GATE Glossary
A | C | D | E | G | H | I | L | M | N | P | R | S | T | UA
Ability Grouping
Grouping students by need, interest, or ability. Groups can be formed and reformed to meet varied instructional purposes. All students need to participate in both homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping patterns. Ability grouping is not synonymous with “tracking.”
Accelerated Learning
Pacing students through the curriculum at a rate commensurate with their advanced ability, allowing them to go as far and as fast as they want to go.
Advanced Placement
A program in which a secondary student can gain college credit and/or advanced college placement. Advanced placement is obtained by successfully meeting criteria established by higher education institutions on a nationally given and scored Advanced Placement examination.
Affective Learning
Incorporating into the curriculum opportunities for students to address values, attitudes, and appreciations of self and others.
At-Risk
Students who may underachieve or who may drop out of school. Unmet economic, physical, emotional, linguistic, and/or academic needs may inhibit a student’s ability to learn or attend school.
Authentic Assessment
Process of evaluating student learning using student products or performance instead of traditional standardized tests. It allows students to be evaluated with regard to their individuality and creativity.
C
Categorical Program
A special-purpose funded with grants from the state and/or federal government. Funds from the grant must be spent for purposes (specific goals) defined in statues by the state and/or federal government.
Cluster Grouping
A method for organizing a heterogeneous classroom by assigning students with similar needs, interests, and/or abilities to the same classroom.
Collaborative Learning
A teaching strategy whereby students are expected to share expertise and effort in order to create a common project/product.
Content/Process/Product
The elements of curriculum. Content is the subject matter. Process is the skill included in the curriculum. Product is the output of learning or form of communication such as writing, illustrating, performing, debating, etc.
Cooperative Learning
The practice of assigning a common task and /or project to a group of students with varying ability levels often reflecting the full range of student achievement and aptitude. The purpose of such learning is to prepare students to live in a democratic society; to help them understand group membership and group dynamics; and to allow them to practice both leadership and follower skills.
Core Curriculum
The common knowledge and skills to be learned by all students of a particular grade as determined and specified by a local school district. The California State Department of Education specifies reading, writing, mathematics, history-social science, and science to be core curriculum. The state frameworks provide guidance to a local district in its decision-making process.
Creativity
The human attribute of constructive originality. It is the process of combining what exists into something new. The something new could be procedure, idea, or product relative to the individual. Creativity needs to be nurtured in students to develop the abilities necessary to affect our society with new ideas and solutions to problems.
Critical Thinking
The development of analytical thinking for purposes of decision making. This includes using specific attitudes and skills such as analyzing arguments carefully, seeing others’ points of view, and reaching sound conclusions.
Curriculum Compacting
A process used to give students validation for what they already know. It allows students who demonstrate mastery to omit portions of assigned curriculum, or to move more quickly through curriculum than would be typical. Students are thus able to “buy time” which can be used to accelerate content or to pursue enrichment activities while the unit is being taught to other students.
D
Differentiation
Adapting the curriculum to meet the unique needs of learners by making modifications in complexity, depth, and pacing. It may include selecting, rather than covering all, the curriculum areas dependent on the individual needs of students.
E
Enrichment
Activities that supplement the core curriculum. Such activities are generally not specified in the curriculum and are selected by the teacher and/or students in a given classroom.
Equity
Fair and impartial learning opportunities and access to good teaching for all students. In order to meet educational needs at all levels of development, these opportunities should encourage and enable all students to develop to their fullest potential.
G
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
As defined by California Education Code 52201: “Gifted and talented child, means a child enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school of this state who is identified as possessing demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of high performance capability as defined pursuant to Section 52202.”
Section 52202 states: “For the purposes of this chapter, the demonstrated or potential abilities that give evidence of high performance capability shall be defined by each school district governing board in accordance with regulations established by the State Board of Education. Each district shall use one or more of the following categories in defining such capability; intellectual, creative, specific academic, or leadership ability; performing and visual arts talent; or any other criteria which meets the standards set forth by the State Board of Education (pursuant to Section 52203). Each governing board shall also consider identifying as gifted or talented any student who has transferred from a district in which he or she was identified as a gifted and talented child.” Thus, each district establishes its own identification standards to meet the needs of its student population.
H
Heterogeneous/Homogeneous Grouping
Grouping heterogeneously generally occurs by chronological age level and without regard for the diverse needs of students, their learning styles, or their interests. Homogeneous grouping is based on common criteria such as the students’ interests, special needs, or academic abilities.
Honors Class
A secondary level course specifically designed to be advanced in content, process, and product. Traditionally, students who meet prerequisite criteria are accepted into these courses.
I
Independent Study or Self-Directed Study
Allowing students to follow individual or self-selected areas of interest and specific aptitude by designing and implementing their own study plans. Close monitoring by teachers is an essential component of independent study.
