Common Language GlossaryThis is a glossary of the commonly used language in Education

Transformation Office (ETO) Accelerated Reader (AR)

A computer based, reading management and motivational program designed to complement classroom libraries and independent reading.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)Defined under NCLB, it monitors how each school and school district is performing academically according to standardized tests.

ArtifactsArtifacts bring a time period or culture to reality for students who tend to be firmly centered in their own culture, helps students build background knowledge and make connections. Any hands-on, tangible item is an important artifact to give extra dimension to a historical period. Artifacts can be used to create and channel the student’s interest in the topic.

Backwards PlanningThe idea that everything we do in a classroom must have a purpose and be planned with the end goal in mind. Our teachers start the year by looking at summative assessments for their content area and literally plan out everything they will need to do to get their students to master that content.

Baseline (BBA)Assessment given at the beginning of the school year to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses on the NGSSS. These are then compared to interim assessments to gauge student learning and progress.

Bell Ringer (BR)An educational tool to immediately engage students in academic work at the beginning of the class period.

Bell to Bell InstructionThe use of instructional frameworks to engage students for the entire classroom period and increase student time on task. Bell to Bell Instruction aids teachers in achieving high student performance.

Big 6Phonemic Awareness: The ability to notice, think about, and work with the individualsounds in spoken words.

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o Focus on soundo Identify & blend:

o Onsets (initial consonant or consonant clusters)o Rimes (vowel and consonants that follow the onset)

o Segment, blend and manipulate soundsPhonics: Phonics and word study (decoding strategies) involve the systematic instruction of letter-sound relations to read and spell words accurately and quickly.

o Practice knowledge of letter-sound correspondenceso Decode and read wordso Manipulate, categorize, and examine the similarities and differences in words

Vocabulary: How children acquire an understanding of new words and conceptso Provide key experienceso Promote wide readingo Lead discussions through questioning

Fluency: Reading quickly, accurately, and with expression.o Practice reading words automatically (accurately and quickly with little

attention or effort)o Increase speed (or rate) of reading while maintaining accuracy Practice

reading with expression Reading Comprehension: The process that enables readers to make meaning of text, and to

communicate meaning about what was reado Read text aloudo Communicate to others about what they reado Promote thinking and extended discourse through questioning and

discussionsOral Development: The art o f being able to articulate spoken words, orally summarizing, re-telling and presenting artifacts, stories and personal anecdotes.

Big Goals:Every TFA teacher sets a Big Goal at the beginning of the year. A Big Goal is a declaration of what a teacher wants to be true for their students by the end of the year. These goals are ambitious, feasible, measurable and inspiring. They contain a strictly academic piece (ex. - master 85% of Algebra II content, 100% pass the FCAT, etc.) and a qualitative piece (become critical thinkers, independent problem solvers and intrinsically motivated to succeed). A strong teacher plans every single lesson with this goal in mind, and asks himself/herself, “How is this in service of my goal?” Over time, we want the teacher’s goal to become the student’s goals.

Broad Screen/Progress Monitoring Tool (BS/PMT)Comprised of the reading comprehension portion of the FAIR test. Students will read a passage and answer corresponding comprehension questions.

Career Technical Education (CTE)Course which provides students with the academic and technical skills, knowledge, and training necessary to succeed in future careers.

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City YearA National Service Response to the high school dropout crisis. City Year unites students of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service giving them the skills and opportunity to change the world by offering tutoring, serving as mentors and role models, all the while helping students stay in school and on track helping to transform schools and communities.

Classroom EnvironmentA classroom environment supports educators in creating a stimulating environment that promotes authentic learning and promotes student achievement. (i.e. - classroom libraries, word walls, student generated work, artifacts, organization, bulletin boards, charts, technology, etc…).

Colloquium (CQ) The debriefing session of a lesson study where the teacher and other team members discuss the lesson, address the goals, and discuss the student data collected.

Common Board Configuration (CBC)A structured itinerary of defined components for the purpose of helping students adapt to instructional routines and procedures. Components include: date, teacher’s name, measurable objective, essential question, vocabulary, bell ringer, daily agenda, exit slip, and home learning.

Common Planning (CP)A regularly scheduled time during the school day when teachers meet for joint planning, share best practices, look at student work, prepare materials, and plan curriculum and lessons together.

Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA)A tool which measures the progress of ELL proficiency in English. CELLA tests four areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Comprehensive Intervention Reading Program (CIRP)These programs are intended for students who are reading one or more years below grade level and who are struggling with a broad range of reading skills.

