| ACT | American College Test |
| API | Academic Performance Index |
| AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress |
| AP | Advanced Placement |
| AVID | Advanced Via Individual Determination |
| CST | California Standards Test |
| CAPA | California Alternate Performance Assessment |
| CAHSEE | California High School Exit Examination |
| Criterion-referenced Tests | Compare a student's performance to set criteria, such as state standards, rather than to the performance of other students. Criterion-referenced tests administered include: |
| | NAEP | *National Assessment of Educational Progress |
| | CST | *California Standards Test |
| | CAHSEE | California High School Exit Exam |
| | CELDT | *California English Language Development Test |
| PFT | Physical Fitness Test (Fitnessgram) |
| CELDT | California English Language Development Test |
| CDE | California Department of Education |
| CEEB | College Entrance Exam Board |
| CHSPE | California High School Proficiency Exam |
| DRP | Degrees of Reading Power |
| GATE | Gifted and Talented Education |
| GSE | Golden State Exam |
| IB | International Baccalaureate |
| NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress |
| Norm-referenced Tests | Compare an individual student's performance to a nationally representative reference group of students at the same grade. Norm-referenced tests administered in SDCS include: |
| PSAT | Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test |
| SABE/2 | Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition |
| SAT II | Scholastic Assessment Test - Subject tests |
| Standards-based Tests | Assess students' knowledge and skills in relation to the state content standards. Most standards based tests are criterion- referenced rather than norm referenced. |
| STAR | Standardized Testing and Reporting program |
| STS | Standards-based Tests in Spanish. |
