Glossary
Ability Grouping - Arranging students by ability to meet various instructional purposes. These groups are specific to the educational goal to be achieved and can be flexibly formed and reformed as needed. Ability grouping is NOT synonymous with "tracking."
Above Level Testing - Also called out-of-level testing – Administering a test level that is designed for an older student. For example, a 5th grader might take chapter tests from the 6th or even 7th grade placement tests to demonstrate knowledge.
Acceleration - Access to higher level learning activities and skill development than typically provided in regular education to students of the same age. The pacing, complexity and depth of planned coursework are modified as indicated by individual needs. Acceleration may include: planned course compacting/telescoping, subject acceleration, specially designed instruction, credit by examination or performance, interdisciplinary planned courses, distance learning courses, higher education level courses, independent or self-directed study.
Achievement Test - An objective assessment that measures educationally relevant skills or knowledge about academic subjects.
Adaptations - Using the curriculum and adjusting it to meet the needs of the student.
Advanced Placement Courses - Planned courses of study in which secondary regular education students may gain college credit and/or advanced college placement. These courses are normally available only at the 11th and 12th grade level. Credit is earned by successfully meeting criteria established by higher education institutions on a nationally given and scored advanced placement examination.
Assessment - In psychology, it means comparing the tested measures of a student's mental characteristics (e.g., intelligence, personality, self-esteem) to a norm, or average.
Authentic Assessment - A student evaluation technique using student products or performance instead of traditional standardized tests. It allows for greater focus on student individuality and creativity in the learning process.
Ceiling Effect - If a student correctly answers all or almost all of the items on the test, and the test is too easy for the student, the student has reached the "ceiling" of the test. The test does not measure the extent of the student's abilities. It is important to give a student a test that is difficult enough so that you can see a spread and where strengths are.
Chapter 4 - State Board of Education regulations for academic standards and assessments.
Chapter 14 - State Board of Education regulations for special education of students with disabilities (22 Pa. Code Chapter 14).
Chapter 16 - State Board of Education regulations for special education of gifted students (22 Pa. Code Chapter 16).
Cluster Grouping - Ability grouping within a heterogeneous classroom.
Compacting - Elimination of content that the student has already mastered allowing a faster paced learning progression based on the student's rate of acquisition/retention of new materials and skills.
Content - The specific information that is to be taught in the unit or course of instruction.
Continuous Progress - Students receive appropriate instruction regularly and move ahead as they master content and skills.
Cooperative Learning Groups - Grouping students with varying ability levels often reflecting the full range of student achievement and aptitude to complete a common task and/or project.
Misuse of the process occurs when some children are constantly assigned to help others learn rather than being allowed to advance at their own pace and/or the common task/project provides neither little or no challenge nor learning opportunity appropriate to each child's abilities.
Credit by Examination - Students receives credit for a course upon satisfactory completion of a comprehensive examination.
Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA) - Assessment that is tied directly to the curriculum. Procedures for determining the instructional needs of the student based upon the student's on- going performance within existing course content.
Diagnostic Test - An in-depth evaluation process to determine the specific abilities or learning needs of individual students.
Differentiation - An organized, yet flexible way of proactively adjusting teaching content, process, product or environment to meet students where they are and help them to achieve maximum growth as learners.
Distance Learning - Distance learning format provides for communication via video technology, synchronously (at the same time), from one to many delivery points. The best practice use of distance learning is interactive live broadcasting.
Educational Placement - The overall educational environment in which gifted education is provided to a gifted student.
Enrichment - In-depth learning experiences that provide interaction with new ideas, skills and topics that enhance the curriculum. These experiences are based upon individual student strengths, interests and needs.
Flexible Grouping – Arranging students by interest and/or need.
Flexible Pacing - Provisions that place students at an appropriate instructional level and allows them to move forward in the curriculum as they achieve mastery of content and skills.
Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) - A yearly written plan describing the education to be provided to a gifted student.
Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE) – A systematic process of testing, assessment, other evaluative processes and information that describes a student's academic functioning, learning strengths, learning problems and educational needs and used by the Gifted Individualized Education Plan team to make a determination about whether or not a student is gifted and needs specially designed instruction.
Gifted Written Report (GWR) – A written report that brings together the information and findings from the evaluation concerning the student's educational needs and strengths.
Gifted Education - Specially designed instruction to meet the needs of a gifted student that is conducted in an instructional setting, provided in an instructional or skill area, provided at no cost to the parents, provided under the authority of a school district, directly, by referral or by contract, provided by an agency, individualized to meet the educational needs of the student, reasonably calculated to yield meaningful educational benefit and student progress and provided in conformity with a Gifted Individualized Education Plan.