Continuum of CoachingA continuum which makes it possible for coaches to provide precisely what professionals need to evolve in their practice. It provides a combination of challenging and respectful learning opportunities that the teachers themselves had a hand in creating.

Co-teachingThe general education and SPED teacher are providing instruction through co-teaching. Both teachers share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for all

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students in a class/subject for the entire class period.

Curriculum Support Specialist (CSS)A specialist who provides support to instructional coaches and teachers at the school site to help enhance the overall quality of instruction.

DDO - Daily Doable Objective

Data- Quantitative, QualitativeCalculated statistics which are formulated through assessments. Data should be used to guide all instructional practices. Qualitative data deals with descriptions and can be observed but not measured. Quantitative data deals with numbers and can be measured.

Differentiated Instruction (DI)An instructional process to approach teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class. The intent of differentiating instruction is to maximize each student’s growth and individual success by meeting each child where he or she is and assisting in the learning process.

Discovery EducationInstructional resource that provides teachers the use of technology to activate and build student background knowledge, helps student make connections to real world. It also provides teachers with PD and curriculum resources for all content areas to help improve student achievement.

Education Transformation Office (ETO) An initiative in Miami-Dade County Public Schools to transform the persistently lowest achieving schools. The ETO provides support in all areas for the schools and ensures sustainability of academic performance by developing future administrators, coaches and lead teachers. Nikolai Vitti is the Assistant Superintendent over the ETO.

End of Course (EOC) TestAssessments which are a part of Florida’s Next Generation Strategic Plan for the purpose of increasing student achievement and improving college and career readiness. In Florida these tests will be computer-based, criterion-referenced assessments that measure the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for specific high-school level courses.

End of Course (EOC) Field TestBefore a statewide assessment can occur, a field test must be conducted in order to try out questions before they are used to determine a student’s score. Field tests are administered to a representative sample of students throughout the state.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)English and reading courses provided for ELL students. In high school, students are provided

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services through: English 1-4 through ESOL and Developmental L.A. through ESOL.

English Language Learner (ELL)Students who are in the process of learning English as a second language. These students are enrolled in the ESOL program.

Essential Question (EQ)A high level thinking question, which drives the lesson being taught and should be able to be answered by all students at the end of the lesson.

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Educational services that helps each individual student with a disability to progress in school and receive the best possible education in the least restrictive environment.

Explicit Instruction AKA Gradual ReleaseA systematic, direct, engaging, and success-oriented way of teaching. With this type of instruction the topics are broken down into smaller parts and taught individually. First, it involves the teacher explaining and modeling the topic or strategy (“I” do), then it involves the class working together to practice the topic/strategy (“We” do), and it ends with each student independently practicing the topic/strategy (“You” do).

FCAT ExplorerA free, online educational program for Florida’s students that reinforces reading, math, and science skills outlined in the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

FCAT Success Probability (FSP)The probability that a student will pass the reading FCAT. The FSP is determined based on the student’s previous FCAT scores and their reading comprehension score from the FAIR test. If a student does not have a previous FCAT score, the FSP is determined using the school’s FCAT average and the student’s reading comprehension score.

Explicit Corrective FeedbackFeedback is always student centered. We are not as concerned with what the teacher is doing, but rather with how the students are engaging. When we walkthrough a class, we first assess the state of student learning. When we give feedback, we preface it with what we saw students doing in class, ask the teacher to reflect on where students are against their goal, and then offer feedback on what they can do to improve. By making it student centered, our feedback is less punitive and teachers are more inclined to improve their practice. We center our feedback to our students by providing them with explicit corrections alongside a debriefing session during teacher led and/or in their folders/portfolios.

Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading (FAIR)This is a diagnostic screening and an ongoing progress monitoring assessment that measures phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Once

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this data is collected and analyzed reading teachers use this information to drive instruction and differentiate instruction in their classes.

Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)FCRR conducts basic research on reading, reading growth, reading assessment, and reading instruction that will contribute to the scientific knowledge of reading and benefit students in Florida and throughout the nation. This center disseminates information about research-based practices related to literacy instruction and assessment for children in pre-school through 12th grade.

FOCUSSister sight to FCAT Explorer. It is the assessment component utilizing CBT, and is aligned to the tested benchmarks.

Formative AssessmentsOngoing assessments, reviews, and observations in a classroom. Teachers use these assessments to improve instructional methods and student feedback throughout the teaching and learning process. The results are used to modify and validate instruction.

GiftedStudents who are academically and/or intellectually functioning significantly above average and who are in need of a special program.

