Basic Skills Deficient 
With respect to an individual, that the individual has English reading, writing, or computing skills at or below the 8th grade level on a generally accepted standardized test or a comparable score on a criterion-referenced test.
Foster child A minor on behalf of whom State or local government payments are made to a foster parent or other guardian.
Homeless person An individual who lacks a fixed, regular or adequate nighttime residence; and an adult or youth who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or privately operated shelter for temporary accommodation; an institution providing temporary shelter or a place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. The term does not include a person imprisoned or detained pursuant to an Act of Congress or State law. (as defined in subsections (a) and (c) of section 103 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302).
Low-income individual The term "low-income individual" means a person who
a) receives, or is a member of a family that receives, cash payments under a Federal, State, or local income- based public assistance program;
b) received an income, or is a member of a family that received a total family income, for the 6-month period before application for the program involved (besides unemployment compensation, child support payments, payments described in subparagraph a), and old-age and survivors insurance benefits received under section 202 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402) that, for their family size, is not more than the higher of— 1) the poverty line, for an equivalent period; or (2) 70 percent of the lower living standard income level, for an similar period;
c) belongs to a household that receives (or has been decided within the 6-month period before application for the program to be eligible to receive) food stamps according to the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);
d) is a homeless person, as defined in subsections (a) and (c) of section 103 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302);
e) is a foster child for whom State or local government payments are made; or
f) in cases permitted by rules decided by the Secretary of Labor, is a person with a disability whose own income meets the requirements of a program described in subparagraph a) or of subparagraph b), but who is a member of a family whose income does not meet such requirements.
Offender Any adult or youth (A) who is or has been subject to any stage of the criminal justice process, for whom services under this Act may be beneficial; or (B) who requires assistance in overcoming artificial barriers to employment resulting from a record of arrest or conviction.
Out-of-school youth An eligible
a) youth who is a school dropout; or
b) who has received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent but is basic skills deficient, unemployed, or underemployed.
Runaway A person under 18 years of age who absents himself or herself from home or place of legal residence without the permission of parent or legal guardian (JTPA definition).
School Dropout An individual who is no longer attending any school and who has not received a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent.
A youth’s dropout status is determined at the time of registration. A youth attending an alternative school at the time of registration is not a dropout. An individual who is out-of-school at the time of registration and subsequently placed in an alternative school may be considered an out-of-school youth for the purposes of the 30 percent expenditure requirement for out-of-school youth.
Work experience A planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace for a limited amount of time. Work experience may be paid or unpaid, as appropriate. A work experience workplace may be in the private for profit sector, the nonprofit sector or the public sector. It provides a person with the opportunity to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to perform a job, including work habits and behaviors, and which may be combined with classroom or other training.