Consumer Services Industry

A block schedule is a system for scheduling the middle- or high-school day, typically by replacing a more traditional schedule of six or seven 40–50 minute daily periods with longer class periods that meet fewer times each day and week.

Academic language refers to the oral, written, auditory, and visual language proficiency required to learn effectively in schools and academic programs—i.e., it’s the language used in classroom lessons, books, tests, and assignments, and it’s the language that students are expected to learn and achieve fluency in.

In education, the term acceleration refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional strategies that educators use to advance the learning progress of students who are struggling academically or who have fallen behind—i.e., strategies that help these students catch up to their peers, perform at an expected level for their age and grade, or meet required learning standards.

Learning standards are concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education.

Private schools or semi-private schools (such as schools that receive partial funding from a state or town).

In education, the term access typically refers to the ways in which educational institutions and policies ensure—or at least strive to ensure—that students have equal and equitable opportunities to take full advantage of their education.

Asynchronous learning is a general term used to describe forms of education, instruction, and learning that do not occur in the same place or at the same time.

The term at-risk is often used to describe students or groups of students who are considered to have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school.

An interim assessment is a form of assessment that educators use to (1) evaluate where students are in their learning progress and (2) determine whether they are on track to performing well on future assessments, such as standardized tests or end-of-course exams.

In education, learning objectives are brief statements that describe what students will be expected to learn by the end of school year, course, unit, lesson, project, or class period. In many cases, learning objectives are the interim academic goals that teachers establish for students who are working toward meeting more comprehensive learning standards.

Dual-language education, formerly called bilingual education, refers to academic programs that are taught in two languages.

Brain-based learning refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

The term class rank refers to the hierarchical ranking of students based on academic performance or grade point average.

Class size refers to the number of students in a given course or classroom.

Classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task, and academically productive during a class.

A classroom observation is a formal or informal observation of teaching while it is taking place in a classroom or other learning environment.

The term school culture generally refers to the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions, but the term also encompasses more concrete issues such as the physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classrooms and public spaces, or the degree to which a school embraces and celebrates racial, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural diversity.

Shared leadership is the practice of governing a school by expanding the number of people involved in making important decisions related to the school’s organization, operation, and academics.

A professional learning community, or PLC, is a group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students.

When used in the singular, learning pathway refers to the specific courses, academic programs, and learning experiences that individual students complete as they progress in their education toward graduation. In its plural form, the term learning pathways—or any of its common synonyms, such as multiple pathways or personalized pathways—typically refers to the various courses, programs, and learning opportunities offered by schools, community organizations, or local businesses that allow students to earn academic credit and satisfy graduation requirements.

Also called core curriculum, core course of study refers to a series or selection of courses that all students are required to complete before they can move on to the next level in their education or earn a diploma

Critical thinking is a term used by educators to describe forms of learning, thought, and analysis that go beyond the memorization and recall of information and facts.

In general usage, the term direct instruction refers to (1) instructional approaches that are structured, sequenced, and led by teachers, and/or (2) the presentation of academic content to students by teachers, such as in a lecture or demonstration. In other words, teachers are “directing” the instructional process or instruction is being “directed” at students.

In education, data masking refers to the process of concealing or encrypting selected information—most commonly in school-performance reports and datasets prepared by state education agencies and school districts—to protect the identity and privacy of individual students, teachers, or administrators.

In education, data suppression refers to the process of withholding or removing selected information—most commonly in public reports and datasets—to protect the identities, privacy, and personal information of individual students, teachers, or administrators.

A student portfolio is a compilation of academic work and other forms of educational evidence assembled for the purpose of (1) evaluating coursework quality, learning progress, and academic achievement; (2) determining whether students have met learning standards or other academic requirements for courses, grade-level promotion, and graduation; (3) helping students reflect on their academic goals and progress as learners; and (4) creating a lasting archive of academic work products, accomplishments, and other documentation.

The term dual enrollment refers to students being enrolled—concurrently—in two distinct academic programs or educational institutions.

Brain-based learning refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

In education, the term professional development may be used in reference to a wide variety of specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional learning intended to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.

In-person learning is any form of instructional interaction that occurs “in person” and in real time between teachers and students or among colleagues and peers.

A classroom observation is a formal or informal observation of teaching while it is taking place in a classroom or other learning environment.

The term learning progression refers to the purposeful sequencing of teaching and learning expectations across multiple developmental stages, ages, or grade levels.

A grade point average is a number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over time.

Value-added measures, or growth measures, are used to estimate or quantify how much of a positive (or negative) effect individual teachers have on student learning during the course of a given school year.

An advisory is a regularly scheduled period of time, typically during the school day, when teachers meet with small groups of students for the purpose of advising them on academic, social, or future-planning issues.

While the term team may be applied to a variety of organizational and instructional practices in a school, the most common application of the term teaming refers to pairing a group of teachers (typically between four and six) with a group of  sixty to eighty students.

The term blended learning is generally applied to the practice of using both online and in-person learning experiences when teaching students.

When used in the singular, learning pathway refers to the specific courses, academic programs, and learning experiences that individual students complete as they progress in their education toward graduation.

The term cut-off score refers to the lowest possible score on an exam, standardized test, high-stakes test, or other form of assessment that a student must earn to either “pass” or be considered “proficient”.

The term personalized learning, or personalization, refers to a diverse variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students.

While the term team may be applied to a variety of organizational and instructional practices in a school, the most common application of the term teaming refers to pairing a group of teachers (typically between four and six) with a group of sixty to eighty students.

A student portfolio is a compilation of academic work and other forms of educational evidence assembled for the purpose of (1) evaluating coursework quality, learning progress, and academic achievement; (2) determining whether students have met learning standards or other academic requirements for courses, grade-level promotion, and graduation; (3) helping students reflect on their academic goals and progress as learners; and (4) creating a lasting archive of academic work products, accomplishments, and other documentation.