High Risk (HR)A term used when describing a student’s ability to read fluently. A student at this level

is seriously below grade level and in need of substantial intervention.

Higher Order Thinking (HOT)Higher Order Thinking involves the learning of complex skills such as critical thinking

and problem solving. This type of thinking is more cognitively demanding and uses levels 3 and 4 from Webb’s DOK.

Home Learning Assignment (HLA)An educational assignment to be completed by students at home which directly ties into the class objective.

Immediate Corrective FeedbackThe teacher immediately gives students feedback on their work or behavior. The feedback must be explicit and tell exactly what the student did well or needs to work on.

Inclusion Inclusion is the practice of educating all students together, students with disabilities and students without disabilities regardless of their abilities and readiness.

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Independent PracticeStudents are assigned independent work that is directly aligned with the lesson. Duringthis part of the lesson the teacher is circulating the room to provide individual support.

Individual Daily Reading/Independent ReadingA scheduled time where students read self-selected books independently within their lexile range.

Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)A federal mandate governing how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to students with disabilities.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) A legally binding written education plan for each student with a disability. Each IEP is written to be tailored to the child’s specific needs.

Instructional Focus Calendar (IFC) A teaching schedule which highlights specific benchmarks and skills which need to be targeted. The benchmarks are identified based on student data.

Instructional FrameworksA structure which helps guide teachers to effective instructional practices. By implementing the frameworks, teachers will utilize bell to bell and explicit instruction.

Instructional Review (IR) The process of monitoring DA schools. Teams participate in classroom walkthroughs and

debriefing sessions to monitor and provide support.

Instructional Supervisor (IS)ETO employees who provide support to CSS, instructional coaches, and teachers at the school sites to help enhance the overall quality of education.

Intensive Reading A course offered for struggling readers which provides remediation in vocabulary and comprehension. The core program used is JRN.

Intensive Reading Enrichment (IR-EN)A reading course being offered to students with high FCAT level 2 scores or who have regressed from FCAT level 3 or higher to level 2 on the 2011 FCAT.

. Intensive Reading Plus (IR+)

A course offered for struggling readers which provides remediation in decoding and fluency, in addition to vocabulary and comprehension. The core program used is Hampton Brown Edge.

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Interim AssessmentsAssessments which are given in the fall and winter to progress each student’s progress towards the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

InterventionsExplicit and systematic instruction provided to address the needs of a particular student when regular classroom instruction is not sufficient.

InterventionistIndividuals hired to provide explicit and systematic instruction utilizing materials that have been selected by the ETO office to address the reading needs of students.

Jamestown Reading Navigator (JRN)A core reading program which is used in the IR course.

Lesson StudyA very structured type of professional learning community where small groups of teachers work weekly in a cycle of establishing long-term goals, measuring each piece of work against those long term goals, and the making changes. The cycle involves making small measurable changes in instruction, measuring student responses and learning, and refining the instruction.

Lesson Study Group (LSG) The team members which work together during a lesson study.

LexileA Lexile measure is a valuable piece of information about either an individual's reading ability or the difficulty of a text, like a book or magazine article. The Lexile measure is shown as a number with an "L" after it — 880L is 880 Lexile. The idea behind The Lexile Framework for Reading is simple: if we know how well a student can read and how hard a specific book is to comprehend, we can predict how well that student will likely understand the book. When used together, Lexile measures help a reader find books at an appropriate level of difficulty, and determine how well that reader will likely comprehend a text. You also can use Lexile measures to monitor a reader's growth in reading ability over time.

Low Risk (LR) A term used when describing a student’s ability to read fluently. A student at this level is at grade level but in need of intervention.

Managing Your GoalOur take on classroom management is that 100% of the students need to comply with 100% of the directions 100% of the time. Not one student should have their head on their desk, be disrespectful, text on their cell phone or otherwise do things that take away from their learning. When they do, we expect our teachers to address the action and redirect the class back toward learning. The purpose of this stance on classroom management is not to contain a classroom; it is to create a condition that is most conducive to achieving the end

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of year goal.

ModelingComponent of the lesson when teacher explicitly models to students exactly what they are expected to do during guided practice and independent work.

MOPP - Main Idea, Organizational Pattern, Perspective of author, Purpose A reading strategy which engages students in the text and helps them analyze what is written.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)A document describing an agreement between the ETO and the union.

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) The state standards of Florida which helps guide education.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) A federal law which passed in 2001 supporting standards-based education reform. Schools receiving federal funds are required to administer state-wide standardized assessments and AYP was established to monitor how each school and school district is performing academically.

