Federal Education Acronyms
Federal Education Acronym Glossary
IAA note: Some Department of Education programs are being administered or supported by other federal agencies under interagency agreements. The publicly announced arrangements include DOL support for OCTAE’s Perkins V and WIOA Title II programs, selected OESE ESEA programs, and most OPE Higher Education Act grant programs; DOI support for Indian and Native education, related CTE, and Native vocational-rehabilitation programs; HHS support for NCFMEA, CCAMPIS, and OSERS programs; State support for OPE’s IFLE and Fulbright-Hays programs; Treasury support for FSA default operations; and DOJ support for ED-OCR civil-rights enforcement, ED-SPPO student-privacy matters, and training and advisory services. These arrangements generally shift administrative or support functions—not ED’s statutory authority, policy responsibility, or oversight, which ED retains as described in the applicable agreement.
| Acronym | Full Name | Description / Category |
|---|---|---|
| 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 | Federal civil rights statute |
| 508 | Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended | Accessibility / technology requirement |
| ACF | Administration for Children and Families | HHS operating division; supports HHS administration of CCAMPIS and coordinates related child-care programs |
| ACGR | Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate | Performance measure (ESEA accountability) |
| ACH | Automated Clearing House | Federal payments / banking |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act | Federal civil rights statute |
| ADEA | Age Discrimination in Employment Act | Federal employment civil rights statute |
| Admin Data | Administrative Data Division | Office within IES / NCES |
| ADP | Automated Data Processing | Information technology |
| AIVRS | American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services | Native vocational-rehabilitation program; DOI administers the program under an ED-DOI IAA, while the OSERS-HHS IAA excludes it from HHS support |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute | Standards body (state code assignment) |
| AoD | Administration on Disabilities | HHS component identified as the HHS point of contact for the ED-OSERS IAA and support services |
| AORC | American Overseas Research Centers | IFLE program included in the ED-State IAA for international education and foreign-language studies |
| AP | Advanced Placement | College Board program |
| APA | Administrative Procedure Act | Federal statute governing agency rulemaking and adjudication |
| APR | Annual Performance Report | Reporting requirement |
| BFS | Bureau of the Fiscal Service | Treasury bureau providing financial-management and collection support to FSA under the ED-Treasury IAA |
| BIA | Bureau of Indian Affairs | Federal agency within the Department of the Interior |
| BIE | Bureau of Indian Education | Federal agency within DOI; DOI is the partner agency for ED’s Indian and Native education IAA programs. BIE can also mean the IFLE Business and International Education Program. |
| CCAMPIS | Child Care Access Means Parents in School | HEA program currently managed by OPE; HHS administers competitions and provides support under an IAA |
| CCD | Common Core of Data | NCES database of public elementary and secondary education data |
| CEDS | Common Education Data Standards | National data standard |
| CEIS | Coordinated Early Intervening Services | IDEA program function |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations | Codified federal agency regulations |
| CHAFL | College Housing and Academic Facilities Loans | Higher-education facilities loan program; DOL performs specified administrative services under the ED-DOL postsecondary IAA and its 2026 addendum |
| CIBE | Centers for International Business Education | IFLE program included in the ED-State IAA |
| CIID | Center for the Integration of IDEA Data | Technical assistance center |
| CIPA | Children's Internet Protection Act | Federal student internet-safety and filtering requirement |
| COPPA | Children's Online Privacy Protection Act | Federal children's online privacy statute |
| CRA | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Federal civil-rights statute; DOJ provides desegregation-related training and advisory services under an IAA, and CRA can also refer to the Community Reinvestment Act |
| CRCL | Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties | Office within DHS |
| CRDC | Civil Rights Data Collection | ED data collection under OCR |
| CRT | Civil Rights Division | Division within DOJ; DOJ-CRT coordinates with ED-OCR under the civil-rights IAA, while ED-OCR retains its statutory complaint and enforcement authority |
