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GENERAL TERMINOLOGY go
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Ad Hoc Committees—Committees that are formed to
thoroughly explore a particular topic, complete a particular
task, file reports, then disband.
Alternate Route Teacher—An alternate certification
process adopted in 1985 that permits qualified individuals lacking
education credentials to earn them in the public schools under
a mentoring program to become licensed teachers. It allows people
to enter teaching after they have worked in other careers.
Articulation—Discussion and agreement between the
sending (Lincoln Park) and the receiving (Boonton) districts
to ensure students have a smooth transition from grade 8 to grade
9.
Bilingualism—Refers to someone fluent in two languages.
Bilingual education—An in-school program for students
whose first language is not English or who have limited English
skills. Bilingual education’s mission is to ensure that
students of limited English proficiency (LEP) are provided instruction
in their native language in order to develop academic skills
while acquiring English language skills. Lincoln Park is not
required to have a Bilingual program, but serve children who
are not proficient in English through our ESL program (see below).
Central Office or District Office—Refers to a school
district’s top-level management and their support staff
who may or may not be house in a single office location. Central
office typically means the superintendent, school business administrator,
assistant superintendents and business officials, district-wide
directors, and all their support staff (secretaries, etc.).
Charter Schools—Deregulated, autonomous public schools
that receive money from a school district or a state department
of education but are not held to the standards or mandates of
that district or state. In New Jersey there are currently 57
approved charter schools in 15 counties. For the 2001-02 school
year, 50 charter schools served over 13,000 students. The average
class size is 17 for the charter schools now in existence. http://www.nj.gov/njded/chartsch
CCCS (Core Curriculum Content Standards)—Standards
adopted by the State Board of Education in 1996 with revisions
and modifications approved in 2002. The Standards establish expectations
for students to meet in seven academic and five workplace readiness
areas. They describe the common expectations for student achievement
throughout the 13 years of public education in the following
subject areas: visual and performing arts, comprehensive health/physical
education, language arts literacy, mathematics, science, social
studies, and world languages. The five cross content areas for
workplace readiness encompass career planning; use of technology
information and other tools; critical thinking/decision-making/problem-solving;
self-management; and safety principles. The standards are automatically
reviewed every five years.
CSA (Chief School Administrator)—The superintendent
of a local district.
ESL (English as a Second Language)—Program that
usually involves taking a child whose first language is not English
out of the regular classroom to study English. Some experts believe
children learn English more quickly this way, however some studies
have found that children in ESL programs are less likely to stay
fluent in their original language.
Flexible Grouping —Grouping of students for various
purposes and needs of students for specific short-term skill
development such as fifth grade addition of fractions. Some types
include ability, interest, topic, random.
Heterogeneous—Grouping without regard to demonstrated
ability. Flexible grouping by ability does occur depending upon
the skill levels of individual students.
Homogeneous—Grouping according to like characteristics.
Ability grouping of students.
LEA (Local Education Agency)—A public board of education
legally established within a state for administrative control and
direction of a public elementary or secondary school in the state.
Local school districts are often referred to as LEAs in grant or
funding documents and general education discussions. Lincoln Park
is an LEA with the Lincoln Park Board of Education legally responsible
for hiring a Superintendent of Schools (CSA—Chief School
Administrator) and establishing policy (rules) by which the schools
operate.
LEP (Limited English Proficient)—Students who are
still learning the English language.
LPPS—Lincoln Park Public Schools
LPES—Lincoln Park Elementary School—Grades
Pre K-4
LPMS—Lincoln Park Middle School—Grades 5-8
LPEA (Lincoln Park Education Association)—Local affiliate
of state (NJEA) and national (NEA) teacher’s organizations.
NJASA (New Jersey Association of School Administrators)—Professional
organization for district leaders, primarily superintendents
and assistant superintendents. http://www.njasa.net
NJASBO—New Jersey Association of School Business
Officials http://www.njasbo.com
NJDOE—New Jersey Department of Education http://www.state.nj.us/education
NJEA—New Jersey Education Association http://www.njea.org
NJSBA (New Jersey School Boards Association)—A federation
of local boards of education that has offices and staff available
to offer services to local school boards dealing with interpretations
of laws and regulations, dealing with board responsibilities
in the community, mandatory collective bargaining, and representation
before the legislature and other government agencies. http://www.njsba.org
NJSSI (New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative)—Initiative
intended to reform mathematics, science, and technology education
by supporting changes in K-16 through planning and implementing
professional development activities leading to the improvement
of education in those subjects. NJSSI is coordinated through collaboration
among Rutgers University, the Department of Education, the National
Science Foundation, local school districts, county colleges, and
others.
PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)—Each school has their
own PTO encouraging parents to be active partners in their child’s
education. http://www.ptotoday.com/index.html
Pedagogy—An approach to or philosophy of teaching.
How to go about teaching something.
Professional Development—Also called staff development,
professional development is the term used to describe a variety
of opportunities to continually learn, update, and improve the
knowledge and skills of any professional (teachers, paraprofessionals,
nurses, education secretaries, etc.). http://www.nj.gov/njded/profdev/parents_guide.htm
School Report Card—Prepared and disseminated annually
to parents and other interested taxpayers within each local school
district and also is accessible on the NJDOE Web site (http://nj.evalsoft.com/)
. The report card for each school building in the state contains
information about student enrollment, test scores, attendance,
and graduation rates, as well as information about teaching and
administrative staff.
T&E (Thorough and Efficient)—New Jersey’s
constitutional provision that all children have a right to a "thorough
and efficient system of free public school."
Tradebooks—Library books used in grades K-12 as part
of the language arts/reading instruction. Examples of tradebooks:
Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Red Pony, or The Westing Game.
COMMITTEES go to top
There are committees throughout the
school community that continue working from year to year. Although
the membership on the committees may change, the mission of the
committee remains focused on particular functions
DISTRICT COMMITTEES
Administrative Team—District administration and
the superintendent to deal with day-to-day management of the
district and plan future initiatives to support the educational
program for the children.
Instructional Council—The Council consists of six teachers,
three from each building, and the superintendent. “The purpose
of the Council shall be to aid in the strengthening of the educational
program through recommendations, research, implementation, and evaluation
to best meet the needs of the student.” The Council was established
under the teacher’s contract to ensure that the professional
staff has ongoing input in helping to focus the curriculum of
the district. Recommendation from the Council will be made to
the Board of Education in an advisory capacity.
Liaison Committee—Representatives of the local teacher’s
association (LPEA) meet with the superintendent to discuss issues
of concern from the staff and to ensure all parties are meeting
the requirements of the employee’s contract.
Parent Council —The Council membership consists
of community volunteers who meet monthly with the superintendent.
Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC)—Representatives
from both schools and the administration to plan the district activities
that meet the State’s requirements for professional development.
BOARD COMMITTEES
Each Board committee’s name speaks to the function it serves
for the district.
Curriculum and PersonnellCommittee —Focuses on the implementation
of the instructional program and needs for personnel.
Finance Committee —Addresses all expenditures and
planning for maintaining assets (buildings and grounds) district
wide.
High School Committee—Meets monthly as an open public
meeting with representatives from the Boonton Board of Education
and Boonton Superintendent to discuss issues and recommend strategies
related to the governance of Boonton High School.
Negotiations—Handles all negotiations with district
associations and personnel for salaries, benefits, and working
conditions.
Policy Committe—Deals with issues
of policy, which are the basic governing rules for the district.
Public Relations Committee—Handles all types of
public relations including development of the district newsletter
and maintaining the district Web site.
Transportation—Addresses issues of transporting
children to and from school.
TESTING AND ASSESSMENT go
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Assessments—Ways to find out what students know
so teachers (as well as parents and students) can improve and
support student learning. Tests or exams are only one kind
of assessment. Other methods of assessing student knowledge
and skill follow.
Alternative Assessments—Methods other than multiple-choice,
true or false, or short-answer standardized tests, for getting
information about what students are learning and where they may
need help. Students may answer questions, develop special reports
or projects, create a portfolio (collection of work), or perform
demonstrations to show their knowledge and skills.
Authentic Assessment—Assessment tasks that involve
student demonstration of knowledge and skills in ways that they
are applied in the “real world”.
ESPA (Elementary School Proficiency Assessment)—New
Jersey state test given to children in fourth grade to determine
their level of proficiency with the New Jersey Core Curriculum
Content Standards. Children can score Advanced Proficient, Proficient,
or Partially Proficient. Children scoring Partially Proficient
may be offered extended teaching to bring their skills up to
expected levels.
EWT (Early Warning Test)—Test that was administered
in grade 8 from 1991-1998 as a primary indicator for determining
those students who might need instructional intervention in reading,
mathematics, and/or writing. This was replaced with the GEPA.
GEPA (Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment)—New Jersey
state test given to children in eighth grade to determine their
level of proficiency with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content
Standards. This test is an indicator of expected success or failure
on the HSPA given in eleventh grade. Children can score Advanced
Proficient, Proficient, or Partially Proficient. Children scoring
Partially Proficient may be offered extended teaching to bring
their skills up to expected levels.
HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment)—New Jersey
state test given to children in eleventh grade to determine their
level of proficiency with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content
Standards. Graduation from a New Jersey high school is based
upon scoring Proficient or Advanced Proficient in each test component.
Students scoring Partially Proficient in any part of the HSPA
have options for extended learning and retaking the test in grade
12.
HSPT (The High School Proficiency Test)—This test was
formerly administered in the fall of the junior year and consisted
of three sections — reading, mathematics, and writing.
Students had to pass it to receive a diploma. The HSPA has replaced
this test.
High Stakes Tests--Standardized tests that are the determining factor
in promotion, graduation, or entrance into special programs, college,
or university. The HSPA is a high stakes test because failure of
any portion of the test will deny a students graduation from high
school.
Performance Assessment—Tests that ask students to
show particular knowledge or skills. For example, in math a student
might be asked to explain in words why and how they got their
problem solution. A reading test might ask students to write
about the meaning of a short story or a graph, table, map, or
other illustration.
Portfolio Assessment—A purposeful, varied collection
of evidence pertaining to student learning over time. Portfolios
contain documentation proving growth and a range of student knowledge
and skills with appropriate self-selection and self-evaluation.
Rubrics—Guides for grading tests or student work.
Rubrics describe what work must look like to be considered excellent,
satisfactory, or less than satisfactory. Rubrics should be given
to students when they begin the work so it is clear exactly how
the assignment/test will be graded.
Standardized Tests—Tests given to large numbers of
students under similar conditions. They are usually multiple choice,
but some might ask for short answers or even essays. Most require
a “correct” answer and are scored by computer. A criticism
of these tests is that they don’t tell us what a each student
understands or whether s/he can use the information in a real-world
situation.
Norm-referenced tests (NRTs) compare each person's score against
the scores of a group of people who have already taken the same
exam. Most achievement NRTs are multiple-choice tests. Some also
include open-ended, short-answer questions. The questions are usually
based on the content of nationally used textbooks, not the local
curriculum. As a result, students may be tested on things local
schools or state education departments decided not to teach.
Criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) are supposed to measure how well
a person has learned a specific set of knowledge or skills. Multiple-choice
tests taken to get a driver's license and on-the-road driving tests
are examples of CRTs. As on most other CRTs, it is possible for
everyone to earn a passing score if they know about driving rules
and drive reasonably well.
Standards-based assessments are a type of CRT based on what students
in particular grades should know and be able to do. The ESPA and
GEPA are standards-based assessments. The tests consist of multiple-choice
questions as well as short and long responses.
Summative Assessment—Evaluation of the end product
of a student’s learning activity. Final exams are an example
of summative assessment.
Formative Assessment—Ongoing evaluation of a student’s
progress during a learning activity. Quizzes are an example of
formative assessment.
TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Survey)—An
international comparative study designed to provide information
about educational achievement and learning contexts for the participating
countries in mathematics and science in grades 7 and 8.
FEDERAL PROGRAMS go to
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IDEA—B (Individuals with Disability Act—Part B)—A
Federal statute that mandates a free, appropriate public education
(FAPE) for students with disabilities. In New Jersey the funds
must be used to supplement or increase the established school
budget only to provide special education and related services
for 3-21 year-old students identified as having disabilities.
NCLB (No Child Left Behind)—“On Jan. 8, 2002,
President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of
2001 (NCLB). This new law represents his education reform plan
and contains the most sweeping changes to the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since it was enacted in 1965.
It changes the federal government's role in kindergarten-through-grade-12
education by asking America's schools to describe their success
in terms of what each student accomplishes. The act contains
the President's four basic education reform principles: stronger
accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control,
expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods
that have been proven to work.”
http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/index.html
Title I—Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local
Education Agencies—Funds must be used to improve performance
of our lowest achieving students only.
Title II, Part A—Teacher and Principal Training and
Recruiting Fund—Funds are to be used to increase student
academic achievement through improving the qualifications and
skills of the teachers and administrators in schools.
Title II, Part D—Enhancing Education through Technology—Funds
are to be used to improve student academic achievement using
technology in schools.
Title IV, Part A—Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Act—Funds must be used to prevent substance abuse. Sometimes
referred to as ATOD funding (ATOD = Alcohol, Tobacco & Other
Drugs).
Title V—Innovative Programs—Funds must support
innovation and educational improvement through programs that
improve school, student, and teacher performance.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAMS/STUDENT HEALTH go
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AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)—The
end-stage of HIV disease.