ObjectiveEach classroom lesson must have a specific, measurable objective which students should be able to master at the end of that lesson. These objectives should answer: What will students accomplish during this lesson?, To what specific level will the students perform a given task in order for the lesson to be considered satisfactorily accomplished?, and Exactly how will the students show that they understood and learned the goals of the lesson?

Observational ClassroomAn ideal student-centered model classroom which embodies the vision of the ETO.

Ongoing Progress Monitoring (OPM)Progress monitoring during the year is used to determine whether or not students areresponding adequately to their current instructional environment.

Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)A standardized, individually administered test of accuracy and fluency with connected

text.

Phonemic Awareness (PA)The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words.

PhonicsTeaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters.

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Progress Monitoring Recording Network (PMRN) A web-based data management system for recording and reporting student assessment data.

Positive Behavior System (PBS) A behavior system which rewards students for their positive choices, and not just disciplined for their negative actions. Positive Behavior Support centers upon principles of positive reinforcement, instruction of appropriate social behaviors, and modification on a macro-system wide level encompassing all students and staff. Behavior is analyzed with the use of data analysis. Interventions are strategically implemented in order to improve school climate, overall student behavior, increase test scores, and reduce referrals and suspension rates.

Primary BenchmarkIn English classes this is the benchmark which is aligned to the text.

Professional Development (PD)Ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers and education personnel.

Professional Learning Community (PLC)A group of professionals organized around improving instructional practice and student learning.

Progress Monitoring Recording Network (PMRN)A web-based data management system for recording and reporting student assessment data.

Pull outInterventions that take place outside of the classroom setting.

Push in ModelInterventions provided by an interventionist, which take place in the classroomsetting in a small DI group.

Race to the Top (RTT)Competitive grants which encourage and reward states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform.

Reading Comprehension (RC)This is tested on all FAIR tests. Every student will complete this section of the test. Students are asked to read a passage and answer corresponding comprehension questions.

ReflectionProcess taken by a teacher that truly owns their practice and consider the extent to which their daily actions are moving the needle forward in closing the achievement gap. By doing this we strive to increase our effectiveness for students. Adjusting course because of these reflections is a quality we value at all levels of leadership and expect of all of our teachers.

Response BoardsA tool which elicits responses from all students. Students are given boards where they can then write responses to questions and display them so the teacher can gauge student understanding.

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Response to Intervention (RtI)A multi-tiered approach to providing high quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs, using learning rate over time and level of performance to inform instructional decisions. It involves the systematic use of assessment data to most efficiently allocate resources in order to improve learning for all students.

Retaker Reading (RR)A course intended for students who have not met the graduation requirement in reading.

Retaker Reading Plus (RR+)A course intended for students with deficiencies in decoding and fluency, in addition to vocabulary and comprehension. The students in this course have not met the graduation requirement in reading.

RigorWhen instruction and expected learning requires a student to think in complex ways; to analyze, compare, create and evaluate. Roles shift from teacher centered to student centered learning. This will require that students understand the standard or benchmark being taught thoroughly, but equally important, they must also understand and conceptualize relevant applications for the content covered.

ScaffoldingAn instructional technique whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task, then gradually shifts learning to student providing individualized support to facilitate the student’s learning.

School Improvement Grant (SIG)U.S. Department of Education funded grant to support low performing public schools in an effort to dramatically change the culture and learning environment, and to make a difference for students.

School-Wide BenchmarkBased on data from the FCAT 2.0, a school-wide calendar was created so students can practice the same benchmark across the curriculum. These benchmarks will be infused through the bell ringers.

School-Wide Information System (SWIS)A web-based information system designed to help school personnel to use office referral data to design school-wide and individual student interventions. The three primary elements of SWIS are:

1. An efficient system for gathering information2. A web-based computer application for data entry and report generation3. A practical process for using information for decision making

These three elements give school personnel the capability to evaluate individual student behavior, the behavior of groups of students, behaviors occurring in specific settings, and behaviors occurring during specific time periods of the school day. SWIS reports indicate

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times and/or locations prone to elicit problem behaviors, and allow teachers and administrators to shape school-wide environments to maximize students' academic and social achievements.

School Improvement Plan (SIP)An annually written document which requires each school to collect and analyze data to determine improvement priorities, make decisions about what goals they want to achieve, and continuously measure progress towards achievement of those goals.

Secondary BenchmarkBenchmarks which cover the NGSSS. Interim and monthly data is analyzed to determine what the secondary benchmark should be, and teachers work on the skills needed to master them during small-group, differentiated instruction.

