Assessment:
A variety of methods and techniques used by educators to measure student knowledge,
skills, and other traits in a specific area. A process of gathering data and
putting it into an interpretable form for making an evaluative judgment or
decision about a student, program, or school. This term also applies generally
to tests which measure student learning.
Baseline data: Outcome measurements gathered
during the school improvement process against which future outcome data are
compared.
Benchmark: Specific statement of what
a student should know and be able to do at a specified time in his/her schooling.
Benchmarks are used to measure a student’s progress towards meeting the
standard. Within the Kansas curricular standards documents, statements outlining
the specifics of what a student should know and be able to do are found directly
following the benchmark.
Block Scheduling: students are with a
teacher for at least 1-2 hour periods each day.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is named after Benjamin Bloom, who headed a group of
educational psychologists that developed a method of classifying cognitive
thinking into different levels, each building on the previous level, from
the most simple to the most abstract.
Continuity of Care: Adult teachers and
students are together for longer periods of time each day and over a period
of at least 3 years elementary and middle, 2 years high school.
Curriculum standards are descriptions of what students should know and be
able to do in specific content areas. The 1995 Kansas Legislature mandated
the development of curriculum standards, performance levels on statewide assessments,
and statewide assessments. The Kansas curricular standards provide the basis
for the Kansas assessments, state-developed tests which are aligned to the
curriculum standards.
Disaggregation of data: Separation of
data into component parts (i.e., gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status,
age/grade, attendance center.) The separate data may provide focus on specific
needs of identified student subgroups. Quality Performance Accreditation documentation
requires data disaggregation only by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic
status. Schools may identify other significant groups for local disaggregation.
First Things First: education reform initiative
developed by Institute for Research and Reform in Education and instituted
in the Kansas City, Kansas School District in 1997. A creative, yet practical
initiative to improve the life chances of children and youth, especially those
in low-income communities.
Graphic Organizer: a visual representation
of concepts, knowledge or information that can incorporate both text and pictures.
By seeing visual patterns and relationships, students often gain new insights.
High stakes testing: testing that determines
student placement or school resource allocation
Indicator: A statement of the knowledge or skills that a student demonstrates
in order to meet the benchmark. Indicators are critical to understanding the
standards and benchmarks and are intended to be met by all students. There
are two types of indicators: knowledge based indicators and application indicators.
Interrelated classroom: a regular classroom
in which special education students are mainstreamed for part of the day.
Kagen strategies: Cooperative learning
schemes for use in the classroom. Examples include: Think Pair Share, Round
Robin, Partner Interview, etc.
Local Assessments: The district level
of standardized testing.
Looping: students stay with the same teacher
for 2-3 consecutive school years.
Outcome: A statement of agreed upon results
of an educational program that measures student or school performance as evidenced
by multiple indicators.
Performance assessment: A form of assessment
based on observation and professional judgment which requires students to
produce work or engage in direct demonstrations of their skills, understanding,
or knowledge. Performance assessments require students to perform tasks with
clearly defined criteria. Performance assessments are a direct measure of
what students know and can do. Examples include but are not limited to: portfolios,
direct writing assessments, projects, exhibitions, demonstrations, and simulations.
Profile: A school building profile is
a stand-alone document that summarizes in an easily understood format the
findings of the data collection process, emphasizing characteristics of a
school and/or district. It is used to measure and report progress toward achievement
of educational goals. The profile describes baseline data reflecting current
information and depicting change as the school/district works toward its improvement
goals. Basic elements include indicators of student outcomes and student behavior,
effective instructional practices, school climate, indicators of community
and parent information, attitudes and perceptions (e.g., parent satisfaction,
employer feedback, community perceptions, and parent involvement).
School improvement plan: A plan developed
by a school stating specific plans for achieving continuous improvement in
student performance.
Six Trait Writing Model divides writing
into six different areas to teach and evaluate. The six traits are ideas,
organization, voice, word choice, fluency, and conventions.
