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Home School Abbreviations

Welcome to my Home School Abbreviations page, formerly "The Unofficial WTM Board Home School Abbreviations" web page.  Why unofficial?  Because the WTM web master has to get everything reviewed before publishing (and because he has other job functions besides keeping the abbreviations list for the WTM Boards up-to-date ;-) ), the official abbreviations list cannot be updated frequently.  However, I think frequent updating is important in order to get the most use out of an abbreviations list, so I have published my own abbreviations list.

About the curricula links:  If I could not find a website for the curriculum, then I tried to include a link for the publisher.  I avoided the use of 3rd-party websites and, where I did use them,  identified them clearly as 3rd-party websites.  Sometimes it is hard to tell though, so please let me know if I accidentally used one without identifying it as such.

Please send any comments to me (violetdeb) at yahoo.com with "Home School Abbreviations" in the subject.

Press ctrl-f (hold the ctrl key and press the f key) to find text on this page.

This document contains the following sections:

The Internet Abbreviations section contains links to sites with abbreviations, acronyms, and terms commonly used in the general Internet community.

The Emoticons (Smileys) section contains links to sites with emoticon definitions.

The Home School Abbreviations section has abbreviations, acronyms, and terms used on the Well-Trained Mind boards, but not commonly used in the general Internet community.

One abbreviation of particular note for WTM Board users is "nt" which stands for "no text". If the subject line of your message contains the entire content of your message, please append "nt" to your subject line so that readers will know that there isn't more content to your message in the message section. Those with slow Internet connections especially appreciate this. Note: You will actually have to put some text in the message section (usually just "nt" again) in order to submit the message.

The information in this document was originally based on abbreviations from theswap.com, expanded by SWB, and then further expanded with input from Board users.

Home School Abbreviations

 

AbbreviationDefinition
100EL"Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," a reading instruction book
ACE"Accelerated Christian Education"
ACT"American College Test," standardized test for entrance to some colleges and universities
ADHD"Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder"
ADD"Attention-Deficit Disorder," (ADHD is now preferred)
AFT"American Federation of Teachers," a large association of schoolteachers (NOT the same as the larger NEA), functioning as a labor union in states that permit collective bargaining
AG"Analytical Grammar" or "activity guide"
ANWOA"A New World of Adventure," the second book in the Learning Adventures series
AO"Alpha Omega," a Christian curriculum publisher
ASL"American Sign Language"
ATAWA"A Trip Around the World," published by Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc. (item # 0811)
ATIA"Advanced Training Institute" (Bill Gothard)
ATTA"All Through the Ages," published by Nothing New Press
AWOA"A World of Adventure," the first book in the Learning Adventures series
B4FIAR"Before Five In a Row," preschool literature-based curriculum published by Five in a Row
BBOB"Big Book of Books," published by Dinah-Might Activities
BBOP"Big Book of Projects," published by Dinah-Might Activities
BF"Beautiful Feet," a Christian curriculum publisher
BFIAR"Beyond Five-in-a-Row," upper elementary literature-based curriculum, ages 8-12 published by Five in a Row
BITM"Blessed is the Man"
BJ, BJU, BJUP"Bob Jones University Press," a Christian curriculum publisher
BP"BiblioPlan for Families," a literature-based history curriculum
BTS"Building Thinking Skills," published by The Critical Thinking Company; sold through Bright Minds
CBD"Christian Book Distributors," mail-order book retailer in Pennsylvania
CC(1) "Classical Composition"

(2) "Classical Conversations"

(3) "Community College"

CCC"Christ-Centered Curriculum," a Christian curriculum
CGC"Considering God's Creation," a Christian science curriculum published by Eagle's Wings
CHOW "Child's History of the World," by V.M. Hillyer
CK"Core Knowledge," publisher of the NTK books (What Your Nth Grader Needs to Know)
CLE"Christian Light Education," a K-12 curriculum published by Christian Light Publications
CLP(1) "Christian Liberty Press," a Christian curriculum publisher

