Adequacy of funding: This is an attempt to define
the cost of an education, which would use research and identified
methods to enable a high percentage of students to reach or exceed
mandated performance levels.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): This is a statewide
accountability system, negotiated separately by every state with the
U.S. Department of Education and mandated by the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 which requires each state to ensure that all schools and
districts make Adequate Yearly Progress.
Assessments (Formative vs. Summative):
Summative Assessments are given periodically to
determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not
know in order to make a decision or determine a grade. Many associate
summative assessments only with standardized tests such as state
assessments, but they are also used as an important part of district
and classroom programs.
Formative Assessments are part of the instructional
process. When incorporated into classroom practice, they provide the
information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are
happening. In this sense, formative assessments inform both teachers
and students about student understanding at a point when timely
adjustments can be made. These adjustments help to ensure students
achieve targeted standards-based learning goals within a set time
frame.
Common Core Standards (CCS): The Common Core
Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students
are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to
do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant
to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young
people need for success in college and careers. The initiative is
sponsored by the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Governors_Association">National
Governors Association (NGA) and the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Chief_State_School_Officers">Council
of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). As such, the initiative is
a national one and neither developed nor funded by the federal
government.
Compensatory
education: Compensatory education is a legal term used to
describe future educational services which courts award to a special
needs student under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA) when a school district has failed to
provide a free and appropriate public education that meets their
needs.
Cut scores: The cut score on a test (or on multiple
tests) is the score that separates test takers into various categories,
such as a passing score and a failing score, or a selected score and a
rejected score. For example, the cut score on most state driving exams
is 70%, meaning that anything below that score is a failing grade, and
anything above that score is a passing grade.
de facto: in effect; for all intents and purposes
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) or No Child
Left Behind (NCLB): The Act is an extensive statute that funds
primary and secondary education, while explicitly forbidding the
establishment of a <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_curriculum">national
curriculum. It also emphasizes equal access to education and
establishes high standards and accountability. In addition, the bill
aims to shorten the achievement gaps between students by providing each
child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional
education. As mandated in the Act, the funds are authorized for
professional development, instructional materials, resources to support
educational programs and parental involvement promotion. The Act was
originally authorized through 1970; however, the government has
reauthorized the Act periodically since its enactment. The current
reauthorization of ESEA is the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act">No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001, named and proposed by President <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush">George W. Bush.
The ESEA also allows military recruiters access to 11th and 12th grade
students' names, addresses and telephone listings when requested.
Equity of funding: An attempt to equalize
educational opportunities by sharing resources with equal access across
schools.
Equity vs. Equality: Equity connotes fairness,
rather than equal funding because there is a growing awareness that
some students are more expensive to educate than others. Some educators
talk about “equity of opportunity” and “opportunity
to learn,” ideas that deal with access to what is deemed
necessary to have an equal opportunity, opportunities that are often
denied children of poverty.
English Language Learner (ELL) has replaced the term
ESL English as Second Language learner. These are students who do not
have English as their first language.
Federal vs. National Initiatives refers to both
mandates and funding. A national program is one that was developed by a
national organization. For example the Common Core Standards were
developed by an initiative of the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Governors_Association">National
Governors Association (NGA) and the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Chief_State_School_Officers">Council
of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and neither was required,
promoted or funded by the federal government. Federal refers to those
programs that are funded and/or mandated by the federal government. For
this study, the Common Core Standards are a national initiative, but
the federal government has required it for the grant program,
“Race to the Top.” There have long been national
standards developed by professional organizations like the National
Council of Teacher of Math, English, etc. But to date, there have not
been federal standards.
Formula Grant Programs are noncompetitive awards
based on a predetermined formula. These programs are sometimes referred
to as state-administered programs.
Funding (Categorical vs. General): Categorical
funding refers to the funding under the Elementary and Secondary Act
which is awarded to districts with specified populations of high needs
learners, for example Native Americans, special needs, poverty, etc.
General funding is awarded for all children regardless of economic or
social category.
GDP: Gross Domestic Product is the market value of
all goods and services produced in a country over a period of time.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
2004 (IDEIA) is a <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_law">United
States federal law that governs how states and public agencies
provide early intervention, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_education_in_the_United_States">special
education, and related services to children with disabilities. It
addresses the educational needs of children with disabilities from
birth to age 18 or 21 in cases that involve 13 specified categories of
disability. The current law is the reauthorization of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 commonly referred to as IDEA.
Norm-referenced Tests vs. Criterion-referenced
Tests: Norm-referenced tests are those that are interpreted by
rank ordering children so that on a particular test children are
compared to their peers, typically with percentile scores.
Criterion-referenced tests are interpreted by comparing student scores
to certain objectives or criteria.
Peer-reviewed journal is an academic journal edited
by acknowledged experts in the broad field. When an article is
submitted, an editor sends it to people who are specialists researching
the topic addressed in the paper. Based on their feedback, the editor
tells the prospective author whether the article is accepted for
publication. Some articles are returned for revisions and may be
resubmitted to the approval process.
Pedagogical: referring to the process of
teaching
Race to the Top: Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T,
RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Education">U.S.
Department of Education program designed to spur reforms in state
and local district K-12 education. It is funded by the ED Recovery Act
as part of the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009">American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was announced by
President Barack
Obama and Secretary of Education <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arne_Duncan">Arne Duncan on July
24, 2009.
Racial Achievement Gap: This terminology describes
differences in educational performance between groups of students
compared by race or ethnicity.
Standards and Curriculum:
Content standards establish the goals of learning
whereas curriculum is the “how” to implement the standards
or goals with specific materials and instruction to correspond to the
standards. The Common Core Standards initiative is a U.S. education
initiative that seeks to bring diverse state curricula into alignment
with each other by following the principles of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standards-based_education_reform">standards-based
education reform. The initiative, sponsored by the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Governors_Association">National
Governors Association (NGA) and the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Chief_State_School_Officers">Council
of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), was announced on June 1,
2009. The initiative's stated purpose is to provide a consistent, clear
understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and
parents know what they need to do to help them.
Performance standards determine how much of the
content standards a student must know in order to reach a particular
level, such as “proficient.”
Curriculum is an educational plan that spells out
which goals and objectives will be achieved, how to achieve those goals
and what topics should be covered as well as the methods and materials
to be used for learning and evaluation. Neither the original Elementary
and Secondary Education Act nor President Obama’s Blueprint
supports federal development of curriculum.
© Copyright
League of Women Voters of Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.
![[LWV]](images/lwv76.gif)
