the abc book of educational terms - colorado pirc

8/14/2019 The ABC Book of Educational Terms - Colorado PIRC

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A Plain Language GuideFor Parents


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For more information about the ABC Book of Educational Terms,please contact:

Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC)Clayton Foundation3607 Martin Luther King Blvd.Denver, CO 80205Phone: 303-355-5387Fax: 303-321-2959http://www.cpirc.org

Revised September 2004


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INTRODUCTION

The Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC)and RMC Research Corporation developed this plain languageguide to help parents become familiar with frequently usededucational terms. We believe that effective communication isessential for building family and school partnerships, and thatcommunication is enhanced when families and educators are ableto work together to help children.

Research cited by the U.S. Department of Education (1997)

indicated that 77 percent of parents wanted to learn how to bemore involved in their childrens learning and 72 percent wanted tobe more involved in their childrens schools. However, one of thebarriers to family involvement is the use of educational jargon. Ifparents are to be full participants in their childs educationalprocess, they need to feel comfortable talking with school staff.

The purpose of this guide is to provide Colorado families with a

resource of commonly used educational terms. Many of the terms

we selected for this plain language guide appear in current state

and federal legislation that is of particular interest to parents.


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Ability grouping A classroom practice in whichstudents with similar academic skillsare placed together for instruction.

Accountability Policies and procedures by whichsystems federal and state governing

agencies hold school districts andindividual schools responsible forstudent performance.

Achievement gap The difference between how lowincome and minority childrenperform on tests as compared withtheir peers.

Achievement tests Tests that measure how muchstudents have learned in varioussubjects.

Active learning Learning that involves the student byproviding opportunities to movearound and do things rather thansitting at their desks, filling outworksheets, or listening to theteacher.


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Basal readers Elementary books that have simplestories and practice exercises toteach reading.

Basic skills The basic building blocks of schoolcurriculum that usually refer toreading, writing, and mathematics.Within these subjects, basic skillsusually refer to the ability to readaloud and to understand what wasread, and the ability to add, subtract,multiply, and divide, and to solvemathematical problems.

Block scheduling A method used to increase theamount of time available forlearning. Block scheduling classperiods usually last 90 minutes.

Brain-based learning This learning theory is based oninformation on how the brain works.Brain-based learning immerseslearners in complex interactiveexperiences that are real andpersonally meaningful.


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Colorado Model State expectations of whatContent Standards children should know and be able to

do when they leave the K-12educational system.

Community Learning Places within schools that areCenters open before and after school to

provide a variety of activitiesincluding educational, health, social,cultural, and recreational services.

Comprehension The ability to understand and gainmeaning from reading.

Cooperative learning A teaching method that putsstudents with different ability levelstogether to work on an assignment.Each student has a role. They worktogether to learn information,accomplish a task, and practicegroup skills.


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Corrective action A school that does not makeadequate yearly progress for fouryears in a row is placed on acorrective action plan by the state.

Credential A license that certifies a professionalhas taken the necessary basiccourse work or training courses.

Criterion referenced A standardized test to measuretest students performance related to

academic objectives.

Critical thinking The use of analysis and evaluationto think deeply about a concept.

CSAP Colorado Student AssessmentProgram measures student progressin meeting the state standards.Tests are given in reading, math,writing, and science as studentsmove through Grades 3 to 10.CSAP scores are used to measure aschools progress.

Curriculum The approved subject matter thatteachers teach at each grade level.


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Decoding Translation of the letters in writtenwords into sounds and combiningthe sounds into meaningful words.

Developmentally Curriculum and instruction thatappropriate practices matches the physical and mental

development of the student.

Disaggregated data "Disaggregate" means to separate awhole into its parts. In education, thisterm means that test results aresorted into groups of students whoare economically disadvantaged,from racial and ethnic minoritygroups, have disabilities, or havelimited English fluency.

Distance learning A television image of a teacherbroadcast to students in anotherlocation. Rural districts often usedistance learning to provide

advanced and other courses.

Distinguished schools Awards given to schools that makemajor gains in student achievement.

