Ever wonder what all the acronyms at the school stand for? Sometimes it is really tough to keep up with the lingo! Some of it comes from district while some of it is specific to just our school. The LAUSD mandates programs and committees like the SSC, LSLC, ELAC, GATE and SAS. We all know what PTA stands for but what about FOS? And what is the DDSA or a GLP or the AR program? You could ask the SAA or the AP-EIS but who exactly would you be speaking to? Well….here are some mysteries revealed so you can talk the talk with the best of them.

Let’s start with some of the important ones…

ELAC stands for the English Learner Advisory Committee. This program provides assistance to any and all children where English is not their first language. The purpose of the committee is to approve and monitor a school plan, develop goals, review the budget and to help evaluate the school’s needs. Committee members are also responsible for writing and revising bylaws, planning and implementing parent training where needed, providing communication with local and central districts, budget recommendations, evaluations, etc. ELAC meets once a month.

GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Education. This program addresses the special needs of the identified gifted students. The state has recommendations, standards and funding for these programs and at Serrania, the GATE funding supports our SAS program. Each school with a GATE and/or SAS program has a site coordinator and a parent rep.

SSC stands for School Site Council. SSC is an elected committee made up of parents, community members, teachers and administration. The SSC is responsible for developing, reviewing and implementing the school plan and budget. Other responsibilities include the analysis of student achievement and communication with both the district and the community. The SSC meets once a month.

LSLC stands for the Local School Leadership Council and is an elected committee of parents, teachers and administrators who make decisions on things such as the school calendar, student discipline guidelines, scheduling & programming. LSLC meets once a month.