ALT DEV AND MORE PREDEP CLRNC WOES. ALT OVERSHOT IN A NON ADHERENCE TO ATC CLRNC INSTRUCTION.

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WE RECEIVED OUR PRE-DEP CLRNC JUST PRIOR TO PUSHBACK. THE TFC LOAD AT NEWARK WAS LOW. WE WERE ABLE TO TAXI AND TKOF WITH NO DELAYS. DURING TAXI AND TKOF WE WERE NOT GIVEN ANY ALT CLRNCS. THE ATIS ADVISED US THAT THE NEWARK 4 SID NOISE ABATEMENT EVALUATION WAS IN EFFECT. UPON REACHING 5000 FT ON DEP; DEP CTL ADVISED US 'IT'S 2500 FT TODAY.' AT FIRST; NEITHER THE CAPT NOR I UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE CTLR WAS REFERRING TO. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO ZNY. WHILE I CONTINUED TO FLY; THE CAPT AND I RE-REFERRED TO THE PRE-DEP CLRNC AND NOTED THE M2500! I FEEL THIS IS POTENTIALLY A VERY DANGEROUS PRACTICE. M2500 IS A NONSTANDARD FORMAT FOR PUBLISHING ALT RESTRICTIONS. NOTE THAT BOTH THE SID AND THE NOISE ABATEMENT SID HAVE MAINTAIN 5000 FT IN BOLD PRINT AND THE WORD 'MAINTAIN' IS SPELLED OUT COMPLETELY. HAD THE CONDITIONS BEEN IMC AND ON A NORMAL DAY MY WRITING THIS RPT MIGHT NOT BE REALITY. WE ALL AGREE THAT STANDARD TERMINOLOGY IS A MUST IN THE AVIATION COMMUNITY. THE FACT THAT DEP CTL ALLOWED US TO LEVEL OFF AT 5000 FT AND ACKNOWLEDGED OUR CHKIN 'PASSING 500 FT FOR 5000 FT;' LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HE TOO WAS ALSO UNCLR AS TO THE CORRECT LEVEL OFF ALT ON THE SID. OUR DEP RWY WAS 22R.