Dyslexia A reading problem that causeschildren to transpose letters.


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Early Reading First A nationwide effort to provide moneyto support early language, literacy,and pre-reading development ofpreschool-age children, particularlythose from low income families.

Emergent literacy The idea that learning to read andwrite begins at birth and isdeveloped through participation withadults in meaningful literacy-relatedactivities.

English Language Students whose nativeLearners (ELL) language is other than English.

Environmental print Printed materials that are a part ofeveryday life, such as signs,billboards, and labels.

Experiential education An educational approach thatstresses hands-on experience.

Experimental writing Young children experiment withwriting by creating pretend and realletters.

Explicit instruction Teaching children in a systematicand step-by-step way.


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Family Literacy School programs that help parentsimprove their own literacy skillsthrough GED classes. Other familyliteracy activities include tips forhelping children with reading andwriting at home.

Flexible grouping Teachers place students in smallgroups to teach or re-teach specificskills. The groups change often asstudents master the skills.

Flexible scheduling A different approach to traditionalscheduling that includes increasingthe time allotted for basic instruction.

Fluency The ability to read text accuratelyand quickly.

Formal assessment Refers too standardized tests thatmeasure student progress.


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Gender bias Different treatment of girls and boysbased on their sex, in a textbook orby a teacher or employer.

General Educational An exam given to adults that certifiesDevelopment (GED) that the individual taking the examexam has the skills equivalent to those of a

high school graduate. The GEDexam includes writing, socialstudies, science, math, literature,and the arts.

Gifted and Talented Programs for students who areEducation identified as having high potential.

The classes offer enrichmentactivities.

Grapheme The smallest part of writtenlanguage that represents a sound inthe spelling of a word. A graphememay be just one letter, such as b, d,f, p, s;or several letters, such as ch,sh, th, -ck, ea, -igh.

Graphic organizers Visual representations of ideas thathelp students organize newinformation.

Guided reading The teacher guides and assistsstudents as they read aloud in smallgroups.


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Heterogeneous A grouping practice that placesgrouping students of different ability levels

together for classroom instruction.Usually, high ability students aregrouped with moderate and lowability students for specificassignments.

Higher order thinking Complex reasoning tasks that arebeyond rote memory of facts.Students learn to analyze, compare,contrast, investigate, infer,generalize, and evaluate.

Home schooling The practice of parents teachingtheir children at home rather thansending them to public or privateschools.

Homogeneous A grouping practice that placesgrouping students of like ability levels

together. Students who needinstruction in the same skills areoften placed in flexible groups thatchange often (e.g., guided readinggroups).


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Inclusion The practice of educating childrenwith disabilities with their peers in aregular classroom in theirneighborhood school. TheIndividuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act requires that disabledchildren be educated in the leastrestrictive environment possible.

Informal assessment Informal methods teachers use toassess student progress, such asportfolios, demonstrations, products,checklists, and anecdotal records.

Intelligence A measurement of mental ability.Quotient (IQ) Many critics claim that it measures

experience and the ability to do wellin school rather than innate ability.

Invented spelling Phonemic-based spelling wherechildren create their own way ofwriting words based on the soundsthey hear. Invented spelling helpsteachers diagnose student progressin phonemic awareness. It alsohelps young children expressthemselves in writing before theylearn to form all of the letters or tospell words correctly.


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Job sharing School personnel share a position.For example, one staff memberteaches the morning kindergartenclass and another staff memberteaches the afternoon class. Thispractice is often used by employeeswho have young children of theirown and choose not to work full-time.

Journals Personal writing books in whichyoung learners scribble, draw, anduse their own spellings to writeabout their experiences. Olderstudents often use journals aslearning logs to document andprocess information and ideas.


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Kindergarten readiness Strategies that parents andpreschool teachers use to helpyoung children get ready forkindergarten. The focus is onsocial/emotional learning, the joy ofreading, and healthy physicaldevelopment.

Kindergarten round up An orientation meeting for parentsand their children who are scheduledto start kindergarten. This providesan opportunity to meet the principaland teachers, to see the classroom,and to learn about the kindergartenprogram.