Site-based management: Small learning
communities that are empowered to allocate financial resources and staffing
duties.
Standard: a clearly defined goal statement
specifying the acceptable level of academic excellence for student knowledge,
skills, and behaviors, the achievement of which moves the student towards
the expected outcomes.
State Assessments: state level assessments
are used in part to determine Adequate Yearly Progress. Back
to top
VISUAL
ARTS
Abstract: Removed from the real.
Balance: Composition or placement of elements
of art to produce a feeling of equal visual weight.
Color: The quality of an object or substance
with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually
by measurement of hue.
Contrast: The difference between elements.
Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE):
An approach to art education that involves four primary areas of study—"disciplines"
which are: Studio Production, Art History, Art Criticism, Aesthetics
Elements of art: The basic visual structures
used to create a work of art.
Feldman's four stages of formal art criticism:
•Description:
statement of the physical attributes of a work of art
•Analysis:
statement of the use of elements and principles in a work of art
•Interpretation:
statement of the meaning or message in a work of art
•Judgement:
assessment of the relative merits of a work of art
Form: An object with three-dimensional
quality or volume, real or represented.
Line: A mark or stroke long in proportion
to its breadth, made with a pen, pencil, tool, etc., on a surface.
Movement: The suggestion of motion in
a work of art, either by represented gesture or by the relationship of structural
elements in a design or composition.
Principles of Design: Ways in which the
elements of art are organized to create visual effect.
Proportion: A comparative relationship
between things as to size, quantity, number, emphasis, etc., ratio.
Repetition: The use of the same visual
element a number of times.
Representational: Made to look like an
observed object or scene.
Rhythm: A patterned repetition of a motif,
formal element, etc., at regular or irregular intervals in the same or a modified
form.
Shape: A distinct object or body in having
an external surface or outline. The connection of the two opposite ends of
a line segment.
Space: The area in which forms or shapes
exist or appear to exist.
Texture: The characteristic visual and
tactile quality of the surface of a work of art. The imitation of tactile
quality in represented objects.
Unity: All the parts or elements of a
work producing a harmonious whole and a single general effect.
Value: Degree of lightness or darkness.
Variety: The use of a diversity of elements to create visual interest. Back
to top
MUSIC
Beat: A steady pulse. Sets the tempo of
rhythm.
Expressive (Affective) Elements: The affective
controls which are applied during creation or performance that enhance all
music elements. These elements include: Articulation/Diction/Text, Dynamics,
Phrasing, Tempo Texture.
Form: The overall structural organization
of a music composition (e.g., AB, ABA, call and response, rondo, theme and
variation, sonata-allegro) and the interrelationships of musical events (e.g.
phrases, patterns) within the overall structure.
Harmony: the relationship of tones as
they sound simultaneously, and the way such relationships are organized in
time; also any particular collection of pitches sounded simultaneously, termed
a chord.
Melody: A coherent succession of pitches
in a designated rhythm. Refers to successive rather than simultaneous sounds.
Rhythm: Patterns of sounds or silences
organized in time.
Style (Time and Place): The distinctive or characteristic manner in which
the elements of music are treated. In practice, the term "style"
is applied to, for example, composers (the style of Copland), periods (Baroque
style), media (keyboard style), or genre (operatic style or bluegrass style).
Tempo: Pace or speed of music.
Timbre: The character of quality of sound
that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from another.
Production technique may alter a timbre regardless of sound source. Back
to top
DANCE
Energy: an element of dance related to
the body’s force or power to initiate, and control movement.
Focal Point: the direction of attention
to any point in space.
Occupied (positive) space: the part of the design that is created by the mass
and lines of the body.
Pattern: the grouping of movement, sounds,
or shapes, which may be repeated.
Range: the size of movement or space.
Space: the element of dance relating to
the area through which one moves.
Style: a distinctive or characteristic
manner of performing.
Technique: basic physical methods used
by dancers.
Time: the element of dance relating to
the rhythmic aspects of dance. Back to top
THEATRE
Character: a person, animal or entity
in a story, scene or play with specific distinguishing attributes.
