Glossary

Accommodations Documentation Plans

Some states have specific processes for documenting a student's eligibility to use accommodations on state assessments. An Accommodations plan can be used to document eligibility and/or it can be the one place where accommodations are documented for any student who needs them, and then they can be referenced into other plans as needed, eliminating the duplication of documentation that can occur when a student might have multiple plans.

Acuity

Acuity is a CTB product that allows school districts to design and build benchmark tests in several content areas that are aligned to state standards. These tests are usually administered 3 times per year.

AIMSweb

AIMSweb is a series of brief, frequent assessments in reading, math, and language usage used for all students at benchmark times of year and more often for students whose progress needs to be monitored more frequently.

Alternate Assessment

An Alternative (or Alternate) Assessment is required of each state for all content areas assessed on the State Standards Assessment. It is designed for the small population of special needs students who are unable to demonstrate their skills on the regular assessment. It is usually limited to 1-2% of the student population.

Behavior Plans

A behavior plan is designed to document a behavior (or several) of concern, clarify the triggers of that behavior, identify consequences and procedures when the behavior occurs, and document the communications among the school and family to assist the student.

CogAT

The Cognitive Abilities Test by Riverside Publishing is an assessment of verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative abilities. It is usually administered once every few years and frequently is used as a part of the evaluation of students for gifted programs.

College Career Readiness

The College and Career Readiness Plan is a place to document the activities students complete during their middle and high school years to build their knowledge and awareness about their options after high school. It includes places to document career goals, college and career exploration, applications, and experiences to help bridge the transition from secondary school to the next phase of the student's life.

College Readiness Exams

The College and Career Readiness Plan is a place to document the activities students complete during their middle and high school years to build their knowledge and awareness about their options after high school. It includes places to document career goals, college and career exploration, applications, and experiences to help bridge the transition from secondary school to the next phase of the student's life.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

A set of grade-level specific performance expectations in the areas of Reading/Writing/Communicating and Mathematics. Most states have agreed to adopt the CCSS. States are responsible for writing and adopting standards in other content areas.

DIBELS

Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills. DIBELS is series of brief assessments of early literacy skills usually administered to students 3 times per year. It is based out of the University of Oregon.

Early Literacy Plans

An Early Literacy Plan includes background information and scores for the student, an evaluation of the student's literacy skills relative to the 5 components of literacy, areas of focus, and research-based instructional strategies.

ELL Assessment

States are required to administer an English language proficiency test to all English Language Learners. These assessments generally measure each student's mastery of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.

End-of-course Assessment

Especially at the high school level, a number of states assess students at the end of a particular course instead of at the end of a year. End of Course assessments are used most frequently in mathematics, where students might be taking a course such as geometry in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade.

English Language Learner (ELL) Plans

ELL plans in Alpine bring together background information about the student and student scores, and then it helps to organize your goals in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and provides a place to document communications with parents.

ESEA

A Federal law. ESEA is short for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

EXPLORE/PLAN/ACT

EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT are a series of interrelated college readiness exams. Students typically complete the series of assessments between 8th and 11th grade. The scores on these exams are predictive of college grades and of the potential need for remedial coursework.

Gifted Students

Gifted plans in Alpine bring together background information about the student and student scores, and then it helps to organize your goals and action plans in the areas of the student's strengths and needs. It also provides a place to document communications with parents.

Graduation Assessment

Some states require students to pass certain tests before the student is eligible for high school graduation. Students almost always have multiple opportunities to achieve a passing score on the assessment.

Growth Model

A number of states have adopted various "growth models" to analyze State Standards Assessment data. Whereas State Standards Assessment results compare student performance to the state standards, growth analyses typically look at changes in achievement over time relative to a standard, compared to other schools, or compared to other students. States use very different methodology from one another, so a school that is rated as high growing in one state might not be considered high growing if it were located in a different state.

NCLB

No Child Left Behind Act. A federal law requiring the administration of certain assessments and a reporting of student progress on those assessments as reported by school and by district ultimately leading to an expectation of 100% proficiency by 2014.

NWEA MAP

The Northwest Evaluation Association - Measures of Academic Progress are a series of computer-adaptive assessments in reading, math, language, and science designed to monitor progress of students over time. These tests usually are administered 3 times per year.

PARCC

Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. This is one of the two groups creating national banks of test items and resources aligned to the Common Core State Standards that states may opt to use beginning in 2014.

RTI Plans

Response to Interventions plans in Alpine merge together background information about a student plus test scores. Then, the plan helps you identify goals, strategies, and how you will monitor student progress over time to accelerate the student's learning in the area of concern.

Scantron

Scantron is a computer adaptive, state-aligned achievement test usually administered in reading, language, and math three times per year. It provides achievement and trend data for students.

SMARTER

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium. This is one of the two groups creating national banks of test items and resources aligned to the Common Core State Standards that states may opt to use beginning in 2014.

State Standard Assessment

A state standards assessment is a standardized test usually consisting of multiple-choice and often also constructed response items. The items in the assessment are aligned to the state's standards (or expectations) for what students should know and be able to do in particular grade levels.

STAR

STAR is a computer adaptive brief reading and math assessment by Renaissance Learning. It is usually administered 3-5 times per year.

Student Learning Plans

Alpine has several designs for student learning plans. A student learning plan typically is the kind of a plan designed for all students and is oriented around monitoring several areas of interest including academic areas, attendance, behavior, etc.