD - Blackboard is a virtual learning environment . Instructors can post course materials and assignments within Blackboard to be accessed by students online .
CAREER PATHWAYS - A series of connected educational and training strategies that enable students to earn stackable , industry-relevant courses and credentials aimed at obtaining employment within an occupational area . Career pathways also provide the opportunity to advance to higher levels of future education and employment in that area .
COHORT - A group of students who are educated at the same period of time . In high school , for example , a cohort year refers to a year all students enter grade 9 together , whether or not those students actually graduate together .
COREQUISITE - A course required to be taken concurrently ( at the same time ) with another course .
DISTANCE LEARNING - Distance learning offers students and NWTC instructors the ability to see and hear each other in real time using interactive web-conferencing . Students will connect with other high schools around the state from their high school classrooms , during the regular school day .
DUAL CREDIT - Dual credit is a type of course for which a student receives both high school and NWTC college credit .
EDUCATION FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL - In Wisconsin , post-secondary options include technical college , private and public two- and fouryear colleges and universities , and apprenticeship programs . Enlistment into the military is also considered a valuable post-secondary option .
FAFSA - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid .
FERPA - Family Educational Right and Privacy Act is a federal law that applies to educational agencies and institutions that receive funding under a program administered by the U . S . Department of Education . When a student reaches the age of 18 OR begins attending a post-secondary institution regardless of age , FERPA rights transfer to the student . As a participant in Start College Now or Youth Apprenticeship , students are considered enrolled in a postsecondary institution , so their rights are transferred . Because Start College Now and Youth Apprenticeship students are enrolled in both high school and college , the two schools may exchange information about the student . The rights still remain with the parent regarding high school records and the parent may inspect and review records sent by the college to the high school . If a student wants to complete an Authorization to Release Student Account Information form , they can give their parent rights to access their NWTC information . Forms must be filled out by the student in person at any of the NWTC locations .
GPA - Grade Point Average . K-12 - Kindergarten through twelfth grade .
PLACEMENT TESTS - In some cases , skills assessment testing is required to determine placement within NWTC . Most students at NWTC are not required to take a placement test . NWTC uses high school GPA as a placement indicator . If a student ’ s GPA falls under 2.6 or other limiting factors are involved , a placement test is another way to determine if a student is college ready . Some typical placement tests are Accuplacer , ACT , and TABE ( Test of Adult Basic Education ).
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION - A voluntary educational level that follows completion of a secondary ( high school ) education . This includes community and technical colleges , professional certification , undergraduate and graduate schools .
PREREQUISITE - A course or requirement to be completed prior to enrollment in a course .
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