ATOD—Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs.
D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance Education)—Program
jointly sponsored by the Lincoln Park Police Department and school
district. A drug and violence prevention education program for
grades 1, 3, 5, and 8 that is taught by local police officers
in the classrooms. http://www.dare.org
DYFS (The Division of Youth and Family Services)—A
division within the Department of Human Services with responsibility
for childcare licensing, child protection, and child welfare,
among other programs.
HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus)—The virus that
causes AIDS.
SAC (Substance Awareness Coordinator)—A school staff
member who coordinates and delivers alcohol, tobacco and other
drug services and participates in curriculum and policy development.
SPECIAL EDUCATION TERMINOLOGY go
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(more specific information about Lincoln Park’s Special Education
programs can be found at Special
Services link at left)
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)—A disorder characterized
by inability to focus attention to a task.
ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity)—A
disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
At Risk/Children-At-Risk—Students in danger of not
completing high school because of lack of needed credits, basic
skills problems, attendance, or other factors.
Autism—Pervasive developmental disability that significantly
affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction
that adversely affects a student’s educational performance.
CST (Child Study Team)—The team consists of a school
psychologist, a learning disabilities teacher/consultant, and
school social worker that are employees of the school district
responsible for conducting evaluations to determine eligibility
for special education and related services for students with disabilities.
Classified Student—A child who has been evaluated
by the CST with a determination that the child is entitled to
services related to a specific disability that impacts the child’s
learning.
ED (Emotional Disability)—Emotional, social, or behavioral
functioning which interferes with student educational progress.
HI (Hearing-Impaired)—Inability to hear within normal
limits, including both deafness and hearing impairment, which
adversely affects the child’s educational performance.
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act)—An act passed
and implemented beginning in 1990, and amended in 1997, extending
civil rights provisions to the handicapped similar to those previously
provided to other minorities.
IEP (Individual Educational Program)—A written plan
developed at a meeting that includes appropriate school staff
and the parent(s). It determines the special education program
for a student with disabilities through individually designed
instructional activities constructed to meet the goals and objectives
established for the student. It establishes the rationale for
the students’
placement and documents the provision of a free, appropriate public
education.
LLD Class—Learning and/or Language Disabilities class
serving the needs of children with perceptual, neurological, or
communicative handicapped.
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment)—The educational
setting that provides the greatest exposure to interacting with
general education students and persons without disabilities.
LEP (Limited English Proficiency)—Program to assist
those with limited English language proficiency.
Inclusion—To the maximum extent appropriate, children
with disabilities are educated with children who are not disabled
in regular education classrooms unless "the nature and severity
of the disability is such that education in the regular classes
with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved
satisfactorily." IDEA, 20 U.S.C. 1412(5)(B).
MH orMD (Multiple Handicaps or Disabilities)—Having
two or more disabling conditions.
OT (Occupational Therapy)—Therapy to improve, develop,
or restore small muscle problems that result in inability to perform
independent functioning tasks.
PT (Physical Therapy)—Therapy to improve, develop,
or restore large muscle problems.
PSD Class—Preschool disabilities classroom, also call
preschool handicapped.
Section 504—A federal law outlining the process to
determine modifications needed to help students with mildly handicapping
conditions.
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)—Damage to brain tissue
leading to impairment of the central nervous system.
VI (Visually Impaired)—Reduced vision, including both
partial sight and blindness, which even with correction adversely
affects a child’s educational performance.
BUSINESS, BUDGET, AND STATE AID go
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Abbott District—One of New Jersey’s 30 poorest
urban school districts, which are: Asbury Park, Bridgeton,
Burlington, Camden, East Orange, Elizabeth, Garfield, Gloucester,
Harrison, Hoboken, Irvington, Jersey City, Keansburg, Long
Branch, Millville, Neptune, New Brunswick, Newark, Orange Township,
Passaic, Paterson, Pemberton Township, Perth Amboy, Phillipsburg,
Plainfield, Pleasantville, Trenton, Union, Vineland, and West
New York.
ASSA (Application for State School Aid)—Data collection
document submitted by districts for the purpose of calculating
state school aid, with the exception of transportation aid that
is submitted via the District Report of Transported Resident
Students.
CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report)—Results
of the annual audit that summarizes the financial activities
and operations of the district.
