US Educational Terms Glossary (Garland Green)

A national organization of parents, teachers, and other interested persons that has chapters in schools. They rely entirely on voluntary participation and offer assistance to schools in many different areas

A program that encourages designated consulting teachers to assist other teachers who need help in developing their subject matter knowledge, teaching strategies, or both. They also help teachers to meet the standards for proficient teaching.

A program that trains students to provide their peers with counseling, education, and support on issues such as prejudice, drugs, violence, child abuse, dropping out, AIDS, and peer pressure. Students are also trained to provide tutoring and conflict mediation.

One way to compare a given child, class, school, or district to a national norm. (Ed Source)

Systematic and direct observation of a student performance or examples of student performances and ranking according to preestablished performance criteria. Students are assessed on the result as well as the process engaged in a complex task or creation of a product.

A description of the characteristics to be assessed for a given task. Performance criteria may be general specific analytical trait or holistic. They may be expressed as a scoring rubric or scoring guide. (See rubrics and scoring guide.)

An assessment exercise that is goal directed. The exercise is developed to elicit students application of a wide range of skills and knowledge to solve a complex problem.

An instructional strategy used to teach reading. It helps beginning readers by teaching them letter-sound relationships and having them sound out words.

Activities focused on developing physical and motor fitness; fundamental motor skills and patterns; and skills in aquatics, dance, individual and group games, and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports). The term includes special PE, adaptive PE, movement education, and motor development.

A term commonly used to describe single-unit, relocatable buildings. A portable building can be moved from one site when it is no longer needed and used again in another location.

A collection of various samples of a student’s work throughout the school year that can include writing samples, examples of math problems, and results of science experiments. (Ed Source)

An assessment process that is based on the collection of student work (such as written assignments drafts artwork and presentations) that represents competencies exemplary work or the student s developmental progress.

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning

The total of an individual s knowledge at any given time.

A method of learning in which students evaluate their thinking and progress while solving problems. The process includes strategy discussion--determining solution strategies to similar problems and pinpointing additional problems within the context of their investigation.

A reform initiative developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science which seeks to improve the quality increase the relevance and broaden the availability of science math and technology education.

Parent Teacher Association

Parent Teacher Organization