Language:
the dialogue, which the characters speak.
Mood: the pervasive and compelling emotions
aroused in the audience and creators alike by the manipulation and integration
of all dramatic elements.
Movement: movement is perceived through
the sense of sight, the basic concepts of movement are energy, time, space
and relationships.
Plot: the form and structure of the action
and the arrangement of incidents of a story or play.
Sound: sound in the drama/theatre event
is perceived through the sense of hearing, the concepts of sound are volume,
pitch, rate, clarity, tone quality, duration and intensity.
Spectacle: spectacle in the drama/theatre
event is perceived through the sense of sight, the basic design concepts of
spectacle are line, shape, space, color, and texture.
Theme/thought: the central thought or
main idea of a play, explicit themes are revealed through direct statements,
implicit themes may be discovered through character relationship, ideas associated
with characters, conflicts and resolutions, spectacle, symbol and song.
Back to top
DISABILITY
& RELATED TERMS
Accessibility: Being free from physical
and programmatic barriers that inhibit full participation by individuals with
disabilities.
Adaptations: Specific changes to environments,
tools, or methods that enhance participation by individuals with disabilities.
Adaptive art strategies: Specific changes
made to arts teaching and arts involvement that enhance participation of all
individuals; modifications of instructions and methods that will allow for
the student's successful participation.
Assistive technology device: Any item,
piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified
or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities
of individuals with disabilities.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD): A severe
difficulty in focusing and maintaining attention. Often leads to learning
and behavior problems at home, school, and work. Also called Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Autism: A severe and pervasive lifelong
developmental disorder manifesting itself before 30 months of age. Children
with autism exhibit chronic impairments in the ability to learn, communicate,
and interact with others in their environment.
Barriers: Impediments, physical or programmatic,
that inhibit full participation by individuals with disabilities.
Behavior Disorder (BD): (1) A disorder
in which an individual's actions are so inappropriate, disruptive or destructive
that they interfere with educational and interpersonal relationships. (2)
Behavior which is deemed consistently at odds with "normal" behavior,
in a maladaptive direction.
Blind: A visual limitation that requires
dependence on tactile and auditory media for learning. May include individuals
who have some residual vision, but whose vision loss is so severe that, for
educational purposes, print cannot be used as the major medium of learning.
Also see * Visual impairment.
Brain Injury: The physical damage to brain
tissue or structure that occurs before, during, or after birth that is verified
by EEG, MRI, CAT, or a similar examination, rather than by observation of
performance. When caused by an accident, the damage may be called Traumatic
Brain Injury (TBI).
Conceptual Disorder: Disturbances in thinking,
reasoning, generalizing, memorizing.
Deaf: Auditory sense is not primary means
by which speech and language are learned and sense of hearing is so lacking
or drastically reduced as to prohibit normal functioning of a hearing person.
Deaf-blind: The combination of auditory
and visual impairments that causes such severe communication and other developmental
and educational challenges that the individual cannot be accommodated in special
education programs solely for the hearing impaired or the visually impaired.
Disability: A physical, psychological,
neurological or mental impairment which inhibits normal functioning without
adaptations to increase accessibility.
Dyslexia: A severe difficulty in understanding
or using one or more areas of language, including listening, speaking, reading,
writing, and spelling. A dyslexic may see letters, syllables, or words upside
down, reversed, blurred, backwards, or otherwise distorted.
Back to top
Back to top of Disability & Related Terms
Exceptional children: Those children who
have autism, mental retardation, specific learning disabilities, hearing impairments,
language impairments, speech impairments, behavior disorders, physical impairments,
other health impairments, severe multiple disabilities, deaf-blindness, traumatic
brain injury, visual impairments or children who are gifted.
Hearing impairment: A loss of auditory
functions sufficiently severe to affect the ability to communicate with others
or to develop communicative or learning skills.