| CSPR | Consolidated State Performance Report | ESEA reporting instrument |
| CTE | Career and Technical Education | Program area under Perkins / OCTAE; DOL administers ED’s Perkins V programs under an IAA, and DOI administers specified Tribally Controlled CTE programs |
| CUI | Controlled Unclassified Information | Federal information-security and handling category |
| DaSY | Center for Early Childhood Data Systems | TA center under IDEA |
| DCL | Dear Colleague Letter | Agency guidance or communication to regulated entities |
| DDRA | Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad | Fulbright-Hays fellowship program included in the ED-State IAA |
| DEI | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Policy / initiative focus area in education agencies |
| DEOA | Department of Education Organization Act | Federal statute establishing the U.S. Department of Education |
| DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Federal agency; immigration, emergency management, and civil-rights functions |
| DMCS | Default Management and Collections System | FSA system supporting defaulted-loan operations; Treasury assumes operational responsibilities under an IAA |
| DMS | Data Management System | Data governance / IT system |
| DoDEA | Department of Defense Education Activity | Federal education system |
| DOE | U.S. Department of Energy | Federal agency |
| DOI | U.S. Department of the Interior | Federal agency; administers specified ED Indian and Native education, Tribally Controlled CTE, and American Indian vocational-rehabilitation programs under an IAA while ED retains policy authority and oversight |
| DOJ | U.S. Department of Justice | Federal agency; under IAAs, supports ED civil-rights enforcement, student-privacy investigations, and desegregation training and advisory services while ED retains its statutory authorities |
| DOL | U.S. Department of Labor | Federal agency; under IAAs, administers selected ED ESEA, Higher Education Act, Perkins V, and WIOA Title II programs while ED retains statutory responsibility and oversight |
| DPC | Domestic Policy Council | White House policy council within the Executive Office of the President |
| DQ | Data Quality | Data governance concept |
| DRG | Default Resolution Group | FSA function for borrowers in default; Treasury assumes operational responsibilities under an IAA |
| EAA | Education Amendments of 1972 | Federal education statute that includes Title IX |
| ED | U.S. Department of Education | Federal agency |
| EDCAPS | Education Central Automated Processing System | ED enterprise system |
| EDFacts | EDFacts | ED centralized education-data collection and reporting system |
| EDGAR | Education Department General Administrative Regulations | Federal administrative regulations for ED grants |
| EEO | Equal Employment Opportunity | Federal nondiscrimination and employment-law concept |
| EEOA | Equal Educational Opportunities Act | Federal education and civil-rights statute |
| EEOC | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Federal employment civil-rights agency |
| EL | English Learner | Student subgroup under ESEA / Title III; DOL administers the ESEA Title III, Part A program under the ED-DOL ESEA IAA |
| EMAPS | EDFacts Metadata and Process System | Business process tool |
| EO | Executive Order | Presidential directive governing executive-branch action |
| EOP | Executive Office of the President | White House offices and executive-branch policy components |
| EOS | Educational Opportunities Section | Section within DOJ's Civil Rights Division |
| ERIC | Education Resources Information Center | Research database (IES-funded) |
| ERISA | Employee Retirement Income Security Act | Federal private-sector employee-benefit-plan statute (1974) |
| ESEA | Elementary and Secondary Education Act | Primary federal K–12 education statute, as amended by ESSA; DOL administers selected ESEA programs under an IAA while ED retains statutory responsibility and oversight |
| ESSA | Every Student Succeeds Act | Federal elementary and secondary education statute |
| ETA | Employment and Training Administration | DOL component providing services under ED IAAs for Perkins V, WIOA Title II, selected ESEA programs, and most OPE Higher Education Act grant programs |
| FACA | Federal Advisory Committee Act | Federal advisory governance statute |
| FAFSA | Free Application for Federal Student Aid | Student aid application |
| FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education | IDEA and Section 504 educational entitlement; the ED-HHS OSERS IAA does not alter ED’s statutory responsibilities or the entitlement |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulation | Federal procurement regulation (applies to contracts) |
| FBO | Faith-Based Organization | Religious or faith-based organization participating in eligible federal programs |
