formed from the initial letters of each of the parts of a compound term; ...
Sometimes (including in The Gregg Reference Manual) the word acronym is
used to ...
Communications Tip of the Week Acronyms
In education, we frequently use abbreviations called acronyms. An acronym is a word or abbreviation formed from the initial letters of each of the parts of a compound term; for example, ELL for English language learners, AP for assistant principal, and MSA for Maryland School Assessment.* Here are some points to remember when using acronyms: 1. Write out a term the first time it is used within a communication and follow the term with the acronym in parentheses. Then, in subsequent uses within that communication, the acronym only may be used. Parent Support Services (PSS) is a resource program in the Department of Professional Development. PSS provides resources to assist families, schools, and community organizations in promoting student achievement. 2. This is a general guideline that depends upon the type of communication and the audience. If an acronym is obvious to the audience, spelling out the term may not be necessary. For example, in an e-mail to members of a school improvement team, it would be appropriate to say: The SIT will meet next Friday, March 6, from 3–4 p.m. 3. When a term is spelled out, follow conventional rules of capitalization even though the acronym contains capital letters. For example, in the term English language learners, even though the acronym is ELL, only English is capitalized because it is a proper noun. 4. Do not repeat after the acronym a word that is abbreviated in one of the initials. For example, it is not appropriate to say an MSA assessment since the A stands for assessment. 5. The use of a or an before an acronym depends on how the acronym is pronounced. An EYE day A UDL workshop The BCPS Correspondence Manual provides a list of acronyms and their corresponding terms. The Gregg Reference Manual chapter “Abbreviations” gives additional explanation for acronyms in Section 522 (page 155–157) .
* Sometimes (including in The Gregg Reference Manual) the word acronym is used to refer to an abbreviation composed of initial letters that is pronounced as a word (for example, COMAR for Code of Maryland Regulations) and initialism is used to refer to abbreviations composed of initial letters that are pronounced letter by letter (for example, IEP for individualized education program). The same guidelines outlined above apply to both acronyms and initialisms. Department of Professional Development Communications Tips of the Week/jm
Tip 14 – Punctuation With Quotation Marks_20120210 AandM\Written Comm\Tips of the Week