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Learning styles A way of understanding howindividuals learn. Classroomactivities are then designed toaddress all the different ways thatstudents acquire and processinformation.

Letter knowledge The ability to identify the names andshapes of the letters of the alphabet.

Literacy Includes all the activities involved inspeaking, listening, reading, writing,and appreciating both spoken andwritten language.

Local Education A board of education thatAgency (LEA) provides leadership for public

elementary or secondary schools ina school district.


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Magnet school A public school that has a particularfocus for all learning activities (e.g.math, science, technology, the arts).

Mainstreaming The practice of placing students withdisabilities into general educationclassrooms.

Manipulatives Physical learning aids that studentsuse to help them understandabstract concepts.

Metacognition Defined as thinking about thinking,it helps students to check theirunderstanding.

Migrant education Educational services designed tomeet the needs of students whoseparents move frequently to gainemployment in seasonal agriculturalareas.

Multiple intelligences A theory of teaching and learningthat identifies eight types ofintelligences: verbal-linguistic,logical-mathematic, visual-spatial,musical-rhythmic, bodily-kinesthetic,naturalist, interpersonal, andintrapersonal.


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Onsets and rimes An onset is the first consonantsound of a syllable (the onset of bagis b;of swim is, sw).

A rime is the part of a syllable thatcontains the vowel and all thatfollows it (the rime of bag is ag; ofswim is, im).


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Paraprofessional A teaching assistant who helps ateacher in the classroom and oftenworks with students.

Parent-school compact An agreement between parents andschool staff that spells out what eachwill do to help students succeed.

Performance-based Requires students to show what theyassessment know and can do by performing a

hands-on task (e.g., producing aplay, conducting a scienceexperiment).

Phonemes The smallest parts of spokenlanguage that combine to formwords.

Phonemic awareness The ability to hear, identify, andmanipulate the individual soundsphonemes in spoken words.

Phonics An understanding of the relationshipbetween the sounds of spokenlanguage and the letters in writtenlanguage.

Portfolio An organized collection of astudents work and is often used asa demonstration that a student hasacquired a specific set of skills.


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Print awareness The knowledge that printed wordscarry meaning and that reading andwriting are ways to get ideas andinformation.

Prior knowledge What students know about a topicbefore they are introduced to newlearning.

Professional Term used to describe the timedevelopment educators spend learning new ideas

and skills to help children learn.

Pullout program Taking students from the regularclassroom for additional instructionin a specific set of skills. Often theinstruction is provided onetooneor in small groups by a specialist(e.g., Reading Recovery).


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Qualitative data Typically involve words rather thannumbers. Sources for informationrelated to qualitative inquiry mightinclude observations, interviews, orfocus groups.

Quantitative data Typically involve counting measuresor rating. May include surveys,rating scales, or checklists.

Quality indicators Standards and rubrics used toidentify high quality educationalpractices, programs, curriculum, andmaterials.


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Reading First National plan to provide money andsupport to local schools in an effortto help every student become asuccessful reader by the end of thirdgrade.

Report card A report about each school in thestate. The school report card givesinformation about the schoolsacademic performance, CSAPresults, safety and disciplineincidents, student/teacher ratio,teacher qualifications, and howtaxpayer dollars are spent.

Restructuring After year four on improvement, aschool must begin Restructuringwhich means a major reorganizationof the schools governance by thedistrict.

Resilience Describes the ability to bounce backfrom a stressful event. Individuals,groups, and communities have thecapacity to be resilient.

Rubric Levels of performance that aredefined ahead of time in terms ofconcrete, specific, and observablebehaviors. Both students andteachers use rubrics to measure theimprovement in student work.


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Scaffolded instruction Instruction that builds on whatstudents already know and can do,then provides support so that theycan learn to do the next harder task.

School Choice Legislation allowing children infailing schools to transfer to anotherpublic school or charter school withinthe same district with transportationprovided.

