All Terms

MPEG

Moving Picture Expert Group; digital format for compressed video files.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Professional organization that establishes rigorous professional teaching standards and grants National Board Certification; NBPTS.

native language

The first language that a person learns and speaks as a child.

NCLB

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the key law governing K-12 education in the United States; introduced major reforms in state academic standards, assessment, accountability, and student improvement.

network

Multiple computers connected with a telecommunication system; can be as large as the Internet or as small as two computers linked together to share printers and files.

networked learning environment (NLE)

A networked community of students, teachers, and digital resources that can be accessed from anywhere (with a linked computer) at anytime; used to the limits of time, space, environment, and resources to make learning more accessible to a wider range of people.

norm referenced

Test scoring that evaluates a student's performance on a test as a measure relative to the performance of all other test takers; results in a distribution of scores that resembles a bell curve; opposite of criterion-referenced scores.

objective tests

Tests comprised of items that contain only one correct answer per item; examples include true-false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions.

objectives

The content or skill a student must master; usually defined by outcomes or what a student knows and can do with the content.

PDF

Portable Document File; a universal electronic file format, modeled after the PostScript language, which is device- and resolution-independent.

pedagogy

Field of study focused on learning, learning theory, and teaching.

performance indicators

Metrics that are used to gauge overall performance in a content or skill area.

plagiarism

Using another person's work or idea but portraying it as one's own.

podcast

Digital broadcast of a recorded voice segment, which can also include digital images or video, created for distribution over the Internet; can be accessed online or downloaded to a portable, handheld device; teachers and students can create podcasts of lectures or presentations.

portfolio assessment

Evaluating performance and learning based on a collection of work over time; characterized by student-selected work and reflection on learning; attempts to portray progress over time and evaluate improvement.

prerequisite

A skill or knowledge set that a student must master prior to undertaking a new course of study.

problem-based learning

Approach in which students work in small groups to explore challenging, open-ended problems, often rooted in real world experiences; refocuses traditional teacher-led experiences to student-led learning.

professional development

Continuing education that offers educators opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge to improve teaching and learning.

psychomotor domain

Domain of learning that primarily involves the use of manual or physical skills to complete manual tasks; defined in Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.

redeemable failure

Situation in which a student is promoted or allowed to progress in his or her studies, despite failing to meet specified goals.

reflective practice

Process by which teachers actively engage in reflecting on their teaching practice (as well as student outcomes), and documenting or writing about their observations in order to increase understanding of their strengths and weaknesses; the ultimate goal is to improve teaching.

reliability

The degree to which a test or test-taking situation provides a consistent measure of performance; the following would be considered to have low reliability: a test that does not provide a consistent testing environment (some have extensive distractions, whereas others do not); tests with too few test items to allow students to demonstrate mastery.

remedial teaching

Instructional activities that remediate or seek to bridge gaps in understanding of content or skills.

RSS

Real Simple Syndication (RSS) is an EXL format for publishing frequently changing web content to consumers.

rubric

Scoring guide, usually laid out in the form of a table, which identifies and describes various levels of performance on any given assignment; objectively defines average, above average, and below average performance in a specific or general manner.