2016-17 State of Education in Tennessee | Page 62

a career that affords them the opportunity to live , work , and sustain a living wage .
CENTER OF REGIONAL EXCELLENCE ( CORE ): CORE offices , located in eight designated regions across the state , provide differentiated professional development , create regional collaborative partnerships , and promote evidencebased best practice sharing to help districts meet student achievement goals . Staff and support at each office include an executive director and support staff that includes academic specialists and fiscal and consolidated planning consultants .
CHARTER SCHOOL : Public charter schools are independently run schools that are publicly funded and approved by local school boards , the ASD , or State Board of Education . These schools have the flexibility to make personnel , financial , and instructional decisions at the school , rather than the district level , but are still held to the same accountability standards as traditional public schools .
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM : A student is chronically absent if she or he misses at least 10 percent of the school year .
CURRICULUM : Curriculum is instructional programming designed to help students reach learning outcomes set out in academic standards . Each local school district uses the academic standards approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education as the basis for developing curriculum . Educators work to develop and tailor curriculum to promote learning that is personalized to their students and differentiated according to overall class need .
CUT SCORES : Cut scores are selected points on the score scale of a test . The points are used to determine whether a particular test score is sufficient for some purpose . For example , student performance on a test may be classified into one of several categories such as basic , proficient , or advanced on the basis of cut scores .
DIFFERENTIATED PAY PLANS : Differentiated pay plans , also known as pay for performance , base a teacher ’ s compensation on professional learning , student achievement , leadership roles , a willingness to teach in high-need subjects or areas , and other measures . Differentiated pay plans differ from traditional salary schedules , which uniformly increase teachers ’ compensation based on number of years teaching and level of degree completion . Differentiated pay plans come in many forms such as permanent increases to base salary or as a one-time bonus .
DRIVE TO 55 : Drive to 55 is a statewide initiative , begun in 2013 , to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential to 55 percent by 2025 .
Approximately 39.3 percent of Tennesseans aged 25-64 had a postsecondary credential in 2014 , according to the US Census Bureau . Under this initiative , are several programs designed to improve access to postsecondary education and increase degree completion , such as the Tennessee Promise , and Tennessee Reconnect .
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS ( ED ): Beginning in 2015-16 , the Tennessee Department of Education defines economically disadvantaged students for accountability and funding purposes as those children who are directly identified as receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits ( or food stamps ), those whose families participate in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program , students who experience homelessness and are on the local school district liaison ’ s list of homeless students , Head Start participants , migrant youth , runaways , foster children , and others who may be certified by state or local officials . This group of students is commonly referred to as “ directly certified .” Previously , ED students were categorized by their eligibility for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch program .
END OF COURSE ( EOC ): End of Course ( EOC ) exams are associated with a specific academic course and are typically given at the high school level . Beginning in 2015-16 , EOCs were required for Algebra I and II , Biology , Chemistry , English I , II , and III , Geometry , Integrated Math I , II , and III , and US History . EOCs count as a portion of a student ’ s final grade average , but are not required for graduation from high school .
ENGLISH LEARNER STUDENTS ( EL ): According to federal law , an English learner student is one “ whose difficulties in speaking , reading , writing , or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual the ability to meet the challenging state academic standards , the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English , or the opportunity to participate fully in society .” There are a variety of terms used to refer to these students , including , but not limited to , English Learners ( EL ), English Language Learners ( ELL ), Limited English Proficient ( LEP ) students , or English as a Second Language ( ESL ) students . In Tennessee , students are screened for English proficiency using the WIDA ACCESS assessment , a nationally recognized tool . Students who are not proficient in listening , speaking , reading , and writing English receive tailored supports and interventions , and yearly retake the ACCESS test . Upon reaching proficiency , students are exited from the program .
EQUITY : In education , the term equity refers to the principle of fairness . Often used interchangeably with equality , equity encompasses a wide variety of educational models ,
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