(2) Christian Light Publications

CM"Charlotte Mason," 19th-century British educator; her theories
CPM"college preparatory materials"
CS"Christian school"
CW"Classical Writing"
DG"Daily Grams," daily grammar review workbooks used in the Easy Grammar curriculum
DK"Dorling Kindersley," an illustrated reference provider; their products are available through many retail providers and through Family Books at Home, a direct sales company in the Penguin Group
EA"Exploring America"
EEaH"Early Education at Home," a curriculum guide for parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners; published by At Home Publications
EFTTC"English for the Thoughtful Child," an elementary grammar text published by Greenleaf Press
EG"Easy Grammar"
EPGY "Education Program for Gifted Youth," Stanford University project offering multimedia computer-based distance-learning courses for K-college level.
ET"EduTrack," software for student progress tracking and reports to parents
ETC"Explode the Code," series of phonics workbooks published by Educators Publishing Service
FAR"Far Above Rubies," Christian high school unit study curriculum for girls
FIAR"Five In A Row," lower elementary grades literature-based curriculum, ages 4-8 published by Five in a Row
FIIR, FIR"For Instruction In Righteousness," a Doorpost product
FLL"First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind," written by Jessie Wise, published by Peace Hill Press
FUFI"Further Up and Further In," a study based on C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia; published by Cadron Creek Christian Curriculum
GCB"Great Christian Books," mail-order/retail bookstore in Maryland
GL"Greenleaf," usually as in "The GL Guide to ..."
GLP"Greenleaf Press," publisher of literature-based history study guides and books
GM"Geography Matters," publishers of Uncle Josh's Outline Maps and other geography helps
GP Galore Park, UK publisher whose guiding principle of their books "is that they can be used by a pupil working alone."  Curriculum includes the "So You Want to Learn ..." foreign language series.
GSA"Great Science Adventures"
GTG"Galloping the Globe," published by Geography Matters
GWG"Growing With Grammar"
GWS"Growing Without Schooling," the oldest home schooling magazine
HBJ"Harcourt, Brace & Javonovich," now Harcourt Trade Publishers, a secular curriculum publisher (see also Wikipedia's entry on Harcourt Trade Publishers)
HEM"Home Education Magazine"
HM"Houghton Mifflin," a curriculum publisher
HMSC"home school" (HMSC is useful as HS may be ambiguous)
HMSCing"home schooling"
HMSCer"home schooler"
HOP"Hooked on Phonics," a commercial reading instruction curriculum
HO

"History Odyssey," study guides of the literature, historical events, and geography of given time periods.  Published by Pandia Press.

HOW"Heart of Wisdom"
HS(1) "high school"

(2) "home school," use HMSC to be unambiguous

HSing"home schooling"
HSer"home schooler" or "high schooler"
HSLDA"Home School Legal Defense Association"
HST "Homeschool Tracker," home school planning and record keeping software; HST may refer to either the free Basic version or the Plus version (see also HSTP)
HSTP "Homeschool Tracker Plus," home school planning and record keeping software; the Plus version contains additional features not found in the free Basic version
HSTUAC"Home School Train Up a Child," a mail list (unrelated to the book To Train Up a Child)
HTTA"History Through the Ages," timeline figures available in print or on CD.
HWT, HWOT"Handwriting Without Tears"
IBLP"Institute in Basic Life Principles" (Bill Gothard)
IEP"Individualized Education Plan," mandated for students in some categories by federal law, intended for all students under some planned implementations of outcome-based education
IEW"Institute for Excellence in Writing"
ILL"Intermediate Language Lessons," by Emma Serl
IRA"International Reading Association," an organization of persons involved in reading instruction in schools
ISP"independent student program" (note that in the general Internet community, ISP is a common abbreviation for "Internet service provider")
ITBS"Iowa Test of Basic Skills," a standardized achievement test given to schoolchildren, much like the Stanford Achievement Test; available through BJU Press Testing and Evaluation
JAG"Junior Analytical Grammar"
KAH"Training our Daughters to be Keepers At Home," same as TOD
KBC "Knowledge Box Central", specializing in educational materials, including lap books, copy workbooks, note booking pages, games, etc.
KF"Kingfisher," a publisher
KOTF"Keepers of the Faith"
KQ"Knowledge Quest," publishers of historical outline maps and timelines
LA"Learning Adventures" or "language arts"
LC"Latina Christiana," an elementary Latin series published by Memoria Press
LC1"Latina Christiana I," an introductory Christian Latin curriculum for grades 4th-9th, published by Memoria Press
LC2"Latina Christiana II," an introductory Christian Latin curriculum for grades 4th-9th designed to follow Latina Christian I, published by Memoria Press
LCC"Latin-Centered Curriculum"
LD"learning disabled"
LFBC"Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum"
LFC"Latin for Children," an elementary Latin series published by Classical Academic Press
LGTW"Learning Grammar Through Writing," the grammar supplement to LLATL
LIA"Life in America"
LLAL"Learning Language Arts Through Literature," (more information under LLATL)
LLATL"Learning Language Arts Through Literature," language arts curriculum using excerpts from literature as the foundation for all aspects of language; published by Common Sense Press
LLB"Living Learning Books," an elementary science curriculum based on the WTM cycle
LMS"Listen My Son," a Christian unit study curriculum for high school boys
LOL"Lifestyle of Learning," a free monthly newsletter discussing the topics in WWOL (note that in the general Internet community, LOL is a VERY common abbreviation for "laughing out loud" and more)
LP Latin Prep, published by Galore Park.
MCP"Modern Curriculum Press," a curriculum publisher
MFW"My Father's World"
MkMM"Making Math Meaningful," a commercial mathematics curriculum, not to be confused with the one below with the almost identical name
MMdM"Math Made Meaningful," a commercial mathematics curriculum, not be confused with the one above with the almost identical name
MME"Math Made Easy"
MMM"Making Math Meaningful" or "Math Made Meaningful", two DIFFERENT commercial mathematics curricula, with almost identical names. Use MkMM or MMdM instead of MMM to be clear.
MOH"Mystery of History," published by Bright Ideas Press
MOTH"Managers of Their Homes"
MUS"Math-U-See," a commercial mathematics curriculum
MWM"Moving With Math"
MWS"My World Science," an elementary science curriculum for homeschoolers
NAEP"National Assessment of Education Progress," a testing program in reading, writing, math, and science conducted by ETS for the federal government
NCTE"National Council of Teachers of English," a professional association that has established guidelines for English curricula
NCTM"National Council of Teachers of Mathematics," a professional association that has established guidelines for math curricula
NEA"National Education Association," founded in the 19th Century, now the largest association of schoolteachers, functioning as a labor union in states that permit collective bargaining
NHEN"National Home Education Network"
NL"newsletter"
nt"no text," the subject line contains the entire message
OBE"outcome-based education," a program of purported school reform (variously described as principally a management reform or principally a curriculum reform) already mandated in several states, in experimental implementation in various places
OPG, OPGTR, TOPG, TOPGTR"The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading," written by Jessie Wise, published by Peace Hill Press
PHP"Peace Hill Press," publisher of The Well-Trained Mind and other books for classical education
PL"Prima Latina," an introductory Christian Latin curriculum for grades K-3, published by Memoria Press
PLL"Primary Language Lessons," written by Emma Serl, published by Lost Classics Book Company
PP"Prairie Primer," unit-study curriculum based on the Little House series of books, published by Cadron Creek Christian Curriculum
PS"public school"
PSS"public school system"
R&S"Rod & Staff," a Christian curriculum publisher (to place orders or to get information, call 606-552-4348; may also be ordered on-line through the Anabaptist Bookstore or through Milestone Ministries)
R.E.A.L."Read, Explore, Absorb, and Learn Science"
RGAA"Remembering God's Awesome Acts," by Susan Mortimer, published by Eagles Wings
RGCC"Remembering God's Chosen Children," by Susan Mortimer, published by Eagles Wings
RME"Reading Made Easy," by Valerie Bendt
RR"Reading Reflex," by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness, published by Free Press
RS(1) "Rainbow Science," written by Dr. Durell Dobbins, published by Beginnings Publishing House

