| A | B |
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| Praxis | A national battery of tests prepared by the Educational Testing Service available for the initial certification of teachers. It consists of assessments in three areas: academic skills, knowledge of subject, and classroom performance. |
| AEPA | Arizona Educators Proficiency Assessment is Arizona’s battery of tests available for the initial teacher certification. It consists of assessments in two areas: academic skills and subject knowledge. |
| Teacher Certification Testing | Testing of potential teachers prior to state certification, designed to admit to the profession only those teachers who are competent in basic knowledge and pedagogical skills. |
| Professionalization of Teaching | The process of making teaching a better, more authentic profession through agreed-upon standards of practice and thereby regaining public confidence in schools’ educational abilities. |
| National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) | A teacher education program accrediting agency that encourages “institutions to meet rigorous academic standards of excellence in professional education.” |
| Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) | A nonprofit organization of institutions of higher education and other groups and individuals devoted to the improvement of academic degree programs for professional educators. |
| National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) | An organization dedicated to professionalizing teaching and raising standards by providing certification dependent upon extensive evaluations of classroom performance, portfolio evaluation, and knowledge-based examinations. |
| National Certification | A certificate awarded by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to teachers who possess extensive professional knowledge and the ability to perform at a high level. |
| Professional Ethics | The process of conducting professional practice in ways that are legally and ethically proper; many professions have unified codes of ethics that govern practice. |
| National Education Association (NEA) | The oldest and largest professional association for teachers and administrators. |
| Data-Driven Instruction | The practice of using assessment data measuring student performance to evaluate and change instructional practice so that all students succeed. |
| Laboratory Schools | Schools operated by colleges and universities that conduct research, develop exemplary practices of teaching, and provide opportunities for students to observe and participate in teaching processes. |
| Professional Development School (PDS) | A school that has formed a partnership with a college or university for the purposes of improving teacher preparation programs, student achievement, and reforming schools. |
| Action Research | The continuing process whereby teachers identify a problem specific to their own classroom situation and plan and implement a program to solve the problem. |
| Professional Development | The process of growing and becoming a professional. |
| Professional Learning Community | A defined group of educational stakeholders brought together to enable teachers and others to collaborate in support of reflective practice, action research, and ongoing professional development. |
| American Federation of Teachers (AFT) | A national professional association for teachers, affiliated with the AFL-CIO; the second-largest organization of educators. |
| Merit Pay | Pay based on meritorious service, performance, and/or special assignments. |
| Performance Pay | Salary increases based on student achievement and classroom performance. This term is gradually replacing the term merit pay. |
| Standards-Based Education | Instruction aimed at providing students the specific skills and levels of competency necessary to move through the educational system. |
| School District | An administrative unit empowered by a state to run a community’s school system. |
| Age-Graded Approach | Assigning children to a grade level according to their age. |
| Multi-Age/Multi-Ability Grouping | The mixing or integration of students of different ages in one classroom or learning setting. |
| Looping | A nontraditional approach to learning in which the teacher moves from grade to grade with the students. |
| Year-Round Schooling | Educational programs that run through the summer months as well as during the traditional academic year. |
| After-School Programs | Programs provided by schools that extend the school day and provide programs and activities to support student social and educational needs. |
| 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) | A component of the No Child Left Behind Act. It is a program that provides opportunities for students and their families to learn new skills and abilities after the school day has ended. |
| Block Scheduling | School class schedules that provide students longer periods of time for classroom sessions. For example, block scheduling may allow four ninety-minute classes each day. |
| Head Start | Started in 1965, the first major early childhood program subsidized by the federal government provides comprehensive services to low-income children and their families. |
| Alternative Schools | Schools formed by public schools and private groups as alternatives to existing public schools. |
| Magnet Schools | Designed to attract diverse students from all over a district or attendance area and to address issues of equity in course and program offerings. Many magnet schools have a particular curriculum or program emphasis. |
| Charter Schools | Provide free public elementary/secondary education under a charter granted by the state legislature or other appropriate authority. |
