Ability test An assessment instrument used to measure an individual’s

abilities, mental or physical skills level (i.e. problem

solving, manual dexterity, etc.)

Ability Aptitude or competence, the skill or proficiency needed to

perform certain tasks.

Absenteeism Referred to as the habitual failure of employees to report

for work when they are scheduled to work.

Absolute ratings A rating method where the rater assigns a specific value
on a fixed scale to the behavior or performance of an
individual instead of assigning ratings based on
comparisons between other individuals.

Abstract reasoning The process of perceiving issues and reaching conclusions

through the use of symbols or generalizations rather than
concrete factual information.

Academic An educator who is a faculty member at a college or

university. Also referred to as Academician.

Accessibility The extent to which a contractor's or employer's facility is

readily approachable and does not inhibit the mobility of
individuals with disabilities, particularly such areas as the
personnel office, worksite and public areas.

Accessible format Materials that are designed in alternate formats such as

Braille, audiotape, oral presentation or electronically for
individuals with visual impairments.

Accountability The responsibility placed on an individual or group for their

own or others’ actions, conduct, performance, projects,
etc.

Accreditation A process of external quality review and certification by a

recognized body that evaluates individuals, colleges,
universities and educational programs to assure they are
 performing the functions that they claim to be performing
in a competent manner.

Achievement test A standardized testing instrument used to measure how

much an individual has learned or what skills he or she has
attained as a result of education, training or past
experience.

Acquired immune deficiency Caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which
syndrome (AIDS) kills or damages cells of the body's immune system by
progressively destroying the body's ability to fight
infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS
may get life-threatening diseases called opportunistic
infections, which are caused by microbes such as viruses
or bacteria that usually do not make healthy people sick.

Acquisition The process of acquiring control of another corporation by

purchase or stock exchange.

Action learning A learner-driven, continuous learning process where

learning revolves around the need to find solutions to real
problems.

Active learning The process of learning new knowledge, skills and

behaviors through taking specific actions or performing
specific tasks.

Active listening A manner of listening that focuses exclusively on what the

other person is saying and validates understanding of both
the content of the message and the emotions underlying
the message to ensure exact understanding.

Activities of daily living (ADL) The personal care activities which are essential to an
individual’s everyday living, including eating, bathing,
grooming, dressing, mobility and toileting.

Adjunct program A supplemental training tool that applies programming

principles to existing instructional modules, materials,
texts, manuals, etc., that are designed to direct the
 learner to specific areas within the module.

Adult learner Individuals who are beyond postsecondary education age,

are employed on a full- or part-time basis and are enrolled
in a formal or informal educational program.

Adverse action Any act by an employer that results in an individual or

group of individuals being deprived of equal employment
opportunities.

Adverse impact A substantially different rate of selection in hiring,

promotion or other employment decision that works to the
disadvantage of a race, sex or ethnic group.

Adverse selection An employer’s selection practices or policies that result in

discriminatory or unfavorable treatment toward an
individual or

individuals who are members of a protected group.

Advisory committee A group or panel of internal or external members with no

decision- making authority, assembled to identify and
discuss specific issues and make recommendations.

Affected class Groups of employees, former employees or applicants who

have experienced and/or continue to experience the loss of
employment opportunities or benefits due to
discriminatory practices or policies of the employer.

Affirmative action (AA) Any program, policy or procedure that an employer

implements in order to correct past discrimination and
prevent current and future discrimination within the
workplace.

Affirmative action clauses The clauses set forth in 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-250.4 and 60-
741.4 that must be included in federal contracts and
subcontracts of $10,000 and over. These two clauses
outline the affirmative action requirements for special
disabled veterans, Vietnam-era veterans (41 C.F.R. § 60-
250.4) and individuals with disabilities (41 C.F.R. § 60-
741.4). These clauses are a part of covered contracts
regardless of whether they are physically incorporated into
 the contract and whether the contract is written.

Affirmative Action plan (AAP) A written set of specific, results-oriented procedures to be

followed by all federal contractors holding contracts of
$50,000 or more and employing 50 or more people and
intended to remedy the effects of past discrimination
against or underutilization of women and minorities. The
effectiveness of the plan is measured by the results it
actually achieves rather than by the results intended and
by the good faith efforts undertaken by the contractor to
increase the pool of qualified women and minorities in all
parts of the organization.

After-acquired evidence Used in litigation of employment discrimination disputes,

after-acquired evidence is evidence that the employer
discovers after it has already discharged an employee
which proves that even if the discharge in question is
found to be illegal, the employer would have dismissed the
employee anyway in light of discovering the misconduct.

Age Discrimination in The ADEA protects workers age 40 and over by prohibiting
Employment Act (ADEA) of discrimination against workers 40 and over in any
1967 employment or employment-related decision. The Act
applies to most employers with 20 or more employees.
One of the main provisions of the Act is that employers,
with very few exceptions, can no longer force an employee
to retire.