Individualization
Providing a specific program that meets the particular needs, interests, and/or abilities of an individual student for some part of his/her educational experience. It does not mean, however, that every child is working in isolation on a different level or a different subject at all times. It does mean that students are working on levels commensurate with their assessed ability, needs, and/or interests.
Instructional Scaffolding
An apprenticeship approach to instruction which places the teacher in a collaborative, interactive role with students by providing carefully structured and sequenced support as they undertake new and more difficult tasks. Emphasis is on teacher modeling, extension, rephrasing, questioning, praise, and correction rather than on the teacher as evaluator.
Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.)
A measure of ability or aptitude at a given point in time, comparing children of the same chronological age. Originally it was considered to be the sole way of measuring student ability. Current thinking now accepts I.Q. as one of the many ways to measure a student’s academic potential.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum
A curriculum that is structured to study a topic or concept by gathering and relating information and ideas from multiple disciplines.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
A rigorous international pre-university course of study, leading to examinations, that meets the needs of highly motivated and academically superior secondary school students. IB has a comprehensive classics curriculum (languages, sciences, mathematics, and humanities) that allows its graduates to fulfill educational requirements of various nations. Only schools approved by the IB organization may offer the program. Also, school fees are charged by the IB organization.
L
Learning Styles
A student’s preference for a mode of learning and/or type of learning environment. For example, a student could favor auditory learning in an independent learning environment.
M
Magnet School or Magnet Program
Many school districts, especially those with large school enrollments, select individual schools to emphasize particular programs or services. Some magnet programs focus on specific learning areas such as math, science, or performing arts. Others are designed to serve a specific student population such as highly gifted or gifted and high ability students. Since space is usually limited, special entrance requirements may apply.
Mentor
An adult member of the community who can provide expertise and/or advice in a field of study or other community endeavor when matched with a student on a one-to-one basis.
Multiple Intelligences
The theory that intelligence can be expressed in a variety of ways and is not limited to the rational linear mode. The theory commonly associated with Howard Gardner identifies at least seven intelligences: linguistic, musical, spatial, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.
N
Nomination
A referral process for consideration of a student into a specialized or categorical program.
Non-Traditional Identification
An alternative means of identification using instruments and procedures that provide an assessment of students that is not norm-referenced or standardized.
Norm-Referenced or Standardized Test
A test used to determine an individual’s status with respect to the performance of other individuals on that test. A “norm” group is the large number of examinees who have taken a particular test and whose scores form the basis of the norms. Such a test may be based on national norm, state norms, or local norms. At every level of educational test usage, it is necessary to match the scope of the test with the purpose that test is supposed to perform.
P
Peer Grouping
A practice which indicates voluntary or assigned matching of students by shared characteristics such as age, ability, need, and/or interest in order to affect teaching and learning.
Portfolio Assessment
A collection of student products used to measure student progress and achievement. A collection of student products is often used to evaluate abilities to determine the appropriateness of placement in a program such as visual and performing arts. This practice allows students to demonstrate a wide variety of abilities and talents that traditionally are not measured well by standardized tests. Material in a portfolio may be student selected. (See also Authentic Assessment)
Problem-Based Curriculum
Problem-based curriculum is a model that enables the learner to solve a problem using knowledge and skills across the disciplines. It enables gifted students to practice critical and creative thinking while researching information and organizing ideas to solve a real-world problem.
R
Rubric
A rubric or scoring guide is an assessment scale. Each interval along the scale represents a specific level of learning from the novice to expert. The levels of learning are accompanied by specific descriptors of the type and quality of work.
S
School of Choice
Opportunities for parents and students to select a school of attendance. California law permits all parents to choose which public schools they wish their children to attend given certain parameters including: space must be available (neighborhood children have priority), transportation must be provided by parents, and equal access must be assured. Choice is fundamental to the voucher system.
Special Day Classroom
A programmatic term defining a homogeneous setting of students with common needs and/or abilities. The class can include multiple grades or ages.
Standards
Standards are defined by the California State Department of Education as follows:
Content standards means the specific academic knowledge, skills, and abilities that all public schools in this state are expected to teach and all pupils are expected to learn in each of the core curriculum areas, at each grade level.
Performance standards are standards that define various levels of competence at each grade level in each of the curriculum areas for which content standards are established. Performance standards gauge the degree to which a student has met the content standards and the degree to which a school or school district has met the content standards.
T
Thematic Curriculum
A curriculum which focuses on the study of a topic or concept that is specific, such as “animals,” or global, such as “change.” The theme serves as an organizing element to provide continuity and “connectedness” for learning.
Tracking
Fixed groups that are rigidly maintained over time. This word is NOT synonymous with grouping and does not preclude opportunities for special needs groups for any learner at some time.