Gifted Student - A student who is exceptional under section 1371 of the School Code (24 P.S. § 13-1371) because the student meets the definition of ''mentally gifted'' and needs specially designed instruction beyond that required in Chapter 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment). This term applies only to students who are of ''school age'' as defined under §11.12 (relating to school age).
Group Investigation - Students working in small groups on multi-step projects such as: Future Problem Solving, History Day and Odyssey of the Mind.
Heterogeneous Grouping - Grouping by chronological age level and without regard for the diverse needs of students, their learning styles or their interests.
Higher Level Questioning Strategies - Questions and activities using analysis, synthesis, evaluation or other critical thinking skills.
Homogeneous Grouping - Grouping by common criteria such as the student's interests, special needs or academic abilities.
Honors Course - A secondary level planned course designed to be advanced in content, process and product and usually requiring regular education students to meet prerequisite criteria before course entry.
Inclusion - Refers to the education of each student in the least restrictive environment to the maximum extent appropriate.
Independent Study - Allowing students to follow individual or self-selected areas of interest by designing and implementing their own study plans. Also called Guided Independent Study or Self Directed Study.
Individualized Instruction - Content and pacing of instruction geared toward the student's strengths, abilities, needs and goals.
Informal Test - A non-standardized assessment that is designed to give an approximate index of a student's present level.
Instructional Setting - A classroom or other place in which students are receiving education.
Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.) - A measure of intellectual aptitude at a given point in time based on comparison of children of the same chronological age. It is one of the many ways to measure a student's academic potential.
Interdisciplinary Units - Instruction tied together by a key concept or idea. Information and activities are integrated from a variety of disciplines or courses that study a broad topic or concept by gathering and relating information and ideas from multiple subject areas and disciplines.
Interest Centers or Interest Groups - A means of providing students with meaningful study when basic assignments are completed.
Internships– See mentorships.
Learning Contract - Student and teacher jointly develop a plan for the accomplishment of learning goal(s), which both sign and follow.
Learning Environment - The environment where learning is taking place including physical location and/or student grouping.
Mentally Gifted - Outstanding intellectual and creative ability the development of which requires specially designed instruction, programs or support services, or both, not ordinarily provided in the regular education program.
Mentorships - Matching a student on a one-to-one basis with an adult member of the community who can provide expertise and or advice in a field of study or other community endeavor. Both mentor and student have predetermined goals and outcomes. This process is especially effective where portfolio/performance assessment is in place.
Modifications - Changing the objectives within the curriculum to meet the needs of the student.
Norm-Referenced or Standardized Test - A test used to determine a student's status with respect to the performance of other students on that test. A "norm" group is the large number of examinees who have taken a particular test and whose scores form the basis of the norms. Such a test may be based on national, state or local norms. At every level of educational test usage, it is necessary to match the scope of the test with the purpose that test is supposed to perform.
On-line Learning - A form of distance learning that uses computer-networking technology to provide interaction of teacher to learner.
Pace - The speed at which content is presented and instruction delivered. Pacing which matches the student's rate of learning is optimal.
Planned Course - The common knowledge and skills in a subject area to be learned by all regular education students of a particular age/grade/level as determined and approved by a local school district within the state mandate.
Portfolio Assessment - A collection of student products used to measure student progress and achievement. Such assessment allows for the demonstration of a wide variety of abilities and talents that do not lend themselves to traditional measures.
Pre-test - A test given before instruction to determine current level of performance in a specific skill area.
Process - How the student will acquire the content information.
Product - How the student will demonstrate their understanding of the content.
Skills Inventory– An instrument used to describe the student's aptitudes in areas such as leadership, creativity, communication, etc.
Specially Designed Instruction - Adaptations or modifications to the general curriculum, instruction, instructional environments, methods, materials or a specialized curriculum.
Standardized Test - A form of measurement that has been normed against a specific population.
Support Services - Services as required under §16.33 (relating to support services) that assist a gifted student to benefit from gifted education. Examples of the term include: psychological services, parent counseling and education, counseling services, and/or transportation to and from gifted programs to classrooms in buildings operated by the district.
Tiered Instruction(also called scaffolding) - Use of varied level of activities to ensure that students explore ideas at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and prompts continued growth within the same unit, lesson or theme of instruction.
Tracking - Fixed groups that are rigidly maintained over time, often kindergarten through 12th grade. This term is not a synonym for grouping that is flexible and changeable, task-to-task.