Assessment: a measure to collect formal or informal data related to students’ achievement and/or progress toward learning goals. Informal data may be based upon observation and dialogue; formal data is based upon completion of some form of test or performance-based activity.

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Benchmarks: assessments at key points in the students’ education to assure they are mastering designated standards.

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CLI Model: a systemic and systematic management system for academic programs with step-by-step processes for governance, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and staff development.

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Components: specific concepts or skills necessary for students to know or do in order to perform the outcome.

Component assessment: assessments that occur throughout instruction to check “small pieces” of a unit.

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Constructed response assessment: a paper and pencil type of test in which students must generate their own responses.

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Criteria: teacher-determined levels at which students must demonstrate learning before beginning next steps.

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Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC): a leadership group established by district policy which includes teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents who make decisions and take action regarding curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student learning issues.

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Curriculum Leadership Institute (CLI): a nonprofit organization that assists education institutions (e.g., schools, service centers, state departments) as they work to improve student learning.

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Evaluation: making judgments about the quality of student performance based upon clear rubrics or scoring guides and student achievement data.

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Formative assessment: assessments used to provide evidence of the process of learning and are not intended to be reported.

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High achievement unit outcome: essential expectations all students in a grade level or course must know or be able to do. Topics are not isolated; instead concepts and skills are connected in dynamic units of instruction.

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Instructional Planning Resource: an instructional plan directly aligned with the curriculum that can be used year after year as it is continually added to or modified.

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Outcome assessment: assessments that occur at the end of instruction and are cumulative – measuring all of the “pieces” together.

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Pacing Guide: a plan to organize the instruction of the curriculum, adjusted annually.

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Performance/product assessment: assessment activities that require students to apply learning to specific tasks and situations in order to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

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Rubric: a scoring tool that is a continuum or scale describing the qualities of multiple traits of student work (e.g., essay, product, or performance).

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Selected response assessment: a paper and pencil type of test in which the correct answers are provided and the students must simply identify them.

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Standards: recommendations from state departments of education and learned societies for concepts and skills that should be included in local curriculums.

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Subject Area Committee (SAC): a representative group of teachers appointed by the CCC to develop a results-based curriculum.

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Summative assessment: assessments that occur at the end of learning and is intended to be reported as a measure of learning.