| FCA | False Claims Act | Federal statute used in fraud and false-claims enforcement, including federal education funding matters |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act | Federal student privacy statute; DOJ reviews privacy complaints and conducts investigations under the ED-DOJ privacy partnership, while ED-SPPO retains leadership and final authority |
| FIPS | Federal Information Processing Standards | IT / data coding standard |
| FIPSE | Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education | OPE program components included in the ED-DOL postsecondary IAA |
| FISMA | Federal Information Security Modernization Act | Federal information-security statute |
| FLAS | Foreign Language and Area Studies | IFLE fellowship program included in the ED-State IAA |
| FNS | Food and Nutrition Service | Agency within USDA; child nutrition and food-assistance programs |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act | Public records / disclosure statute |
| FRA | Faculty Research Abroad | Fulbright-Hays fellowship program included in the ED-State IAA; FRA may have other federal meanings |
| FSA | Federal Student Aid | ED office / student-aid programs; Treasury has operational responsibilities under an IAA for FSA's Default Resolution Group and may support other functions, while ED retains statutory responsibilities |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent | Personnel / budgeting measure |
| GAO | U.S. Government Accountability Office | Legislative-branch audit, evaluation, and investigative agency |
| GEAR UP | Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs | OPE program components included in the ED-DOL postsecondary IAA |
| GEPA | General Education Provisions Act | Federal statute / grant provisions |
| GFSA | Gun-Free Schools Act | Federal education statute |
| GPA | Group Projects Abroad | Fulbright-Hays program included in the ED-State IAA; GPA may also mean grade point average |
| GSA | U.S. General Services Administration | Federal agency supporting procurement and government operations |
| HBCU | Historically Black College or University | Several HBCU-related OPE programs are included in the ED-DOL postsecondary IAA, including HBCU Capital Finance and specified grant programs |
| HEA | Higher Education Act of 1965 | Federal statute governing higher education and student aid, as amended; DOL, HHS, DOI, and State IAAs affect specified HEA programs while ED retains statutory responsibilities and oversight |
| HEOA | Higher Education Opportunity Act | Federal higher-education statute amending the HEA |
| HHS | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Federal agency; under IAAs, supports ED-OSERS programs, CCAMPIS, and NCFMEA while ED retains statutory authority and oversight |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act | Federal health-information privacy and security statute |
| HITECH | Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act | Federal health-information technology and privacy statute |
| HUD | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Federal agency; housing, community-development, and civil-rights programs |
| IAA | Interagency Agreement | Agreement under which one federal agency may provide services or administer functions for another; current ED examples include DOL, DOI, HHS, State, Treasury, and DOJ partnerships affecting education programs, civil-rights enforcement, student privacy, and administrative services |
| IDC | IDEA Data Center | Technical assistance center |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | Federal special education statute; HHS supports administration of IDEA Parts B, C, and D under the OSERS IAA while ED retains program leadership, policy, and statutory authority |
| IEP | Individualized Education Program | IDEA legal document |
| IER | Immigrant and Employee Rights Section | Section within DOJ's Civil Rights Division |
| IES | Institute of Education Sciences | Statutory institute within ED; research, evaluation, and statistics arm of the Department |
| IFLE | International and Foreign Language Education | OPE program area; State supports the listed IFLE and Fulbright-Hays programs under an IAA |
| IPEDS | Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | Postsecondary data system |
| LEA | Local Educational Agency | School district / public charter LEA |
| LRC | Language Resource Centers | IFLE program included in the ED-State IAA |
| LRE | Least Restrictive Environment | IDEA placement requirement |
| MEP | Migrant Education Program | ESEA Title I, Part C program (OESE); DOL administers this program under the ED-DOL ESEA IAA |
| MOA | Memorandum of Agreement | Interagency or compliance agreement |
| MOE | Maintenance of Effort | Fiscal requirement under IDEA / ESEA |
