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Terms and Definitions

IIPM Terms and Definitions:

  • Accommodations: Techniques, materials, support, or services that don't change the basic curriculum but enables a student to fully access the subject matter and helps students communicate what they know. An accommodation does not alter the content or expectations; instead it is an adjustment to instructional methods.
  • Aim Line: The line drawn from the median baseline data point to the final goal. 
  • Assessment- Diagnostic: A test used to diagnose, analyze or identify specific areas of weakness and strength; to determine the nature of weaknesses or deficiencies; diagnostic achievement tests are used to measure skills.
  • Assessment- Formative: Any form of assessment used by an educator to evaluate students' knowledge and understanding of particular content and then to adjust instructional practices accordingly toward improving student achievement in that area. (Ed Source) Ex: progress monitoring, diagnostic, teacher made probes.
  • Assessment- Progress Monitoring:  Periodic assessments (approximately two times monthly) given on a specific skill to monitor the student’s response to instruction in that area. It allows teachers to make quick judgments about the effectiveness of instructional changes on specific learning goals.
  • Assessment- Screener: A normed test that gives you a score that indicates if the student is performing in the average range, above or below.  (Flags teachers if a student is below expected norms).
  • Assessment- Summative:  A culminating assessment, which gives information on students' mastery of content, knowledge, or skills.
  • CLD Students:  Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students.
  • Comprehensive Reading Program: This is the initial instructional tool teachers use to teach children to learn to read including instruction in the five components of reading identified by the National Reading Panel (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) to ensure they reach reading levels that meet or exceed grade-level standards. A comprehensive reading program should address the instructional needs of the majority of students in a respective school or district. 
  • Comprehensive Intervention Reading Program (CIRP): These programs are intended for students who are reading one or more years below grade level, and who are struggling with a broad range of reading skills. Comprehensive Intervention Programs include instructional content based on the five essential components of reading
    instruction integrated into a coherent instructional design. A coherent design includes explicit instructional strategies, coordinated instructional sequences, ample practice opportunities and aligned student materials. Comprehensive Intervention Programs provide instruction that is more intensive, explicit, systematic, and more motivating than instruction students have previously received. These programs also provide more frequent assessments of student progress and more systematic review in order to insure proper pacing of instruction and mastery of all instructional components.
  • Core Instruction: This is instruction provided to all students in the class, and it is usually guided by a Comprehensive Core Reading Program. Part of the core instruction is usually provided to the class as a whole, and part is provided during the small group, differentiated instruction period. Although instruction is differentiated by student need during the small group period, materials and lesson procedures from the core program can frequently be used to provide reteaching, or additional teaching to students according to their needs.
  • Differentiated Instruction:  An approach to teaching that includes planning out and executing various approaches to content, process, and product. Differentiated instruction is used to meet the needs of student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs.
  • EasyCBM: The EasyCBM is a research-based assessment and progress monitoring system developed for use in a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. The EasyCBM is designed to assess early literacy skills of students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The system will expand in 2008-2009 to include K-8 reading and mathematics measures with alternative forms. The EasyCBM provides online training in test administration and scoring, web-based access to the assessments, data storage and retrieval, and printable reports showing student performance.
  • English Language Development (ELD):  Instruction designed specifically for English Language Learners (ELL) to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English.  This type of instruction is also known as English as a Second Language (ESL) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).  Standards are a version of English Language Arts standards designed to address the specific developmental stages of students learning English. 
  • English Language Learners (ELL):  Students whose first language is not English and who are in the process of learning English.  ELL students are sometimes referred to as LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students.  They typically receive English as a Second Language (ESL) Instruction. 
  • Explicit: Explicit instruction involves direct explanation. The teacher’s language is concise, specific, and related to the objective. Another characteristic of explicit instruction is a visible instructional approach which includes a high level of teacher/student interaction. Explicit instruction means that the actions of the teacher are clear, unambiguous, direct, and visible. This makes it clear what the students are to do and learn. Nothing is left to guess work.
  • Modifications:  Modifications are changes in the delivery, content, or instructional level of a subject or test. They result in changed or lowered expectations and create a different standard for students receiving them.
  • Specially Designed Instruction:  Instruction that is designed:
    1.    To meet the student’s individual needs and barriers to learning,
    2.    In order for the student to benefit from instruction, and
    3.    To make progress toward IEP goals,
    And to
    4.    Ensure access to the general education curriculum, and
    5.    Increase participation in the general education environment.
  • Supplemental Instruction:  Supplemental Instruction is instruction that goes beyond that provided by the comprehensive core program because the core program does not provide enough instruction or practice in a key area to meet the needs of particular students, classrooms or schools. For example, teachers in a school may observe that their comprehensive core program does not provide enough instruction in vocabulary, or in phonics, to adequately meet the needs of the majority of their students. They could then select a supplemental program in these areas to strengthen the initial instruction and practice provided to all students.
  • Targeted Instruction:  Instruction that targets a specific skill or skills.  It is intended to be used as a more intensive intervention to meet students learning needs in specific areas (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension). These materials can be used to provide either additional instruction or additional practice, or both.
  • Trend Line: A line on a graph indicating a statistical trend.