Americans with Disabilities The is a federal anti-discrimination law which prohibits

Act () of 1990 private employers, state and local governments,
employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating
against qualified individuals with disabilities in job
application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement,
compensation, job training and other terms, conditions
and privileges of employment. This law (covering
employers with 15 or more employees) is designed to
remove barriers that prevent qualified individuals with
disabilities from enjoying the same employment
opportunities that are available to persons without
disabilities. When an individual's disability creates a barrier
to employment opportunities, the requires employers to
consider whether a reasonable accommodation could
remove the barrier.
Alternation ranking A rating method used in job evaluation and performance
evaluation whereby the rater is asked to select the best
and worst employees from a listing of all employees and
then rank them accordingly.

Alternative assessment Nontraditional procedures and techniques used within the

framework of instructional programs to evaluate a
student’s educational achievement.

Alternative dispute resolution A voluntary procedure used to resolve disputes or conflicts

(ADR) between individuals, groups or labor-management. This
procedure utilizes the services of a neutral third party to
facilitate discussion and assist the parties in reaching an
agreement which is binding.

Alternative worksite Any location other than the employer’s physical worksite
where employees are allowed to perform their jobs.

Analysis of variance A statistical method used to determine whether a

relationship exists among two or more variables by
formulating concurrent comparisons of the variables.

Analytical thinking The ability to analyze facts, generate a comparison and

draw correct inferences or conclusions from available
information.

Anecdotal Information that is based on observations or indications of

individual actions instead of any organized process.

Anti-nepotism policy An employer’s policy that restricts the employment of two

or more family members at the same time.

Annual goal An annual target for the placement of underutilized groups

of protected class members in job groups where
 underutilization exists.

Apparent authority The appearance that an individual has the authority or

power to act as an organization’s agent, even though the
organization has bestowed no such authority or power to
that individual.

Applicant A person who seeks work at a certain employers' facilities

who meets certain prescribed standards, as defined by the
employer.

Applicant files Application forms/resumes and other relevant items

maintained by an employer and used during the selection
process.

Applicant flow data Records of hiring, promotion and other related

employment actions used for the purpose of monitoring
selection and employment practices.

Applicant flow log A chronological listing that records each applicant who
applies for employment or promotion. Data includes
applicant's name, race, national origin, gender, referral
source, date of application, job title applied for and
disposition.

Applicant pool The sum total of all individuals who have applied for a
position either by submitting a resume or application for
employment which the employer uses to select candidates
for employment.

Applicant tracking Any paper or computerized system that tracks the

organization’s data such as resumes/applications and
internal job posting information.

Application service provider A third-party organization that delivers software

(ASP) applications and related services over the Internet allowing
an organization to outsource some or all of its information
technology needs.
Apprenticeship A system used to train a person in a recognized trade or
craft in accordance with specific standards. The
apprenticed individual obtains his or her skills by
performing the related duties for a specified period of time
under the tutelage of an experienced craft or tradesman.

Aptitude testing A standardized testing instrument used during the

selection process that is intended to measure and predict
an individual’s abilities.

Arbitration An alternative dispute resolution method that uses a

neutral third party (i.e. arbitrator) to resolve individual,
group or labor-management conflicts and issue a binding
decision.

Architectural barriers The physical attributes or design of a building, structure or

facility that prevent individuals with physical disabilities
from accessing or freely using the building, structure or
facility. The Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 requires
any building constructed or leased in whole or in part with
federal funds be made accessible to and usable by the
physically disabled.

Assessment center A testing location where a candidate being considered for

assignment or promotion to managerial or executive-level
position is rated by a team of experienced evaluators over
a series of days using standardized activities, games and
other simulations to predict the candidate’s future job
performance.

Attendance policy An employer’s written standards regarding the

requirement for employees to be on time and present at
work during regularly scheduled work periods.

Attitude survey A tool used to solicit and assess employee opinions,

feelings, perceptions and expectations regarding a variety
 of managerial and organizational issues.

Attorney A professional individual who is authorized to practice law

and can be legally appointed by either a plaintiff or a
defendant to provide legal advice or act as a legal agent on
their behalf during legal proceedings.

Attrition A term used to describe voluntary and involuntary

terminations, deaths and employee retirements that result
in a reduction to the employer's physical workforce.

Auxiliary aids Defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as

including "a wide range of services and devices
(necessary) for ensuring that equally effective
communication" takes place with regard to persons with
hearing, speech and vision disabilities. Such aids include,
but are not restricted to, providing interpreters, assistive
listening devices, materials in Braille, closed caption,
telecommunication devices for the hearing impaired, etc.

Availability analysis The process of determining the number of qualified

minorities and women in the relevant available workforce
who possess or have the ability to acquire the required
skills or qualifications for any available position within the
organization