| MOU | Memorandum of Understanding | Interagency or institutional agreement |
| MSIX | Migrant Student Information Exchange | ED student data system |
| NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress | IES / NCES assessment program |
| NARA | National Archives and Records Administration | Federal records-management agency |
| NCES | National Center for Education Statistics | IES statistical agency |
| NCFMEA | National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation | OPE advisory committee; HHS provides medical-education expertise, meeting coordination, and systems support under an IAA |
| NHEP | Native Hawaiian Education Program | OESE Indian Education program included in the ED-DOI IAA |
| NIDILRR | National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research | Federal institute within ACL; current successor to NIDRR |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology | Federal agency / standards |
| NOFO | Notice of Funding Opportunity | Federal grant solicitation |
| NPRM | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking | Proposed federal regulation |
| NRC | National Resource Centers | IFLE program included in the ED-State IAA; NRC may have other federal meanings |
| OALJ | Office of Administrative Law Judges | ED adjudicatory office |
| OCR | Office for Civil Rights | Office within ED; DOJ supports civil-rights enforcement under an IAA, but ED-OCR retains complaint intake, statutory authority, and final enforcement responsibility; HHS also has a separate Office for Civil Rights |
| OCTAE | Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education | ED office; DOL administers OCTAE’s Perkins V and WIOA Title II programs under an IAA, and DOI administers specified Tribally Controlled CTE programs, while ED retains policy authority and oversight |
| OESE | Office of Elementary and Secondary Education | Office within ED; DOL administers selected ESEA programs and DOI administers specified Indian and Native education programs under IAAs, while ED retains statutory responsibility and oversight |
| OET | Office of Educational Technology | Office within ED |
| OFCCP | Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs | Office within DOL enforcing federal contractor nondiscrimination requirements |
| OGC | Office of the General Counsel | ED Office of the General Counsel; OGC is also used by other federal agencies |
| OHA | Office of Hearings and Appeals | ED adjudicatory office |
| OIE | Office of Indian Education | Office within ED; DOI administers specified Indian and Native education programs under an IAA, while ED retains policy authority and oversight |
| OIG | Office of Inspector General | ED has an OIG, and other federal departments and agencies have their own OIGs |
| OIRA | Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs | Office within OMB reviewing significant regulations and information collections |
| OJP | Office of Justice Programs | Office within DOJ administering justice-related grants |
| OLC | Office of Legal Counsel | Office within DOJ providing authoritative legal advice to the executive branch |
| OMB | Office of Management and Budget | Executive Office of the President; budget, grants, management, and regulatory oversight |
| OME | Office of Migrant Education | Program office within OESE; DOL administers the Migrant Education Program under the ED-DOL ESEA IAA |
| ONPE | Office of Non-Public Education | Office within ED (private/nonpublic engagement) |
| OPE | Office of Postsecondary Education | Office within ED; DOL administers most OPE Higher Education Act grant programs, HHS supports CCAMPIS and NCFMEA, DOI supports specified Native programs, and State supports IFLE/Fulbright-Hays programs under IAAs, while ED retains statutory authority and oversight |
| OPEPD | Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development | Office within ED |
| OPM | U.S. Office of Personnel Management | Federal personnel and civil-service agency |
| OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs | Office within ED-OSERS; HHS provides grant-administration, monitoring, compliance, data, and technical-support services under an IAA, while ED retains leadership and statutory authority |
| OSERS | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services | ED office overseeing OSEP and RSA; HHS provides grant-administration and program-support services under a 2026 IAA, and DOI supports the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services program, while ED retains program leadership, policy, and final authority |
| OSSS | Office of Safe and Supportive Schools | Program office within OESE |
| OUS | Office of the Under Secretary | ED leadership office |
| PA | Privacy Act of 1974 | Federal privacy and records-access statute |