CEIFA (Comprehensive Educational Improvement and Financing Act)—Passed
in 1996, established for the first time a definition of the constitutional
guarantee of a thorough and efficient system of public education
through the establishment of Core Curriculum Content Standards
and efficiency standards. CEIFA guarantees an appropriate level
of funding to ensure that each child has the opportunity to achieve
the Core Curriculum Content Standards and requires accountability
for the appropriate expenditure of public funds.
Debt Service—Payments of principal and interest
upon school bonds and other obligations issued to finance the
purchase or construction of school facilities, additions to school
facilities, or the reconstruction, remodeling, alteration, modernization,
renovation or repair of school facilities, including furnishings,
equipment, architect fees and the costs of issuance of such obligations.
DFG (District Factor Grouping)—A system of ranking
schools by their socio-economic status (SES). The grouping designation
is based on information available from the census and includes
the following: percent in community with no high school diploma;
percent with some college; occupations; population density; income;
unemployment; and poverty. There are eight groupings starting
with A which designates the lowest socio-economic level and includes
B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I, and J. These groupings allow comparison
of districts with similar profiles for purposes of state aid
and assessment information. Lincoln Park is currently a GH district.
DRTRS (District Report of Transported Resident Students)—The
data collection document used for the calculation of state transportation
aid and the district's transportation efficiency rating.
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)—The
accounting principles established by the Governmental Accounting
Standards Board. All school districts must use the GAAP accounting
system.
LRFP (A Long-Range Facilities Plan)—A construction/renovation
plan that must be submitted to and approved by the Commissioner
of Education in order for the district to be eligible for state
facilities aid for construction projects.
NJSCI (New Jersey School Construction Initiative)—Enacted
on July 18, 2002, as part of the New Jersey Educational Facilities
Construction and Financing Act (P.L. 2000, c72), often called the
“Act”. NJSCI is a multi-faceted, comprehensive program
for the design, renovation, repair, and new construction of primary
and secondary schools throughout New Jersey. The initiative is
the largest school construction program undertaken by the State
of New Jersey and represents one of the largest school construction
programs ever undertaken in the nation.
QAAR (Quality Assurance Annual Report)—A report
presented to the public at a regularly scheduled Board of Education
meeting each October by the chief school administrator. It includes
the following: implementation of school-level plans, achievement
of performance objectives, school report cards, professional
development activities, condition of school facilities, status
of mandated program reviews, and community support data.
Zero-Based Budgeting—A type of budgeting procedure
that analyzes and justifies costs from a base of zero, versus the
previous year’s balance, in order to improve fiscal efficiency.
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY go
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AUP (Acceptable Use Policy)—A written agreement,
signed by students, their parents, and teachers, outlining
the terms and conditions of Internet use in schools. It states
acceptable uses of online materials, rules for online behavior,
and access privileges. It also covers penalties for violations
of the policy. Anyone using a school's Internet connection
signs an AUP, which is kept on file as a legally binding document.
Bandwidth—Data speed through a connection, measured in
bits-per-second (BPS).
E-rate (Education Rate)—Discount available under
a federally funded program called the Universal Service Fund
(USF) see below.
ETTC (Educational Technology Training Center)—A
county-based resource center, one per county, which offers educators
professional development opportunities. Funded by the federal
Goals 2000 program and state funds, the ETTCs contain demonstration
technology equipment and offer training programs to assist teachers
in implementing the Core Curriculum Content Standards.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)—A programming coding
language used to create sites on the World Wide Web.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)—Increases
the bandwidth of a normal telephone line, making it capable of
simultaneous delivery of voice and data services over a single
telephone line. It is designed to provide a standard interface
to customer equipment such as computers, telephones, facsimile
machines, and routers.
ISP (Internet Service Provider)—A business that
acts as an intermediary between the Internet and the connecting
individual or agency.
ITV (Interactive Television)—Also called a distance
learning classroom that provides full-motion interactive video
within that classroom.
LAN (Local Area Network)—Connects computers, modems
and printers within a local area such as a school or a group
of classrooms.
USF (Universal Service Fund)—A federally funded
program in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 designed to provide
affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible
schools and libraries in the United States. Funded at up to $2.25
billion annually, the program provides discounts on telecommunications
services, Internet access, and internal connections.
URL (Uniform or Universal Resource Locators)—Similar
to an address or phone number, each site on the Internet has
a unique URL. The URL for the NJ Department of Education is www.state.nj.us/education.
WAN (Wide Area Net)—A network capable of transmissions
over large geographic areas among computers, modems, and printers.
WWW (World Wide Web)—An Internet browsing system
that allows for point and click navigation of the Internet. Web
documents use hypertext, which uses text and graphical links
to access other documents and files on the Internet.
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