Small Group InstructionData is used to determine grouping during small group instruction. During this time individual academic needs are met and all students are actively engaged.

Special Education (SPED)The education of students with special needs which addresses the students’ individual differences and needs.

Specific Learning Disability (SLD)A specific learning disability is defined as a disorder in one or more of the basic learning processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest in significant difficulties affecting the ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematics. Associated conditions may include, but are not limited to, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or developmental aphasia. A specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of a visual, hearing, motor, intellectual, or emotional/behavioral disability, limited English proficiency, or environmental, cultural, or economic factors.

Strategy InstructionA method of teaching students how to learn by teaching them the tools and techniques that efficient learners use to understand and learn new material or skills; integrate this new information with what is already known in a way that makes sense; and recall the information or skills later, even in a different situation or place.

Student Data ChatsA time when the teacher and student can discuss the results of a recent assessment. They offer teachers the opportunity to review student achievement and ultimately improve teacher instruction. During data chats the teacher and student should create a plan on how to improve in certain areas and a goal for any upcoming assessments.

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Student DiscourseWhen students interact and discuss the material being taught in the class. It is here that students promote deep and sustained meaning.

Students with Disabilities (SWD)Students who have disabilities and are serviced with an IEP.

Summative AssessmentsUsed to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs and services at the end of a pre-determined time. The goal is to make a judgment of student competency after an instructional phase is complete. Summative evaluations are used to determine if students have mastered specific competencies and to identify instructional areas that need additional attention.

Supplemental Intervention Reading Program (SIRP)Instruction which goes beyond that provided by the CIRP because the core program does not provide enough instruction or practice in a key area to meet the needs of the students.

Support FacilitationServices are provided via an “in class one-on-one SPED teacher”. Teacher provides services to an individual or small group of students within the general education classroom but not as a co-teacher. A small group of students may include both students with and without disabilities. Support facilitation is an in-class support model provided during regularly scheduled intermittent or varying times of the day and or week.

SWAG - Scan the article, Words (preview the questions and underline key words), And… Gist (main idea in 5 words or less)A reading strategy which engages students in the text and helps them analyze what is

written.

Systematic Instruction in Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS)A program for struggling readers which assists in helping students learn how to decode words.

Targeted Diagnostic Inventory (TDI)Comprised of the Maze and Word Analysis portion of the FAIR test. Based on how students did on the RC portion, they may or may not take this section.

Teach For America (TFA)A national teacher corps of recent college graduates who commit two years to teach and to effect change in under-resourced urban and rural public schools.

Teacher-Led InstructionDuring small group instruction, the teacher will sit with one group to focus on their

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weaknesses. This part of DI is focused on building skills that need improvement. Data is used to identify the students and skills which need to be targeted during teacher-led instruction.

Teacher’s Edition (TE)The teacher’s edition of a textbook which has various questions, activities, and answers that cannot be found in the student’s edition.

Text Reading Efficiency (TRE)An assessment given to identified students to measure their speed and accuracy when reading.

TrackingMonitoring the progress of students on specific objectives throughout the year and using data strategically to inform decisions regarding planning, remediation, spiraling, etc.

WalkthroughsAn observational technique that allows the observer to record “snapshot” and be informed on the effective elements of a classroom including instructional strategies, standard base objectives, aligned instructional materials, level of cognitive interaction, classroom displays, resources and observe student engagement and motivation.

Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (Webb’s DOK)Webb’s Depth of Knowledge is a scale of cognitive questioning which includes four levels of cognitive complexity. Level 1 = Recall and Reproduction (lowest complexity), Level 2 = Skills and Concepts, Level 3 = Strategic Thinking, Level 4 = Extended Thinking (highest complexity). This assists in getting educators to ask higher order questions and increase rigor.

Whole Group InstructionWhen teachers present a lesson to the whole class with little differentiation in either content or assessment for any student’s ability.

WIN - Who/What is the section about?, what is Important about the who or what, ‘N the least amount of words, write a GistA reading strategy which engages students in the text and gets them to better understand the main idea.

Word Analysis (WA)Tested on the FAIR test. Comprised of a computer-adaptive spelling task that assesses a student’s understanding of letter/sound correspondence. Depending on a student’s score on the RC, they may or may not do the WA.

Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)The number of words a student reads correctly per minute assists in identifying the student’s fluency

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Words Per Minute (WPM)The number of words a student can read per minute. This is used when identifying a student’s fluency.

Wrap-Up/ClosureThe time in the lesson when you wrap up a lesson plan and help students organize the information into a meaningful context in their minds. You may have students answer the EQ for that day’s lesson.

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