Hyperactivity (or Hyperkinesis): Disorganized and disruptive behavior characterized
by constant and excessive movement. A hyperactive child usually has difficulty
sticking to one task for an extended period and may react more intensely to
a situation than a child without hyperactivity.
Individualized Education Plan or Program (IEP):
A written educational prescription developed for each child with a disability
(including learning disabled). Sometimes called an Individualized Education
Program. School districts are required by law to develop these plans, in cooperation
with parents. An IEP must contain:
•the
child's present levels of educational performance
•annual
and short-term educational goals
•the
specific special education program and related services that will be provided
to the child
•the
extent to which the child will participate in regular education program with
non-disabled children
•a
statement of when services will begin and how long they will last
•provisions
for evaluating the effectiveness of the program and the student's performance
(this evaluation must occur at least once a year)
•statement
of transition services for students 14 years of age or older.
Inclusion: A setting including groupings
of children without regard to exceptionalities.
Bringing in. Back to top
Back to top of Disability & Related Terms
Learning Disabilities (LD): Disorders
of the basic psychological processes that affect the way a child learns. Many
children with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence.
Learning disabilities may cause difficulties in listening, thinking, talking,
reading, writing, spelling, or arithmetic. Included are perceptual handicaps,
dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. Excluded are learning difficulties caused
by visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, mental retardation, emotional disturbances,
or environmental disadvantage.
Learning Modalities: Approaches to assessment
or instruction stressing the auditory, visual, or tactile avenues for learning
that are dependent upon the individual.
Learning Strategy Approaches: Instructional
approaches that focus on efficient ways to learn, rather than on curriculum.
Includes specific techniques for organizing, actively interacting with material,
memorizing, and monitoring any content or subject.
Learning Style: The channels through which
a person best understands and retains learning. All individuals learn best
through one or more channels: vision, hearing, movement, touching, or a combination
of these.
Mainstream: Serving students with disabilities
in the regular school program with support services and personnel.
Mental Retardation: Significant subaverage
general intellectual functioning (IQ 70 or less) that exists concurrently
with deficits in adaptive behavior causing adverse effects in educational
performance and the ability to acquire the skills necessary for making decisions
in actual life situations.
Modality: The sensory channel used to
acquire information. Visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory (odors),
and gustatory (taste) are the most common modalities.
Multiple disabilities: More than one exceptionality
as deaf/blind; having more than one disability.
Multi-sensory Learning: An instructional
approach that combines auditory, visual, and tactile elements into a learning
task. Tracing sandpaper numbers while saying a number fact aloud would be
a multi-sensory learning activity. Back to top
Other health impaired (OH): Limited strength,
vitality, or alertness that interferes with participation in educational experiences.
Paraprofessional: A special teacher who
is qualified to assist certified teachers in the instruction of exceptional
children as determined by standards established by the State Board of Education
and who is so approved.
Physical impairment: A physical disability
of such severity as to adversely affect educational performance.
Self-Advocacy: The development of specific
skills and understandings that enable children and adults to explain their
specific learning disabilities to others and cope positively with the attitudes
of peers, parents, teachers, and employers.
Self-contained classroom: A classroom
containing students with similar needs and skills, taught by one teacher throughout
the school day.
Severe multiple disabilities: Severe to
profound functional retardation in conjunction with severe sensory disabilities,
motor disabilities, severe emotional disturbance, chronic health conditions,
or severe communication disorders.
Specific Language Disability (SLD): A
severe difficulty in some aspect of listening, speaking, reading, writing,
or spelling, while skills in the other areas are age-appropriate. Also called
Specific Language Learning Disability (SLLD).
Specific Learning Disability (SLD): The
official term used in federal legislation to refer to difficulty in certain
areas of learning, rather than in all areas of learning. Synonymous with learning
disabilities.
Trainable mental retardation (TMD): Moderate
retardation according to accepted mental deficiency classification (IQ 40-55);
the ability to achieve independence in functional use of capabilities while
accounting to an adult serving as an advocate.
Visual impairment: Limited vision that
interferes with educational or developmental progress, or both.