(2) Right Start math

RS4K"RealScience for Kids," published by Gravitas Publications
SAT(1) "Scholastic Aptitude Test," a test used for college entrance published by Educational Testing Service

(2) "Stanford Achievement Test," an achievement test used in primary and secondary grades to evaluate student progress, published by Harcourt Assessment
Saxon"Saxon Publishers", a secular math, science, and phonics curriculum publisher
SE"Simply English," written by Laurie Hicks, published by Shoe Lace Books
SG"Simply Grammar," written by Karen Andreola, published by Charlotte Mason Research and Supply
SL"Sonlight," a home school curriculum
SM"Singapore Math"
SN"Simply Numbers," written by Laurie Hicks, published by Shoe Lace Books
SOS"Switched on Schoolhouse, published by Alpha Omega Publications
SOT"School of Tomorrow," published by Accelerated Christian Education (ACE)
SOTW"The Story of the World," a four-volume history series written by Susan Wise Bauer, published by Peace Hill Press
SOW"Student of the Word," a K-12 Bible-centered home school curriculum
SP"Simply Phonics," written by Laurie Hicks, published by Shoe Lace Books
SS"Sequential Spelling," published by AVKO Educational Research Foundation
SSRW"Sing, Spell, Read, & Write," phonics and reading program, published by Pearson Learning Group / Modern Curriculum Press
SV"Steck-Vaughn," a secular curriculum publisher
SWB"Susan Wise Bauer", co-author of The Well-Trained Mind
SWO"Spelling Workout," published by Pearson Learning Group / Modern Curriculum Press
SWR"Spell to Write and Read"
SYRWTLF, SYRWTLS, SYRWTLL "So You Really Want to Learn French/Spanish/Latin," published by Galore Park, is a foreign language curriculum.
TATRAS"Teach America To Read And Spell," written by Frank Rogers, published by Vertical Phonics
TH"The Teaching Home," a home schooling magazine
TOD"Training Our Daughters to Be Keepers at Home," a Christian curriculum with a home economics emphasis, written by Craig Ward, published by Smiling Heart Press
TOG"Tapestry of Grace," 
TT"Teaching Textbooks," a multi-media math curriculum (beginning with pre-algebra)
TQ"TruthQuest," a literature-based history study
TUAC(1) "To Train Up A Child," written by Michael Pearl, published by Church at Cane Creek / No Greater Joy Ministries

(2) "Home School Train Up a Child," a mail list unrelated to the book above; use HSTUAC to be clear

US"unit studies"
USB"Usborne," a publisher; 
VP"Veritas Press"
WEM, TWEM"The Well-Educated Mind," written by Susan Wise Bauer, published by Peace Hill Press
WP"Winter Promise," a history curriculum based on "literature, activities, and memories" 
WRTR"Writing Road to Reading," published by Spalding Education International
WTM, TWTM"The Well-Trained Mind," written by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, published by Peace Hill Press
WWOL"Wisdom's Way of Learning," a book by Marilyn Howshall
YRS"year-round schooling"