School Improvement If a school does not make AYP fortwo consecutive years, the schoolwill be placed on SchoolImprovement. In the first year ofSchool Improvement, the schoolmust develop an Improvement Planand offer School Choice. If theschool does not make AYP for twoyears in a row, the school must offerSupplemental Education Services(SES) in addition to School Choice.

School reform Term that describes efforts toimprove schools. Reform effortsfocus on all aspects of schooling,from how schools are governed towhat curriculum is taught in theclassroom.


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Service-learning Instructional strategy that combineslearning in the classroom withservice in the community.

Sight vocabulary Words that a child can read withouthaving to sound them out.

Standards Subject-matter benchmarks tomeasure students academicachievement.

State Education Agency responsible for the stateAgency (SEA) supervision of public elementary and

secondary schools.

Student support Staff members that provideservices additional services to support

students, such as a school nurse,

psychologist, or counselor.

Supplemental Education If a school fails to make AYP forServices (SES) a third year (second year on School

Improvement), students from low-income families in the school mustbe given the option to obtain tutoringservices selected from a list of state-approved providers. Servicesinclude academic assistance inreading and math, to take placebefore school, after school or during

the summer.


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Title I Federal program that providesadditional educational services forlow income students and families.

Transferability Allows schools to transfer moneyfrom one federal program to anotherto more effectively meet theeducational needs of the familiesthey serve.


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Unsafe school Opportunity for students who attendchoice option dangerous public schools to transfer

to a safer public school.

Vocabulary The words students must know toread and understand ideas.

Volunteering Opportunities for parents andcommunity members to give theirtime to help in schools andclassrooms.

Voucher Ticket that parents can use to paytuition at an outofdistrict publicschool, private school, or religiousschool. Sometimes, vouchers arefunded by monies originally destinedfor public education.


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Word recognition Ability to identify printed words inorder to figure out the meaning.

Word wall A systematically organized collectionof words displayed in large letters ona wall in the classroom. They areshared by a classroom of students topromote vocabulary development,writing skills, and group learning.

Writing center An activity center in the classroomsupplied with paper, pens, crayons,pencils, books, and other writingsupplies for students to createoriginal stories.


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FOR IMPROVING COMMUNICATION INPARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

Start early in the year to develop an informal relationship withyour childs teacher and principal. In this case, short notes orphone calls may be beneficial.

Contact the teacher if your child is having difficulty under-standing or completing homework.

Make an appointment in advance to see the teacher or

principal.

Plan for the conference by writing down any questions orconcerns that you may have.

Bring a pad to write down notes from the conference.

Approach the conference with a cooperative spirit and try tomaintain a positive attitude.

If the teacher uses a term that is unfamiliar to you, ask for anexplanation.

Ask to see samples of your childs work. Find out what yourchild needs to do to improve.

Ask the teacher for suggestions of ways that you can help yourchild improve his/her learning.

Be sure to follow up with anything that you have agreed to doas a result of the conference.


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RESOURCES

Establishing a Parent Teacher Relationship. Available:www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/parent_teacher.shtml.

Glossary of terms. Available: www.edweek.org/context/glossary/.

McBrien, J.L., & Brandt, R.S. The language of learning: a guide toeducational terms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Available:www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/mcbrien97book.html.

National Education Association. (1996).Family/School/Community Partnerships Training Guide.

National Institute for Literacy. Put reading first: Kindergartenthrough grade 3. Available:www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1.html.

National PTA (1998). National Standards for Parent/FamilyInvolvement Programs. Available:www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/standards/index.asp.

U.S. Department of Education. (1997). Partners for learning:Preparing teachers to involve families, teacher andadministrator preparation kit.

U.S. Department of Education. (2002). What to know & where togo: Parents guide to No Child Left Behind. Available:www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov/next/index.html.

U. S. Department of Education. (2002) Teaching Our Youngest: AGuide for Preschool Teachers and Child-Care and FamilyProviders. Available:www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/teachingouryoungest/.


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A Plain Language Guide

For ParentsColorado Parent Information and Resource Center

3607 Martin Luther King BoulevardDenver, CO 80205

303-355-5387 / fax 303-321-2959

www.cpirc.org

the abc book of educational terms - colorado pirc

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