Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 15 > Chapter 5 > Article 3 - Certification and Employment of School Employees

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Certificated teacher: means a person who holds a certificate from the state board of education to work in the schools of this state and who is employed under contract in a school district in a position that requires certification except a psychologist or an administrator who devotes at least fifty percent of the person's time to classroom teaching. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Charter school: means a public school established by contract with the state board of education, the state board for charter schools, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, a community college district or a group of community college districts pursuant to article 8 of this chapter to provide learning that will improve pupil achievement. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Common school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and either:

  (a) Grades one through eight. See Arizona Laws 15-901

• Competency: means a demonstrated ability in a skill at a specified performance level. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Course: means organized subject matter in which instruction is offered within a given period of time and for which credit toward promotion, graduation or certification is usually given. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Full-time: means to be employed for a full school day, or its equivalent, or for a full class load, or its equivalent, as determined by the governing board. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Governing board: means the governing board of a school district or a county school superintendent in the case of accommodation schools located in such a county. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• High school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students for grades nine through twelve or that portion of the budget of a common school district that is allocated to teaching high school subjects with permission of the state board of education. See Arizona Laws 15-901
• Inadequacy of classroom performance: means the definition of inadequacy classroom performance adopted by the governing board pursuant to section 15-538. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Magistrate: means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense and includes the chief justice and justices of the supreme court, judges of the superior court, judges of the court of appeals, justices of the peace and judges of a municipal court. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Parent: means the natural or adoptive parent of a child or a person who has custody of a child. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Performance classifications: means the performance classifications adopted by the governing board. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association or public or private organization of any kind. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Population: means the population according to the most recent United States decennial census. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• public school: means any public institution established for the purposes of offering instruction to pupils in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs or any combination of elementary grades or secondary grades one through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Qualified evaluator: means a school principal or other person who is trained to evaluate teachers and who is designated by the governing board to evaluate the school district's certificated teachers. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Registered mail: includes certified mail. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Small school district: means a school district that meets all of the following:

  (a) Has a student count of fewer than six hundred in kindergarten programs and grades one through eight or grades nine through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-901

• Subject: means a division or field of organized knowledge, such as English or mathematics, or a selection from an organized body of knowledge for a course or teaching unit, such as the English novel or elementary algebra. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Superintendent: means the superintendent of schools of a school district. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Suspension without pay: means suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Uphold: The decision of an appellate court not to reverse a lower court decision.
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215