| PIA | Privacy Impact Assessment | Privacy review for federal information systems and collections |
| PII | Personally Identifiable Information | Information that can identify or be linked to an individual |
| PPA | Program Participation Agreement | Agreement between ED and an institution participating in federal student-aid programs |
| PPRA | Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment | Federal student privacy statute; DOJ reviews privacy complaints and conducts investigations under the ED-DOJ privacy partnership, while ED-SPPO retains leadership and final authority |
| PPSS | Policy and Program Studies Service | Analytic office within OPEPD |
| PRA | Paperwork Reduction Act | Federal law requiring OMB approval for information collections conducted or sponsored by federal agencies |
| PRWORA | Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act | Federal welfare-reform statute relevant to faith-based service programs |
| PSLF | Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal student loan forgiveness program under HEA |
| REAP | Rural Education Achievement Program | ESEA Title V, Part B program under ESSA; DOL administers the covered rural-school programs under the ED-DOL ESEA IAA |
| RFA | Regulatory Flexibility Act / Request for Applications | Federal rulemaking statute; also used for some federal grant solicitations |
| RFI | Request for Information | Agency request for public input, often preceding rulemaking or policy development |
| RIF | Reduction in Force | Federal workforce-reduction process |
| RSA | Rehabilitation Services Administration | Office within ED-OSERS; HHS provides administrative and program-support services under an IAA, and DOI administers the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services program, while ED retains leadership and statutory authority |
| SAM | System for Award Management | Federal entity-registration and award-management system |
| SEA | State Educational Agency | State-level education authority |
| SLDS | Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems | ED data initiative |
| SORN | System of Records Notice | Federal notice describing a Privacy Act system of records |
| SPP | State Performance Plan | IDEA reporting requirement |
| SPPO | Student Privacy Policy Office | ED office administering FERPA / PPRA privacy; DOJ reviews complaints, conducts investigations, and recommends resolutions under an IAA, while ED retains SPPO leadership and final authority |
| SSA | Office of School Support and Accountability | ED office within OESE |
| SSAE | Student Support and Academic Enrichment | ESEA Title IV, Part A program included in the ED-DOL ESEA IAA |
| State | U.S. Department of State | under an IAA, supports OPE's IFLE and Fulbright-Hays international education programs if funded by Congress |
| STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | Programmatic focus area |
| TAS | Training and Advisory Services | ED program authorized by the Civil Rights Act; DOJ provides desegregation-related technical assistance under an IAA while ED retains program leadership |
| Treasury | U.S. Department of the Treasury | Federal agency; under an IAA, provides operational support to ED's Federal Student Aid programs, including defaulted-loan collection |
| TRIO | Federal TRIO Programs | OPE programs, including Talent Search, Upward Bound, McNair, Student Support Services, and related programs, included in the ED-DOL postsecondary IAA |
| U.S.C. | United States Code | Codification of federal statutes |
| UEI | Unique Entity Identifier | Federal grants / SAM.gov identifier |
| UG | Uniform Guidance | Uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for federal awards |
| UISFL | Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language | IFLE program included in the ED-State IAA |
| USAO | U.S. Attorney's Office | Federal district litigation and enforcement office within DOJ |
| USCCR | U.S. Commission on Civil Rights | Independent federal civil-rights agency |
| USCIS | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | Agency within DHS administering immigration benefits and services |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture | Federal agency; child nutrition and education-related programs |
| VR | Vocational Rehabilitation | Rehabilitation services / programs; HHS supports Rehabilitation Act programs under the OSERS IAA, and DOI administers AIVRS |
| WH | White House | Presidential office and common shorthand for White House actions |
| WHFO | White House Faith Office | Practical shorthand used in this glossary; White House office within EOP, housed in the DPC |
| WIOA | Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act | Federal workforce statute; DOL administers ED's Title II adult-education and family-literacy programs under an IAA |