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DSST Educational Terms Vocab

Subjects : dsst, teaching
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Use of assessment strategies - such as performance assessment - constructed response items - and portfolios - to replace or supplement assessment by machine-scored multiple-choice tests.






2. Schools - almost always located in urban or low-income rural areas - in which an unacceptably low proportion of students meet established standards - as indicated by test scores. Also called failing schools.






3. A collection of student work chosen to exemplify and document a student's learning progress over time.






4. Standardized tests designed to measure how a student's performance compares with that of other students.






5. The habits and values taught in schools that are not specified in the official written curriculum. May refer to what critics see as an overemphasis on obedience - dependence - and conformity.






6. Schools - almost always located in urban or low-income rural areas - in which an unacceptably low proportion of students meet established standards - as indicated by test scores. Also called low-performing schools.






7. The idea that one gender or the other is short-changed by school practices and expectations. The term may refer to the difficulties boys tend to have in conforming to classroom routines and learning to read and write - or it may refer to lower averag






8. A theory of education that places importance on the complete experience of learning and the ways in which the separate parts of the learning experience are interrelated.






9. The responsibility of an agency to its sponsors and clientele for accomplishing its mission with prudent use of resources. In education - accountability is currently thought to require measurable proof that teachers - schools - districts - and states






10. The GED exam is a high school equivalency test that was first developed in 1942. Each year - approximately 800 -000 adults receive a GED diploma






11. The way a teacher organizes and administers routines to make classroom life as productive and satisfying as possible. What some people might describe narrowly as 'discipline.'






12. A self-governing educational facility that operates under contract between the school's organizers and the sponsors (often local school boards but sometimes other agencies - such as state boards of education). The organizers are often teachers - pare






13. Persistent differences in achievement among different types of students as indicated by scores on standardized tests - teacher grades - and other data. The gaps most frequently referred to are those between whites and minority groups - especially Afr






14. Students who have a higher than average probability of dropping out or failing school. Broad categories usually include inner-city - low-income - and homeless children; those not fluent in English; and special-needs students with emotional disabiliti






15. A standard for judging a performance..






16. The case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1954 in which racial segregation in public schools was held to be unconstitutional.






17. A way of organizing instruction that tries to ensure that students have mastered each increment of a subject before going on to the next. A system that recognizes teachers or principals who are thought to be especially capable by paying them higher






18. Learning materials designed to help students understand abstract ideas by handling physical objects. An abacus is a mathematics manipulative.






19. Tests created by a school district or state that students must pass before graduating






20. Intelligence quotient






21. Students who - because of physical - developmental - behavioral - or emotional disabilities - require special instructional help to reach their potential. This may include specially trained teachers - innovative technology or instructional materials






22. The practice of placing students with disabilities into regular classrooms.






23. Refers to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 - which is intended to improve education in high-poverty communities by targeting extra resources to schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of povert






24. In current usage - the term usually refers to specific criteria for what students are expected to learn and be able to do. These standards usually take two forms in the curriculum:






25. The practice of educating all children in the same classroom - including children with physical - mental - and developmental disabilities. Inclusion classes often require a special assistant to the classroom teacher. In a fully inclusive school or cl






26. Educational programs for students who - because they have a disability of some kind - require special instructional help to reach their potential. This may include specially trained teachers - innovative technology or instructional materials - access






27. Use of an approach based on behavioral science to change a person's way of doing things






28. With a membership of nearly 6.5 million - National PTA (also known as Parent Teacher Association) is a nonprofit organization of parents - teachers - students - and others that encourages parental and public involvement in the schools - advocates for






29. The effect of teacher expectations on student performance. The term refers to a Greek myth that was the forerunner of the musical My Fair Lady - in which a teacher transforms an uneducated person into a proper lady. Extensive research has documented






30. The goal of equity is to achieve a high-quality education for all students - regardless of gender - race - ethnicity - socioeconomic status - disabilities - or special needs. Studies show widespread inequities in financial support - classroom expecta






31. Preparing students for a test by concentrating on the particular things the test contains rather than on the broader body of knowledge the test is intended to measure. An extreme example would be drilling students on the 20 words the teacher knows wi






32. A theory of intelligence developed in the 1980s by Howard Gardner - professor of education at Harvard University. Gardner defines intelligence broadly as 'the capacity to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural sett






33. Tests created by a school district or state that students must pass before graduating






34. NAEP (pronounced 'nape') - is also known as The Nation's Report Card. It is a federally funded program (currently contracted to Educational Testing Service in Princeton - N.J.) that provides information about the achievement of students nationally an






35. Alternative public schools - most of which focus on a particular area of study - such as performing arts or science and technology but also offer regular school subjects.






36. A certificate issued to parents that can be used as full or partial payment of tuition for any nonpublic school.






37. Established in 1965 - Head Start is intended to foster healthy development of low-income children to help them succeed in school. Head Start and Early Head Start are federally sponsored - comprehensive child development programs that serve children f






38. An approach to curriculum and teaching that involves students in solution of real-life problems rather than conventional study of terms and information.






39. The effort to ensure that what teachers teach is in accord with what the curriculum says will be taught and what is assessed on official tests.






40. Schools that differ in one or more ways from conventional public schools. Alternative schools may reflect a particular teaching philosophy - such as individualization - or a specific focus - such as science and technology. Alternative schools may als






41. An informal term for assigning students to the same teacher for more than one school year.






42. The practice of dividing students for instruction according to their perceived abilities. Students are placed on a particular track (college-bound - general - vocational - and remedial) and given a curriculum that varies according to their perceived






43. Measuring the learning and performance of students or teachers. Different types of assessment instruments include achievement tests - minimum competency tests - developmental screening tests - aptitude tests - observation instruments - performance ta






44. A technique for teaching language arts that emphasizes the reading and writing of whole texts (sometimes beginning with picture books) before analyzing words and individual letter sounds.






45. Schooling that helps students understand and relate to cultural - ethnic - and other diversity - including religion - language - gender - age - and socioeconomic - mental - and physical differences.






46. Students with certain special needs - as specified by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - have a legal right to a special plan written by a multidisciplinary team. After a series of tests and observations determine the child's ne






47. Schooling at the high school level that allows students to spend a part of the school day attending traditional classes and the rest of the day learning a trade - such as auto repair or cosmetology. Vocational classes may be held in the same school b






48. Specific descriptions of performance of a given task at several different levels of quality. Teachers use rubrics to evaluate student performance on performance tasks. The way a teacher provides support to make sure students succeed at complex tasks






49. Analyzing existing sources of information (class and school attendance - grades - test scores) and other data (portfolios - surveys - interviews) to make decisions about the school. The process involves organizing and interpreting the data and creati






50. Tests used to determine which individual students get rewards - honors - or sanctions. Low-stakes tests are used primarily to improve student learning. Tests with high stakes attached include college entrance examinations and tests students must pass