Glossary of Terms

	Annual Progress Report (APR)	The document that is produced annually and addresses student growth in reading, math, and science. This data is then used as a basis from which to monitor change.
	Assessment	The process of documenting and/or measuring student growth.
	Anchor Page	Examples of student-generated work that epitomize the different levels of mastery of the criteria on a scoring rubric. Anchor papers are used to guarantee reliability in scoring against specific criteria to earn various scores.
	Cohort Group	The same students, minus the move-ins and move-outs, followed from grade level to grade level.
	Criterion-Referenced Test	A test that assesses specific instructional objectives or standards. Criterion-referenced tests may be traditional tests, such as paper-and-pencil tests, but may also be alternative types of assessments. In a criterion-referenced test, the focus is on performance of an individual as measured against a standard or criterion rather than against performance of others who take the same test, as with norm-referenced tests.
	Disaggregation	The process of breaking data into smaller subsets in order to more closely analyze student performance. Disaggregation is an analysis tool that enables a school district to determine whether there is equity on outcomes measures: whether different groups of students are performing similarly on the outcomes.
	Distractors/Distracters	An incorrect choice in a multiple choice or matching item assessment.
	Multiple Assessments	More than one valid and reliable testing instrument that measures district-wide student learning, using different formats and different approaches.
	Norms	The distribution of test scores for a norming group. Norms are the test results achieved by the norming group.
	Norm-Referenced Test	Tests that are designed to determine the performance of an individual in comparison to other individuals in the norming group. A norming group may be a national sample of students at a specified grade level, but a norming group can also be a local sample of students.
	Pre/Post Tests	Tests administered in the fall and then again in the spring to determine growth in the areas tested. In Ankeny, pre/post tests are given in 3^rd grade math problem-solving, 6^thgrade reading, 7^th grade math, 7^th grade science, 8^th grade reading, 9^th grade math, 9^th grade science, 10^th grade science, 11^th grade math, and 12^th grade reading. These criterian-referenced tests measure student growth on district standards and benchmarks.
	Reliability	The extent to which a test is dependable, stable, and consistent when administered to the same individuals on different occasions.
	Standardized Tests	A standardized test is a test that is administered under the same testing conditions to different groups of examinees. Certain things are the same: the content, the number of questions, the amount of time to take the test, and the way the test is scored.
	Triangulation	Using three or more data sources or multiple measures to get a more complete picture of achievement for a classroom, school, or district.
	Validity	The extent to which an assessment measures what it is supposed to measure and the extent to which inferences and actions made on the basis of test scores are appropriate and accurate. For example, if a student performs well on a reading test, how confident are we that the student is a good reader? A valid standards-based assessment is aligned with the standards intended to be measured, provides an accurate and reliable estimate of student's performance relative to the standard, and is fair. An assessment cannot be valid if it is not reliable.
	Benchmark	A statement that describes the application of knowledge or skills necessry to meet a standard at a grade level in a specific subject.
	Coaching	A process that encourages two or more colleagues to collaboratively reflect on best practices; expand, refine, and build new skills; and share classroom examples.
	Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP)	A plan developed to identify annual achievement and long-range goals and to determine research-based staff development strategies, that is put into action plans used to support the implementation of identified goals and to foster continuous improvement.
	Content Standard	Broadly stated expectations of what learners should know and be able to do in specific curricular areas.
	Core Knowledge	The enabling skills, processes, and/or content that a student needs to know to be successful at demonstrating the content standards or essential learnings.
	Critical Skill	A skill upon which significant time is spent that enables success.
	Curriculum	An agreed upon outline of the content, essential questions, skills, assessments, activities, and resources that are taught at a specific grade level or in a specific course or subject.
	Curriculum Framework/District Map	The frameworks/District maps include essential questions, content standards, core knowledge, benchmarks, critical skills, and assessments that all teachers of a specific subject or course are to implement at a certain grade level.
	Curriculum Map	A calendar-based outline of the essential question(s), content, skills, and assessments that are taught in a specific subject or course.
	Daily/Journal Map	A curriculum map that is developed and recorded as the subject or course is taught.
	Projection Map	A curriculum map that projects the curriculum a teacher will be teaching for several months in advance. The teacher then revises those months after the material has been taught.
	Tech Paths	A data management system that collects information from teachers' curriculum maps that align essential questions, content, skills, and assessments with District Frameworks and prepares reports from the data collected.
	Data Analysis	The use of data from assessments, surveys, and other feedback to provide information to guide instruction.
	District Essential Learnings	Cross-curricular skills (themes) that show what all students should know and be able to demonstrate when they graduate from the Ankeny Community School system.
	Essential Questions	Open-ended or overarching questions that organize a course or subject and encourage higher levels of thinking.
	Goals
	Building Goals	Goals that describe targets determined at the building level based on data.
	Curriculum Goals	Goals that describe targets to be achieved in the area of curriculum, based on data and feedback from staff.
	District Goals	Goals that describe targets determined at the District level based on data.
	Long Range Goals	Goals that describe the District's desired rate of improvement for students over the five-year period of the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.
	Student Achievement Goals/Annual Improvement Goals	Goals that describe the District's desired rate of improvement for students in a single school year.
	Indicators	Criteria that describe success in demonstrating essential learnings or content standards. Questions to consider when developing indicators include: What would you accept as evidence of success? What would it look like if a student could demonstrate the content standard or essential learning? Indicators provide ways of knowing what could/should be looked at to determine whether the desired results have been reached.
	Integrated Skills	Precise or specific skills that cut across grade levels and subjects (i.e. speaking, writing, listening).
	Mentoring	A sustained relationship between a novice and an expert teacher. The mentor provides help, support, and guidance that assists the novice in developing necessary skills to enter or continue on his/her career path.
	Mission Statement	A philosophical focus and a road map for an organization.
	Performance Standard	An established level of achievement, quality of performance, or degree of proficiency.
	Performance Task	A general term for an assessment activity in which students construct responses, create products, or perform demonstrations to provide evidence of their knowledge and skills.
	Problem Solving	The process through which solutions are discovered by students. They must draw on prior knowledge and use appropriate strategies in order to find possible solutions. Problem solving opportunities are integrated across all curricular areas.
	Portfolio	A purposeful or systematic collection of selected student work and student self-assessments that is developed over time and gathered to demonstrate and evaluate progress and achievement in learning. A portfolio assessment is the process of developing, reviewing, and evaluating student portfolios.
	Rubric	An instrument that defines the criteria and levels of performance to be assessed. A rubric is used to evaluate student performance in performance tasks. Students are given the rubric up front so they have a clear understanding of the desired performance.
	School Improvement Map	A map or flowchart that depicts school improvement and curriculum development in the Ankeny Community School system. The map is the structure behind the curriculum work being done in the District.