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A

A federal program that provides food for students from low-income families. (Ed-data)

A federal program that provides food for students from low-income families. (Ed-data)

AAAS

American Association for the Advancement of Science

AACTE

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

AASA

American Association of School Administrators

Academic Performance Index (API)

A statewide ranking of schools based on student test scores from the CAT/6, CST, and high school exit exam; it ranges from 200 to 1000. Most schools have an API, a state ranking (by elementary, middle, or high school), a ranking in comparison to 100 similar schools, and growth targets for the following year. (Ed-data)

Accommodations

Changes in the way tests are designed or administered to respond to the special needs of students with disabilities and English learners (EL).

Accountability

The notion that people (e.g., students or teachers) or an organization (e.g., a school, school district, or state department of education) should be held responsible for improving student achievement and should be rewarded or sanctioned for their success or lack of success in doing so. (Ed Source)

Achievement Test

A test to measure a student's knowledge and skills. (Ed Source

ACT

A set of college admissions tests. Most colleges now accept either the SAT or the ACT for admissions purposes. (Ed Source)

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

An individual state's measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. Adequate yearly progress is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year, according to federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. This progress is determined by a collection of performance measures that a state, its school districts, and subpopulations of students within its schools are supposed to meet if the state receives Title I federal funding. (Ed Source)

Adoption

  • An individual state's measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. Adequate yearly progress is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year, according to federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. This progress is determined by a collection of performance measures that a state, its school districts, and subpopulations of students within its schools are supposed to meet if the state receives Title I federal funding.

  • Refers to the chosen curriculum of a particular school.

  • The courses of study offered by a school or district.

Advanced Placement (AP)

A series of voluntary exams based on college-level courses taken in high school. High school students who do well on one or more of these exams have the opportunity to earn credit, advanced placement, or both for college. (Ed Source)

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)

A four-year elective college preparatory class designed to motivate students to attend college.

AEL

Appalachia Educational Laboratory

AERA

American Educational Research Association

AFT

American Federation of Teachers

AIT

Agency for Instructional Technology

Alignment

The degree to which assessments, curriculum, instruction, textbooks and other instructional materials, teacher preparation and professional development, and systems of accountability all reflect and reinforce the educational program's objectives and standards. (Ed Source)

Alternative Assessment

An assessment in which students originate a response to a task or question. Such responses could include demonstrations exhibits portfolios oral presentations or essays. (Compare to traditional assessment.)

Alternative Assessments

Ways other than standardized tests to get information about what students know and where they need help, such as oral reports, projects, performances, experiments, and class participation. (Ed Source)

Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM)

An alternative way of measuring student performance in schools with mostly high-risk students—such as continuation schools or some county office of education schools—and schools with fewer than 11 valid test scores. (Ed Source)

Analytical Trait scoring

A method for assigning a summary score to a product performance or work sample based on a prior analysis that defined the key traits dimensions or characteristics possessed by the class of objects being scored. The object is scored independently against each dimension and a summary score is calculated following a set formula. The summary score may be a simple total (or average) across dimensions a weighted total or a more complex algorithm. An example might be the scoring of a piece of persuasive writing on such traits as attention to audience correct use of grammar and punctuation focus on the topic and persuasiveness of argument.

Annual Measurable Objective (AMO)

The annual target for the percentage of students whose test scores must be proficient or above in English/language arts and mathematics. Meeting the AMO is the first step toward demonstrating adequate yearly progress under the federal law No Child Left Behind (NCLB). (Ed-data)

AOD

alcohol and other drugs

ASCD

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Assessment

Teacher-made tests, standardized tests, or tests from textbook companies that are used to evaluate student performance.

At-Risk

  • A term applied to students who have not been adequately served by social service or educational systems and who are at risk of educational failure due to lack of services negative life events or physical or mental challenges among others.

  • Students may be labeled at risk if they are not succeeding in school based on information gathered from test scores, attendance, or discipline problems.

ATE

Association of Teacher Educators

ATOD

alcohol tobacco and other drugs

authentic assessment

An assessment presenting tasks that reflect the kind of mastery demonstrated by experts. Authentic assessment of a student s ability to solve problems for example would assess how effectively a student solves a real problem.

authentic task

School assignment that has a real-world application. Such tasks bear a strong resemblance to tasks performed in nonschool settings (such as the home an organization or the workplace) and require students to apply a broad range of knowledge and skills. Often they fill a genuine need for the students and result in a tangible end product.

Average Class Size

The number of students in classes divided by the number of classes. Because some teachers, such as reading specialists, have assignments outside the regular classroom, the average class size is usually larger than the pupil-teacher ratio. (Ed Source)

Average Daily Attendance (ADA)

The total number of days of student attendance divided by the total number of days in the regular school year. A student attending every school day would equal one ADA. Generally, ADA is lower than enrollment due to such factors as transiency, dropouts, and illness. A school district's revenue limit income is based on its ADA. (Ed-data)

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