Famous Acronyms
Jargon Strikes Back
In the Classroom
Data, Data, Data
Name That Tool
100

This is the act that protects family and student data.

FERPA - Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

100

Classes usually designated as non-academic. They typically include art, PE, library, and music.

Specials

100

Ways of managing the classroom; an established set of expectations.

Routines

100

Evaluation that takes place between the introduction of material and its conclusion.

Formative Evaluation

100
An outline of goals and objectives, activities designed to help students achieve those goals, and objectives and ways to assess whether students have actually reached those goals and objectives.

Lesson Plan

200

This is a common designation given to a student with a primary language other than English.

ESL - English as a Second Language

200

Involving all students in the educational setting that best meets their needs.

Inclusion

200

Physical materials such as cubes, blocks, or balls that model mathematical concepts

Manipulatives

200

A document that describes varying levels of performance (from high to low) for a specific assignment.

Rubric

200

A supplement to a textbook which includes a collection of teaching materials, lessons, ideas, and activities to help you teach the subject.

Teacher's Guide

300

This is a common reference to a personalized learning plan for a student with a diagnosed disability.

IEP - Individual Education Plan

300

The time in a teacher's life when the demands and expectations of the job exceed one's perceived ability to accomplish them.

Teacher Burnout

300

Providing instruction according to different ability levels in the classroom.

Differentiated instruction.

300

Metrics used to measure student progress towards mastery of a standard.

Benchmark

300

An instruction method where a teacher models or offers supports and then steps back to allow students to try it on their own.

Scaffolding

400

Throughout this program, after a course you might submit an application to MDE for this credit to be added to your certification record.

SCECH - State Continuing Education Clock Hours

400

A process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

SEL - Social-Emotional Learning

400

Rather than keeping each subject separate, curriculums that use thematic units work well to blend knowledge together in a way that is useful and memorable.

Curriculum Integration

400

A grading system where a subject is broken down into smaller goals and learning is assessed through each smaller target.

Standards Based Grading

400

A proactive, skill-building approach that will strengthen social skills for any student and will increase time for instruction and decrease disciplinary incidents.

PBIS - Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports

500

This is a framework many schools use to provide targeted support to struggling students.

MTSS - Multi-tiered system of supports

500

Students learn through solving a problem or question.

Project-Based Learning

500

A strategy with a focus to grow a student's academic competency and address learning deficits.

Small Group Instruction

500

A measure of growth that considers where a student starts and where they want to go.

Conditional Growth

500

Courage and resolve; Strength of character.

Grit