I’m going to show my age here, but I still have trouble with all the abbreviations used on social media. LOL, BRB, ROFL. While I’ve mastered the most popular ones, I still find myself going to Urban Dictionary to figure out what someone has said.
I’ve felt that way sitting in a conference training session as well. They use an acronym of which I am not familiar. I look around the room to see if others are maybe in the same place as me.
But it appears they all know what is being discussed. Am I the only one who doesn’t know what that stands for?
Probably not. Just as I will pretend to know what they are talking about, so will others in the room with me. I’ll write it down and look it up later or google it right then on my phone (something I couldn’t do years ago at the beginning of my career).
Abbreviations can be helpful when everyone knows what the mean. It can be frustrating if you don’t know the meaning and can make you feel on the outside. (Obviously the rest know what it means, right?)
Here are some abbreviations you may or may not already know. What’s your favorite abbreviation? Or one that stumped you at the time? Do you have any for me to add to my list?
ACE = Adverse Childhood Experiences
ASQ-3 = Ages & Stages Questionnaire 3rd Edition
CDA = Child Development Association’s credential
CLASS = Classroom Assessment Scoring System
CPS = Child Protective Services
DAP = Developmentally Appropriate Practices
DEI – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
DLL = Dual Language Learner
ECE = Early Childhood Education
ECERS = Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
ESL = English as a Second Language
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Act
IEP = Individual Education Plan/Program
IFSP = Individual Family Service Plan
ITERS = Infant Toddler Environmental Rating Scale
KWL = Know, Want to Know, Learned
MKO = More Knowledgeable Others
NAEYC = National Association for the Education of Young Children
OT = Occupational Therapy
PD = Professional Development
PLC = Professional Learning Community
RTI = Response to Intervention
STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics
STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
QRIS = Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
T.E.A.C.H. = Teacher Education And Compensation Helps